#but like not many people where I’m at are going to say Tennessee so I’m not as familiar with a bunch of schools there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

schraubd · 1 year

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Schoolchildren Shouldn't Have To Live Like Jews, Part II

This weekend, Lewis & Clark Law School hosted the 2nd Annual Conference on Law vs. Antisemitism, a conference which (I don't think it's immodest of me to say) I did the lion's share of organizing.

Part of that organization was making sure, at the outset, to contact Lewis & Clark campus security to inform them of the event and have a security plan in place. This included having a security officer on site, requiring registration and check-in, alerting the Portland Police Bureau of the event and having them monitor the chatter of "certain" sites to ensure we weren't going to be a target, and other sundry efforts to address what I called our "elevated risk profile" compared to a standard law school event.

All this, to me, felt very normal and unremarkable. I'm hosting a conference on antisemitism -- of course I need to take extra steps to ensure that it is secured.

The day-of grunt work for the conference was provided by a set of Lewis & Clark law school student volunteers, most if not all of whom were not Jewish. They all did, to be clear, a fantastic job. But I think it is fair to say that for them, this sort of extra security was very much not normal. Which I recognized, and at various points during the run-up, I'd update them on the various security measures we were emplacing, trying to balance between "we're a conference on antisemitism, there's inherently heightened risk" and "but there's no reason to fear, most likely nothing bad will happen, this is all just precautionary." I was aware that my normal is not their normal.

The conference went very well, and without any problems or disruptions of any sort. As is the case, 99% of the time. The vast majority of cases where a synagogue brings in extra guards to watch over high holiday services, nothing bad happens. We just had a great event. So I felt kind of bad, forcing all these student volunteers to deal with the anxiety of all those extra security precautions. My normal shouldn't have to be their normal.

After Uvalde, I wrote a deliberately provocative post titled "Schoolchildren Shouldn't Have to Live Like Jews." The basic thrust of the post was to argue that all the various ways Jews have enhanced local security, "hardened the target", etc. etc., are not good models for how to protect schoolchildren from mass shootings. That they're normal for us -- a beleaguered, regularly threatened minority group -- should not make them normal for everyone.

Less than a year later, in the wake of yet another school shooting, this time in Nashville, I couldn't help but return to the same thought. I mourn for the families, not just for their immediate loss, but for the extra wave of grief they will endure upon realizing just how little the American people care about them. But the fact is that when the only response to a shooting is "more guns" -- taking the firefight as inevitable and just hoping it occurs earlier in the process -- we're tacitly (or not so tacitly) conceding that "we're not going to fix it". It is taken for granted that to have your children in public schools is to run the risk of having them gunned down -- a price that too many politicians treat as one families are agreeing to pay, as opposed to being coerced into accepting (witness Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett's blithe response when asked how to "protect people like your little girl": "Well, we home school her.").

It doesn't have to be like this. Our normal shouldn't have to be their normal.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/nvFzpT1

#anti-semitism #education #guns #Jews #schools #Tennessee #violence

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girl-next-door-writes · 1 year

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For @unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men this one kind of got away from me.

“Are you from Tennessee?”

“Steve Harrington, if you are about to say that I’m the only ten you see I will punch you in the arm.” You rolled your eyes at the boy who had been trying out his supposed ‘best chat-up lines’ on you to show Dustin and Lucas the secrets of how to get girls.

“I- I wasn- Okay, so maybe don’t use that one.” He shrugged, trying to hide his amusement at your reaction.

“I’m going getting another scoop. Anyone want anything?” The boys all said no and you headed over to talk to Robin at the counter.

“So, with these super smooth moves of yours, why are you the only one at this table who is currently single?” Lucas asked Steve with a smirk.

“Hey!” The older boy said with a hint of genuine offence as he looked over to where you stood.

“Oh, he’s working on it. Problem is none of his lines are actually working.” Dustin chuckled, following Steve’s gaze. “You should just ask her out. Come on, you’ve been dancing around it for months now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Steve’s cheeks flushed slightly and he focused on the empty ice-cream tub on the table in front of him.

“Right, so now you two know that Steve is full of it, you’re not going to use any of those lame lines, right?” You said as you slid back into the booth beside Steve.

“Definitely.” Lucas smirked.

“What advice would you give then? I mean, Steve here is seriously striking out.” Dustin offered, earning himself a kick under the table.

“Harrington’s problem is he goes for quantity over quality. He hits on so many girls that some of his strike outs are because the girl doesn’t think he’s serious, and no girl wants to feel like she’s one of many. You find a girl you like, you make her feel special, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but the main thing is knowing that everyone is different and finding out how to make that person feel like they mean something to you is important. There is no ‘fool proof’ way, no generalisation that gets the girl. It would be like me trying to pick up Harrington by talking d and d, would never work.” You shrugged and ate a spoonful of your ice-cream.

“So, what would work? On Steve?” Lucas asked, his eyes lit up with mischief as Harrington shot him a death glare.

“Hmmm, well people tend to think he’s a little shallow, all about his hair and pretty girls, but that’s just the superficial layer left over from the King Steve days. Nah, if I was to hit on Harrington, which would be self-esteem suicide, I would tell him how smart he is.” That earned a scoff from the boys, and you shot them a dark look. “He is! He thinks practically and takes care of everyone, including you two shitheads.”

“Show us. Show us how it’s done.” Dustin encouraged, trying his hardest not to bounce in his seat as you rolled your eyes.

“Okay, so, if I was the kind of person who did this kind of thing, and Harrington was the kind of guy I thought I had a shot with, for educational purposes, it might go a little something like this.” You put your spoon down and shifted to face Steve, your elbow resting on the back of the seat.

“You-“ Steve began only to be cut off when his eyes met yours and his mouth went dry. Your expression was so soft and he swallowed thickly.

“Hi.” You said softly, a smile playing on your lips. “I don’t think I thanked you for the ice-cream, so, thanks. You’re always so sweet to share your staff discount, taking care of all of us. I hope you know I really appreciate it, appreciate you. Coming in here and seeing you in that adorkable uniform always makes me smile. Not that I’m laughing at you, I think you make that uniform look good, but seeing you makes me smile, the hat’s just an added bonus.” You chuckled and Steve felt his heart fluttering in his chest, his eyes flitting to your lips as your spoke, each word filling him with a warmth he wasn’t prepared for.

“The hat? You like the hat? Maybe I should wear it more often.” He smirked, his eyes sparkling as he looked at you.

"See, told you you’re smart.” Your smile widened and Steve wasn’t entirely sure if this was real or purely a demonstration for the kids. “Right, I’ve got to get back to work, so…” you turned and picked up your ice-cream, getting ready to head back to the bookstore.

“Hey, call me.” Steve said playfully, hoping that if you rejected him that he could play it off as part of the whole bit.

“If you’re as smart as I know you are, you’ll call me.” You winked before waving your goodbyes to the kids and Robin, then heading out of Scoops.

“I should call, right?” he asked Lucas and Dustin as he watched you leave.

“And we’re supposed to believe he’s smart.” Lucas rolled his eyes as Dustin chuckled.

#Steve Harrington #Steve Harrington x reader #valentines gif drabble #more of a fic than a drabble

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jurakan · 3 months

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How did Davy Crockett die? I am now intrigued

We don't know! That's the thing!!

[What the eff. My inbox said I have ten new messages, but there are only two in here? Whatever, I’m still happy to answer requests.]

Okay. So. I’ve mentioned that there’s A Whole Thing about Davy Crockett’s death, and we’re going to talk about it. Today You Learned about the whole debate on how Davy Crockett died.

Davy! Davy Crockett!

You probably know the gist. Early American folk hero, statesman, King of the Wild Frontier and all of that. He didn’t get along with President Andrew Jackson, and opposed the Indian Removal Act. He lost an election in 1835, prompting him to bail on Tennessee, with the famous quote, “You can all go to Hell, I’m going to Texas.” He got wrapped up in the Texas Revolution, and died at the Battle of Alamo in 1836, in which he fought against General Santa Anna’s Mexican soldiers.

Here’s where it gets tricky: we know the day he died, we know where he died, but it’s the manner of death where there’s confusion. Crockett wasn’t in the Alamo church itself–he was right outside. There’s a statue marking the spot. The problem is that there are two main versions of the story. One says that his body was found dead, and around him were over a dozen dead enemy soldiers, meaning he went down taking as many enemies with him as he could. The other says that, surrounded by enemies, Crockett surrendered, and then was executed by Santa Anna’s troops.

See the issue? No? Okay, well then, how about this: in case you haven’t noticed, Americans take their heroes very seriously, and the Alamo is one of the biggest parts of the story of Texas. The idea that one of the most famous American heroes, a living legend, did not go down fighting to the last breath is an insult to every single American or Texan.

In an ideal world, we’d look at first-hand accounts and see what they say. Except… we have, and they’re contradictory, too! A former enslaved man named Ben, working for Santa Anna, said that Crockett’s corpse was surrounded by dead enemy soldiers. However, a Mexican officer who served there, José Enrique de la Peña, wrote in his memoir that Crockett wasn’t killed in combat, but in captivity.

The lady who translated that memoir into English, by the way, was harassed by letters and phone calls from angry Crockett fanboys. There was also a movement to prove that the original text was a forgery, but as far as we can tell, the manuscript and the materials used to write it are consistent with what we know of the time period.

