Girl Turns 40 - June Trip of the Month: New Orleans, LA! - Part 2

This is Bunny Friend Park in the 9^th ward of New Orleans where Hurricane Katrina did her best to destroy, and the levees followed suit…

Bunny Friend Park was named for Joseph E. and Ida Weis Friend’s son “Bunny” who died at the age of 18. Together with the family, the community raised money to build a playground, but the years had taken its toll – and as part of my visit to New Orleans, we volunteered to give it a mini-Extreme Makeover.

We painted the clubhouse.

We built trash receptacle fences (you know, to make them look more attractive!)

We built picnic tables.

And we planted trees all around the perimeter of the park.

It was a great experience – very rewarding – even though it was 96 degrees….on the bayou…with 196% humidity…seriously. (Sweet mercy. What a hot day!)

One of the most interesting (and heartbreaking) parts were the remaining shells of houses that have now been abandoned. 

We had the opportunity to work alongside some of the remaining residents, and they said most folks that had lived there didn’t have homeowners insurance – and just couldn’t afford to rebuild. So they left. Plucked out during the disaster, and had never returned.

It was really sad – but it seems that the community is bouncing back, slowly but surely.

It was such a gift to be able to go there, and volunteer – I mean, haven’t you watched disasters on television and wished you could help? It’s never too late!

 - Girl Turns 40

#21. Volunteer Time! Cleanin’ the Green

Tomorrow is Earth Day so let’s all change to energy-saver squiggly lightbulbs, plant a tree, recycle a bottle, shop for a hybrid car, clean a stream, write to your Congressman, invest in a clean energy company, walk to work, and then get a good night’s rest. Whew!

It ain’t easy bein’ green.

Hmmm….Girl, why don’t you focus on just ONE of these items…eh?

Thus – in honor of Earth Day – I chose to volunteer to pick up trash along a local  greenway.  I mean, it wasn’t hard work either…check out the pics.

It’s 1.5 miles this way…

And then 1.5 miles this direction.

I donned my gear – tennis shoes with my dress pants. Lovely. (I volunteered right after work – so you know, it’s a GT40 fashion statement.)

Gloves. Check.

Trashbag. Check.

And we were off! Luckily for me – it was already pristine. Hardly anything to pickup!

It was a great experience – and an absolutely, beautiful Spring day!

(Deep breath) Ahhhh…..

 - The Girl

#3. January Book Review – Twelve Extraordinary Women of the Bible

Yes, it’s February, and this review should have been written yesterday. (Sigh) Oh well, a day late and a dollar short. We’ll start a new month tomorrow!

Grade : Ummm….Not graded.

I decided I couldn’t assign a grade to this book because it’s not within the typical genre of books that I like to read, so it seemed unfair to grade it.

The Author:

John MacArthur is a Christian minister, bestselling author and radio broadcaster. He is a controversial figure – evangelical and fundamentalist – and if you don’t know what that means, think ‘conservative Southern Baptist’ though the church he pastors is non-denominational.  He is highly respected in his field, but again has been publicly quoted denouncing Catholicism and Islam, and other public evangelical figures, such as Robert Schuller and Rick Warren...Really? Can’t we all just along?

So, anywho.

About The Book:

The book is really a collection of character studies – 12 female characters of the Bible, with a chapter devoted to each. 

They are:

1 – Eve

2 – Sarah

3 – Rahab

4 – Ruth

5 – Hannah

6 – Mary (yes, the Mother)

7 – Anna

8 – the Samaritan woman

9 & 10– Martha & Mary

11 – Mary Magdalene

12 - Lydia

Now, what I liked about the book were the author descriptions of each of these women - quoting scripture, providing details and historical data to build their storylines.  Based on the author’s education, I appreciated the theological insight and historical background provided with each story. 

What I did not like, was the conjecture or interpretation of some passages with fairly conservative views of women and their ‘position’ or ‘station’. (Hmmph....Ahem.... Pardon me.) Thankfully, this editorial did not overwhelm the overall positive tone of the book - which basically highlighted the common denominator of FAITH within all these women, and sought to describe their faithful actions throughout each story.

My favorite?

The story of Lydia really resonated with me. Per MacArthur, she is a single woman – probably a widower – but is a business woman. She is the only financially independent woman described out of the twelve.  Her business is fabric dye – in particular, she sold an expensive component of royal purple dye, only worn by the Rich and Famous of Philippi. She’s wealthy, owns her own home with servants, and runs an import/export business. However, despite her success, she is revered in the Bible due to her hospitality of housing and supporting Paul (and entourage) so that he can go forth into the world and tell the Gospel as commanded by God. She is exalted for her hospitality and most importantly, her unyielding faith in God.

Hmmmm...she sounds like my kind of Woman.

Overall, the book was good read - in a Religious-Studies-for-College-Credit kind of way. It was thought provoking in theory, but dry in delivery. 

This blog will end my month of spiritual focus , service, and meditation.  It’s certainly been helpful – but boy, there’s some more work to do! I guess it’s never done, right?

Stay tuned for February – beautiful things ahead!

May God bless you and keep you,

GT40

Plan B – My January TOTM (Trip of the Month): Charlotte, NC

My plans changed.

Originally, for my trip of the month, I was scheduled to go up into the North Carolina mountains to a small little town named Shatley Springs. This town boasts the most unusual of art pieces: 3 frescoes in 3 little churches.  Since January’s focus has been spiritual in nature, I thought this was a mighty fine idea.  Alas, Old Man Winter had another plan – and I simply couldn’t get there. Plus, it’s off-season for this area with many businesses closed due to the winter. So, hmmmmm…Plan B.

I was raised in the South, as a Southern Baptist (and I have a deep respect for my roots) but have also spent years in California, and have learned to accept different cultures, religions, and people.  (You know….a little bit country, and little bit rock n’ roll, so to speak spiritually.)  So, I decided Plan B would be to visit the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. 

Most people know or have heard of Billy Graham, as he is quite possibly the most famous evangelist of the 20^th century. The Library is really a large museum of galleries highlighting different portions of Billy Graham’s life. 

I’m a history buff – so I much enjoyed little tidbits, including the fact that Billy Graham has counseled no fewer than 12 Presidents, from Truman to Obama. 

An interesting gallery with console televisions (from back-in-the-day) running clips of Billy Graham’s younger years.

Other interesting clips and photo galleries included a large round room with interactive video from ministers speaking about Billy Graham from around the world.

The final gallery is a techno-experience. You walk through an archway shaped as a cross – which leads to an enormous Thomas Kinkade wall painting.

My favorite part was the landscape surrounding the Library. There were winding paths through the grounds, leading from one meditative spot to another.  Note the huge green “portabello-mushroom” speaker below the sign….

Absolutely beautiful music was piped outdoors, and these ‘musical mushrooms’ dotted the landscape throughout, it was truly wonderful.

Moral of the story: Don’t be afraid of Plan B.  It can turn out to be a great, unexpected experience.

Happy Sunday,

GT40