Childhood

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My First (Self-help book) Love

Do you remember your first self-help book? 

Mine was How Full is your Bucket? by Tom Rath. 

I read it at the tender age of 13 and it is the reason I love self-help books so much today. 

The book teaches you how it truly is the everyday interactions with those around you that determines how you respond to the good and bad circumstances of life.  

  1. Every positive interaction adds a drop to your bucket. 
  2. Every negative interaction dips (takes away) from your bucket. 

Looking back now, nothing Rath discussed was earth shattering, but it was presented in such a unique way that I was fascinated. 

Plus, Rath had 40+ years of research from Gallup Polls and his stories were mesmerizing. 

Did I mention that he gave readers access to his Strength Finders test?

What about the cool resources to help implement the new information?

This nerdy chick, way back when, fell in love with self-help books and I’m still a bit starry eyed today. 

If you want to wax nostalgic with me, give the book a read (it’s on hold for me at the library).

And if you want me to wax nostalgic with you, let me know the title of your first self-help book. 

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The Giver

The Giver is a wonderful book. It’s a must read for kids and parents alike. 

I remember when it was part of the curriculum for our 5th grade class (at least I think it was 5th grade?).

A few years ago, The Giver was adapted into a movie and it really does the book justice. 

What intrigues me most about the story is how it approaches history and its affect on community. 

A world without color, without memory of the past, is unfathomable to me. 

A world without deep feelings and emotions sounds like a great idea, but it strips us of what it means to be human. 

These are not easy topics for a young adult fiction book to tackle!

Lois Lowry’s ability as an author to talk about tough, complex issues in a way that kids can understand amazes me. 

To watch Jonas, filled with the hopeful optimism of youth, bring history back to his world was an exciting journey to see on screen–just as much as it was to read!

I highly recommend the book and the movie. Just be prepared afterwards to think about the world and your part in it. 

I walked away with the same sense of awe after reading the book as I did when I watched the movie. 

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Reading and Hope

There’s a little girl who comes to Thursday Night Lights who has captured my heart. 

We’ve talked about Joan before (I’ve changed her name) but seeing her this week gave me an idea…

She’s out of school for the summer, so I know Joan spends most of her time alone. 

Several weeks ago, I was given some books by a friend who moved back to Shreveport, Louisiana. Many of them were young adult fiction books. 

I asked Joan if she likes to read and she does! Next Thursday I’m bringing her a few books. 

Joan’s 11, which is around the time my own love of reading took off. I bet Joan will have the same experience. 

No matter how bleak the circumstances, the settings of a good book draw you in.

 I’m not recommending reading as a method of escapism, but more as a method of seeing that there’s a world beyond your circumstances. 

Imagination is a powerful force. 

My hope for Joan is that she doesn’t look at her circumstances and think, “This is it.”

Obviously, a relationship with Jesus is what Joan really needs. And I plan on talking with her more about that. 

I just remember how much reading impacted my life as a child. 

If you live in the Tulsa area and have some books you’d like to see go to a good cause, I have some friends who would greatly appreciate your generosity. 

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All about singin’

I retaught myself a song from my childhood….

I can now sing you the books of the Old Testament. If you’d like to request a special performance, just drop me a comment below.

What I find most amazing is that I remembered half of the song, but the part with all the major and minor prophets had me a bit tongue tied. 

As a kid, you can remember anything if it’s in a song. My little brothers and sisters can sing you the entire timeline of world history!

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising because the only reason I know the multiplication tables is Ms. Eiser’s 3rd grade math class. She had 45s (that’s a type of record btw) of math songs.

Today’s post is short–finals start tomorrow–but I have a fun question for us to talk about:

What songs do you remember from childhood (from school or church) that you can still sing today?  

 

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Walk to Beautiful

I did something last night that I haven’t done in a long, long time: I stayed up until 2 AM reading a book. 

Good stories, especially true stories, intrigue me more than anything.

Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne is a captivating story of one man’s troubling childhood and how he became successful despite the trials. 

walk to beautiful

There was no way I could put the book down.

No matter how many chapters I said were the last.

No matter how many times I told myself, “30 more minutes, Audra.”

How could I stop now? The story was holding me captive! 

Jimmy lived in a world raging with violence and with no sense of normalcy, but he still had hope.

This one fact is amazing to me.

 

We are all hardwired to hope, which is why I think the saddest thing to see is hopelessness prevail. A sense of utter hopelessness is the #1 reason people commit suicide.

What I love about Jimmy’s story is how he wrestled hopelessness to the ground, tied it up, and ended it’s life–not his own.

Inspiration is awesome, no doubt, but inspiration that leads to change? Yes! Sign me up!

The biggest obstacle Jimmy faced as a boy was loneliness because people saw him as another juvenile delinquent when he was just an innocent kid. He only knew darkness; he’d only seen glimpses of light.