We don’t know what happened! We have two different eyewitness accounts that both tell two contradictory stories as to how the man died. And people have strong feelings about it. If you go to the Alamo, they’ll tell you about both but chances are they’ll also tell you which one they think is more likely.

And I think this whole thing is nuts.

#Texas #Fun Fact Friday #Today You Learned #Davy Crockett #Alamo #US history #battles

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theoldhempfarmer · 4 months

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THCa flower, the stakes are high and the chances are slim…

Dateline 1-3-24

It’s cold outside here in Middle Tennessee, so The Old Hemp Farmer is nursing a wonderful hot cup of organic Indonesian coffee and noshing some Costa Rican Cacao fortified with Tennessee homegrown Cannabis extract. Which is just one of the many Tennessee homegrown Recreational Cannabis edibles that’ll remain legal after July 1st of this year, which is a good thing because we will probably lose three different revenue streams - D8 Vape cartridges, THCa Pre-rolls and D8/D9 Tinctures unless…

So this morning’s blurb is about how possibly the high THCa Industry can be salvaged here in Tennessee. There are two scenarios that can possible save the Cannabis “cash cow” that is known as THCa. The first scenario that could save your THCa favorite product could start January 9th when the 2024 Tennessee legislative session commences. During this upcoming legislative session the House and Senate could simple rewrite HB0304 to state that all testing would be for Delta 9 THC only and this would apply to Cannabis grown by licensed Tennessee farmers. Lee Crabtree and I have been compliantly growing Cannabis in the state for going on eight years and presently we have to watch the majority of THCa flower being sold in Tennessee being Black Market grown other states. There is only one way to battle Black Market Cannabis and that is to have a Vertical (grown, processed, packaged and inspected in state) Cannabis program that provides relatively inexpensive high THCa flower that can be accessed easily. Which is an easily understood concept but I strongly doubt the Republican Super majority that control the Tennessee House and Senate are going to be comfortable with basically sensible Cannabis laws. So The Old Hemp Farmer doesn’t see HB0403 rewritten to save high THCa Flower because the majority of folks in the Tennessee Statehouse still harbor animosity against marijuana, which is basically what high THCa Flower actually is, so that ship probably won’t sail.

The other way that could possibly salvage the high THCa flower Industry in Tennessee is the ongoing campaign of petitioning the Tennessee Department of Agriculture with letters, phone calls and texts to amend the methodology (testing for Delta 9 THC from post decarboxylation to pre decarboxylation) of testing Cannabis products. (Doesn’t seem like much but the difference is everything to wholesalers and retailers.) With the Culmination of this “Save The THCA flower” campaign being hopefully a mass of Cannabis folks attending the town hall meeting where Public comment is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2024, at 10 a.m. at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Porter Building Atrium. So let us say a gang of folks actually do contact their legislators and the TDA to plead for high THCa flower and products, will this approach work? Maybe, maybe not. I’m not sure if people realize that the Tennessee Department of Agriculture was founded in 1854 and is the oldest state agency in Tennessee. This Cabinet-level agency is one of the largest and most firmly entrenched bureaucracies in Tennessee executive branch and supposedly only answers to the Governor. Which means the TDA can’t be voted out of office so they know their jobs are safe. Assured longevity has its rewards. Also know that the forthcoming lack of the public’s access to high THCa flower and the loss of revenue at Cannabis companies isn’t a crisis at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. But be assured that the TDA will listen attentively but in the end these civil servants will do what they think is best for their agency and their pensions. Anyway as always, Hemp Dawgs and Hemp Puppies keep one eye on the weather and the other eye on the market.

Visit our Tennessee homegrown web site to try our great products: https://www.tnhomegrown.com

The Wife's web site: https://www.theoldhempfarmerswife.com

Our Podcast - Full Contact Cannabis: https://fullcontactcannabis.podbean.com

#theoldhempfarmer #cannabinoids #cannabisbusiness #tennesseehomegrown #theoldhempfarmerswife #cannabis #cannabisindustry #d8 #cannabis culture #cannabis dispensary

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crosseyedcricketart · 6 months

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Wanderlust & Inspiration - Travel Journal

Original post link / Original post date: October 27 2023

There are times of my life where I am vehemently passionate and obsessed with traveling. I am in one of those seasons; in my personal opinion, fall is my favorite season to travel in, especially since I tend to travel in the southeastern U.S. so that’s the only time it is comfortable for my personal fashion. It’s so nice to be able to be outside without bugs, excess heat, suffocating humidity… I think I just like autumn- which is fair- but it is one of my favorite times for travel.

Times like this- where I feel a bit trapped in my own life- are when this feeling hits me so terribly. I gain so much from travel- for my art, where I can photograph and feel and want to paint a certain scene, for myself, to be around people who are new and unknown and be able to just exist without anxiety, and for my body, where it is much easier to walk 12,000 steps in Chattanooga or Memphis out of curiosity instead of a boring regimen workout routine. I have a lot of problems waking up in the morning. Literally. I don’t have the urge or the want to wake up, to do anything with my day, once my days start to feel like the same day over and over again, but when I’m on a trip, I have a whole day of life ahead of me. I don’t feel so trapped.

I would say that, in reference to my art, I tend to get a lot out of my travels; I tend to paint a “freeze-frame moment”, as I’ve described it, where I have a snap-shot of a memory in my head, where I normally don’t have very illustrated memories. On the opposite side of that, I have very strong feelings and stimulation in many scenarios, and that feeling is something I desire to paint and replicate. I have memories of a certain peace that- no matter how chaotic the actual scene was- pulls me to paint something that evokes that same feeling from me.

The daily routine of take care of the house and hope I have time for art is exhausting. The weekends are exhausting. I feel so direly trapped and as though I’m in groundhog day. I really do look forward to when I can travel next; when I’m allowed to escape the norm that I am in. I don’t have to do dishes, I don’t have to mop, I don’t have to take care of the pets, I don’t have to do anything except not do anything. Most of this exhaustion is mental, which in my experience, is the worst type.

I really do feel a certain type of freedom when I travel, when I am able to zone out and just to go the place I’m going to. I’m able to enjoy life in a way I’m not allowed to in my daily life. I’m able to have inspiration that I’m not allotted in the day to day.

In my experience, two of the places I feel this overall peace and inspiration are the Shoals in Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’ve always had that feeling. The shoals is just… normal. It’s normal. I don’t know any of the local politics. I don’t know the politics of churches and groups and schools and such. It’s refreshing. I go there, I see family, I see waterfall, my brain isn’t so terrible for a bit. There’s something similar with Chattanooga but there’s more to do; there’s an art museum, an aquarium, an entire mountain of things to do, and trains. Those tend to check all the boxes for me. Interesting mechanics I enjoy, nature, and art. I tend to be reset on trips. I have a moment to stop my daily life and when I go home, I’m ready to go back to my daily life. I mean, a trip is what sparked this blog, so I could talk about my trips and dad-level weird packing tips that I think are nice.

And here I am, this October, wanting to escape a little bit again.

#travel #travel blog #travel journal #wanderlust #traveling #wordpress

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ladyfly · 1 year

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Tennessee Whiskey PT1 Eclipse

The inspiration for this piece is this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zAThXFOy2c&list=LL&index=3 It's Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey

You had just moved to a small rural town in Tennessee. The Veterinary Clinic in town needed a new large animal specialist. The hustle and bustle of the city was exhausting. The rude people and hostile atmosphere had worn you down. Not to mention no one where you lived was romantically interested in you.

You were optimistic that moving was the right choice. Not only for your mental health, but your social life too. At the very least you would make some new friends. Out of all your old friends, only one supported your move. The rest acted like you abandoned them or something.

You had managed to find yourself a nice one bedroom home. The house had a living room dining room combo, a full bathroom, the bedroom, a small attic space, and a garage. It sat on one acre of land and had a tiny flower garden. Just the right size for you and a potential pet.

You were thinking a hermit crab. Or maybe some exotic fish? Heck even regular fish would be cool. Some tetras and goldfish. Maybe little shrimp friends. You wanted to get a little more settled before going for something that would need more care. Like a dog, cat, or ferret.

Moving in was easy enough. You didn't have a lot of things to bring with you. Some furniture, clothes, and kitchen essentials. The home was basically a blank canvas for you to decorate! You were excited about it. It helped everything feel like a fresh start. Far from the apartment you used to live in.

The vet practice you got a job with is nice. They have two veterinarians to work in the building. Most of what your job will be is farm calls. There are several ranches, farms, and stables in the area. You were looking forwards to spending time outside tending to animals.

You had two weeks before work started. You planned for this for your mental health. A nice vacation. It also gave you a chance to get to know the area and it's people. It was strange. On average people were a bit mean but willing to help you. That's not to say everyone was a jerk. No there were a lot of nice people.

It was four days into your vacation that you decided to check out the nightlife the small town had to offer. Aside from the standard nightlife fair. A night market happened twice a month on Friday and Saturday night. You found yourself in a repetitively busy bar called "Springers".

It was a country bar. Definitely a refreshing sight from the nightclubs you were used to. There was only so many flashing lights you could stand. The inside of the bar was glorious. A large rectangular bar with a rainbow of liqueurs. Hardwood floors made a pleasing sound as you walked on them.

Brown leather bar stools dotted the bar. About ten tables sat across from the bar with a dance floor between them. Sitting in a corner by the bathrooms was a jukebox. You could smell burgers and other bar food wafting from the bar area. You decided to sit at the bar for food and drink.

