Rambles with Em

Hello Friends!    It's been a while; life has been its usual whirlwind.    I've been thinking a lot about community lately, how necessary it is in our lives and the importance of reaching out to others instead of living in that self-sustaining mindset.  Growing up, the youth group I attended had a core value they based their church on. This statement was, "You can't do life alone." This is such a truthful sentence that is admittedly stuck in my head even to this day. The only problem is I never really experienced or understood what that meant until recently. Growing up, my family and I went through a lot of trials. As a result of this, we were, in a sense, "stripped" of some friendships and community. Some of this by default and some by choice. Being a pretty shy person, I am the first to admit I wasn't so keen on putting myself out there and trusting new people, especially as a teenager. Even as an adult now, I still struggle with thinking I, in fac

Hi Friends,      I’ve missed talking with you!        I write this as I sit in Jury Duty, juror ID and all. I must say, as much as this tends to be such a dreaded commitment, I am enjoying getting to people watch. There are so many different types of people and each one reacts and interacts, in their own unique way. I remember a few years ago, my grandmother took a train down from the north all the way to my home here in the south and when she arrived, she spent a great time describing all the different people she saw. She enlightened me on how much you can learn from being silent and observing. My favorite of her observations was of this particular gentleman who wore a top hat and had a cane.                                                               It is often through quietness and observation that one learns. I have spent most of my life being known as the shy girl who doesn’t talk. Not my favorite way to be defined, I must admit. However, in reality, while people s