T Minus 19 Days

'19 days?' you wonder while reading the title of this post. Yes, 19 days until I retreat from the harsh ever present clouds and wind of Michigan. 19 days until I return to my home in Overland Park Kansas. With so little time left, I need to be using my time wisely.

My service goals include:

• finish book 1 study circle
• finish book 2 study circle
• finish book 2 study circle
• finish book 4 study circle
• do a book 6 intensive
• teach three more children's classes at the Baha'i Center
• go to two more devotionals at Tom's house
• go to Rose's fireside three more times
• have arts and crafts virtue classes three more times
• have three more junior youth classes
  
• have a few random devotionals

Other goals, and their likelihood, are as follows:

• Arboretum-98% likely
• The Ark-okay, i already went...but I wasn't even living in the Ann Arbor area yet! 92% likely
• Crazy Wisdom-once again, have been here...but would like to go again...90% likely
• Kerrytown-89% likely
• Purple Rose Theater-19% likely
• Botanical Gardens- 98% likely
• Stucchi's-97% likely
• Zingerman's-80% likely
• See Joe Reilly's show-98%

It was the Buzz that would not End!

I awake to find myself completely exhausted. It seems I have not been able to have a good nights sleep in months.

But this is no problem, this tiredness, because I have the power of coffee! And the day before I had just purchased said coffee. I drink two cups of joe and head, do yoga for quite some time, make a fruit salad and go to a picnic.

After a couple lazy hours in the sun with friends I realize I am still tired. Not only that but I am going on a home visit at 4 and then have a study circle at 7:00 so I need some sort of energy. Anna and I go to Portofino's Coffee House (I finally found a coffee shop!).

I consume a good amount of coffee there and then am ready for my home visit! And what a visit it was! We started out with dinner, homemade Ethiopian cuisine. Nigsty is very worried about her English so she had her two daughters stay and tell me stories. It was fantastic. Then Nigsty began to roast her own coffee beans, a custom when having guests. We watched a Canadian version of Candid Camera while drinking coffee. Very delicious, very strong.

There were so many different flavors in this small cup. What I didn't know about the custom, as she offered me more, was that after my second cup she would boil the coffee again and then I would have another cup of coffee. When that third cup was done, she would boil the coffee a final time and then serve me one more time. So when I was finished with this fourth cup it was 7 and I was completely wired. I was not aware of this though and said my goodbyes and thank yous and rushed on to my study circle.

The study circle is at Caribou Coffee and my two participants are inside waiting for me. I run in and explain the situation to them. Unfortunately it came out something like this:

"Sorrysomuchiwasatahomevisitanditstheircustomtoservecoffeeandfirstsheroasteditandthenihadfour
cupsbecauseyouhavetoboilitthreetimessoi'mreallysorryiwaslatei'mjustgonnagetsomethingtodrink
butidon'tthinkthati'llhaveanythingwithcaffeinecuzithinki'vehadenoughsorryagaintokeepyouwaiting."

Now, not only my table, but the girl next to us started laughing. I don't mean a few chuckles, i mean, trying to stay on their chairs laughing. They took out cell phones and started filming me. I turned around jumped (according to them) 12 inches in the air and ran the two feet to the counter to order. The barista was highly amused and suggested decaf. I accepted.

When our study circle was over, the participants were worried that my jittery foot would get me in an accident on my way home. I called a friend and we hung out until I chilled out...a lot. I couldn't get to sleep for quite a few hours and then woke up much earlier than I had intended.

At least I made people laugh.

Moving, its my new hobby

That's right. Three moves in seven months! How awesome, and not at all stressful, is that?! Plus, I'm going home really soon...as in two days from now. That's really all I have to say...except that in case anyone is concerned my tail bone is almost all the way healed. Yay!



Neda and me all dressed up during intermission of Respect-a musical written by a Baha'i Dr.

This is when we went to the hookah bar. Ahang & Neda
Char and I attempt to read Ahang's palm

And apparently his palm was really funny...I don't remember why

Then Ahang got on the phone, trying to hurry up his phone conversation, Neda took many photos...

Cast of Characters part 2

Pictures!!

Ahang and Kehan

Rachel and Nima. Rachel proving that Pink might very well rule the world in the game of RISK! (If you can see all the green on the board...yeah, that's me!...surrounded by ahangs pieces...)
Renan, Lev and Nima play Texas Hold'em. The big winner...Nima! Don't believe it? Look at the number of chips that man had!