The bartender was an older woman with her silvery hair in a french braid. A caramel tan and brown eyes. Calloused wrinkled hands and a kind face. She looks like she used to do hard labor. Given the area you wouldn't be surprised if she worked on a farm at some point in her life.

You sat down on a stool with an empty space on either side. The smell of burgers was drawing you in. The bartender handed you a menu before tending to another customer. Looking it over you decided on a bacon cheddar burger with fried pickles and a whiskey sour sounds perfect.

The woman returns "Sorry bout' that sugar. I'm Mary. What can I get you?"

You smile "It's fine. I'd like the bacon cheddar burger with a side of fried pickles. I'd also like a whiskey sour."

Mary jots down your order "Pale or smokey on the drink?"

You grin "Ooo smokey please!"

She nods "Alright! I'll be back in a moment with your drink."

You spin around on your stool to look around the room. At one table are a mouse and a dog animatronic. The mouse is grey with a purple dress and the dog is blond with a green dress. Several couples dance together on the dance floor. Another table had five men chatting away.

You spun back around as your drink was set down "You must be new around here. Never seen you before."

You nod "I moved here a few days ago. I like it here."

Mary nods "Your food will be out in a moment. I hope you have a good time here."

You sip your smokey whiskey sour. It's divine! You know you are going to want one more after this one. Maybe even two! But no more than that. You get the feeling someone is watching you. A quick glance around the bar show no one looking. Not that you're paranoid. You just want to know whose interested.

Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" plays from the jukebox. You can't help humming along. Your burger and pickles are placed in front of you. You happily wiggle in place at the food. A wide grin on your face. You thank Mary and take a big bite of food. It's so good you let out a soft moan. The drink pairs well with it.

A low gravely voice with a light southern accent rumbles out "Well, hello there darlin'. Ah haven't seen you around before."

His voice reminds you of Luke Taylor. You turn to look at whoever is talking to you. It's an animatronic that looks like the sun. He has four five inch rays in eggplant and nine smaller rays in burnt umber. His eyes are a soft moonlight yellow. He has four arms each of which are ombre.

Starting burnt umber and ending in eggplant. Two are on his shoulders and two just above his hips. Eclipse is seven feet five inches tall, if you include his rays. Denim wrangler jeans with a plaid dusty green button down. A black stetson hat on his head and dark brown leather boots finish his look off.

You swallow your mouthful of burger "Oh! Uh. Yes! I'm new here. Just moved a few days ago!" You take a sip of your drink and tell him your name "It's nice to meet you..."

The man shakes his head "Mercy me! I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Eclipse. What's a sweet little thing like you doin' here all by yourself? Your partner at home?"

You shake your head "Naw. Don't have a partner." You want to say a flirty line but you are nervous about it.

Eclipse smiles "Well then. Mind if ah join you?"

You pat the seat next to you "Long as you don't mind me finishing my food. Otherwise you can leave because I'm hungry."

Eclipse lets out a hearty laugh "Oh! We wouldn't want you ta go hungry now! Say, let me buy you another drink."

You snicker and pop a pickle into your mouth "You flirting with me?"

Eclipse leans forward "Well that depends. Is it working?"

You think hard for a moment. IS it working? He is attractive.... but you don't do one night stands. You have to get to know someone first. Fall in love first. You can't just bang every Tom, Dick, and Janey that bats an eye at you.

You smile warily "A few things you should know up front. I don't do one night stands. I have to be in love with you to .... have sex. It's not that I'm a prude or anything. I'm Demisexual." You shrug.

Eclipse leans on the bar resting his head in his hand "We'll ah don't think that's an issue. My father- er! Creator used to tell us growin' up that the best things in life are worth waitin' for. Even if they take some effort." You must have made a face because Eclipse continues "I have two... Well we aren't brothers but we are a family! Moon is the youngest by a few minutes, Sun is the middle, and ah'm the oldest. We run a cattle ranch! Sometimes we board horses."

You sip your drink "Well! I'm the new vet who's going to take care of your animals. Also, your flirting is working. At least a little."

Eclipse smiles "Well! I'll take a little over none! Ah look forward to seein' you on the ranch. Although Ah'd rather see you at my dinner table."

You point to the burger "Too bad I already have this." You shrug again and playfully state "I guess that means I HAVE to come to dinner some time. Alternatively you COULD come to mine. You do eat right?"

Eclipse nods "Yep! The three of us got those bio-mechanical upgrade to eat and drink! Although we don't have to."

You look down at his stomach "That's so cool."

Eclipse chuckles and pats his belly "Ah'll have to show you some time! When we get to know each other better. Ah don't just show this to anyone you know." He waves to the bartender and points to your drink indicating two.

'Lyin' Eyes' by The Eagles starts and you let out a gasp before singing along quietly "City girls just seem to find out early. How to open doors with just a smile. A rich old man, and she won't have to worry." You catch yourself "Sorry! My... my dad loves this band. I love The Eagles too."

Eclipse takes you by the hand "Nothin' wrong with that! 's a good song. So, if ah may ask. What brings you ta Tennessee?"

You eat another pickle, you finished the burger already, "Honestly? City life was exhausting! It took a tole on my mental health. Moved here instead! So far I'm doing heaps better! And who knew I'd meet such a handsome... I'm sorry, what are your pronouns?"

Eclipse takes a sip of his new drink after the bartender sets it down "He, him, they, them, and it. What about you sweetheart?"

You nod "They and them."

Eclipse takes another sip of his drink "You have a great taste in drinks! Wonder what else you have great taste in."

You look at him out of the corner of your eye "Well, I'm talking to you aren't I?"

His eyes go wide for a brief moment "Wait here a moment will ya. Gotta change the song."

#eclipse x reader #sundrop #moondrop #fnaf daycare attendant #country boys

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urne-buriall · 1 year

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https://at.tumblr.com/kingcasanuva/what-if-i-dont-want-to-leave-texas-the-only/fqnsirguz2h4

Is this not dean from spirit of the west. Sawry I’m obsessed

no it is! in reference to this post about wanting the south to be safe for LGBT+ folks and not just shuffling us all off into the liberal cities

this is a HUGE part of "spirit of the west" and I'm really glad you shared it because it's on purpose that it's there. because there's this narrative of "oh you poor country queer who isn't like your peers, one day you will go to The City and maybe they won't hate you there?"

but you love your fields and animals and 200 acres between you and your neighbours. and yes the city has drag nights and spacetime lectures, but you don't actually Belong there more

and there are good people in the country. there are queer people in the country. and you don't have to give up your queer identity to be here and you don't have to give up your rural identity to be queer because neither of those things is ALL of you anyways

in "spirit of the west," this was really important to me. it's a coming-of-age story where Dean learns a lot and loses a lot. there are some things he has to let go of, even if they aren't easy, but it's all so that he can be MORE himself than he was before. when he's talking to Cesar about it, there's an undercurrent of fear in him that if he's gay, he'll have to change who he is to fit this stereotypical mould of metropolitan queerness. but he doesn't! he's gay and he's who he always was

this came up in "our lights in ashes" as well because, again, this topic is kind of important to me. when I was writing about Morgan and Loretta, a trans couple living in small-town Tennessee, it was important to reflect that "the South" isn't one monolithic cesspool of bigotry. it was also important to me that these are older trans people, both into their fifties or sixties, because being trans wasn't invented by today's young people

like, Morgan literally says: “Some people asked why she didn’t leave and go to a city where she wouldn’t be so noticed, wouldn’t get talked about. But I think she was like me. I never could leave the small towns behind; the quietness, the country. Couldn’t help wanting a little bit of farm to look after.”

what I'm saying is that I have Many Feelings on this topic so thank you for the ask, my friend

#spirit of the west #ask #this isn't to discount the challenges that come from being queer and rural #or how unsafe one can feel in certain communities or pockets of the world #I come at this as a rural Canadian who has lived in many many places #cities and towns in this country and elsewhere #but who is now back in the area I grew up in #where there is a local Pride group I work with #who hold a Pride parade where half the town marches and the other half watches and cheers #my high school self never would've believed it

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lunapaper · 1 year

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Album Review: 'This is Why' - Paramore

The disco! is dead. Fall Out Boy are... whatever the hell Fall Out Boy are these days. But Paramore continues to endure.

Influencing everyone from Soccer Mommy to Lil Uzi Vert to Billie Eilish to WILLOW to Olivia Rodrigo (who famously gave writing credits to Hayley Williams and ex-guitarist Josh Farro on her hit single, ‘good 4 u’). 16 years later, ‘Misery Business’ will still get the room pumping. Paramore has almost single-handedly upended the emo/pop punk landscape.

Interestingly, though, the band hasn’t dabbled much in emo or pop punk since the release of 2017’s After Laughter, an emotionally fraught record filled with jangling New Wave and day-glo synths. You can trace their pop pivot back even further with tracks like ‘Ain’t It Fun’ and ‘Still Into You’ from their 2013 self-titled album.

So it’s only natural for the Tennessee trio to make yet another sonic shift on their latest album, this time in the form of post-punk and 2000s indie sleaze. Born out of post-lockdown malaise, This is Why is a record of two halves: the first half spiky and angular, powered by jittery sort of energy; the second half subdued and rather longing.

