Peace and Blessings

We were sitting in the food court at Penn Square Mall, which is something I hate doing due to lack of cleanliness and the fact that I usually end up watching the food roll around in people's mouths. Attractive. It's a good place to people-watch sometimes, though. You could compare it to sitting in one of those old-fashioned hair dryers and pretending to read People Magazine while you hear about Jenny's date on Saturday with the average-looking guy from Marketing. The equally entertaining but generally easier option is the food court. I was enjoying my luke-warm Chick-fil-a when my mom, with tears in her eyes, said, "See that man over there (points)? He works in the shoe department at Macy's and every time I see him, I just get so sad. I wonder if he's alone." Keep in mind that my mother cries often -- I think it has to do with aging but the fact that a Macy's clerk was making her cry wasn't so abnormal.

Later that day, we saw him working the shoe department and being super polite and helpful, etc. My mind continued to linger on that curiosity. Does he have kids? What does he do on Friday nights if he's by himself? Because loneliness is something that everyone struggles with from time to time. I wondered what it would be like to be 60+ and, knowing that you're on the downhill side of life's timeline, be looking at the finality of death without anyone standing next to you. That's a harsh reality if you think about it.

I found out today that my pawpaw has a mass on one of his lungs. Keep in mind that this man is one of the most precious people created by God. It's easy to say in times of fear or loss or grief or anxiousness that someone is/was "one of the most influential people in your life." But please know that this man competes for the title of Most Influential Person in Courtney's Life, and probably wins most days. I know that God tries to teach me lessons that I sometimes ignore; but I'm confident that my grandpa speaks to me through a God that is using him to reach me. Because there are few people whose words I revere so highly. Now we don't know if the mass is benign or malignant -- at this point, I'm not filled with worry -- because he hasn't even had a biopsy yet. He's so upbeat and at peace and I know that whatever lies in store for us, I feel blessed to know such a brilliant and beautiful soul.

I hope you, whoever you are, are acutely aware of those blessings disguised as people. Our bodies are merely houses for the souls that we love, which is a strange and scary and vulnerable thing; but a reality that we are forced to adapt and submit to.

Boomer Sooner

Are you there? Are you listening? 

If you're even remembering to check this blog now that I'm safely home, you're wondering why I'm updating it. "You're home, Courtney." I know, I know. It's just that I got so used to posting about my life's happenings that dropping off the face of the Bloggosphere seemed a little unnatural. It's been a short three months since I boarded the plane at Roma Fiumicino and, let me tell you, it has drug by. Three months. That's a fourth of a year! The changes I saw in myself are slowly drifting away and I'm almost back to ordinary, post-adventure Courtney, who would just-as-soon sit on the couch with a rom-com than go out and enjoy the fresh air. These are terrifying updates to admit, I assure you. 

At first, I'd say I was a little shell-shocked. How could you not be? I was staring at this strange, tall robot that everyone was calling the "Devon Tower" and trying to understand why everyone was freaking out about the Thunder -- isn't basketball season supposed to over? I was a little unnerved by highways so when my dad tossed me the keys at the airport to drive Zorro home, I wasn't sure if that was the wisest decision. I had toned up my legs and arms from all the activity in Arezzo but all my hard work slowly slipped away when I had a car at my disposal. I lost weight in Italy but gained it in America. No surprise there. Without encouraging a reputation of impropriety, I must say that I was a little shocked at my inability to easily and casually obtain alcohol. I'm not a drunk but "why can't I just go take a beer to the park?" This question puzzled me persistently. 

I really didn't have a lot of time to sort through these internalized questions because, well, I was going to have a new brother in two weeks. That's right, my sister got married merely 13 days after my return. There were things that she insisted on waiting to begin until she could hear my opinion, which, while sweet, was a little senseless. Things like flowers, programs, jewelry. Ya know, just a 4 page 'Honey Do' list. No bitterness or anything, but I'll be waiting awhile to subject myself to mindless matrimony. Although, while a little off-subject, it's worth noting that I believe people are beginning to encourage life-partners upon me at my youthful 21 years. Why on God's green earth would I even entertain the thought at my age? For as Mrs. Marcia says, "Graduation, first." And for all I know, there might be two graduations in my future first. Anyway, many heartfelt Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Maldonado, who are now expecting a baby... Just kidding. Do I still have your attention?

Other than that, the summer has been lazy and hot. I got an internship that began a short 3 weeks ago through Whiz Kids for the fall and spring semesters. Whiz Kids is a faith-based, non-profit out of OKC that promotes literacy in elementary students by pairing them with a tutor that will mentor them (hopefully) throughout elementary and intermediate schools. It's a small staff but there's a lot to do and I love the people I see every day. God's doing great things through this program -- it now supports 26 schools in the area and is growing every year. My work is sometimes merely clerical but also includes some special projects so I'm still challenged.

I move back to Norman a week from today and I've barely started packing. No surprise there, right? I'm getting the itch to be in a classroom again and see all of my Arezzo friends. I can't wait to see what this next academic year has in store for me.