Many children in foster care face the same challenge. They want to do better, but no one’s ever modeled what that was for them. Or, in the worst of cases, they’ve succumbed to hopelessness.

All it takes, though, is one person reaching out to help. 

And that’s all I could think about last night as I turned page after page….

 

 

 

 

 

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Protecting the innocent

God's loveA 6 month old little boy died this week. I saw it on the news last night. His mom’s loser boyfriend neglected him and he died…

Another news story came on right after that one: A mom left her 4 children home alone and the house burned to the ground. Thankfully, all of the children escaped and are now in protective custody. At least they have a chance at a good life now.

I will never understand neglect and abandonment.

How could anyone harm an innocent child?

Children are an inheritance from the Lord. They are precious gifts! The most important thing someone can do is be a parent. When I think of the number of children who are suffering because of negligence and abandonment, my heart breaks.

I remember what it was like to grow up without parents. I had so many unanswered questions and I didn’t even know how to express them.

  • Why wasn’t I good enough for them to stick around?
  • What’s wrong with me?
  • Do they even love me at all?

I wrestled with these questions for years. It wasn’t until I became an adult and allowed God to mend my heart that I finally understood the truth:

  • It was never my fault.
  • There is nothing wrong with me.
  • I am loved deeply by my Heavenly Father.

One of the strongest desires of my heart is to share this truth with children who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected.

These children are not damaged goods. They just need to be told the truth and given some hope.

Psalm 68:5-6 says:

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families.

I strongly believe that it is up to Christians to provide love and support for hurting children. Mentorship, foster care, and adoption are three great options that can forever change a child’s life.

 

 

 

 

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Christmas memories

Today I ate a Christmas burrito. 

My dad came up with the concept as a fun way to eat leftovers. 

Well, he learned about the English’s version called Bubble and Squeak from our friends, the Vospers. 

The idea of putting it in a tortilla was his own. 

We spent the day packing and purging after a small basement flood on Christmas night. (It came a bad storm that afternoon, which led to an overflow of water on our property.)

No worries, though, because it’s all been cleaned up now. Nothing major was lost to water damage. 

As tiring as the process has been, I’ve enjoyed working with my family and being around our house. 

My favorite part of the day was when my dad found an old journal from his 6th grade year. We read the entries aloud at lunchtime.

Let’s just say that my dad’s always been a funny guy. The journal was filled with pictures, misspelled words, and all the cuteness that comes with childhood. 

I’m not an overly sentimental, let’s keep everything kind of person, but finding this journal has me thinking:

We ought to keep some things from every part of our life. It’ll make for some great conversations later. 

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Christmas Eve Adventures

I didn’t make it into any pictures, but my Christmas Eve was awesome. 

The Kennedy/Neely Christmas parties were a success!

Opening presents with my cousins was fun because they picked out their own gifts for everyone this year. It’s cool to see the people they are becoming. 

My cousin Mathew celebrated his first Christmas as a father and I love his fiancé Kristen. He picked a winner for sure!

I pray that you have a wonderful time with your friends and family over the next few days. 

Merry Christmas!

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The gift of empathy

7-christmas-tree-backgroundI bumped into a bad memory last night. It happens from time to time….

I allowed myself to think back to the people involved, the events of the evening, and the décor of the room.

The emotions were strong and I found myself gasping for breath. I was choking–trapped–in the moment and all I wanted to do was run out the door.

I’m sharing this story with you because I learned something in the process:

You can deconstruct the past, face the truth, and then move on.

The reason people remain stuck in the past is that they never learn how to see it from a place of freedom.

I am free from the pain, shame, and guilt of my past. (Notice that I didn’t say sadness of my past. It’s not possible to remove the sadness.)

With time and a year of counseling, I stopped seeing my past as a bully that’s holding my present hostage and casting a shadow over my future.

I can now face up to the memories instead of running from them.

Christmas will be here in 3 days and Facebook posts are already warning us to be sensitive to the hurts and pains of others.

No one can have a good Christmas (and don’t even think of sharing your joy online) because hurting people will be scrolling through their newsfeeds.

This kind of attitude is detrimental.

Even if everyone didn’t share about their holidays, there would still be hurt in the world.

There is nothing sympathetic about making others feel guilty. Likewise, there is nothing empathetic about walking around on eggshells.

Why don’t we comfort our hurting friends and family?

Take hold of their hands, give them a hug, and sit with them through the tears.

This is genuine empathy and it leads to healing.

There’s no magic formula for grief and sadness, but genuine empathy is the greatest gift you can give this Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Grace and Restoration, Part 1

The video project has begun! 

My dad was able to edit and upload the first video of our project today. 

I’m including the link below:

Grace over Abandonment Series, Part 1
We still have two more videos to record, so let me know of any questions you’d like for us to answer. 

Also, I plan to type out the transcripts soon. I’ll post them here on my site when I share the second video.