The title track restlessly twists and turns like a snake in the desert heat until it explodes into a leery dance-punk chorus, Williams’ fierce demands coming off like seductive taunts. ‘The News’ is menacing and kinetic, echoing the all-consuming anxiety we feel at the 24-hour news cycle. ‘C’est Comme Ça’ has a snarky na-na-na-like energy that proves infectious, as divisive as it was upon release.

‘Running Out of Time’ turns perpetual lateness into a funky 80s bop, Williams asking ‘What if I'm just a selfish prick? On highlight ‘You First’ she’s both ' the killer and the final girl,’ recalling the brooding and intense nature of Petals for Armor.

Williams spends a lot of This is Why beating herself up: For not caring enough, for caring too much, for not owning up to her feelings, for wanting to relive more carefree times. She craves nostalgia; she scolds herself for attracting ‘broken people.’ She seemingly envies the ‘smooth operator in a shit-stained suit,’ the man who can pick up where he left off with no real consequences after causing a scandal. On ‘Liar,’ she struggles to admit her feelings to bandmate Taylor York. Even on ‘C’est Comme Ça,’ she finds adulthood a bore, wryly telling the listener that ‘it’s my dependence on the friction that really hinders my progression.’

Her sentiments are nothing new, her mixed feelings towards Paramore’s biggest hit probably the best example of this. Four years on, the singer still feels compelled to justify her more enlightened position on ‘Misery Business,’ even when no one asked.

I’m inclined to agree with Spectrum Pulse, that it’s much more interesting to examine its ‘ugly emotional truth’ rather than try to distance yourself from it, especially from a feminist perspective. You don’t see Avril disowning ‘Girlfriend,’ not too dissimilar to ‘Misery Business’ in terms of romantic angst.

Coming in at a tight 36 minutes, many have called This is Why Paramore’s most mature album yet and praised the band for supposedly growing out of their bratty punk phase, as if they only became jaded elder millennials just recently. But that’s kinda selling the trio short: They’ve always had a knack for sonic reinvention and have long possessed a maturity and jadedness beyond their years, culminating in their magnum opus, After Laughter, which almost saw them break up. For every snarky pop punk anthem like ‘Misery Business,’ there’s a ‘Brick by Boring Brick’ or ‘Hard Times.’

Though the record is not without its flaws. The post-punk influence is rather overstated and doesn’t really go beyond a handful of tracks. It also feels thematically scattered, placing personal introspection alongside rather vague and sometimes dated political statements.

What else is there to say about pandemic-era politics that hasn’t already been said? How can William be so shocked and horrified at the stream of bad news that’s plagued us these past few years, then just... turn off the TV? Even this refrain from ‘The News’ – ‘Exploitative, performative, rhetorical… deplorable’ – feels like a bunch of buzzwords ripped straight from Twitter or the Tumblr blog of some smug teenage know-it-all circa 2014, crammed between a bunch of Sherlock and Supernatural gifs. For someone who’s been so politically vocal in recent years, who bared her soul so brilliantly on her solo work, Williams is oddly restrained on This is Why.

Sonically, though, the album is pristine, delivering pop punk nostalgia and sleek rock grooves in equal measure. Notable mentions go to York’s indie stylings on ‘You First,’ Williams’ lush harmonies on ‘Liar’ and Zac Farro’s punchy drumwork on ‘Running Out of Time.’

While After Laughter saw a band on the verge of collapse, This is Why sees Paramore triumphantly bounce back. It might lack the sardonic wit and righteous fury of After Laughter or even Paramore, but it does remind us just how beautifully chaotic this band can truly be…

- Bianca B.

#music #paramore #this is why #new #reviews #albums #Bianca B

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stryc-9 · 2 years

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Prima Facie Made Me Confront My Own History and Biases Toward Sexual Assault

*Massive trigger warning for discussions of sexual assault, both personal and in the legal system. I’ll also only be discussing women as victims in this context, because it’s what the play addresses. I’m well aware that plenty of men and children are also victims.*

It’s over 3,000 words, so strap in!

WHAT’S UP WITH THE PLAY?

National Theater Live’s Official Summary of Prima Facie:

“Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.”

The latest run of Suzie Miller’s award-winning play was performed solely by Jodie Comer (Tessa) and directed by Justin Martin.

It ran for nine weeks at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End starting in April 2022. One of those performances was filmed for distribution in theaters in multiple countries for one day only: July 21, 2022.

It was that night, in a random AMC movie theater in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that I had the privilege of seeing the recording of this raw and devastating performance, which is understandably on its way to Broadway in Spring 2023.

CAVEATS TO THE STORY AND MY PERSPECTIVE

I discussed the premise of this play with one of my dearest friends before seeing it. She and her husband happen to be attorneys, ones who fervently support “innocent until proven guilty” as the bedrock of the justice system. The play actually takes that route too, with Tessa being adamant that even “guilty” people deserve a legal defense, one within the confines of established law. While defense attorneys, especially those of violent crimes, get a bad wrap, the truth is they’re doing their jobs.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys both have a role to play and it is the jury who decides, based on the evidence presented. It’s not a defense attorney’s place to judge. There are other positions who serve that role in court.

That’s not to say there aren’t defense attorneys who are horrible people. It’s to acknowledge there are horrible people in every profession and the job title doesn’t denote a lack of humanity. Plenty of defense attorneys adamantly believe in the system and are simply playing their parts to ensure evidence is properly presented on behalf of their clients.

The justice system needs defense attorneys as much as any other member that makes it function.

My attorney friend’s biggest qualms about the story have to do with the specific events. She’s very much not in support of the crux of the story being “defense attorney who works with those accused of sexual assault gets raped herself.” It can feel like punishment for Tessa’s profession and something those with a bias against defense attorneys can easily read as comeuppance for her ever winning a case that keeps even one guilty man out of jail.

I’d not considered this at first because I was very “yay, women” about this work. However, she’s very much made me appreciate and even agree with her perspective.

With that in mind, the play still has something very personal to say and I can understand why the storyline is what it is -- even if it can feel uncomfortable as the central narrative. In a fictional setting lasting only 100 minutes, it makes sense that someone embedded in the justice system can speak directly to all sides, having served as both defense counsel and later a victim navigating a trial as the sole witness.

Anyway here’s the assumption I’m making going forward: that the narrative doesn’t intend for what happens to Tessa to be punishment and that it’s only meant to represent a heinous crime committed against far too many women. A crime that’s indiscriminate of status, race, or wealth and can happen to any of us.

*Here’s where it gets personal for me.*

WHAT HAPPENED TO ME

I often explain to people that I believe there’s a stark contrast between forgetting something and not being able to remember it. By that, I mean I have instances in my life -- 3 to be exact -- where I have detailed memories of specific events up to a certain point, and then it all goes blank. I didn’t forget. My mind has apparently made it so I can’t remember.

Two have to do with potential sexual assault. I want to talk about one of them. (Okay, I don’t want to talk about it, but I feel as though I need to in the context.)

Back in 2000, I went to a friend’s graduation party the summer after my junior year. It was at a hotel party filled with a bunch of 16-19ish year olds. Her parents did have a friend of the family, well over 30, there to “supervise.” Sure, whatever. Pretty sure she stayed in the hotel bar most of the time.

The alcohol was flowing, of course. I don’t recall where it came from because the night gets real hazy, real fast. This is what I do know: I had one drink. ONE. I find that to be pertinent because someone inevitably wants to take the “well you were drunk” route in instances like these.

No, I was not drunk. I was drugged.

Being drunk wouldn’t have made the experience any less valid, but that simply wasn’t the case here.

So yeah, one drink. One drink and I woke up a couple hours later next to a friend’s younger sister, who also remembered having one drink. We were just laying on this bed acting like weirdos, looking out the blinds at cars in the parking lot and having nonsense conversations. Ok, odd event, but whatever. For some reason, I didn’t think much of it.

I also remember this stupid detail later of waiting for an elevator and tossing out a chicken wing in a potted plant. So random. Why was I even waiting for the elevator? No idea.

I know there was a guy with me, but I couldn’t tell you what he looked like if my life depended on it.

The next thing I knew, I came to several hours later: in a bathtub, in someone else’s clothes, with the adult jamming her fingers down my throat to get me to throw up, and a couple friends standing watch.

Between the chicken wing and the bathtub? Nothing.

Once I got a bit of Sprite in me and Captain Supervisor was apparently satisfied by my overall consciousness, well the night is still hazy from there, isn’t it? The mere fact I was awake didn’t mean I had the slightest clue what just happened.

While still sitting in that tub, clothed in someone’s boxers and t-shirt in a few inches of water, I realized a male friend had stayed behind with me. I tried to discern from him what in the world had gone on in the past few hours.

His version of the story went something like this: some guy was trying to leave with me and he intervened, basically “saving” me from this dude. Of course, no one knew who he was. Super helpful.

What he so casually mentioned to me next, a bit out of the blue, was that I was a great kisser. I was so confused. Nothing had ever happened between us. As it turns out, for reasons I’ll never understand, once he supposedly saved me from that random guy, he proceeded to start something with me himself?!

I guess I laughed it off. What else was there to do at the time? I was still confused out of my mind and in that terribly vulnerable position.

Did this guy just tell me he saved me from what someone else was going to do, only to then… take advantage of me himself?

I think I told a couple friends later, friends who were at the party. I don’t remember. If I did, certainly no one took it seriously. Heck, I didn’t either.

