Reconnecting

“Season for everything”…..I have heard this my entire life and experienced it through trials and tribulations along with new adventures. Many of the my seasons pertain to friends and people in my life….churches, neighborhoods, and jobs that bring various folks into my life and out of my life with transition.
I recently added myself to the online social network of Facebook. It allows me to send emails, make comments about friends lives and see pictures of their adventures and familes. I found that MySpace was too avant-garde for me….and I needed simplicity and basics….Facebook offers that and a way to see what Benjamin is up to at Duke:) In the process of just trying to stay connected to several friends, I have found a network of old friends. We, as part of our nature, have a tendency to be less attentive to folks that aren’t in our everyday lives like they may have been at one time. I personally know that I would think of someone, but be reluctant to send a note because it had been so long since my last “reach out”. With Facebook, I can send a comment or note and it seems if we just talked yesterday. Facebook also allows me to look into my “friends” lives…see their pictures, comments and what is "in general" happening in their space. Because of networks like this the “season” of friendships seems less likely to have a end…..and I wonder about how that will work in the balance of our worlds.

Fun stories of mine through Facebook, I reconnected with a couple of people from high school recently….a dear friend, Debbie, and a musical friend, John. Debbie and I got together a couple of weeks ago and it was as if 25 years just completely disappeared. We laughed, cried and ate….talked about the past, our shared one and the one that we had been missing of each others, the present and our futures. Debbie is a friend that the season should have never ended and the root was still there all these years later. When I was in high school, I was a choir folk….and had many friends in that organization and at other schools. In addition, we had a bible study that Debbie hosted that was fun and a bit more social than the studies I do today. Debbie’s mom and house was a refuge for me…. I have always thought of that time fondly….and now it seems to be bringing back the wonderful memories. Debbie hasn’t changed a bit….she has a wonderful smile and a great spirit and my admiration and love for her has been reignited. What fun to reconnect….

My friend, John, has brought a new sense of joy into my life. John and I were classmates and the occasional musical friends (he was in the band), but nothing much more than that….and yet there is something and had been for 25 years. John and I began dating recently….I’m not sure where it is all going, but I do feel the hand of God in this relationship. Even though I haven’t dated a strong Christian in a very long time, I knew that God would only want that relationship for me, but I wasn’t willing to be patient. John was baptized about 20 years ago and his walk with God has been a journey of faith….and he has helped me to get excited about what God can do with our journey.
I don’t think that Facebook will bring back every friend that I have lost touch with in the past 43 years, but it may help keep the season a little longer or give me the chance to have my looking glass into my past, present and futures friends’ lives. Facebook has been a fun adventure into the past and may be a great tool for keeping a future with friends that live away now that I live in the country.

Readers Galore

How many books have you read in the last year? Month?

Week?

I’m always curious what people are reading and how much they read. As a veracious reader, I can sometimes find it difficult to find good books that I can really sink my teeth into. I am a fast reader, most of the time and I tend to intimidate other readers that can’t read three books a week on average….but then they may have a life and I have reading! In Austin, I was a member of three different book clubs….all different styles and personalities. The Culture Club, chosen for the number of social, non-fiction or historical novels that we read. The Classics was a club that was determined to re-read all the books that they rejected as teenagers or young adults. And then there was The Ladies Club, a club of readers….plain and simple.
The Culture Club was a group of women from Austin. We had a lobbyist, an environmental engineer, lawyer and a social worker. I worked for a church then….they wouldn’t let me in if I had still been working for the car dealership. They were all socially, politically and biblically minded so the choices of our books leaned to anything that might be considered controversial in any other setting. I have to admit, and they all know this too, that I would have never chosen 75% of the books we read if choosing on my own. And yet, I loved the books we read…for the most part. I learned so much about myself… why I have the opinion that I do on certain subjects and where it came from in my own family and history. I’m not shy, but this group could be intimidating….and I was quiet and rarely spoke unless I was absolutely convinced of my position. I learned to listen…and now I seek out those books on my own.
The Classics Club were a group of friends that wanted to read more….and not Nora Roberts. They had shunned reading in school and since and were looking for a way to get back the lost knowledge and be able to win at trivial pursuit. We started with simple things, like The Scarlet Letter and The Outsiders. Both were books that we should have in our list, but for whatever reason many had not read them. In the beginning, we spent a lot of time catching those folks up that struggled to get one book read in a month and to help those others understand what they had read. It took some time but eventually this group was tackling Hamlet and other classics like Moby Dick. I was thrilled to rediscover these books and what was different this time than 25 years before. I also discovered that I just didn’t like some of them at all….classics or net.
My favorite book club, The Ladies Club was a great group of women from 25-65 years of age. You had to be a reader to keep up with this group. We would pick two to three books a month and our meetings would be 4 hour affairs full of everything from arguing to crying. The laughter was deafening and Benjamin used to arrange to be out of the house when they would come to my house for the meeting. “Why do you have to talk so loud about books?” We would meet, eat and drink some serious red wine and then discuss. The books were chosen to touch us in some way or another and we were fairly successful. This group was the “new release” group…it was hard to find books that we hadn’t read before or wanted to read again for the sake of discussion. We attempted some classical work…but no one really took it seriously. We wanted heart stories and that is where found each other…in the depths of friendship and holding on to a piece of each others heart. I miss these women. Though I know that the chemistry we had was unique, I crave that in my search for another Book Club.
Talk to me about what you are reading…and if you haven’t been reading I have a great list of books that you might like.