Yes, that game night was a happy time for all of us...full of friendly vying and nachos, pink and blue armies and baklava, people we knew and strangers...

Ann Arbor, Ikea, and all things new

I live in Ann Arbor now. It is a fun college town with so much to do, talk about a severe contrast to davison/flint michigan. I am going to be moving into Jane's basement. We are converting it to my very own apartment!

SO I went to Ikea for my new stuff! Yay!! I swear that I got a headache as soon as i walked in. But I got some neat stuff for just $75!!!

Alright, there is a new cast of characters.

Jane: The woman I live with! She is a flight attendant for Spirit Airlines and has a daughter named Anya. Jane does dance and lots of art.

Anya: She is 4.5 and is active! She was not sure how she felt about me living with her, but after spending 5 days at Louhelen she came home and let me know that "i missed you. I missed you so much. SOO much." You may call me : Madeline, conquerer of hearts!

Megan: neighbor and confidedant of the jane/anya/madeline family. She is a dance healer and is just a lovely lady!

Mario: Megan's son who is 4.5. He is half persian so I am teaching him some farsi phrases. Anya and Mario are "brother" and "sister" and make sure everyone knows.

Char: Fantastical youth who is going to the University. She and I have many adventures and funnily enough most of those encounters include observing different running styles. We have noticed that running with backpacks is really in vogue.

Ahang: The friend who I go to long lengths for and who does the same for me. These amazing feats include but are not limited to driving someone to the mall at 11:00pm, driving someone to airport at 5:00 am, helping each other move in...you get the idea...i think.

Lev: So happy to find out that he was living here! I met him in Chicago and now we are both living here! Yay! He is the person I meet with to say "i want to serve!!!" and he says "booyah!!" or some such simliar phrase.

Cast of Characters part 2 will be coming once they get developed more.

it's about forgiveness

But I think it's about forgivenessForgivenessEven if, even if you don't love me anymore
-Don Henley

You're only human
Let's shake free this gravity of judgment
And fly high on the wings of forgiveness

-India Arie

In my silence I would love to forgetBut restitution hasnt come quite yetAnd with one accord I keep moving forthI stretch my heart to heal some moreIt used to be all I want to learnWas wisdom trust and truthBy now all I really want to learnIs forgiveness for youAs my seasons change Ive now grown to knowWhen ones heart creates, ones soul doesnt oweSo I wash away stains of yesterdayThen tempt my heart with loves display
-collective soul

I'll forgive you
But you really hurt me
My heart wants to try us again
I know your only human
But you almost destroyed me
-Bobby Valentino


To look always at the good and not at the bad. If a
man has ten good qualities and one bad one, to look at the
ten and forget the one; and if a man has ten bad qualities
and one good one, to look at the one and forget the ten.

(Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and the New Era)


“Are you happy with the speakers that were chosen? Are you happy with all the facilitators?” he asked me.
I knew who he was really asking about and in this crowded room full of activity I began answering him.
“I don’t agree with some things she does. I dislike some choices that she makes. But I am happy that she will be a facilitator. She has accomplished a lot, she has done so much, she has had so many great experiences that I think she will contribute a lot to the weekend. Yes, I am happy with who the facilitators will be” My companion nodded and said something else on this topic but it was drowned out by my vision. I had turned my head and saw her. There she was, right around the corner in the hallway, dressed from head to toe in white and she had heard every word I had said. Her eyebrows narrowed, her brow wrinkled as well as her nose, but surprisingly this look was not a look of disgust meant for me. It was one targeted towards herself. Her face then softened slightly and was instead abashed. She hurried a way and I knew at once it was to release tears.

this was a dream. it came to me a couple of nights ago and i haven't been able to stop thinking of it since.

my days

How many times must you degrade someone? How often will you let your words sting? With your look, you set off a thousand pains and your tone of voice disturbs me. I am not meant to be subjected to hate, but then, who in this world is? Twist my thoughts against me and prove to everyone my lack of worth. Displeasure seeps out of your every action and I am hurt. Somehow it feels that if I were to succeed it would make you angrier still, I question why. This conceited belief of superiority hovers over the door. When I kneel down to pray I block out the roar of this artificial life and lend my ear to the melodies of my Beloved. He will keep me safe, I take one step closer to Him and He will hold me close while the words echo in my mind… “Do men think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?”