A Few Random Rabbits

Rabbit #1:

I went to a funeral today. Her name was Lindsey. She was 21. Car accident. I have "known" her for several because she was a youth at our church. But I didn't really know her until a few years ago when she played a part in the Christmas pageant that my friend Jared and I wrote and directed at our church. It was her senior year in high school and she was great =-) But let me back up. Even before I knew Lindsey, she was endearing to me. Lindsey looks like my sister Laura. I mean, like, from the back, when I would see her at church, I always thought it was Laura! And they have similar smiles. And she was sassy like Laura and loud like Laura and friendly like Laura. So even before I knew Lindsey, I was always happy to see her around. But then she auditioned for the role of "bratty teenager" in our play. What a HOOT! She was hilarious! She had the eye roll down like MJ doin' the moonwalk! It was totally second nature. And she changed one line. I can't remember what it was now, but I remember Jared and I laughed so hard. It was something she said while she was talking back to her "mom" and we liked it so much that, on the nights that I filled in reading her part because she had a student council activity, I said it just like her.

Lindsey was great. And today I realized just how many people knew that.

I have never seen so many people inside my old church sanctuary. We got there 30 minutes early and every seat was full and there probably 150 people milling around the small foyer in the back. We made our way over to the doorway on the far side, just to peek inside, and ended up being lucky enough to stand there during the service so we could see inside and feel the air conditioning. People were lined against both walls the entire length of the sanctuary. They filled the choir loft, there were easily 150-200 people in the foyer and they opened up the back doors so people standing outside could hear. It was amazing.

So many times we fall into funks and start to see our lives as insignificant. But that is never true. No matter who you are, you impact people. You interact with people in your daily life and, one way or another, you leave an impression on them. I had no idea there would be that many people there today. I haven't been to very many funerals. Growing up, the thought of them made me really uncomfortable, so I didn't really go to one until I felt like I had to. When Russ, the man at our church who acted as photographer for the youth group for a decade or two, passed away, I had to his funeral. I truly loved him. He was a wonderful man and to not go, when he made such an impact on my life, would be wrong. Then a couple years later I went to my grandfather's funeral. And today, I felt like I should go. It's probably been two years since I've seen Lindsey, but in the short time that we were friends, I grew to care about her. And her little brother was a part of my choir when I directed the middle school choir for a couple of years. Tyler is a good kid. Mischievous, like his sister, but a really good kid. I can't imagine losing one of my sisters. I think it was considering Tyler's loss that really made me want to go.

Rabbit #2:

So I didn't get to work until almost noon. It was a quiet day. We are slow and probably will be for the next month or so. My boss is going out of town for most of the third week in May. I'm really looking forward to that. It's always slow for several weeks leading up to our big summer project. And even though I have no reason to feel this way, because NO ONE has anything to do, I get really uncomfortable when there isn't a job for me to work on. I still have no idea when or how exactly I'm going to tell my boss that I will be leaving in the middle of that project. She has to know. I do most of the work and if I suddenly left when the work is half done, it would be absolute chaos. I don't love my job, but I have no desire to leave anyone hurting when I go. So there's that to figure out. Which leads to...

Rabbit #3:

There is another job fair this weekend for a nearby distract. But I didn't realize until Sunday afternoon that it is invite only. I got online to apply for the district online. I had to do that for my city before I could attend the job fair, so I figured it was the same most places. When I went to the website and clicked on the "job fair" link it said that the event was invite only. You submit your application for the district online and if they want you to come, they will email you. They will be extending invites until tomorrow. I completed the application last night. Didn't hear anything today. I need to figure out what other districts to apply to. I really want to teach in the city where I live. I grew up here. I care about this community. And it's the only place that I know any teachers, and people swear that knowing teachers helps you become a teacher. I sure hope that's true. But I had considered a few other districts that I thought would be good options. They're not too far and they're mostly nicer areas. Well, two of them, I found out, don't hire alternative certification teachers in their first year of teaching. You have to work somewhere else first. And the other one is supposedly only hiring from within the district this year. There's kind of an overflow of applicants these days. A lot of people with a college degree who suddenly found themselves needing work decided to go for teaching because they couldn't find jobs anywhere else. And on the same note, teachers are no longer retiring as soon as the opportunity presents itself because the economy is rocky – people are scared to be out of work. All I can do is my best. I don't want to sit and worry... but I also want to make sure I'm taking the right steps. Right now I'm reading a teacher book that someone recommended to me. I'm only a few pages in and it's great so far. And I have another book waiting to be read. I should have read these books sooner. I would have had better answers for some of the questions this weekend. But like I said... I don't want to sit and worry. I can't change the past. I just want to move forward the best way I can.

And now for the final Rabbit:

I love the park. Tonight was the most crowded I've seen it. So far, I have gone around 10:00 on Saturdays, around 4:00 this past Saturday (but that doesn't really count because it was raining. I had a glorious walk in a nice light rain and the park was practically deserted. But it won't be like that normally) around 5:30 on weeknights and around 8:00 on a weeknight. Tonight I went at 7:00 and it was packed! There was a game of cricket going AND a game of soccer AND a game of basketball! And SOOO many people on the playground. Tons of walkers, one fisherman, and several people feeding the ducks. And I've decided I like the nutria! They are really adorable. The only thing on them that I don't like is their long thick tails, but tonight I didn't see any tails. Only cute beaver like little bodies. And I like 'em! And I thought about it... ducks are naturally aggressive, and these ducks don't blink an eye at the nutria. They just hang out together! So that made me feel better about them too. Random, I know. I love being at the park though. I like being one of the regulars there. I don't know if I really count as a regular yet, but I will. At least, that's the plan.

It's still embarrassing... I'm so out of shape. I only walk the full trail on Saturdays. During the week I stop at the bridge. I'd like to keep going, but my ankles are SCREAMING! I've always had ankle trouble when I walk. They burn like crazy. But there are all types of people walking there, so I'm not embarrassed or anything. And it's so beautiful. I always intend to use that time to pray, and I usually start out that way, but there are so many beautiful things to pull my attention. I always end up just looking around. I love the ducks. And the pigeons are so colorful. Pigeons used to drive me crazy because they don't get out of the way for cars, but up close, pigeons are so pretty! All different colors around their neck. Pink and purple and blue... but you can only see it in the light. It's lovely. And I LOVE the turtles. Who doesn't love turtles? And the man who feeds the turtles. What the heck does he feed them? They love it! He must have had 30 turtles in the water in front of him tonight. I can't tell what it is he gives them but he loves it. And I can hear him from across the creek saying "come here! come here!" to the turtles who are being shy. And the kids... my goodness. SO CUTE!

Anyway. It was an interesting day. My husband is gloomy tonight. He says he's just bored but I'm worried he feels neglected, so I'm going to go cheer him up.

Oh, one last thing! I finally made salmon tonight! Verdict: GOOD! We both liked it! I made it exactly how Laura did a few weeks ago. She enjoyed it so she told me what she did and I copied it tonight and it was great! Just heated up some chopped garlic and red pepper flakes in a little oil, sprinkled a little salt and pepper on the salmon fillets and gave them a squirt of lemon juice and then let them cook. It was super easy and not half bad! It feels so good to eat something that I know is good for me!