Alive and speaking in code

I will not accept mediocrity. There is no telling what one can and will do with a willing heart and reliance on God.

David. Jonah. Esther. Moses. Abraham. Noah. Mary. Paul. Every last one of them, insignicant by their own power. Every last one of them taking on tasks far beyond their limits and bringing glory to God. all of them offering hope and salvation to the world.

What gifts can I bring? I'm rummaging in my basket for fish and loaves as I write.

Cobb County Completes the Streets

On January 27, 2009, Cobb officials took a quiet, but massive step to a greener, healthier Cobb county. Officials adopted a national movement to “Complete the Streets.” While this vote does not guarantee bike lanes on every street, it does indicate a growing desire to expand Cobb's accessibility and green status. Officials pledge to examine all new construction and existing road re-pavement to consider pedestrians, cyclists and disabled persons in addition to the traditionally favored automobiles.

Changes made in other cities across the nation using Complete the Streets measures have allowed those cities to increase usage, decrease emissions, and decrease obesity. Cobb County Commissioners have taken a giant step to clean up Cobb and encourage healthy living. However, remember this vote is not a guarantee. In light of financial cutbacks, it is too easy to let sidewalks and trails slide down the priority list. Your continued vigilance and support are required to turn this quiet vote into reality.

For more information on this and other measures to increase Cobb's sustainability efforts, please visit www.completethestreets.org and www.bikecobb.org.

Fun stuff

My earlier post for BikeCobb was published in a local magazine. I am quite excited. It can be seen at www.eastcobber.com. Woohoo!

Passing days

It is amazing the difference between a good day and a bad day. One glides by and the other never ends. I try and find the grace in both and yet in the later I sometimes only find sacrifice. It is hard to find pleasure in the circumstances that try and test us. There is some truth that bad times help us appreciate the good. It sharpens our perspective for both. It equips us to deal with the mundane so that we have more good days. Previous events that would have rocked us now are easily accomplished.

As I write this, it is a good day. There are a lot in my life. I do still have the other though. Days I celebrate my deceased brother's birthday and take a dog back to the shelter knowing he might be euthanized are on that list. On the bad days, I am sometimes concentrating so hard to get through, that I cannot stop to dwell. If I did, I might get stuck and not make it past. I've had my share of bad days and would be bad days. That's why I know the difference. I used to have a lot of bad days. I made some changes though, and now there aren't as many.

My secret is not a secret. One foot in front of the other and keep walking. Never look down, only up and straight ahead. Freeze good days. Try and remember what got you there. Rarely is it an accident. Good days are often representative of our solid choices to build and speak life into those around us. Bad days are often a snowballed set of responses to the various life events that happen. We do stupid things. We all do. We make mistakes and sometimes we repeat them. The non secret is to look at our thoughts, actions, and reactions and see the big picture. The non secret is to see the big picture and know we are here to speak life and build up one another.

The truth, as we all know, is that the days are all the same length. It's all our perspective. If you are tired, grumpy and always getting the short end of the stick it's time to examine your choices and rewrite what isn't working. I'm not saying it's easy, but the alternative is a lot of bad days.

A New Day

Hooray for the beauty of a peaceful transition of power! I flipped through hundreds of inaugural photos and I am smiling with hope. I don't care that I live in a hotbed of Republican power. I am excited at the prospect of an Obama presidency. How can it be evil to truly make room for more people at the table?

I hope that a new feels vested in the efforts to create a democracy for all. And when mere mortal men do not solve all our problems, as I have no doubt they cannot, may we all figure out what really matters! Then we can stand behind a soverign God and work according to His agenda. Wouldn't that be a breathtaking set of pictures...

The thrill of snow grows old

When you are a Fl girl, snow is glamorous and beautiful. When we moved to GA, I delighted in the first snowflakes I ever saw. We shoveled the driveway in good cheer in MD and I carted the kids in a sled in IL. We've tramped in NH, Chicago and Boston all the while thrilling the bitter cold and wet shoes. But now, it seems the cold, wet snow has gotten on my bad side at last.

