Dandilion {seeds}

Dandilion Joy, a photo by Telstar Logistics on Flickr.

I spent a beautiful Memorial Day with my family lounging around home doing the unimportant, restful things you're supposed to do on a holiday weekend. The momma and I took a walk down by the lake. It was warm, windy and overcast, but refreshingly summer. As we walked and talked, enjoying eachother's company we were passed by bikers, joggers, and strollers. Everyone was taking in the view of the massive lake and the sharp white trails left behind by windsurfers.

We stopped a few times to admire blooming flowers, kneeling in close to get the concentrated scent of their sweet aroma. Walking on I bent down to grab a white fluffy dandilion. I couldn't resist the full white top, perfictly ripe for blowing seeds in the wind. I took a great breath and watched as the seeds floated carelessly away, very quickly I was left with a bare stem. The momma came up behind me and said with a smile," This is your summer." I shot her a puzzled look. "Yes, this is what your summer is like, just planting a bunch of seeds."

I laughed as I was getting such a marvelous revelatation from a weed. She was absolutley right. This summer, (and probably for the rest of my life) is all about planting little tiny seeds. It's like blowing the seeds away on the dandilion. We have no control where they land, how they're recieved, or what they become. The only part we are responsible for is taking that breathe.

Little seeds of kindness, of time spent with a friend, a smile or encouraging word to a stranger, an invitation, a prayer, a little seed of sometimes minute inconvient sacrifice.

Take a breath,

watch it float away,

no need to fret,

it shall bloom someday.

Welcome {Home}

Happy, happy, home for the summer! After a 16 hour drive with the momma and a two day pit stop in Chicago we finally arrived back home.

Isn't it funny how going back home seems to induce so many memories...good and bad. It's almost like induced child pains {or tickles depending on how you look at it}. The smell of the house, position of that old recliner, high school momentos clinging to, if any glory it once had.

Although I am glad to be back for a season to catch up with my wonderful family and friends, my room needed a new twist. I unpacked my hefty bags {that's a long "A" for you southerners} and started the unfinished process.

I squinted, moved several different times to regain different perspectives, sifted through some stuff, stood on my head, and prayed to God for some new inspiration for the look for my room. I started throwing away. Simplifying. Repurposing pretty old things that the momma and super sisters had collected.

I am pretty happy for now. I think the next step will be painting a mural on the wall by means of using a projector to project something to trace? Any suggestions?

It's amazing what a few changes can do. I'm looking forward to making some new memories in my home. Tea with the momma, random haircuts for my sister, lots of dreaming, and motercylcle rides with the guys.

Make something pretty today :)

These are some coral and shells I brought back from Haiti, now a background for my good smellies.

One of my walls is painted white corrugated metal, and next to it on the wall is an old-whitewashed farm door. I found some random hooks and viola, hat and necklace holders.

If you don't own any milk glass bowls...shame. They are the ultimate "workhorse" as my Aunt Pat puts it.

Darling tea pot on my dresser.

This is a picture frame that has been replaced with chicken wire. See that little blonde, crazy haired girld in the corner? Me.

This is just for fun. My dad found crow eggs and nurtured them until they hatched in his nest, it was love at first beak.

Tidbite*

For incredible vintage finds and eclectic ideas Pat Brown's Harvest Brown web-page, or follow her on twitter for amazing vintage finds and tips.

Tornado(s)

Wednesday, April 27th was a normal day. People all over the state woke up, most of them brushed their teeth,headed to work or school with a mediocre tasting cup of coffee,and hoped for the best. I however was at Orange Beach,AL enjoying lots of rays and the continual crash of beautiful powerful waves...

The last thing I was expecting was to come in from the beach late afternoon to crazy storm reports to my current home in Birmingham,AL. At first I didn't think anything of it, because southerners are uber paranoid it seems of storms. Sometimes I wait for a darkish clouds just to run errands because no one is on the roads.

Anyhow, we watched and waited as Twitter was blowing up with pictures and tweets of people finding debris from a hundred miles away in their yard. One picture sealed the deal, as we saw a whole street literally shaved off the face of the Earth. It was apparent that this was a record breaking,mean,ugly storm. Throughout the afternoon there was over 100 tornados reported that touched down all across the SouthEast.

My friends and I packed up a little earlier than planned to help with relief efforts that my incredible Church of the Highlands began initiating immediately.

FLASH FORWARD

Sunday was the first day that I arrived on the scene in Tuscaloosa. You can't even fathom the size of trees that had been flat-out uprooted. AND THEN MOVED. It was a waste land as I drove through commercial and residential areas. Church had a base at a nearby park with supplies up the wazoo that people were coming to collect for free. A small step in the major rebuilding process.

