The Kite Runner

Hop on over to my book blog to read about my thoughts on and favorite part from The Kite Runner.

Greener Grasses of Living in Present Day America

I recently checked out 40 Must-See Photos From The Past.  It made me so thankful to live in the place and time that I do now.  As I list my gifts, so frequently I am reminded of the rich blessings I have of clean drinking water and the ability to sleep in safety.  Too often I hear people bemoan that our nation is going down hill but in reality we still have been blessings and freedoms that are scarcities in other places and times.  I was reminded of these blessings as I scrolled through the pictures in the above post.  Other things from the post that make me grateful to live in America during this time period include:

-Never having to wear a gas mask.

-As cool as clothes were from the 19th and early 20th century, I’m grateful for jeans and tennis shoes and that corsets aren’t the norm.

-I’ve never had to use a weapon to defend myself.

-My mom didn’t put me in a baby cage to get fresh air.

-I’ve never lived in a war zone.

-I’ve never laid down at night wondering if a bomb would destroy my home and take a limb or life.

-With my eyes I have only seen massive destruction from nature not humans.

-I have a close African American friend.  I’m thankful for those who endured bloodshed to bring about the dream that people be judged not “by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” and “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”  

-My parents have never been so poor and at their wits end that they put me and my siblings up for sale.

-I’m thankful to have only known feast and not famine.

-I’m thankful to have not lived in a country that decided to change the side of the road on which we drive!

Adventures as a Chauffeur

Airport Meme, pretty accurate for my first pickup

I arrived at the airport on time but didn’t allow for the amount of time it would take to park the van and walk inside.  I checked the arrivals board and based on the information assumed the flight had not yet arrived.  I decided to take a quick bathroom break.  I then exited the bathroom and found people at the specified baggage carousel waiting to retrieve their bags.  I asked a young woman if she was from the Miami flight.  She nodded and her nod sent me into a frenzy of trying to whip out my sign with the student’s name.  I rushed over to the assigned escalator with my sign in hand.  After the flow of people ceased and I still hadn’t found my guy, I marched back over to the assigned baggage carousel.  “Are you Victor?” I said these words to every guy who looked even remotely like a Spanish speaker.  After a few minutes, and still no Victor, I realized that I had failed my first airport pickup assignment.  My heart sank.  I called my boss to tell her the news that I had lost a non-English speaking student.  With a sigh of relief, I discovered from her that the student had missed his flight but was to take one about 4 hours later.  

My next student was supposed to arrive in another hour and a half so I sat down to wait for his flight to arrive.  Luckily I had brought ample reading material to occupy my time.  I kept checking the arrivals board and discovered his flight had been delayed an hour.  As the arrival time drew nearer, I sat watching the escalator for human movement for 15 minutes before the flight should arrive.  At the first sign of human life, I jumped up with my sign, eager to greet my second student.  I waited and waited and finally made small talk with another driver doing a pickup and asked if he too was waiting on someone from Chicago.  He said he thought everyone from that flight had already came down the escalator.  I walked around the assigned baggage carousel with my sign asking, “Is this you?” to all the Asian males.  I didn’t attempt to butcher the jumbled letters that made up the name of my student.  Eventually everyone got their bags and left the airport and I still did not have a student.  I called my boss again and told her the news hoping she had word that he too had missed his flight.  This was not the case.  I spent the next 90 minutes searching.  I had the guy paged, held my sign as I walked all over baggage claim, went upstairs and downstairs and outside but could not find my guy.  I became frustrated at having been at the airport for 4 hours and still not having a student to show for it.  I later discovered my guy had a friend pick him up without telling my company.

Victor’s second plane was scheduled to arrive at 9pm.  The arrival boards did not have this flight so I asked the Information Desk.  They told me the flight was actually leaving rather than arriving at 9pm and would arrive instead at 10:30pm.  I again pulled out my book and waited.  The flight didn’t actually arrive until 10:50pm.  I readied myself with my sign by the escalator.  You cannot imagine the joy when I saw a young man grinning at me as he came down the escalator.  I told him I was so happy to meet him.  We grabbed his bag and headed home.  I dropped him off at his house, dropped off the van and paperwork and finally made it home at 1:00 in the morning.  

Since that frustrating night, I have made a few more airport runs.  One was incredibly smooth and the student spoke great English so we talked the entire way home allowing me a window into his world.  The next student spoke almost no English.  When I asked if he had a great flight, he turned his head away and was silent since he had no idea what I had said.  My most recent pickup involved misinformation about a flight on the arrivals board and the reality that the flight did not actually arrive until 12:30am.  I didn’t get home from that shift until 3 in the morning after fulfilling my duties as a driver.   

