Throwback Thursday: Just Me

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This post was originally published in July 2012. Less than a month before I met my now husband. Life's a funny thing, huh?

I’ve lived in the new house for a little over a week now, and there is one question that seems to keep coming up.

“So, it’s just you?”

The man who came to turn on the gas asked me. The little old ladies at the Lutheran church asked me. The cashier making small talk at Wal-Mart asked me. The friends I haven’t really kept up with asked me.

Everyone wants to know if it really is just me living in this house.

Of course, it reminds me of an episode of Sex and the City. Miranda buys her first apartment, and is constantly asked that same question.

So, it’s just you?
Yep. Just me.
Such a big apartment to buy for just you.
I have a lot of shoes.
Maybe the boyfriend will move in?
No boyfriend. Just me.

So my answer to everyone who asks is the same.

Yep. Just me.

Well, me and Coco.

And I’m ok with that right now.

Unlike Miranda in that episode, I’m not having panic attacks. Maybe because I’m just renting?

But really, I’m enjoying my new place instead of panicking. I’m decorating however I want. Pink accents in the bedroom, shabby chic French guest room, feminine étoile through the whole house.  Because I can! I don’t need permission to buy a new comforter or curtains. I don’t need to leave room in the dresser or closet for someone else. I can arrange the kitchen exactly how I want.

That’s what I’m focusing on now. Enjoying where I am. Enjoying my singleness, instead of worrying it will last forever. Enjoying living alone, instead of wishing someone was here to eat dinner with me.

The future will come. God willing, I’ll meet someone eventually.

Today, I’m going to take a deep whiff of the flowers I bought for myself and look out the kitchen window. I’m going to soak in the day. And be happy exactly where I am.


TBT: Thief or Prostitute

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Today's Throwback Thursday post was originally published on May 25, 2011. I wrote this post around the time I was preparing to run the Rock n Roll Half Marathon to raise money for Compassion International. The little girl I mention, Jasmeet, is the child that I still sponsor through this wonderful organization. I just recently received a letter from her with new pictures! This post was written a couple years ago, but I still stand by every word. I believe Compassion changes lives.

Two weeks ago I heard the story of Jey Mbiro. I was sitting in my cushy seat at Catalyst Dallas and we were being asked to consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International. I was only half listening because I already sponsor a little girl (Jasmeet – she was my Valentine this year!). But then a young man stepped up to the microphone and shared his story. A story that reminded me why I sponsor Jasmeet, and why I am running for Compassion.

Jey was born in Mathare, Kenya. In one of the largest slums in the world. This is a place where families don’t ask if the newborn is a boy or a girl. They ask if it’s a thief or a prostitute. Families rarely have enough food to go around, and definitely have no money for medical care or education. Jey’s family was no different. He had eight brothers and sisters, and his family was unable to provide for them.

At only nine years old he was arrested for theft. Like most kids he grew up with, theft wasn’t seen as a crime. It was a necessity. It was the only way to survive.

But Compassion International stepped in and changed his life.

Jey was chosen by a sponsor. Someone who decided to commit $38 a month to Compassion. Such a small amount changed his life forever. He no longer needed to steal to avoid starvation. Through Compassion and his sponsor, he received meals, medical care, and something most kids he grew up with could never have: an education.

Now Jey lives in Atlanta, Georgia working as a Christian music DJ. He was at Catalyst Dallas to tell his story. To remind us that sponsorships matter. They truly change lives.  Most of the people Jey grew up with are either dead or in prison. But thanks to Compassion, Jey has a different story.

Are you willing to change someone’s story?

To sponsor a child like Jey, go to the Compassion International site.