The House

The sun dreams of her bed and begins her descent. The man wipes his brow and looks around. Everyone else is gone. They have been gone for a long time now, but he refuses to give up. He knows that when it's finished, this plot of empty will hold a house. A house for a family. He committed to this job, and he will finish. The problem is the house itself. It doesn't want to be built. The man packs up his tools and rides off into the darkness and the house frame sighs in relief, when the man's red eyes disappear. Before the sun has has had her morning coffee, the man is back, hammering, drilling, sawing. All the while the house resists. The measured plank wont fit, the nails go missing, the batteries in the drill die. Sometimes the man can actually feel the house leaning away from him. He talks to it, trying to calm it down, aware that if anyone were there he would look crazy, but alone, he's comforted that he can talk to a house if he chooses. He laughs to himself as he realizes that everyone thinks he's nuts anyway, for continuing this long abandoned project. Days pass, weeks. The house continues to resist, sighing when his red lights vanish, and tensely holding its breath when the sun opens her eyes. Some days are better than others, but every day is a struggle. Still the man works. The frame gets finished, then the roof. He knows what he's doing, and he just does it, knowing that this project will be well worth the hardship. He doesn't know that the biggest fear of the house is standing, full, beautiful, and eternally empty.

3rd Person Perspective

I'm not sure if I believe in God.
Not because I haven't seen Him,
But because I'm not certain if I am worthy just yet.
Who knows when it will happen,
Who knows when I will prove myself?
The hands that have created this world is what I have yet to understand.

They say to feel love, you must first feel pain.
But to what degree?
When will I feel that unsettling feeling that will leave me in constant tears?
And how will I escape from it?
I have been hurt before,
But I don't think it is enough.
I have felt more pleasure than agony,
So much that I have lost count of my blessings.

And I never wonder if this is God communicating with me,
Telling me that what I am doing are good deeds,
Because I am not the only one in this world who suffers from happiness.
Instead I question His motives,
I question His character,
But most of all, I question His choices,
Wondering if all the lucky coins in my jar on the shelf were meant for me.

DId you know (Jan 26)

Did you know that in the making of The Incredibles, the animators had a really tough time keeping all the food in the right places when the family was at dinner? If you look closely, you can see some mistakes even, but you probably would never have seen them without knowing what to look for.

Did you know (Jan 25)

Did you know that the teachers who don't assign their own furlough days are literally working for no pay? The teachers at school have a 10% pay cut, which we know, and so have days where they won't be paid. Some teachers don't come to class on those days. Others do however, and so even though there is less money for more work on their part, they still come in and teach us, and they don't complain. Good job budget cuts.

Did you know (Jan 21)

Did you know that the word breakfast separates to make break fast? The reason it's called breakfast is because you are 'breaking your fast' from the last meal you ate.

Humboldt

While we were in Humboldt, I had some ideas for some writing, and I will hopefully continue them, but I just want to write them in here so I can delete them from my phone.

My heart quivers as I wait, sword drawn, for the beast the trees grow on to awake, (and to face me so that I can defeat it, or pretend to as my ancestors did before me. )

The trees ruffle their leaves and the sound of David Bowie breaking their eternal silence, but before they can reach out (to stop it) the car has passed (is past)

As I sit in the airport terminal waiting for my hour delayed flight, I am writing to keep myself occupied, but mostly writing to inform you of a righteous man who stood up for justice and world equality, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

His "I Have A Dream" speech doesn't even scratch the surface of what he did to change our society. The civil rights movement was a historical moment in history in which Dr. King influenced thousands with his powerful speeches and activity throughout America. Not only did he encourage African-Americans to demand their human rights, but he declared that all ethnicities unite for the greater good.

Today, on the radio, I was listening to his speech "If I were a Drumming Major" (I think that was the title, don't quote me on it) and it moved me. As an orator, Dr. King didn't just speak publicly, but he encouraged change, he brought forth optimism, and most of all, hope during troubling times when very few believed that our society would improve.

Knowing and understanding that the civil rights movement was barely 50 years ago and the impact it had on the decades afterward is astonishing. Though we still have so much to change and fight for, I am still very thankful that people like Dr. Martin Luther King have paved the way for me to fight for the cause even further. I look at my mother's birth certificate that classifies her as "Negro" and I think of how humble I am. I am able to eat at the same table with my friends who are of a different skin color, I have the right to vote and voice my opinions publicly, but most of all I am able to go to college without being scrutinized.

So many doors have opened for us as a nation, however; I still understand that there are many more that need to be unlocked in order to improve ourselves and our community. There is still racism out there, though at times it goes unnoticed. There is sexism, ableism (discrimination in favor of the able), homophobia, xenophobia, intolerance of religions, etc. It is up to our generation to make sure that these issues are not swept under the rug. It is up to us to identify the problem and propose plans to fix them.

So let's put up a good fight for those who helped us. Let's make sure that the next generation has something to learn from. And remember to not ignore those who fought and sacrificed for us.

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King.