My driving shifts of late have most often been the aforementioned airport pickups or taking the students to the movies.  I enjoy airport pickups because it gives me an hour alone in the car to process, think, pray, or listen to an audio book.  I also really enjoy seeing all the families and couples and friends reunited in the baggage claim area.  It is also rewarding and a relief to lock eyes with the student and to know that the student can rest a little easier knowing someone is there to watch out for them and take them to their new destination.  I also really enjoy the movie trips for obvious reasons.  Who wouldn’t enjoy getting paid to see a movie as well as a free movie ticket.  

I enjoy this job but can also see the hand of God in using the job to stretch me.  I am a planner and get easily frustrated without a plan or when things don’t go according to plan.  This job makes me throw plans out the window and be ok with it.  Just yesterday, I got a text around 9:30am asking if I wanted to take students to the movies that night.  So much for being able to plan ahead.  Then there are the obvious airport delays and missed flights and students having someone else pick them up without telling my company.  Another element that stresses me is having to take all of the students home after the movies.  I usually ask my boss to tell me where each of the students on the sign up sheet live.  The problem is that not every student who signs up actually comes.  Then others don’t sign up but come anyway.  Once we are ready to depart the movie theater, I find out one student has a different ride home and another student who didn’t ride with me now wants a ride home.  To top it off, the students at times have little English and I’m supposed to drive them in a giant van to their homes without a GPS in the dark.  Lucky for me this past year has been one of interrupted plans and chaotic schedules because the old Candace would have ulcers from this job.  What I am discovering is that I can survive without plans and things always work out eventually so I’m learning to not stress.    

1994 Valentine's Throwback

I have always been a goofy kid with a wild imagination.  Twenty years ago I decided to make my family a Valentine’s Day card.  This was no cheesy construction paper card.  I loved my family and wanted to give them a card worth keeping so I took a piece of poster board and folded it in half.  I then took notebook paper and stapled four sheets together to make giant pages.  I then stapled the giant pages into the poster board and got to work.  The outcome was the masterpiece you see below.  Make sure you read my comments because they are quite comical.   

The front cover:  "To Mama, Daddy,
Chris and Caley from Candace."
"I love u 4 ever and always!"

Giant Page 1

Each quarter of the giant page was addressed to
a family member or members.  This one was
addressed to Chris.
"A nice 16 present and its good for
getting girls."

To:  Mama, Daddy, & Caley
"Why of course her ear."

Giant Page 2

To:  Caley
"A pretty doll for Caley.  Too bad she's
not as pretty as you!"

To:  Mama
"I just got you a pretty porcelain doll and
it didn't cost me anything."

To:  Mama, Daddy, Chris & Caley
"Is that where you stay?  Don't tell me
you've been in there since 8:20."

Giant Page 3

To Daddy:
Mama- "I just had twins (twins are horrible).  How
did you get them to sleep?"
Daddy- "I gave them a lecture."

Giant Page 4

Giant Page 5

To Chris:
"These 2 people were put in the Tennessee
Magazine for good grades.  If you keep up the
good work you might be.  I believe in you.
Keep up the good work."

Giant Page 6

To Daddy:
"Old girlfriend"

Giant Page 7

To Everybody:
"The Gift of Life really counts."

To Daddy:
"Wouldn't that really help"

Giant Page 8

"This is what I would like for my babies' nursery."
and "Sparkling eyes like you all have."

"Dear Everybody, I hope you don't mind me putting something
in here for me.  I love you forever & always, yes even Chris.
Love always, Candace
P.S. Happy Valentines Day February 14, 1994"

Inside back cover:
"I Love U"
"Don't forget to look on back."

Back cover:
"Hallmark"
"By Your daughter Candace Smith"

Happy Birthday Daddy

In honor of my dad’s coming birthday, I wanted to do a post to celebrate him.  

Father-daughter road trip passing through Metropolis, IL

When We First Met

My dad was 25 when I was born.  He had been married 4 years when I was born and had been a father to my brother for 3 years.  

My Earliest Memory

I don’t have very many early memories of my dad.  He was the primary bread winner so I spent more time with my mom.  One of my earliest memories was dinner time.  I was a terribly picky eater and as such, my punishment (as well as a punishment to my dad) was that I had to sit beside him at the dinner table so he could make me eat.  Every night we would do battle.  I would spread my mashed potatoes all over my plate, my child rationale thinking they had magically disappeared.  This kind of behavior infuriated my dad.  Eventually he quit battling with me and decided I would eat when I was hungry.  

My Favorite Memory

When I was 16, we had been camping.  I was having a bad day and not wanting to be around people.  We needed to do laundry so I went to the laundromat with my dad.  (Yes, we are those people who do laundry while camping.)  It was just the two of us and probably the first real conversation we had had in a while.  I discovered that he wasn’t this weird foreign man that shared a home with me but rather that he and I had a lot in common.  In many ways, I am a female version of my dad.  We think alike and understand each other better than most others.  For this reason, I take joy in picking on my dad and I suspect he enjoys doing the same to me.  

