the great divide

I have recently realized something about myself that I do not like and want to change. I am not really sure how to write about it as it is something we don't normally talk about in the United States. When I first returned to my homeland one of the things I noticed was the obvious class divide, people who have wealth hang with others who are wealthy - never knowing and rarely interacting with those who are less fortunate. Perhaps the generous rich will write a check to an agency to help the poor, or on special occasions they may even give of their time, but do they invite someone who is poor to their home? are they intimately familiar with their circumstance? do they walk beside someone who is struggling financially? These are few and far between.

Research has shown that relationship/friendship is the best pathway out of poverty. A meaningful connection with just one person who can give a hand up will help change the oppression of generational poverty.

I knew immediately upon my return to the U.S. that I must be intentional in building relationships across class lines. I tried to do this in being selective about how I spend my time and who I spent time with.

Fast forward nearly three years (yes, we have been back in the States for nearly three years) and my intentions are for not. During the government shutdown when I heard that families who receive WIC (women, infant and children subsidies for necessities like food) were not going to receive their payments. I wanted to help. That is when I came to the uncomfortable realization that I live a sheltered life. While those I know have struggles, nearly all of the people I spend time with on a regular basis have good jobs, an emergency saving fund, a nice home and are not struggling to survive.

I don't like this truth. I don't want it to remain my reality. If I really believe the best way to help people who are struggling is through connection/relationship - then why am I not living that truth? My family was a recipient of WIC subsidies when I was growing up, it was a matter of circumstance not a reflection of effort. How can I now be so far removed from those in a similar circumstance? I find this unacceptable. I aim to change it. I would rather have Luke 14: 12-14 be true of me:

"When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your bothers or sisters, your relatives, or rich neighbors, if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

I am not sure how to bridge the great divide among classes in the U.S., but I hope to start in my circle of friends.

just Sheri, a sheltered professional

Congrats!

Today, my brother was sworn in. It's official - we have an attorney in the family. He worked hard for that giant piece of paper.

 

just Sheri, a proud sister

finish well

This is the year of faithfulness, and true to form my faithfulness is being tested.

In June, I quit my job. The reasons are complicated and long contemplated.

Until the end of my last day I worked just as hard as I always had. I did the job to the best of my ability. I put in extra hours (nights and weekends). At times, I questioned my own sanity, but I never questioned the value of the effort. I left at 8:40pm, Friday, August 30 knowing that I had worked hard on behalf of those my former employer serves. I pushed through the weariness. I did all I could to set-up my replacement for success. I fought off excuses like "it doesn't matter, because in a few weeks I won't be there anyway." I made a commitment to finish well and gave my best effort to keep that commitment. Would I have preferred a leisurely summer? Absolutely! Will all that hard work be noticed or appreciated? That wasn't the motivation.

The finish well campaign was about the condition of my heart and the content of my character. Will I do whatever it takes even if no one is watching? Will I do it though a reward for the effort is unlikely?

I did what I believed to be the right thing to do, both in exiting my employer and in giving it my all to the very end.

The end of one chapter also marks the beginning of another - I still don't have a clear picture of the future, but I know my next steps and plan to implement these lessons on faithfulness in my new circumstance.

just Sheri, learning to push through

death of my social life

Last week marked the start of something unexpected - my return to school. Yes, I have been a student the majority of my adult life. Yes, I am committed to life-long learning. However, when I left (without completing) my PhD many years ago I figured that was the end of my academic pursuits.

The Hubs has asked many times in those years, "when are you going to finish your PhD?" I had no intention of doing so. In fact, I described that period of life as self-imposed torture - why would I subject myself to that again?

Why? Because we are place-bound for a while, this reality leaves me restless and my mind has been hungry to learn....Because I suspect that just as my masters degree opened doors, doctorate credentials will do so also...Because, after a series of stops and starts, I found a program that sparks my interest and is located six blocks from my new employer...Because I am ready to dream about the possibilities of a new future, that may or may not involve hopping on airplanes to destinations around the globe.

At the end of August I attended my first class. The reading load seems unattainable and the course requirements will be demanding. As if this were not enough, I am adding a job change accompanied by a daily commute of more than two hours. Someone asked me if I was going to survive. My response, "I am pretty sure I will survive, but my social life is dead."

This has already proven to be true as I spent the bulk of a holiday weekend (Labor Day) in my house reading and writing for school.

Friends, I will be hibernating through the winter - for the next three years (at least).

just Sheri, here we go (again)

marital communication 601: familiar voice

I've noticed something in recent months, my husband and I have been married long enough now that I recognize his voice anywhere. He can call without introducing himself, even without the assistance of caller ID I know it is him by voice alone. We can be in the company of a group and I can locate him simply by the sound of his voice, which to my ears is distinct among a crowd.

There are others in my life that have a distinct voice - my adopted dad for instance. I know my mom's voice on the phone, but in a family crowd she sounds like some of her sisters. My brother's voice sounds to me a lot like our biological father's. But, it is all in the family and there is a comfort in the familiarity of their voice.

I suspect there is a level of intimacy a relationship reaches when one's voice becomes this familiar to us. God wants us to know him in that way too. There is a story in John 10: 1-5 about sheep knowing their shepherd's voice, in this story we are the sheep and he is the shepherd:

"Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

just Sheri, listening for the sound of a familiar voice