Freedom 5K

Last Saturday, I ran my first 5K. It took me 45 minutes and 56 seconds, but I ran every step.

Partly, I did it as a challenge. I turned 50 this year and wanted to try something new, perhaps to prove I could. At first, I wanted to climb Mt. Washington, but my family decided they weren't up for that and it's not something to try alone. So, when I saw the poster for the 5K I thought I'd go for it.

I also did it for a cause. This 5K was sponsored by Loved By Route One to raise awareness of domestic sex trafficking, This is a ministry of the Emmanuel Gospel Center in Boston. Women from the ministry provide a website listing resources for women exploited by the sex industry and visit the women with flowers or small gift bags. They offer support and compassion.

Human trafficking is a horrible reality. Women, children and men are all victims. They are bought and sold for the sex industry, factory labor, farming, soldiering, and domestic servanthood. It happens in every country and in many industries.

Here are some resources on the extent of the problem:

humantrafficking.org
Polaris Project
Slavery: A Global Investigation


Some of the many ministries working to combat this evil:

American Baptist Churches USA: International Ministries
Salvation Army
All Hands In



So... do something... give money, volunteer, talk about this, keep your eyes open for victims, pray, run a 5K... just don't ignore this.


What will you do?

Getting Organized -- Pantry!

I have a wonderful pantry. It came with the house I inherited and my brother -in-law fixed it up before we moved in.

The thing is, though, over three years it had gotten into a mess. And I mean, a mess!

Here. I'll prove it.

 

Pretty bad, eh? I'm not sure how I stood it.

So, I emptied it out, wiped it down and reorganized it. I even donated some stuff and threw out some junk. 

Here's the "after" version:

Jordan did get a pic of the "unseemly" bag of potatoes on the floor: 

 But overall, much better, I'd say:

 How are your organization projects coming along?

Photos by J. Parry

Taking Orders ... Impaired Driving

Recently, I obeyed a direct order from my teenage son.

I do not, as a general policy, believe that parents should take orders from their children. It is supposed to be the other way around. So, maybe I should explain.

It was actually the first day of high school in our homeschool. We progressed quite well through academics and I planned on cooking a special meal for the evening. I took a nap to try, unsuccessfully, to rid myself of a headache and then went downstairs. I got my shopping bags and keys. My son asked me what I was doing. I told him I was going grocery shopping for his treat.

He looked at me and said, "Bed. Now." ........and I climbed obediently back up the stairs and into bed.

Later I was a bit chagrined at myself for simply doing as I was I told. Then I thought about it. I believe it was a good thing that I did just that. Why? Here are a few reasons:

That headache was debilitating. My driving would have been impaired. I could have harmed myself or someone else or worse. I did not belong on the road and apparently my judgment was impaired enough that I didn't realize it. So, it's a good thing that someone stopped me from getting behind the wheel, regardless of the fact that the someone was 36 years my junior and in my care besides.

It set an example for Jordan. Someday, for whatever reason, he may be impaired and wanting to drive. If someone tries to stop him, in that moment he just might remember that his mother accepted the fact that she could not drive when she was told not to. Stranger things have happened.

It empowered Jordan. He learned that it works when you tell an impaired person not to drive. If I had disciplined him for speaking up, that might have given him a different message and someday when the driver he is with is drunk, or distracted, or exhausted, he might  keep quiet. We don't want that.

I still maintain that teenagers do not get to order their parents about or set the house rules. But there are moments ...


Your thoughts?