I was sick for three days after that, often throwing up my guts and feeling like I’d been hit by a semi-truck. I had to pretend to function because, of course, I was only 17 years old and my parents didn’t know where I’d really been that night.

I never followed up with anyone else there to try and piece the night together, and I certainly didn’t report it. What would I report? I had no details, no coherent memories, and you know, “maybe nothing happened.” Because isn’t that always what we try to talk ourselves into when something happens that’s too big to process? Must not be real. Shrug. Move on.

But when I think about everything that must’ve happened just to get me from the hotel elevator to a tub in someone else’s clothes, those scenarios each require a lot of events. And honestly, I mostly never wanted to think about it.

Ultimately, it just became a strange anecdote I told in college as if it was normal. Maybe the biggest problem is that it was, that it is. These kinds of situations occur so frequently and many have had it so much worse than me.

I’m not holding my trauma up against anyone else’s. This is merely the direct incident that connected me to Prima Facie’s themes and subject matter on a personal level.

I will never know what happened that night. Part of me feels lucky for that. Part of me feels not great when thinking that man went on to pull the same kind of shit again, likely succeeding at some point. Part of me feels guilty for the girls or women I was not able to help. Part of me… a lot of things.

Which brings me to the intersection of fiction and non-fiction.

HOW I RELATED TO PRIMA FACIE’S NARRATIVE

In most instances, though the narrative toys with a non-linear narrative in certain places, Tessa’s overall story is happening in real time. We hear in her own words what’s happening as it unfolds.

And the “unexpected event” the summary promises she’s forced to confront, is being raped by a colleague she really likes, who she has a recent, yet pre-existing history with.

I won’t detail everything, but essentially they’d first had sex in his office days before, which of course would be counted against her, and on the night in question, they’d gone out, gotten shitfaced drunk and had sex earlier. The atrocious attack happened in the middle of the night after those consensual events.

Everything she explained in great detail made me cringe, because I knew every sentence was a strike against her narrative. Every bit of confusion she expressed, every doubt in herself, made even me momentarily question her too! I think that’s how we, as women, protect ourselves. She said the same thing to herself as I said to myself, as I know many other women have said to themselves. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe it didn’t happen.

Every miniscule matter she discussed made it less and less likely people would believe her.

Overwhelmingly and unsurprisingly, they didn’t. He had too good a reputation. Even Tessa continued to try and convince herself it wasn’t true because of this. That maybe she was wrong about the attack because he, a man she’d known and worked with for years, wouldn’t really do that, would he?

But. He. Did.

He did.

The first thing she does after, traumatized and not thinking about everything she knows, is take a shower. We all watch TV. We know that’s the last thing you want to do after an attack. It will wash away physical evidence, which is the best and many times only chance you have to prove your case.

But what about her shame? What about how she felt violated and disgusting and dirty? She says she’s already scrubbed herself red before she realizes what she’s doing. And then, it’s her fault for having taken a shower when she shouldn’t have.

Well maybe, I don’t know, he shouldn’t have raped her. That way she can take showers as normal, without feeling like she just contributed to ruining her own life — but I digress.

For everyone who doesn’t believe her, everyone that asks “are you sure?”, for each time she’s revictimized over and over by having to be physically examined or retell the story, the cracks in the system regarding the way sexual assault is handled come into view.

When she finally takes the stand, the prosecution grills her about every detail and her answers make her seem confused, unreliable, and sometimes even dumb.

Unlike many people are apt to believe, a traumatic event does not sharpen one's senses and memories. It’s exactly the opposite in most cases. There is confusion, questioning, and incoherent timelines.

As Tessa herself describes, the overall instance is fully experienced, but it’s the peripherals that are vague and often inaccessible.

HOW I REACTED TO PRIMA FACIE

I went in assuming I would cry. First of all, it’s very easy for me to cry. I have an extremely tender heart and tons of feelings. Second, I’d heard from many others how many tears flooded the theatre during live performances.

I thought I was prepared.

I balked when Tessa was accused by the defense of fabricating the story because she and the defendant were the only two people up for a job at new chambers. So, obviously this was for her benefit and his detriment. The kicker: even if the shortlist thing was true, which is debatable, she didn’t know about it. She was wholly unaware either of them were being considered at the time. She was told about the job offhandedly, offered it without interviewing, and took it specifically to get away from her attacker. Because, you know, they still worked together.

I was touched when Adam, a former male colleague who Tessa cut off like most everyone else in her former chambers, not only told her he believed her but said he was aware of a similar complaint previously made about her attacker. It was hearsay and couldn’t be admitted as evidence, but he believed her and showed up in court to support her, even though they had barely talked since the attack over two years ago.

I was relieved at the way Tessa’s mom responded to her, even knowing Tessa didn’t want to have to reveal so much of her sexual history in front of her mother.

I was frustrated that it was evident her mother had once experienced the same type of event in the past and that they would never discuss it.

I was thankful for the young female officer, a stranger, that stayed with Tessa’s mother throughout the trial and comforted Tessa at every chance.

I shook my head fervently in disbelief well before the inevitable conclusion of the narrative.

But what did I not do?

I did not cry, even as Tessa was willing herself not to. I did not cry.

In fact, I had very few feelings during the show. I was logically disgusted and emphatically wanted to protect Tessa with my life, but I couldn’t connect to the feelings of disgust and empathy.

I dissociated. Disconnected from my own sense of self as I looked on in complete shock.

I couldn’t fight for her. I could only watch on in horror, absolutely sure of what was coming.

After 782 days of waiting, 3 days of trial, and one time on the witness stand, Tessa’s perpetrator walks away scot free. And it is this woman, whose life has been distinctly split between before the attack and after, that has to watch him, his family, and his old college mates cheer about it.

He’ll never serve time. He’ll never have to apologize or even admit what he did. But that doesn’t change the truth that he did do it. Unfortunately, she is the one who continues to pay the price.

She will carry this with her forever. I will cry later.

REAL WORLD CONSEQUENCES

Worldwide statistics estimate as many as 1 in 3 women are the victims of sexual assault (or attempted sexual assault) at some point in their lives.

1 in 3.

As Tessa says toward the end of her narrative, “Look to your left. Look to your right. It’s one of us.”

Now, as I walk through a crowded place and look around, I can’t imagine that kind of impact. Studies show it may be closer to 1 in 5 women in the United States, because locations obviously differ, but that’s not a significant improvement by any means. Especially when you factor in that more than 30% of those women were 11-17 years old when the first incident occurred.

It was only an attempt in my case, but yep, 17 years old. Kids. Children. Young humans full of confusion and unwarranted shame that don’t know where to go or who to turn to after. And because we don’t openly talk about matters of this nature, because there is so much victim blaming and secrecy, sexual assaults go largely unreported -- much less prosecuted.

And for the ones that are reported? Victims are examined and questioned over and over, being forced to retell their story, reveal their sexual history, and relive the events of a trauma that’s likely changed the entire trajectory of their lives going forward.

If the case makes it to trial at all, it can take years. It was a little over two in Tessa’s case. Two years of it hanging over her head before she could even begin to put it behind her. And then there was the actual outcome, another blow to her very personhood. Another violation in itself. “They didn’t believe me.”

Honestly, how can we even measure the impact? It’s repulsive.

And as much as we love to delude ourselves into a sense of safety from the big bads of the world, the idea of the random criminal on the street is simply not the norm. It’s overwhelmingly men -- ones already known to each victim -- who commit these acts.

Then, it is these same men who the victims will try to protect. Or worse, it is these same men who will act as if they’re the victims themselves, having to be dragged through something that may affect their reputation and livelihood.

It’s not right, it’s not fair, and the justice system can’t be left like this if its intent is to actually provide justice in these types of cases.

That’s what Suzie Miller’s words and Jodie Comer’s performance ultimately said in Prima Facie -- something has to change.

----

Prima Facie is set to add more showings to theaters in the near future and is scheduled to premiere on Broadway in Spring 2023.

#prima facie #jodie comer #jodiecomer

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 1 year

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11/28/2022 DAB Chronological Transcription

Acts 18:19-19:41

Welcome to the Daily Audio bible Chronological, I'm China. Today is the 28th day of November. So great to be here with you guys today as we are coming to a close of the month of November. Whew, it is for rigid here in Tennessee. And right now, I mean, we only got Christmas left, so Thanksgiving is out. And I'm curious, are your Christmas decorations up yet? Ours have been up. I grew up with putting up our, so my birthday is like a couple of days after Thanksgiving, actually. It depends on the year when I was born. I was born the day before Thanksgiving. And so a couple of years ago, I think it was two years ago, my birthday was on Thanksgiving. But I grew up that we always celebrated, or sorry, we all celebrated. We decorated the weekend before, sometimes two weekends before, but I always grew up that Christmas decorations were up before my birthday, and so I'm carrying that with my family, now. My husband, then, he grew up. His family didn't celebrate Halloween, so they set up Christmas on Halloween. And I was like, that is a very long time to have up Christmas decorations. We tried it one year and I was like, this is too much for me. I need it to be like, a shorter time because it felt like Christmas was driving on forever. And I just like my space to not have a bunch of things in it, for the most part, pretty minimalist, but anyways, not even hopefully. But if you got your Christmas decorations up, great. If you're waiting until December, great. I have met people who don't even set up until Christmas Eve and then tear down the day after Christmas. And I'm like, oh, okay. Okay, great. To each their own, that's what I will say. But today we are in the book of Acts. We are in chapters 18, starting with verse 19, going to chapter 19, verse 41. We are in the voice translation for this week.