Monday, my fellow Highlands College crew and I headed to Hueytown which was another town ravanged by the tornado monster. The first day we did a lot of driving around to asses the needs and get a strategy. (The needs were glaringly obvious...houses! Food! Drinks! Because there were neighborhoods completely obliterated.) We came across a lady named Mrs.Terry,she was there with her 2 children and a few other family members trying to salvage anything they could find. She walked out of the bared open basement and greeted these strangers (us) with hugs and tears. She was overwhelmed. One of her first comments was "But do you know how good God is?" I asked her if she would let me take pictures as she told me of her and her families survival.

Her husband and 2 grandchildren were the only ones home. They heard the tornado coming like a thousand freight trains. The only place in the house that remained somewhat stable was the corner of the basement where they ran too. The grand daughter Kate slipped under a wooden structure as her brother Chase was right beside her. Mrs. Terry and her husband got down in the corner just second before the tornado plucked their home from existence. The two cars in the driveway flew and landed just a few feet beside them in the basement! Bricks them crumbled all around them. And within 20 seconds and a quick "whoosh" sound. It was over. They crawled out with nothing but bruises! They crawled out and found them standing in a pile of rubble, all that was standing was the front concrete steps.

Mrs.Terry recounts walking around her house and found a page of her Bible sticking to a broken tree. Matthew 6...

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

She held this precious page in her hands...her eyes filled with beautiful brokeness, at peace trusting in her Jesus. He confirmed His promise to take care of her and her family.

It seems unfair that some of the people around her did not make it, where was God for them?? I don't know. But I do know that whatever happens He promises to turn for good. And I do know that He knows what excruciating,"lose everything you have" feeling. And I do know that He makes everything work for good for those who love him. I ask God often that I would be able to "see" with my heart. Because lots of the times what I see with my eyes...well it's not always perfect. When we see with our hearts if you will...we see who He is, and what He is capeable of doing. That is hope my friends. You see I don't trust my eyes. I trust His heart in me.

The front steps is all that remains...

Chase pointed where him and his sister hid. Note the car next to him that flew from the driveway to the basement!

He walked out of the rubble with only bruises.

This was the page of her personal Bible she plucked from a tree after the storm.

"Do not worry..."

Alive.

I have this awesome friend named Brittany who is a total radical. Brittany knows that Jesus is just as relevant as He was 2000 years ago. She attends a college outside of Birmingham. A beautiful campus, and a impressive academic reputation. Brittany asked me to come to campus over break to take some pictures of a sign she had painted. I wasn't surprised when I saw what it read.

Jesus is Alive.

I smiled ear to ear, believing that this would be much more than just pictures. Faith mixed with action, speaking about what will come. It takes faith because right now this particular campus has a reputation of suicide and witch craft, just the opposite of Love. It also requires action, because a belief that just sits inside of our noggin' is just that. A stagnant,safe,and harmless dream.

As we walked around quiet campus we got chills thinking of the miracles that Jesus has in store. We made some friends who cheered as we snapped the pictures and freely volunteered their services. We ran into a student who looked like she hadn't slept in three days, beautiful green eyes hidden underneath a thick black paste. Her black hair fell into her face as she zipped up an army green oversized coat. Her unlikely state took my by surprised and I blurted out some sort of awkward greeting, just for a second of her time.

It turns out she was wiccan and didn't believe in "our God", but she was kind and moved to held back tears because the Love that rested on Brittany and I. We said a short prayer for her and sent her off. Just one soul that we are believing to be transformed because of a wee bit of faith from two average kids.

I am going to be involved in a college age group starting on Friday nights with some stellar people. Brielle Hoffman, Allen Pedrum, and Adam Westly. We believe God has some seriously big plans for this group. We desire to build a real, strong,powerful community that is compelled by Love and filled with the Word. Please come and join us.

Bottom line. Jesus is Alive. Let's start living like it. Ask big. Read the Word, and believe with all your heart everything that it says. Test it out.Come spend your Friday night's with us. I dare you.

Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalm 86:17

Little Green T-Shirt Prayers

Another Tuesday in Mr. Christensen's science class. I whispered a prayer for super natural "science pizazz", knowing the little, if any, of my 9th grade biology has most likely dissolved in the deep recesses of my brain.

As the students trickle in one by one,( not as late this week), I winced and tried to call them each by name by collecting the notecards from last week. Jeffery, check! Sidney, check! Javier,check! Jonathan, Check! Eric, check! Somehow I just couldn't get Diedrich and Diandre straight. O well, there was still time.