Transition and Transformation

I recently caught up with a friend that moved away from Austin several years ago and was shocked that her son, who I remember as being about 10 years old, was graduating from high school. I guess when I see my own children I am seeing the progression day to day and it has a limited shock effect….Benjamin is leaving today to do his study abroad in England and I can remember a not so distant past where I wouldn’t leave him alone in the house just to run to the store. Where has time flown?
I have been exploring life in transition recently and admittedly, I don’t think I move all that well from one life stage to the next. Change is necessary and unstoppable, but I always loose myself a little when I shift. I guess the past year has been that way…and most recently the move to East Texas. I love it here….but I am still working to find my way. And I think some of it is laziness. I have a great group of friends in Austin and thinking about finding friends like that here is frustrating. For the first time, in a very long time, all I have to think about is myself and the occasional family thing with Mom and the gang. What do I like to do now? Is it different than 20 years ago….or 10 or 5 even?
The next few months are going to be a exploration into many different things….outdoor, indoor, solitary, public, etc. I am going to make it my goal to explore the places in East Texas that talk to me, while I listen to my own heart and soul in a way that I have never listened before.
Transition and transformation…..the journey begins. Please use this blog to tell me about your own personal journey. And please pray for each step of the way!

Texas and High School Football.....

I have been a fan of high school football for most of my life. I loved it growing up as a young child, then in high school its what we did for a social event. When my children were in school, (we lived in Westlake (Austin)) their school won the State Championship with Drew Brees (plays in the pros now) and were a powerhouse for many years and now finally cheering for the Lindale Eagles (my brother is the head coach and Athletic Director). There is something about the sounds…drum line and jumping jack grunting….the smells….hot dogs and nachos….that just gets everyone excited.

This past Friday was the first football game of the season and we won….big 50-21. The booster club in Lindale tries very hard to get the community excited about the season….we have BLUE OUT shirts (everyone wears blue…its pretty cool to see from the other side)…and a community tailgater with hamburgers, hotdogs, sausage and sodas. People all come together even if their business is direct competition with one another….all in support of the biggest thing happening in Lindale. If you go into just about any business on a Friday during football season including Walmart….they are wearing a BLUE OUT shirt. Lindale is a ghost town during the game and on away games is pretty sad, but traffic free!

It’s a shame in life we forget that we are all on the same team….and we can’t come together as a community of people and believers. If we can put away our differences for one night or even every Friday night….why can’t we do it for the other 6 during the week. God has been showing me the places where I have hardened my heart to others as just a matter of pride…..He asks me to play the game of life fairly and to always be aware of the others on my team…I am learning how to be a better player….and hopefully a better Mauri.

Here are pictures from the game Friday…..I hope that you each find a passion just like the state of Texas has high school football.

I am constantly shocked at how lovely they are.... Meaghan is 23 and such a woman already. Benjamin will be 21 in November and probably the sweetest, kindest young man around.

Home is where the Heart is...

Home is where the heart is!!!! I know that it’s cheesy, but reminding me constantly that so very true. I have been reminded yet again where my heart feels the most at rest and content. Family, friends and with that special someone….the people in your life are HOME…not a place. I recently visited Austin and spent time with some close friends….and it felt so peaceful. I really don’t miss the city all that much…..DSW was nice and of course, Chuy’s but it’s the people…those closest to me in a place that I spent 18 years of my life.
My move to Lindale has been wonderful….having the joy of being close to my mom and family is better than I expected. As you all know, my brother is the Athletic Director and Head Football coach for the Lindale Eagles and I think living here has given me a better appreciation of him and his gifts. Lindale is a 4A school and yet it feels like a small town at every turn. My brother has created community with his programs for all sports, but especially during football season, this town rocks with excitement. We had a kick-off Meet the Eagles celebration last week in anticipation of the first game this Friday. Over 1,000 parents, students and neighbors were present to cheer and meet the Seniors….of ALL teams in Lindale Athletics. It was a blast!!! Look for pictures soon of games and my family as we support not only my brother, but the town we have chosen to call our home. GO EAGLES!!!!
Many of you have asked about my work here in Tyler. I am the Director of Operations for an Architect/Construction Management firm, Siebenlist Architects www.siebenlist.com , that builds exclusively for churches. We work closely with the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention, but also other organizations across the South….Florida to Arizona. I am challenged daily as I learn this business, but also as I see where I am being led to direct my skills. My work at Gateway as the volunteer coordinator has really been beneficial to hearing what the church is looking for when thinking about growing and building. God has most certainly had his hand firmly on this position and how we are progressing. I can’t even begin to express how fulfilled I feel in this role.
Finally….Meaghan and Benjamin. They just continue to amaze me and I am in awe of how wonderful they both are. Meaghan has been home for the last couple of months to get her new visa and then will be headed back to France for another year of working in the education system. This time her role will be with college students….as she will be teaching English at a university outside of Strasborg, France. She loves France and living there….and I think if she can find a way she will stay as long as possible. I am grateful for the time that she is required to spend here getting her visa reinstated!!! But very proud.
Benjamin is also headed to Europe…him to England. He is a junior at Duke this fall and doing his study abroad at Queen Mary in England. Benjamin worked all summer as an intern for a professor at Duke…please don’t ask me what they designed or built as I’m sure I will screw it up. I realized that he might actually be smarted than I thought he was already, unbelievable.Well….that’s the update. Of course so much more has happened and is constantly occurring, but this is a start. Please let me know how you are and what is going on in your world…..