Commentary

It's a very interesting story today. One of the things that I really love, that I feel like just captivated me ever since I read it, that I want to go back and talk about is so Apollos is a new believer and he's preaching or he's speaking, and Priscilla and Aquila are like, hey, okay, I'm listening. I'm listening to him boldly speak. That's great. They're discerning that he has a gift and also that he has a lack of full understanding. That's what it says. And they took him aside in private and they explained the way of God to him more accurately and fully. He wanted to head west into Akea, where Paul had recently been to preach there. So I love this because how many times have you been in a position where maybe you weren't speaking the full truth? I feel like that happens to me a good amount. I feel like it happened to anybody. There's just kind of, like, normal. That's just a way of life. Sometimes we do the best we can with the information that we have, and then we learn new things. And so that's what's happening to Apollos. He doesn't have a full understanding, but what he does know, he's speaking. And so then Priscilla and Aquila took him to the side and in private, instead of booing him or slandering him or being like, we could, like, actually let's take the stage, or just anything else that would be terrible. They really wanted to edify him and encourage him and not to embarrass him or make him feel less than or anything of that sort. So they take him aside privately and they explain the full gospel to him. And then he goes on to a new town. Like, he's not discouraged. He's not like, way guys, come back. I forgot this part. I'm just learning this. He just goes on to the next town, and he carries what he just learned. And I feel like that's huge to me, at least, to not be so quick to having to correct someone and to be like, oh, well, really, I have the right answer here. Let me tell you what I know. But rather, hey, I actually discerned that you don't have the full understanding of this, so I want to take you aside, and I want to just tell you the full picture of this. Now, this can translate to quite literally, the gospel and being like, hey, you don't have the full picture of this, but also it can translate to, hey, the way you are living is not the full gospel, and I just want to pull you to the side or, hey, why don't you come over for dinner? Something that's private. And I just want to tell you there is freedom from this that you feel like there isn't. This guy, I don't know exactly what he was preaching that they were discerning. He didn't have the full understanding. But sometimes we feel like we have the full understanding and actually we don't. And that's okay, because when people lovingly come and tell us, hey, they just take them to the side. I'm not sure, like, the back of the theater maybe, that he was speaking at, I'm not sure or, like an alley in the town, I don't know. But I feel like how this could roughly translate is inviting someone over for dinner into your home and just being like, hey, I heard you talking about this, and it sounded like you are without hope. And I just want to give you the full understanding that, hey, if you're claiming Christ, there is hope. Hey, I'm hearing this going on, and I just want to say I'm with you. I'm for you. It sounds like you really need someone to believe with you, or it sounds like you need to know the full truth, the full understanding that God is for you and he loves you and he's not a small God, he's a kind and loving father and he's bigger than what you're believing him to be. And truly what comes from that is so beautiful because then that person can go into the next realm of their life knowing actually now I have the full understanding and so I think that that's so beautiful and so timely and so encouraging.

Prayer

So God, I thank you for this story and just for highlighting it to me and really speaking that sometimes we don't have the full understanding. I know that I don't have the full understanding of a lot of things and so God, I pray that there'd be humility in our hearts to receive the people who lovingly pull us aside in private and in loving kindness extend the truth and the fullness of understanding to us. And so I pray that we would be the people who have humility in our hearts to hear those conversations well, and that we would be people who know how to navigate people's hearts in loving kindness and in truth to provide the full understanding in a way that aligns with you, in your word and with your son. And I just thank you so much for your word and I pray that you would stand guard over our mouths and I thank you Lord for your word. It is in your name we pray, amen.

Announcements

Dailyaudiobible.com is our website. That is a place of connection so be sure to check that out so you can see what is going on and how to get connected and stay connected. So be sure to check that out and be sure to check out the store. There's some super cool things that are in there, some things that would make really cool Christmas gifts or even just gifts for yourself. Wink wink, nudge nudge. That's something that I was talking about with a friend the other day. I was like, listen, I love all these Black Friday sales but I'm so tempted to just stock up on stuff for myself. And she's like, yeah, that's what it's for. And I was like, oh, okay, cool. But I feel like sometimes I'm just like, oh, this is on sale, I can buy this in bulk. Or wait, I was looking at this and now it's on sale and I'm like, wait, I've bought so much for myself and now I need to actually chill and get stuff for other people. So I'm like, can we have like a Christmas and July sale that doesn't make me go super AWOL of draining my accounts during the holidays? Can we do that? Someone small business owners please? Thank you. You're welcome. There's the idea that one free but circling back to the store. Yeah, be sure to check it out. We have coffee subscriptions and tea subscriptions. So if you are a coffee drinker or a tea drinker anywhere like me and don't really love going to the store to grab it the day that you come downstairs and you realize you're out. And that's how my husband likes to start his day. I'm like, listen, we got to eat before we consume any caffeine. We got to support our adrenals, okay, support our metabolism and then we consume caffeine. So that's why I'm like, okay, now we can start our day, but getting in your morning routine and then seeing that you're out is the worst. So I love subscriptions for that reason, because it comes to your door, you can stay on top of when you need it and you can let it come and you can have a little backup stash or you can realize, hey, I'm running low, I'm going to go ahead and get this order on its way. So that's a really fun tool for you guys to utilize as well. And they make really great gifts as well, so be sure to check that out. But that is all for today. I'm China. I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Line

Hello, DABC family. This is Diana from Florida and I want to pray for a daughter of honor, Star Kinder, who is dealing with rough patch in her marriage by multiple reasons, for multiple reasons, but mainly because they haven't been unable to bear children. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you, Lord, and we thank you Jesus, for this couple. We thank you for their hearts, we thank you for their desires to be parents and be able to sow the love of Christ into children, into their own children. Dear God, as I consider their desires, I consider all of the stories in the scriptures of so many whom were baron, Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah, the list goes on. There's so many that did not have children and it did cause considerable strife in their relationships, but yet you in miraculous fashion, would provide and would do your specific colleagues bring children that would then lead to pushing forward the story of Christ? Because all of these children that came about were miracles, because they came out of nowhere, seemingly, and they were children of the prompts that move those generations forward until we get to Jesus. And so I just pray, Lord God, that you would encourage this couple in this, whether they adopt and then later they have they're able to have their own kids because of a miraculous thing or not. Dear God, that they would praise you and worship you in the midst of it all that this season would bring them closer together instead of a part in Jesus name. I bless.

Good morning, DABC Family this is Jamie from West Virginia calling on Thanksgiving Day. I just wanted to call in today because God has placed a spirit of gratefulness on my heart this morning. I just wanted to call and thank everyone who's been praying for my son, Dalyn. I know God is working on him and I truly appreciate all of the prayers over him from this community. I also wanted to extend prayers for Tanya and Suffolk over her marriage. Jesus, please bring her peace, healing, and direction. I also wanted to pray over Christie in Kentucky. Jesus, please give her strength and peace as she and her husband Tim navigate the medical issues that he is battling with. Ultimately, I give praise to you, Jesus, and all that you do within the Dab community. I'm ever so grateful for this platform to lean into him daily and for all the people who lift each other up in prayer. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Love you guys. Bye.

Hi, This is Chassis from Kansas. I wanted to call with a couple of prayer requests and also a praise report. First prayer request is for my sister in law. She's a single mom, and so things are a little bit rough for her right now. I want to say God bless all of you single parents. I cannot imagine how much I'll go through. God bless all of you. You're all amazing. As well as her request for some friends of mine that I've known for over 25 years, they seem to almost be strange from the board. They seem to be caught up in some worldly things, and I don't know the full depth of all of it. I don't see them too often, but we all grew up very close together and pretty much family to each other. But I just have been feeling a little bit of a nudge of maybe this isn't the type of friends that I should have, that maybe I should distance myself from them. They seem to be putting distance between themselves and me. They don't invite me to do anything anymore, as they do invite my twin sister to things, which is fine, but just prayers for, I guess, new friends that are Godly influences for my husband and my son and I. And also praise report, our son that I've called about him a couple of times, our autistic little boy, he had a dental visit recently. He had some spacing in his bottom teeth, but they said his teeth look really good. And he had a vision appointment recently to check his eyesight because there was concerns. But everything came back really good. And he's doing amazing in school. His teachers think he's probably on the verge of actually starting to talk and say some real words. So we're really excited. Reeve. God. Thank you all. I love you all. Have a blessed week and weekend.

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suckitsurveys · 2 years

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What is your Starbucks order? or any coffee shop order? (: I usually go for anything matcha but I like to switch it up. Right now I love the toasted vanilla oatmilk shaken espresso. What is your dream vacation? Something all-expenses paid, on a private beach. Would you ever go on a game show? Which one? Maybe. What TV show character do you relate to most? There’s a handful. If you had to choose to be an animal, what would you be and why? Some sort of sea creature so I could swim all day.

When was the last time you wore a dress/suit? I wore a dress last week to the John Mulaney show. Have you ever been to Tennessee, USA? I have. My mom was born there so we have some family down there. Do you prefer more mellow music or loud? Depends. Do you get along well with your family? Yes. When was the last time you played in the snow, if ever? Earlier this year with my niece. Are you clumsy? I have my moments. Does anyone you know have a birthday coming up soon? My sister. Do you ever go bowling? I have. It’s been a while though.