As the teacher shouted out the day's tedious and daunting assignment, I had already assigned myself the mission of "cracking" Ingrid, the "mute", as well as helping the students understand their text books. Class went on. As I made my way through the students I eventually made me way to Ingrid's desk. I smiled at her and sat down. It became clear I wasn't going anywhere soon, so eventually she paid me some attention. "What do you like to do Ingrid? What do you like?"...

A few of her classmates looked over.

...

.....

.............

I asked again.

"Shopping." She breathed.

"Gasp! Shopping? Me too. Where do you like to go shopping?" I countered.

"The Mall."

"What is your favorite thing to buy?"

..."T-Shirts."

Smiling a little on the outside but WAY BIG on the inside I asked one more question.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

Ingrid spoke! Her classmates looked at me like I had just discovered sliced bread. She even let me in on a tiny tidbit of her likes. She was surprised and probably slightly annoyed at all the questions, but for today I was satisfied. Heck, I almost got a smile out of her. I was floating.

Class wrapped up and I passed out the notecards again, this time a different question. As I collected them I scribbled on the back of Ingrid's card "green t-shirt". Who knew when this info would come in handy? I high fived the class goodbye and walked out knowing Jesus had been in the class with me. As I shut the door behind me I smirked and asked the Lord for a little green t-shirt,forgetting about the request a second later. Little did I know that someone else had not.

That following day I was in a small group with some high school girls telling them about my classroom the previous day. I was trying to encourage them to ask God for stuff, even silly stuff that can make people's day better and maybe even lead them to a relationship with HIM. I remembered the silly request of a green t-shirt, that I could surly buy, but it was just more fun to ask God for it. Sure enough one of the girls, Riley piped up," I have a green t-shirt I picked out of my closet today for some reason. I was going to throw it away...want it?!"

AHHH!

I looked around at the silly smiles slapped on each girl in my small group. We gave God His glory. God even hears us when we don't hear ourselves, even when we say things that we don't expect to happen. He is a ear that is always attentive and he has a heart that never forgets our desires.

The next Tuesday I took the t-shirt in my bag and waited until everyone had been dismissed after class to pull Ingrid aside. I reached inside and pulled out the beautiful bright green t-shirt. She shot a smile that was so innocent and happy I could barely stand it. I explained that I took her interest to heart and found her a t-shirt. Her gaze finally left the shirt and she looked at me with her big brown eyes and gave me a quick "thank you so much", hug, and just like that was off. It was a short and sweet encounter, but it made every second in that class more than worth it to see the look of hope in her face. I believe one day she will know the One who provided that shirt.

So there you have it. There's nothing too small or too big you can ask Jesus for. He just wants to be a part of your LIFE. Everyday, informal, crazy, up and down life. If you don't pray a lot you might as well start somewhere. Try "little green t-shirt prayers." You never know who may be listening...

How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19

...because He loves you.

Ingrid is the girl farthest to the right.

White Girl

I walked into the high school as an unfamiliar feeling as a minority. Feeling sure of myself, but a little unsure of how others were mentally responding to my presence. I silently prayed for the students and the teacher that I was about to meet for the first time. I felt the thrill of courage and anticipation as I strode into Mr. Richardson's 4th block science class.

Where was everyone?

I saw what I was positive was my teacher, a lean, tall, "bigger than life" smiled, black man...Mr.Richardson. He was thrilled and a bit surprised as he quickly, an unsure sized me up, that he would have another set of hands and ears to help him out.

Little did I know that I would need much more than "hands and 20/20 vision" to be of any good to this classroom.

This was a routine every Tuesday last semester in the ministry school I'm attending. Woodlawn High School is located in Birmingham in the little town of about 14,000 residents. Over half of its population is unemployed, 40% of high schoolers drop out, half of the buildings in Woodlawn are burnt out and teen pregnancies are out the roof.

There is no where else I'd rather be.

Me and a handful of other students spent time weekly in this neighborhood based out of a place called The Dream Center, a hub of all outreach to the Woodlawn, conveniently right across the street from the high school. I can appreciate a comfortable bed and even a good paying job. Ultimately however, there's something in me that wants to bring hope and healing to generations of brokenness. Dirt and excess garbage attract me, the sight of a crumbling building looks more like a gleaming opportunity than a pile of rocks. I no longer see with natural eyes but superatural, 'beyond this world' vision, because I believe in and serve an 'out of the box', creative,loving, powerful God.

