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Being Dad

Love is Patient

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If nobody else noticed, this is the third Sunday in a row that I’ll be posting about baby, with no baby in sight. It’s been a good full two weeks since I had full expected the baby to arrive. I don’t know why we were so set on this idea that the baby would come a few days early (maybe cause all the women on her side were early…). Anyways, like many other first babies, ours is still hanging out and getting a few more days of peace before entering this crazy world.

If anything I’ve learned, or have tried in vain to learn, patience. Recently, though she isn’t even 0 days old yet, I’ve felt like scolding her. How do you explain to your in utero baby that she’s really hurting her mommy’s feeling by not coming out when she was expected (she’s hurting her back, ankles, and hips too, but will stick with the emotions). I guess that’s where this idea that patience is really all you’ve got to go on, or develop, or learn to desire. I can’t scold my baby, she doesn’t know any better, and it’s not like she’s really in charge of this whole labor and birth thing anyways. So, what do I do? I love her. I patiently wait for her.

Here’s the crazy thing though. This little love is patient lesson is going to disappear pretty quick, if I’m not careful. Cause pretty soon she’ll be two and I’ll be waiting for her to put her shoes on (which she’ll insist on doing herself) to go to the park, and patience will go right out the window, along with love, if I’m not careful. If’ I’m careful though, I’ll remember I don’t need to be in a big rush anyways. If we are going to the park, the swings will wait. If we are going to Grandma’s the food can be warmed up, and if we were heading to a board meeting, we’ll it’s about time we start loving our kids more then the corporate execs.

Love is patient. It’s easy to be patient with a baby who you don’t put any responsibility on and who isn’t capable or in control of her actions. It’s going to be hard when I can blame her, argue that she’s capable of respecting other people’s time, and insist that it’s her choice and her actions. Don’t throw love out the window then.

So, without baby around it’s time to actually start putting this into practice. I, and you, need to be practicing patient love with the people in our lives. Regardless of how independent and capable the adults around you are, they need to be loved. Be patient with them, gentle, kind. Remember that they too, were once a cute little baby (some of which were one and two weeks late entering the world) and they could use a little loving patience now, as much as they did then.

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Flashback: Ask Mindy, Abercrombie, Enemies and Radiant

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For this week’s Flashback I thought I’d compile small collection of posts from January of ’06 that created some interesting conversation. Here they are.

A short lived, but extremely popular podcasting series called Ask Mindy:

That’s right folks, after much begging, appealing and convincing, Mindy has reluctantly agreed to give us a few minutes of her time each week.

ASK MINDY will feature a three minute podcast with Mindy where she will answer a question presented by her husband Ariah, or maybe even emailed in by a listener. She’ll share her brilliance with the rest of the world in bit size chunks for all to enjoy.

So, what are you waiting for? Check it out today. My Odeo Podcast

Then I posted about yet another reason I don’t shop at the ever sexist and racist Abercrombie:

This quote from a recent interview of the CEO, Mike Jeffries, says pretty much everything:

Listen, do we go too far sometimes? Absolutely. But we push the envelope, and we try to be funny, and we try to stay authentic and relevant to our target customer. I really don’t care what anyone other than our target customer thinks.

This is his response to the many protest that Abercrombie has faced for it’s sexist and racist t-shirts.

We had an interesting discussion about Loving our Enemies:

It’s time to resurrect the “Thoughts on War” topic and address the passage that began my turn to pacifism.
I’d read it before, but not until the days after 9/11 did it hit me with such a radical challenge.

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.*

I was so challenged, and so struggled with what those words meant in our world and for us. I ran into the dilemma that no matter how I looked at it I couldn’t come to a conclusion that killing my enemy could be loving.

And we touched on the Radiant Magazine Advertisement controversy, with some nice comments from Radiant’s editorial staff:

From what I can see they decided to remove the ad with “It’s Our Turn Now” across the top. I’d like to think it has something to do with the discussion that was started here regarding the sexist implications of that statement.

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Nashville’s Mayoral Candidates Homeless For a Night

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Howard Gentry on the Urban PlungeI’ve mentioned before that I’m a big fan of the Nashville Homeless Power Project. I think they are one of the best organization’s for Christian’s in Nashville to be involved in. What I love about it is that it’s an organization that’s run by homeless and formerly homeless it’s those who need help advocating for themselves, and it’s an opportunity for you to come behind and support them.

NHPP encouraged this year’s mayoral candidates to take an Urban Plunge and the story was picked up by many bloggers as well aslocal and national news:

The candidates promised advocates for the homeless that they would spend one night on the streets before the Aug. 2 election. The Nashville Homeless Power Project hopes the experience makes them more sensitive to the hundreds of people in the city with no place to live.

“I was struck by the number of people I saw sleeping in downtown Nashville,” said candidate Karl Dean, the city’s former law director. “There’s no simple answer, but we’ve got to do something.”

The National Coalition for the Homeless has been organizing similar experiences for college students and others for the past 25 years. But the group’s executive director, Michael Stoops, said it was the first time political candidates agreed to take part.

“I think all people who run for office should be in touch with people living in poverty,” Stoops said. “I think it should be a requirement.”

The participants, chaperoned by current and former homeless people, were supposed to find a legal place to stay the night, spend at least 20 minutes sleeping on a park bench and ask strangers for spare change.

Much of that was more than the candidates could handle. Dean and David Briley, a city council member, didn’t panhandle, and all four men wandered the streets until Wednesday morning rather than attempt to find a shelter.

“I never really got a chance to rest,” said Buck Dozier, another council member. He tried sleeping on a slab of concrete.

Homeless people got a chance to ask the candidates questions about the experience Wednesday. The first question caught them a bit off guard: Where did you use the bathroom?

The main reason I wanted to post about this is to say that I think it’s a good idea. When I read about what other bloggers were writing I came across this blogger who thought the idea of an urban plunge was “stupidity from the left.” I think everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I’d have to disagree on this one.
Certainly, something like the Urban Plunge isn’t going to immediately wipe homelessness from the map. Nor, is this event intended to free the homeless from their responsibility for their actions and their role in making a way for themselves. However, I do think this opportunity for the Nashville Mayor’s will help them to see some of the injustices and ways that our city neglects some of it’s citizens. And this was not some liberal propaganda or publicity stunt; It was Nashville citizen’s (specifically homeless citizens and those who support them) gathering together and asking their possible future mayor to take a minute to better understand them and the Nashville that they live in.

Thank you Mayoral Candidates for trying to understand (even if you had wrong motives).

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May Comment Love: Kiva Loan to Westland Academy

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Below is the women and the academy that we helped provide a loan for, from your comments!
The donation for this month is up to you as well! I’m planning on donating to an organization that work’s with children, as I’ll have one of my own soon, and it’s important to remember there are those who might not have the same opportunities if we don’t spread our resources. Read about Margaret and feel free to subscribe to updates from her! Then don’t forget to vote on were this month’s donation should go.

Margaret Juma is a 55-year-old entrepreneur who lives with her husband and six children in Rongo, Kenya. She trained as a community health worker to provide home-based care to people living with HIV/AIDS in her area.

Margaret (pictured with the children) is a proprietor of Westland Academy, initially started in 1998 as a nursery school with 40 children. Since then, the school has grown to 156 children. The school takes children from nursery level to primary level (now in class 6). Out of the 156 children, 63 are orphans, some of whom Margaret has taken into her home.

Owing to increased enrollment in her school, Margaret requires US $ 1200 to renovate classrooms that are in poor shape.

Subscribe to Updates from Margaret!

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