Friday, April 14, 2006
Job saga continues...
I spoke with the current Executive Director yesterday. We have scheduled an interview for the end of the month. At that meeting I will meet with the search committee. The final interview will be May 3 with the full board of directors. I'll keep you posted...
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Missing Person
How many people know your social security number, date of birth and weight? These aren't exactly normal topics of conversation.
I recently learned the police won't look for someone unless you have this information. Let me restate that, they won't look for the person anyway, but they will put them in a national database and they can't enter them in the database without this information. At this moment I'm quite disappointed and frustrated with the system in place for finding someone who is missing.
The police said they could send someone by again to see if she's home, or my other option was to fill out a missing person report. In order to complete the report I had to go down to a certain location at least 30 minutes from my home. A girlfriend accompanied me tonight. When we arrived it was like a scene out of a bad movie. There was one officer behind a desk. He looked bored. He was taking a report from an older man about his daughters cell phone. It took at least an hour. When I sat down in the chair to tell the officer my story, I got the same response - disinterest and apathy.
Approximately a month ago I met a woman in need. She moved here Feb 2005 from New York to be with a man she met on the internet. She was in love. It had been more than a decade since she'd been in love. She left her job, sold her stuff and moved in with this man. She wanted to share her life with him. It didn't work out as planned.
I met her at church. I saw her and inside I thought, "she needs a friend." Little did I know. The first part of the story I found out at our first meeting. We continued to attend church together and I invited her to join me at some single's events. A couple weeks ago she stopped showing up. Her cell phone is disconnected and when I called the house he acted like he had never even heard her name before. I was obviously concerned.
The last time I saw her was March 18. That evening she told me he was abusing her. I wasn't surprised. She had a job when she moved here. He asked her to quit. She did. She had limited, if any, contact with the outside world in the year she had lived in KC. The only other person she knew or spoke to regularly was his daughter, until we met. He is a veteran police officer and worked in the homocide division for 20 years. He had multiple guns in the house and it scared her.
My gut told me something was very wrong when she didn't show up. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't. I knew she was seeing a counselor. I called the counselor last week. The same day she didn't show up to meet with me (March 22), she had called and canceled a counseling session. As the counselor describes it, she received a distressing phone call, the caller only said she couldn't come and she couldn't talk. I became even more concerned.
The man is saying she moved out. I figured he'd say that. I don't believe it. If she left him, wouldn't she call me or the other people she had met who were there to help her? She had told me multiple times she wanted to move out, but she needed to get a job first. She had applied for a job. She also said she had no interest in returning to New York, she liked KC and would like to build a life here.
I called the police. They stopped by. They got the same response, "no one here by that name."
I don't know where she has gone. I don't know what happened. I don't know where she is and I'm angry. I'm angry with the system, it is not helpful. I'm angry a woman can drop off almost unnoticed. I'm angry I didn't do more when she told me what was going on. I don't know what else to do. What happened to her? Where did she go? How can this happen?
Please pray for her and other women like her.
I recently learned the police won't look for someone unless you have this information. Let me restate that, they won't look for the person anyway, but they will put them in a national database and they can't enter them in the database without this information. At this moment I'm quite disappointed and frustrated with the system in place for finding someone who is missing.
The police said they could send someone by again to see if she's home, or my other option was to fill out a missing person report. In order to complete the report I had to go down to a certain location at least 30 minutes from my home. A girlfriend accompanied me tonight. When we arrived it was like a scene out of a bad movie. There was one officer behind a desk. He looked bored. He was taking a report from an older man about his daughters cell phone. It took at least an hour. When I sat down in the chair to tell the officer my story, I got the same response - disinterest and apathy.
Approximately a month ago I met a woman in need. She moved here Feb 2005 from New York to be with a man she met on the internet. She was in love. It had been more than a decade since she'd been in love. She left her job, sold her stuff and moved in with this man. She wanted to share her life with him. It didn't work out as planned.
I met her at church. I saw her and inside I thought, "she needs a friend." Little did I know. The first part of the story I found out at our first meeting. We continued to attend church together and I invited her to join me at some single's events. A couple weeks ago she stopped showing up. Her cell phone is disconnected and when I called the house he acted like he had never even heard her name before. I was obviously concerned.
The last time I saw her was March 18. That evening she told me he was abusing her. I wasn't surprised. She had a job when she moved here. He asked her to quit. She did. She had limited, if any, contact with the outside world in the year she had lived in KC. The only other person she knew or spoke to regularly was his daughter, until we met. He is a veteran police officer and worked in the homocide division for 20 years. He had multiple guns in the house and it scared her.
My gut told me something was very wrong when she didn't show up. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't. I knew she was seeing a counselor. I called the counselor last week. The same day she didn't show up to meet with me (March 22), she had called and canceled a counseling session. As the counselor describes it, she received a distressing phone call, the caller only said she couldn't come and she couldn't talk. I became even more concerned.