That's also why Woodlawn High School where the reading level average is at a modest 4-5th grade, beckons me as a golden potential, not a bunch of failed youth.

So back to my first day, 10 minutes after the bell passed the students trickled in. I sat an observed them observe me while Mr.Richardson introduced me. I saw "what the heck are you doing here" written all over their faces. What was this white girl doing here and what did she possibly want? I just smiled inside with an unexplainable love for each one of them. The lesson for the day was jotted on the board and instructions were told, however I could barley hear myself think over all the shouting back and forth. I quickly went to make friends with the clearly "most outspoken" students. "Might as well gain their respect first since the whole class follows their lead." I thought. James was clearly the loud mouth of the group spitting out words I'm sure my mom has never even heard before, contrasted by Ingrid, a sweet Hispanic girl who when was asked her name bowed her head as her classmates answered for her,"she doesn't talk." I promptly went to her side and put my hand on her shoulder, "good to meet you Ingrid." She broke my heart as I saw such a look of hopelessness of her face, if I only knew her story..

The hour and a half was going by quickly especially considering the mass chaos and lack of anything productive getting done. There were five minutes left. I asked Mr. Christensen if I could have the class attention. He gave me a look of "YES. Why didn't you ask me this an hour ago?"

I got the classes attention and introduced myself and explained my reasoning for being there. To help them, but more importantly to be a good friend. I went around the room and wrote down every name as they told me so I could remember them next week. Next I handed them each a notecard, and asked (okay maybe begged) if they would write something down for me. I asked them to write down a dream, life goal,or something about their life. A BIG DREAM! If they had all the money in the world, what would they do. Because something told me that growing up in a place where half the people are unemployed didn't encourage a lot of dreaming. But I believe when a place is dreary, a light shines more brightly. I was honored and their teacher was shocked to see every student fill out a card despite almost non filled out their worksheet due at the end of class RINGGGG! School's out.

I thanked them and gave everyone a handshake or high five as they rushed out of class. And I followed anxious to read what they wrote.

I went back to the Dream Center and read the note cards. Here are a few:

Javier: Dream, 'Pilot or Ace'

Sydney: Dream, 'I would support my momma all of her life'

Trey: Dream, 'To be a pharensic scientist and travel the world'

Aderion: Dream, 'is to succeed in life open my own small nation-wide buisiness"

James: Dream, 'To go to the NBA and help out my mom and her life' Life, 'Make it threw highschool'

Joe: Dream, 'To become a milionare' Life, 'Ex girlfriends are iratating and they suck' (haha!)

Ingrid: (who doesn't talk...but boy she writes!) 'Im good at Art,music and been quite,mean,playful and traveling around the world. If I would get a million dollars get a house and buy lots of stuff'

I bet that's more information than their teacher would ever know about them, and I knew after my first day meeting them. It didn't matter the color of my skin, all that mattered was that I was myself, and I cared about each one. I knew their names. I knew their dreams. I had no idea that these kids would teach me so much.

More stories to come...

These are a few of the students from the class. Check out the swag.

Literally Living

I'm currently living in Birmingham,Alabama. It's the third month at the ministry school im attending here(Twentyfourseven Ministry School). It just dawned on me how many awesome opportunities I've gotten. And I'm wondering... Is this normal? Is it normal to regularly travel the country, and anually travel the world? Is it normal to absolutly love what you do while being fulfilled by it? Is it normal being surrounded by such great friends who are always thinking of how to better themselves and others around them?

It's like I'm literally living. Literally doing the things I was created to do.

Anyhow, it is my goal to document some of the opportunities throughout the rest of my year here. There is just so much I'm learning right now, in my heart and my head...I'm about to burst. Bear with me as I upload some thoughts. Hopefully it will download into you :)

This is a few pictures from Atlanta last weekend. I went with my friend Seth,a crazy brilliant, and creative bearded artist along with Adam, a music guru up for anything . The drive was a veiw painted with brilliant fall colors and leaves dancing in the road, the smell of pumpkin spice lattes,and eclectically chill music serenading our ears. It turned out to be a pleasantly warm day downtown Atlanta, and after a good hunt through Ikea, and H&M (a perfect shopping pair) we spend it walking through Peidmont park snapping pictures like professionals and watching all sorts of interesting people. The day couldn't of been better. It was topped off by a glorious myriad of colors in the sun setting sky.

"But I trust in your unfailing love;my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."

Ps. 13:5-6

I hope today you think of one thing that burns within your heart. What makes you cry? Change it. What makes you hurt? Fix it. What makes others laugh? Do it. God will joyfully give you what you need, without holding back.

Dreaming Big,

brooke