Have you ever worn a wig? Yes. Do you enjoy musicals? Some. What shoes did you wear today? I am wearing my grey Birks. Do you enjoy 60’s music? Some, yeah. Do you know anyone who is a great drummer? My friend Sarah drums. Would you rather watch or play sports? Watch. Does your name have a meaning behind it? It means “my mom heard it while watching a movie an hour or so before I was born.” Do you have a certain brand you are very loyal to? Sure. Are you too short for the sun visor in the car to work properly for you? Yup hahah. Do you have a favorite planet? Mine’s the sun! Hah. I like Neptune. How often do you spend time on Bzoink? Never. What did you last have to drink? An iced matcha latte with coconut milk. I took a break in the middle of this survey and got one after the first question lol. What type of movies are you most amused by? Ones that amuse me? What is your sense of humor like? Punny, cheesy, dark, sarcastic. Are you materialistic? I mean, to an extent. Do you listen more with your heart, mind, or stomach? It depends on what’s happening? What are some thing that fascinate you? Animals. The world. Talented people. Do you suffer from any diseases? Probably. Have you ever broken a bed? Yes. Have you ever worked in retail? Yes. What’s the strangest food combination you’ve seen someone eat? I don’t know. I can’t think of anything specific. Do you pick up on others feelings easily? Yes. What is your current mood? I’m okay. Just tired and regretting saying I’d work tomorrow. Do you prefer shopping online or in store? Either. They both have their pros. What did you last remember dreaming about? I keep having dreams where I’m at the store?? What’s your favorite condiment? Depends on the food. What is the last thing you borrowed? I don’t remember. When was the last time you took a group picture? A month or so ago at Liz’s graduation party. Name the first person who pops in your head whose name starts with T. My niece, Thea. Is there a song or songs you can rap all the lyrics to? Yeah, several. Have you hugged anyone today? No. What did you last watch on TV? Tuca and Bertie. If your last words were the last message you received, what would they be? “Are you keeping this?” Ha, uh what an interesting thing to say. Are you good at keeping secrets? Yes. What last disappointed you? My brother in law. Not surprisingly though. If you could see a concert of any celebrity who has passed away.. who would you like to see? Queen. How many blankets do you own? Several. What was your favorite food as a child? Crab legs. I was introduced to them very young. Do you like denim shorts? I do. What was the last picture you looked at? I have several pictures around me on my desk. If I glace over the first one I see is a picture of my older niece holding her little sister the day she was born. What’s the main thing you use the internet for? My life? How many questions do you prefer in a survey? Eh, like 25-50 is okay. Have you ever made someone cry unintentionally? Yes. Is it easy to offend you? Nah. When did you last wear a hat? Probably in the winter or early spring. Do you work well under pressure? Yes What is something that is or was hard to let go of? A friendship. What colors do you normally use to decorate with? Uhh, it really just depends what I’m decorating. Have you ever bruised one of your ribs? I think so. Have you ever burned yourself on a candle? Yeah, nothing serious though. What is one of your toxic traits? My inability to stick to any kind of fucking routine. Have you ever found a skeleton while outside? Yes, animal ones. What time is it currently? 10:48AM. How many mirrors do you have in your bedroom? Two. What is something you cannot get enough of? Sushi.

#surveys

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zakoria · 2 years

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In 2013, My immediate family move 12 hours away from the rest of the family. All alone in the middle on no where not knowing anybody. I was 12 and starting middle school. I literally did not know a anybody, and I just came from Tennessee. I had never seen anything like this. I promise you if you go anywhere in the south and go up north or vise verse it’s too different world. Like I really can’t explain it but I can feel it. It was time when everyone in the family all 6 of us, had to rediscover ourselves in this new world. Me being right at puberty age made this transition especially awfully. I felt so alone having no idea of my idea, there were so many different things going on. These were not the southern country people I knew. I felt like an alien. I always just wished I could have just stay in tennessee but the lessons I grew to learn in the isolation were needed I need to see a different perspective to appreciate where I am now. We moved back at the perfect time and I’m so glad to be home

Now As I Pondering on my relationship with family, specifically the way my parents relationship with relative shaped my relationship with them. As I become an adult and formed my own personal relationship I feel resistant meant that my parents kept me from family growing up. The way I wasnt able to build any relationship with my cousin after middle adolescence. I’m growing up and learn all the things I missed thinking why was I kept from this. I would have been completely different if I would have stayed home.

The biggest loss is in time. The time Lost with those people. Those were year that have the most meaning. The years you really remember and I didn’t have anything to remember. Beside from when I was really young I have no pictures from my teenage years with my family.

With the loss of my dear Mummum, I can’t stop replaying the time I lost with her. I went from seeing her every other month at least cause she lived in Memphis bout 4hr away 6 in her time, to only seeing her maybe once a year. In her last 10 year I count a count every time I spent with her because of the rarity in those moments. In her last 6 months of living I probably spent every other day with her. The tragedy that the time my Mummum was 10 minutes away was in her last months. I was the oldest granddaughter and I knew how to take care of her daily needs. My Mummum was disabled in February from a stroke and lost her ability to speak imagine a woman who was never quit talking now mostly silence. That was the most painful part but I tried to cheer her up by talk her head off as she would do me. When I would say something crazy enough to get a response or make her smile, it made me feel so good. I used to just lay on her in her final weeks and she would put her head on mine and I would just crazy because I knew it was coming but I don’t know when. She always told me she loved me. Even she hadn’t spoke my whole visit when I would leave she always said I love you.

I have never lost someone. Nobody close to me or anybody I have ever felt deeply for has passed. I don’t know what grief feels like I just can’t stop thinking I’ll never see her again. I’ll never talk to her again. She was my Angel and My butterfly. I admired my Mummum and longed for her when she wasn’t around. No matter what made everything better. She just did. I still haven’t gotten to a point when I can think about her without crying. It’s only been a little over a monthly and I want to just move on. But you don’t just move on from stuff like this. I am now also reflecting on the way I view people who have suffered so much loss because I will never be the same. No matter how hard I try to go to how it was before she passed I can’t. right now it’s good days and bad days.

I’m trying to rush the process of getting back to normalcy but that’s not going to come unless I start getting this stuff off my chest. Maybe next time I won’t have so much baggage

Rest in Paradise Mary Darlene 2E🤍🦋

#tumblr #art #death #butterfly #diary entry

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thepropertylovers · 2 years

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What Can Be Said?

We’re home from spending a week at the beach, and as we made the drive back to Tennessee that we’ve made so many times recently, my heart was aching for the parents and families of the 4th graders who were murdered just the day before.

I am sipping my coffee as the rain clouds start gathering above our house. It’s been a warm, rainy spring day here. Our boys are taking baths right now, and our oldest asked me to start it for him. At first I told him to start it himself, since he knows how and we’re trying to let them be more independent lately (they love to make their own food and get things for themselves without our help). But then a minute later my mind went to a place where it’s gone a lot the last few days.

I thought about the parents in Texas who will never be able to run a bath for their child again; who won’t get to fulfill all the summer plans they had for them that would start in just a few more days; who won’t make their favorite dinner tonight or snuggle with them on Saturday mornings. My heart hurts for these people and the countless others who have lost their children to senseless gun violence.

I can’t help but wonder how we as a country got to this point, when so many other countries around the world have stricter gun laws and approximately zero mass shootings. I’m not a politician and I don’t know a lot about certain laws, or very many laws for that matter, but I know that I would do anything to keep our children safe. Anything.

A deadly virus that we don’t know much about is extremely contagious and killing people at an alarming rate? Okay, we’ll quarantine for a year and a half and not let people come within six feet of them. They’re sick and are throwing up? Okay, we’ll give them medicine and nourishing food to comfort their bellies. They fell down and scraped their knee? Okay, we’ll hug them, tell them it’s going to be okay, and give them a bandaid.

There are things we can all do, and more importantly, should do in order to protect our children and keep them safe. It’s not always easy and it’s not always…I don’t know, convenient? (social distancing for a year and a half took a toll on us, but if I had to do it again, you better believe I would in order to keep them safe), but I can honestly say there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect our children. Nothing. No matter what. I would sacrifice my “freedoms” and whatever else I had to to keep them safe for as long as I can.

I would like to think any parent would, but I know the world is a big place with a lot of different ideals and sometimes those don’t align with how you as a family operate. And that’s when it gets hard and that’s when it gets personal and frustrating because how could something that is so clear to you as a person and as a parent be so foreign and off-limits to someone else? Especially when it comes to kids and their well-being? How do we as a society come to agree on such a life or death subject?

I am calling our senator tomorrow and demanding that things need to change. I will also be emailing them. I feel powerless 99% of the time, but I know our country can’t keep operating like this. Something has to change.

What can be said that hasn’t already been said about the thousands of other mass shootings? A lot. And we’ll keep saying it, louder and louder and louder until our children (yes, our children, because we are all human beings in this country, in this world) don’t have to worry about not coming home from school.

Sending so much love to you and hugging our babies extra close tonight as we tuck them into bed.

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chillspacebear · 24 days

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New Home, Old Problems

The Worlds' Stars: Chapter 1

Synopsis: Comet and his family move into their new home in the Uniguild. Comet isn’t exactly happy about it, but he’s trying not to bring down the mood.

