Trying to Settle Down

Here I am in my first full day in CA and I’m like a mexican jumping bean. I can’t sit still. I can’t formulate a complete thought. I feel like I have ADD. I wonder if its because I sat for 9 hours yesterday flying here, is it because I am finally in the sun and the vitamin D is amping me up or is it because I know I came here to think, process and make some life decisions? All plausible things I suppose.

But I’m kind of panicking. I’m worried I won’t get to see everyone I want to see. I’m worried that the time will go by too fast. I’m scared about going back to Ohio. I’m afraid I’ll miss something. UGH. Drama. I need to just relax.

Hopefully tonight we’ll go down to the ocean and grab some dinner. I need the waves to drown out my own thoughts.

Filed under: Psychobabbling

Time Away

To get away from all the insanity that is my life right now, I am heading west young man.

For the next two weeks I will be broadcasting directly from Southern California. I can’t wait. I need to see my peeps, the beach and eat delicious food. It’s gonna be awesome.

I am so grateful for this time. I am trying not too overplan it, just be flexible and schedule lots of downtime to think, write, take pictures and just be still. We’ll see how it goes.

Filed under: Things I love, Travelling , California, Get-A-way, southern california, travel

Grappling with Truth

I finally have the courage to sit down and write.

For the past six weeks the mere thought of having to sit down and think about what’s going on, how I’m feeling and what I should do has been too overwhelming. If I thought about it I’d have to deal with it. No, no one died, but I’ve felt like life as I knew it was shattering.

I finally know why I’m here and it isn’t pleasant. It doesn’t involve me directly but I’m affected by it. I don’t know what to think. My feelings are all over the map. All in one second I am angry, sad, disappointed and heartbroken. Yet, I can’t help but think, thhat even though all of this junk we are presently wading through is terrible it is finally real. We can’t deny it anymore. We can’t hide it. We can’t move on unti we move through it. For the first time in our lives we are forced to live in it. The pink elephant in the room is finally being called what it is.

I believe that the truth is much easier to heal from than lies. But when your eyes are completely open to the truth it can be startling and extremely painful. It forces you to live in reality. There is no fantasy. There is no pretending. We are made keenly aware of our depravity and need. The good thing is God’s mercies are new everyday. There is grace for everything but we have to be willing to look who we really are in the face, admit it and ask for help. It is a scary, dark place to be, but there is hope if you can do it.

I have been at that place for me personally. I know there is amazing freedom when you can embrace the process. But it takes incredible courage to do it. There is support and love in those who are truly your friends. The key is humility, vulnerability and complete dependence on God. You have to let go of everything you think you know and everything you think you are. I don’t think many people ever get to this place.

Sometimes people choose the fantasy. They choose to be a victim. They choose to ignore it. This perpetuates the lie. It isolates you from others. It makes you manipulative and passive-aggressive to make sure your safe world stays intact. The illusion of control becomes more important than the truth of the situation or other person.

We will be ok. I know we will. I see positive changes I never thought would happen. I feel peace never known. I see soul searching and realizations of things I thought were long forgotten. So it is good but hard for everyone.

As a bystander I am struggling not to relapse into my weapons of mass destruction. I am fighting to stay away from my vices that make me feel better. I am challenged to find a new way to cope. I too have to abandon myself into the process of a rotor router of my heart. There are still places inside me that are dark that needed to find the light of truth.

In the beginning, we all struggle against it choosing instead our own reality. At the end of the day the warmth and comfort of the light will woo us out of our struggle, if we let it. I have to let go of all my preconceived notions, ideals, fears and coping mechanisms. I too have to surrender.

I have to believe we will be changed. We will be stronger, closer and better. But the process is a bitch.

Filed under: Mi Familia, Spiritual Formation , control, grace, mercy, surrender, truth