Billy Madison is far too funny to ignore...

This is how my brain works...in case you ever wanted to know!

1) Talked about GMA smartbrief in a meeting
2) Read some articles about work in GMA
3) Got distracted by an article about Snack Pack's
4) Thought of Billy Madison, laughed
5) Found Billy Madison quotes online...laughed some more!
6) Vowed to watch Billy Madison as soon as I get home from work

Billy Madison: You know I like Snack Pack. Why can't you just give me a Snack Pack?
Juanita: I thought I was your snack pack.

And that is how a meeting about top brands turned into something so different!!!

So cool GOD, you are so COOL!

I believe with my whole heart that God knows what you need when you need it. Today I am both physically and emotionally exhausted and God met me there with some truly refreshing encouragement from a stranger!

To set up how this happened, we have a gym at work and each month there is a member of the month and you have to answer questions about yourself. Three of the questions are biggest life accomplishment, funny fact, and life motto. So I struggled with what to write down, how can I be bold but not too bold, and life accomplishment I’m only 28 – sheesh! So here is what I wrote…

Accomplishment: The kids that I mentor in Cabrini Green, the relationship that we have and the hope for their future!
Funny Fact: I will do anything to make the kids I mentor smile…this includes some pretty insane dancing!
Motto: Don't dread the hills in life, celebrate that you were given the strength to climb (I was basically trying to say, life will be hard, but rejoice because God has given you the strength to overcome – in my somewhat PC work jargon)

So the encouragement part....a random guy came up to me in the cafeteria today (there are 2500 people in my building), he walked straight up to me and said Camille, you don't know me...but I wanted you to know that I saw your profile in the gym. I read it and I was very encouraged by what you do with those kids in the city. Thank you for being an encouragement.

I was taken back, pretty shocked and thought to myself whoa God, you just found me on the most emotionally and physically exhausted day I have had in a really long time and reminded me that the work I do for you matters. It was a huge reminder that God has all of this planned out and that HE has an impact; that we cannot understand! I think with SLAM especially, I only think of the impact it has on the kids, but who knows, God is so huge and awesome and He revealed to me today the impact it could have on people I don't even know. So the encouragement I found here is that at times though we may grow weary, God has a plan much greater than anything we could ever imagine and though we may only get to see snippets, it's AWESOME when we do!!!!

Jenner Graduation

The girls that I mentor, Resha and Brittany, go to Jenner Academy of the Arts, it's an elementary school right in the middle of Cabrini. Last year a nearby school closed and 2 rival gang territories were combined into one middle school. This has caused some major problems over the course of the year but, the school has come together and today was 8th grade graduation!

Graduation took place at 10am this morning, and started roughly 30 minutes late. This is pretty normal, so we'll call this the most expected part of the day. Every other aspect of graduation was different from anything I've ever seen, but very entertaining! It started with the kids walking up on stage introducing themselves and giving some advice for success. It was great to hear their perspective and inspiration. The key note speaker, was one of the best motivational "pull yourself up by your bootstrap" speakers I've heard in a long time. Oh, and there was singing and clapping, of course!!! But my favorite part, Resha was 5th in her class!!! If I'm this proud of her and she isn't my kid I can only imagine what it's like to be a parent! Unfortunately Brittany had some choice words for her teacher and couldn't come...this truly is a ministry of ups and downs!

I've added a video of one of their songs, I think this one is Man in the Mirror...enjoy!

I feel like Nemo

Do you remember that scene in Finding Nemo where the fish just had to keep swimming and they felt like they weren't going to accomplish anything. And Dori said, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" Or something like that...I feel like that right now! Just keep swimming, I'm not really getting anywhere because I am going back and forth in a pool but I will just keep swimming. I am getting better at it so I guess I am getting somewhere but it is almost worse that running laps on a track. You always end up in the same place. That being said, if I didn't always have the option of stopping at the wall I think drowning might be a real threat.

Top 10 Things I've Learned
10. Proper swim goggles are very important
9. When trying to learn flip turns, avoid the bottom of the pool at all costs
8. Take a few lessons
7. Breathe before you are out of breathe! You absolutley can't breathe under water no matter how hard you try!
6. Avoid putting on a lap suit over a sunburn - ouch!
5. I can't keep up with the others, so don't even try!
4. I CAN float!!!
3. Tuesday 7pm is water aerobics, if you don't want to see a woman in a skirt coming at you swim at another time!
2. The wall comes up fast and hard
1. I am so grateful I'm not a fish!

It wasn't meant to be easy!

If a goal was easy to reach there wouldn't be much point, now would there? Well my current goal is to race the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10. I say race because there is no real point in just running a race to finish, I want to race the marathon. Anything less would be a diservice to the marathon itself and all the training. You don't train to just finish, well I don't train to just finish. It's called a race for a reason...

Current struggle: Stress fractures (yes plural) in my left foot
Down Time: Maybe a month maybe 2 - it's not really down time though, because I'm still training just not running...
Alternative: Swimming, swimming, and more swimming...and toss in some serious weight lifting to further mess with the lack of bouyancy that is making it so hard to swim!

Some days I'm not super bothered, some days I feel like my favorite thing has been ripped away and I can't fathom what I'm gonig to do for the next 3 weeks. So here is how I am currently coping...

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" Lord please strengthen my body!!!

Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Ok so what do I take from this and why does it keep me going...first I know that I am training and running the marathon not because I thought it sounded cool, I have jacked up knees and clearly feet that would be foolish. I am running because I felt that for some crazy strange reason God wanted me to and had something to teach me. Now along this process I may have made my running an idol, and that is 100% not ok and I do repent of that, I am learning as I go. Hold everything with an open hand, allowing God to take it away if that is His will knowing that He has a better plan...in that I really hope that His better plan doesn't include me not running (I'm learning slowly people, and recognizing my human weakness as I type). And of course, I can't do this alone, only God can make this happen, back to the crappy joints, if I rely on myself alone, I can't accomplish this goal.

So Big picture take aways...give the race to God and run to bring Him glory, allow him to strengthen me, DON'T love running so much that it becomes an idol in my life! I'm sure there is more to learn but that's where I am right now, sitting in my human frailty praying for healing!!!