The man is saying she moved out. I figured he'd say that. I don't believe it. If she left him, wouldn't she call me or the other people she had met who were there to help her? She had told me multiple times she wanted to move out, but she needed to get a job first. She had applied for a job. She also said she had no interest in returning to New York, she liked KC and would like to build a life here.
I called the police. They stopped by. They got the same response, "no one here by that name."
I don't know where she has gone. I don't know what happened. I don't know where she is and I'm angry. I'm angry with the system, it is not helpful. I'm angry a woman can drop off almost unnoticed. I'm angry I didn't do more when she told me what was going on. I don't know what else to do. What happened to her? Where did she go? How can this happen?
Please pray for her and other women like her.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Amazing Race
One of my favorite TV shows is the Amazing Race. It combines two of my favorite things; competition and travel! Granted, I haven't watched the show regularly in over a year - why? Because for some time I didn't even own a television. I now own a nice television, given to me as a gift. However, I don't get any reception on it and I'm too cheap to pay for cable. It's great for watching DVD's. Smile!Fiona and I have talked about being competitors on the Amazing Race for years. One problem - she's not an American citizen and the show requires a US Passport. Bummer!
Today we did the next best thing. A group of friends got together and did an all out scavenger hunt in KC. We visited parks and tourists spots. We had to eat a cup of jello. We played frisbee golf. We climbed countless hills and stairs. We wrote (and performed) cheers, songs and stories. We shopped at a Goodwill. We fed ducks. We drove fast. We got lost. We did not win. However, I was voted "most competitive" on my team - shocking I'm sure. It was a great event. I give special props to the group who coordinated the event. It was truly an amazing race! We ended the evening with a BBQ and good company.
Enjoy the pic...the visor was purchased for $0.25 each at the thrift store. It was our team uniform. Our name was 3 girls and a guy. Fun does not do the experience justice! You have got to join us next year!
The Road Not Taken
I have been in a contemplative mood lately. A few weeks ago I looked up one of my favorite poems on the internet - The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I took a creative writing class in high school and did a research paper on Robert Frost. This poem left a lasting impression on me and seemed appropriate in my recent circumstance.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
...Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
One of the things that has always fascinated me about the poem is the title - The Road Not Taken - it's as if the author still wonders what would have happened if he had chosen the other road, but in life there is just no way to know the answer to that question. The other thing I've always liked is that he chose the road less traveled - that is the path I choose (or hope to choose most often) - the road less traveled. This is not a journey for the meek or faint of heart; it requires courage, conviction and commitment. The purpose is not to make life more difficult than it ought to be, but rather to truly live - to be part of an adventure and create a wealth of memories along the way.
I hope you've enjoyed my musings. I did not print the entire poem here - just the parts of the poem that mean the most to me. If you haven't before, I'd encourage you to read the whole thing.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
...Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
One of the things that has always fascinated me about the poem is the title - The Road Not Taken - it's as if the author still wonders what would have happened if he had chosen the other road, but in life there is just no way to know the answer to that question. The other thing I've always liked is that he chose the road less traveled - that is the path I choose (or hope to choose most often) - the road less traveled. This is not a journey for the meek or faint of heart; it requires courage, conviction and commitment. The purpose is not to make life more difficult than it ought to be, but rather to truly live - to be part of an adventure and create a wealth of memories along the way.
I hope you've enjoyed my musings. I did not print the entire poem here - just the parts of the poem that mean the most to me. If you haven't before, I'd encourage you to read the whole thing.
April Fool's
On April 1st, 2006 I found out my parents were officially divorced. They've been separated since last year at this time. For a long time I wanted someone to call and say, "April Fool's" but that just isn't going to happen. They are looking at selling the home I grew up in. My mom is considering moving out of New Mexico. Change seems to be a constant in my life these day's.
Other big changes are that two of my best friends and their families are moving away. One is moving to D.C., the other to China (yes, that's right I said China). I am going to miss them greatly, but I trust God will fill the void left by their absence in some way.
At this point, I think I would feel uncomfortable if things calmed down and were running smoothly. Surprisingly, I'm okay with all of the changes. I am busy planning for my first trip home to New Mexico since 2004. I'm going for a wedding of an old high school friend and will be staying in the home of a college friend. It will be an interesting journey.
The update on the job...Monday, April 3 the old Executive Director officially resigned. I have a meeting on the 12th with the Board of Directors. After that conversation I will have my answer. I have devised a way to do both the job and the PhD, if they are agreeable to the arrangement.
Other big changes are that two of my best friends and their families are moving away. One is moving to D.C., the other to China (yes, that's right I said China). I am going to miss them greatly, but I trust God will fill the void left by their absence in some way.
At this point, I think I would feel uncomfortable if things calmed down and were running smoothly. Surprisingly, I'm okay with all of the changes. I am busy planning for my first trip home to New Mexico since 2004. I'm going for a wedding of an old high school friend and will be staying in the home of a college friend. It will be an interesting journey.
The update on the job...Monday, April 3 the old Executive Director officially resigned. I have a meeting on the 12th with the Board of Directors. After that conversation I will have my answer. I have devised a way to do both the job and the PhD, if they are agreeable to the arrangement.
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