Nickname

-I nicknamed him Puddleglum after a character in The Silver Chair from The Chronicles of Narnia.  I made him watch a BBC version of the character and he agreed with me that it’s a pretty accurate nickname.  Puddleglum/my dad is always negative, focusing on and expecting the worst. 

Facts About Him

-He is the youngest of 6 kids.

-He never finished high school.

-He grew up poor with an abusive father.

-He broke the abusive cycle when he discovered Jesus.

-He has no middle name.

-My mom gave him a middle name and calls him “Clayton D.” for “Clayton Delaney.”

-He is overly obsessed with hunting.

-He rarely smiles in pictures.
-He makes up nicknames for people: Candace P. Kirkendoll, Caley Brookenstein, Mama Fizzleberry, etc.

Characteristics I Love About Him

-He is a hard worker and instilled this trait into myself and my siblings.

-He is a critical thinker and not easily swayed by the frivolous opinions of others.  He searches out truth for himself.

-He often has the ability to look at various viewpoints.

-He can make some pretty mean fried deer meat.

-He serves my family tirelessly.  Nothing is beneath him including ironing, cooking, sewing, working on cars, etc.
-He always changes the oil in my car, usually dropping everything to do it within my allotted time frame.  One time I asked him to teach me how to do it myself.  He told me girls aren't supposed to have to change the oil and he will continue doing it for me.   

-He has shown me a picture of a good father.

Typical Dad smile

A half grin rarity in a family photo.  Note he still has his arms crossed.

For real rarity, all out smile!

In spite of his usual Puddleglum frown, my dad still knows how
to have fun.

Oh For the Day and Other Thoughts

There are a few thoughts that the Lord keeps bringing to my mind lately and I wanted to share them here.

The first came from a situation I was stressing over that involved some conflict with another believer.  I felt as if this person was trying to prevent me from a desired end.  As I was praying for and dreading interaction with this person, God whispered these words to my soul:

Remember who the enemy is.

Too frequently I become frustrated with fellow believers.  These words serve as a reminder that we are all on the same team.  I also become frustrated with those who do not follow Christ.  Again, the real enemy is the prince of darkness not mankind.  

A second phrase that keeps giving me hope came from a discussion with my friend Sindy.  She sat on my couch one night and confessed she thought that one day she would become too much for me and I would abandon our friendship.  I laughingly but in all seriousness told her that she could not get rid of me that easy and I was not going anywhere.  She told me she went home and cried the first time I told her that and it helped her understand that God is not going anywhere either.  A day or two later as I prayed, God breathed these words to me:

Candace, I’m not going anywhere.  You are mine.

I confess that I may have shed a tear or two at these words.

Yesterday I became frustrated that there have been some delays.  I have a plan for my life laid out and my reality is not syncing with that plan.  As a result I have been sort of wasting my life out of frustration that things are not moving at the speed I desire.  I finally pinpointed the root of my aimlessness yesterday as a lack of vision and purpose for the present.  God lovingly reminded me yesterday: 

This delay means that I have purposes for you in this life situation right now.  Don’t waste this time.  

With this new idea in mind, I have begun praying for each day that God would open my eyes to how He wants to work through me in the present moment.  

A last thought comes from a sermon I heard by Matt Chandler.  He said as he drives around his city, he begins prayers with these words:

Oh for the day...

As he drives past strip clubs, he prays, “Oh for the day that you can’t make money off of that anymore.”  It has led me to start praying similar prayers.  Oh for the day when people will be filled by Jesus and the sex trafficking industry vanishes.  Oh for the day when dads take a greater interest in their families than in their hobbies.  Oh for the day when the church will again be a lover of the Word and will love each other more than themselves.  Oh for the day...

What kind of "Oh for the day" type prayers do you hope and wait for?  Please comment below.

Greener Grasses of Losing Wisdom Teeth

Last week, I had my wisdom teeth removed.  I know, I know, I’m a little old to have this done but it was time.  A few days before the surgery, my roommate asked me if I was nervous.  I told her I was actually looking forward to it because it would be a forced time of rest without guilt.  

Ways I am Thankful for the Removal

-A forced time of rest without guilt.  

-Rest including extended day time naps AND a full night of sleep.

-Rest including some good tv and book reading time.

-Rest including watching Family Feud and making fun of tv offers with my grandpa.

-Having a break from everyday life and responsibilities.

-Being single and childless meant I got to actually rest through my recovery.

-Not having a consistent job meant I could recover on my own schedule.

-Getting to spend 4 days with my family.

-My mom (and dad) to nurse me back to health (and pamper and spoil me!)

-My pants are fitting better from my mostly liquid diet.

-Saving some grocery money

-I’ve already met my deductible this year.

-The surgery was as smooth as possible.

-I’ve had relatively few problems post surgery.

-I was not given laughing gas and my family was not able to make fun of me.  

-Hopefully the removal will rectify some other issues that have crept up in my health.