We are officially stuck in Oregon. The children and I came for a much anticipated extended visit. As in all long trips, homesickness had set in. Yesterday we were supposed to be home and we are not. We will be home, if all goes well, on Fri. Today is Tuesday. I'm trying to resist the urge to list every beloved home activity to do upon our arrival. I am trying to make the most of the time we have left here. My head knows it will be some time before I am able to come this way again. My heart and my children keep watching every new snowfall with dismay. I'll Be home for Christmas has been banned from our playlist. My calls to DH have become more frequent. Usually, it is he who is away and calls frequently when stressed.

Present too, is a vague guilt over my disappointment. After all, we are well fed, dry, warm with new adventures right around the corner. What right have I to be sad over things? Also in my thoughts is the knowledge that Christmas does not depend on our where abouts, our incomes, or even our companions. It is the birthday celebration of a man who changed humanity. This year, I'm being given yet another opportunity to ponder this.

Oh well. In a week's time, this will pass. All that will remain are the wonderful memories of an indulgent uncle, cherished grandparents, awe inspiring forests and an ocean to silence all chatter.
Merry Christmas

Henrietta Homeowner

Buying a home is never exactly what you think it will be. Home inspections are only as good as the inspector, and unless you're construction savvy, you'll be fixing everything the inspector missed. As it stands, our inspector was not quite what we were hoping and I am not altogether construction savvy. I once dreamed of a project house and it seems I got one.

I love my house. I do. However, within a week, we'd considered naming it the college fund of the local plumber's children. It got worse from there. There were siding issues, ugly concrete walls and a misplaced fence. We were not batting well in the happy homeowner world.

The to do list loomed long. Luckily I discovered something that made it all better. Insiders at http://www.nari.org/ call it staging. You see. I'm thrifty by nature, but not so good at long range planning. I didn't know how to break the job down into smaller chunks. Doing the house renovations in one fell swoop sounds great except for the price tag. As I said, I'm on the thrifty side. With staging, I plan the renovations and set the schedule for when the work is done. I will do some smaller tasks, like painting and closet shelving. As for the rest, I know my limits. I want the work to be done right and I'm not a professional.

Scratching the Extreme Home Makeover with Ty Pennington, we had to do some real thinking. We are listing all house use and family needs; we're making a wish list. We're working on the budget and saving. Baby steps. The good news is that as I make the list and we tackle items, I can go back to enjoying my house.

While I work on my list and learn more about choosing the right contractors, I invite you to send me your questions.

BikeCobb

Marietta resident, Joe Seconder returned from living in Copenhagen a changed man. Living in a city where more than 30% of vehicular traffic is on two wheels will do that to you.

Back in Marietta, Seconder comes with a new mission. He wants to see Cobb County a bike friendlier city. Currently, this Atlanta outpost doesn't even have sidewalks throughout the area. Bike lanes seem a far dream. Can Seconder do it? Maybe so. Seconder has already managed to unite over 150 users on a free user group dedicated to Cobb cyclists. He aims to turn those resident cyclists into a full fledged, dues paying advocacy group.

Since the first of the year, BikeCobb has gathered enough interest to supply a volunteer board, achieve non profit status and secure commercial sponsorships. Seconder isn't wasting anytime getting to work. BikeCobb volunteers are already at work establishing contacts and canvassing cyclist needs in the area. Further, It's leveraging new relationships with the established Atlanta Bicycle Campaign to find it's own niche in the local advocacy efforts. BikeCobb is already on board as advisor in Cobb County's new Bike/Ped Study. The Bike/Ped study is designed to gather current and projected traffic needs for Cobb's efficient growth. BikeCobb has strategic planning sessions planned to provide accurate representation of cyclists throughout Cobb.

BikeCobb, with Joe Seconder at the helm is poised to lead Cobb County to new places. With enough hard work and vision, Atlanta could someday be the Northwest of the South. At least that's what Cobb cyclists are asking Santa for this Christmas.

BikeCobb has it's kickoff membership meeting this Mon, December 9th at 6:30 PM at East Marietta Library on 2051 Lower Roswell.

Thanksgiving at home

This year was such a marked contrast to last year. It was our first Thanksgiving in a place that was home. Really home. It was good.

I raked my leaves and listed my own blessings. At the risk of boring you I ofer the short list. Leaves. Bonfires. Mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. Peaceful political process. Children. Friends. Family. I am in love with a God who would pour out umexpected blessings for all who would desire to walk with him. Sometimes, humilty doesn't leave a lot of room for other words.