Genre: Slice of Life/Fantasy

Words: 3,221

With a long yawn and a big stretch, I wake up from a nap. I don’t know how long I’ve been riding buses, but it’s at least been long enough to make me fall asleep in one of the most uncomfortable spots imaginable. While trying to shake off the daze, the bus stopped, and I was launched forward into the seat in front of me. I’m glad I didn’t hit my head, but my chest is going to feel sore for a bit.

Hearing everyone else on the bus talk, I can tell this is my stop. Being a polar bear, I have to stay in the back and wait for everyone who’s smaller to get off the bus first. Once it’s my turn to go, I pick up my backpack that I kept next to me in my seat and head to the front of the bus. As I depart, I tap the concrete with my toe to make sure it isn’t too hot. If it is, I’d have to pull my sandals out of my backpack so I won’t burn my feet. The ground isn’t burning to the touch, thankfully, so I hop off the bus.

Walking forward a bit so other people can get onto the bus without me getting in the way, a chilling breeze flows through, caressing my fur. I knew it would be colder here than it was back home in Tennessee, but this was a pleasant surprise. This place isn’t going to feel like home anytime soon, but if I can feel winds like this all the time, I can get used to this fast.

“Comet! Comet!” a familiar voice calls from below. I look down, hearing my name being called, and the voice belongs to my pop, a river otter named Evanthe. Pop is letting out many happy squeaks, not even trying to contain himself, before using proper words again, “Can you get my camera out of your bag? I need to capture this moment! After all this time, we’re here in our new home! And this isn’t just any other city, it’s the Uniguild! A home for anyone from anywhere, even the other worlds!”

At Pop’s request, I reach into my backpack, pull out his little camera that I’ve been keeping safe with me, and give it to him. With how excited he was, I expected to hear lots of clicks from his camera, but he was looking around with a determined look in his eyes, taking his time to try and find the best shot he could get. He is a professional, and I guess this occasion is important enough for him to get into work mode for it.

“Need a paw, Hun?” asks my dad, a red wolf.

“That’d be great, Ryan! Lift me up so I can get some better shot angles!”

Dad hoists Pop up and walks around a bit, trying to help

Pop find the perfect angle for this picture.

While they do that, my ears flip upward, hearing the bus press on with its route. Turning around, I see what might just be perfect. “Hey, Pop! Why not this?” I point upward, past where the bus once stood, and the tall buildings of the Uniguild’s city can be seen before the mountain at the center of the continent.

“The mountain with the omni-gate we used to get here…” Pop squeaked in awe.

“And the city we spend hours riding buses through to get to where we’re standing now,” Dad added. “Good eye, pup.”

I walk over to pick up Pop so he can get a good angle from a high starting spot, making sure to keep steady so I don’t throw him off his lining up of the shot. With a shutter click from Pop’s camera, I can spot a wide smile looking at him from behind, and his tail starts flicking a bit, too, like he’s back to being a pup. “That one’s going in the scrapbook later!”

Rolling my eyes, I respond, “You say that about a lot of pictures, Pop. This one’s an amazing sight, though. It could be frame-worthy.”

“‘Frame-worthy’ means good pictures of our family, Son, you know that.”

Pop’s quick reply gets a small chuckle out of me. He’s not lying, though. Of all the important memories he captures, the ones involving family are always the most important to him. I understand that much, but there are other reasons to frame something, like if it just looks nice enough, and I think this view does.

Looking past Pop at the mountain, though, I can’t help but think about how far we’ve come to get here and how much further we are from home…

“Are you ok, pup? You don’t look right.” Dad points out. I never know what expressions I’m making until someone points it out. I do need to get better with that, I don’t want everyone worrying about me all the time.

“I’m ok, just tired from all the traveling, I guess. I did fall asleep on the bus. How close is the new house from here?”

Dad narrows his eyes at me, low chance of him believing me, but he pulls out his phone and starts typing. “Map app says it’s close to one mile away from here.”

“How fast would it take me to get there if I went at top speed? You’re good with numbers. Oh, I think my top speed that I was able to record was like… seventeen and a half miles per hour?”

“If you did that, it would take just under four minutes, but unlike you, pup, Evan and I haven’t trained ourselves to run fast ‘as a good polar bear should.’ “

“Yeah. My legs are very short. I could never keep up with you like that. And even if I rode you, I don’t want to risk falling off…” Pop added.

“You also need me to lead us to the house since you don’t know where it is.”

“That is fair. Walking it is, then.”

“Should take us around twenty-five minutes.” Dad signals us to follow him by reaching his arm out towards us and flicking his paw in his direction. Pop and Dad started talking about something as we walked, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was deep in my thoughts. While I knew we were moving here, I never felt like we were getting a new home, just leaving behind what we had before. I know things weren’t the best, the rent being hard to keep up with put us in some tough spots, but some of the most important things to me were there. I don’t want to start a new life here. I wasn’t happy back home, but I wasn’t completely unhappy either. I know I could’ve stayed behind, being an adult that can make my own choices, but I wanted to stay with my dads. I feel like I owe it to them to stay with them and help them out however I can. After something I don’t like thinking about happened when I was a cub, they’ve worked hard to raise and support me. They took me in, put me in a good school, and even let me work with them in their photography business while I figure out what I want to do with my life. My want to not leave them is greater than my want to go back home.

Maybe this place could feel more like home if I looked around while we were on our way to the house. I might see things that make this place seem better outside of the money stuff and cold winds, and I might be less opposed to this new life. To our left, there’s a small shopping center with all sorts of people walking around. Most are mammals, some tigers, a tanuki, a hippo, and many more. This is the part of the Uniguild that’s in my world, the Furrealm, where land mammals are the ones that evolved to not be wild. Each of the five worlds is like that: different sets of animals evolved to become the dominant species. There’s Avius with the futuristic birds, Amphibarron with the magical amphibians, Repterra with the nature-tied and artistic reptiles, and Gillon with nomadic aquatic life. It’s cool that each of the worlds can be close together like this because of the Uniguild, unlike everywhere else.

At the end of the shopping center is what looks like a gym, which brings out a smile on my face. A pair of elephants walk out of it, which makes me happier because it shows they should have equipment that’s big enough for me. Polar bears are supposed to be strong and fierce, so becoming strong like a proper one is important to me.

Still looking at the other side of the street, I see a black bear wearing swimming trunks and carrying a towel, which gets me thinking. There must be a pool near here! Being a good swimmer is another thing a good polar bear should be, but it doubles as a fun way to spend time with Pop! We could have fun doing laps and playing together in the water for hours. If there are more things like home here, it might not be as bad a move as I first thought.

Taking a hard right, we end up in what is our new neighborhood. I’ve always lived in apartments my whole life, so I’m unsure of how I’ll adjust to a cul-de-sac. Turns out everyone here decided to go outside today because it’s hard to look in any direction now without seeing someone enjoying the outdoors. There was a trio of chimps chasing each other around, a pair of cougars were painting each other’s claws, a pack of jackals was playing with a ball, a human was taking a walk with her baby in a stroller… “Everywhere I look… everyone else…” My vision starts getting foggy, and everything in my peripheral vision darkens. I need to calm down so this doesn’t go all the way like it has before, especially while we’re walking in an unfamiliar place.

After feeling something on my stomach, everything goes back to normal. Looking down, I see Dad put a paw on my stomach to get me to stop. “We’re here,” Dad says as he points to our right. It’s not an amazing sight to behold: a red-brick house with a tan-tiled roof, and there isn’t a porch or much of a front yard. The front door at least looks big enough so I don’t have to duck every time I come inside like I did back home.

“You want to take a shot of the new house, Pop?”

“I do, but not now. This is one where I want all of us in it, but none of our clothes match, with each other or the house. I’ve got on a patterned Hawaiian shirt, Ryan has a basic blue polo, and you have a black tank top with an iceberg on it.”

“We always wear stuff like this.” I say with a smirk.

“My shot, my rules, Son.” Pop climbs down from riding on my head the entire trip. “What I do want to do is take a look inside. You have the keys, right hon?”

Dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out a set of keys, unlocking the door and letting us all in. Each of us are speechless looking inside our new house, but not in a good way. There was nothing but piles of boxes scattered everywhere. “There’s always a catch when getting something for cheap, I suppose. In this case, it was a moving service that did the bare minimum.”

“Alright,” I say as I stretch my arms, “It’s time to do some unpacking. I can handle taking everything out of the boxes and putting it where you want it to go. I don’t exercise just to look good.”

“Sounds good, Comet. We should get the bigger stuff out of the way first, like our beds. I’d prefer not to sleep on the floor tonight.” Dad replied, stretching his shoulders.

With a nod, I immediately get to work. I claw open the boxes and use my strength to put everything in place. Pop used his eye for design to tell Dad and me how to make smaller adjustments, making everything look and fit together nicer. It took a couple hours, the exact number I didn’t keep track of (Dad might’ve), but we got through half of everything already - we even took a few breaks to not push ourselves too much.

We all want to call it a day at this point, seeing it get dark outside from the window, but we’re still going through the boxes to find more personal things, like my old game console or Dad’s laptop. I pick up this one box and open it up. It was marked as fragile, so it could be anything we’re looking for now, but it turned out to be a bunch of framed photos. I’m surprised to see so many bunched up in one place like this. I didn’t realize we had so many photos, but with Pop being a professional photographer who values stuff like this more than anything, it’s weird that I’m surprised.

There are some great moments here in just the ones on the top. “Pop! I found the photos!” I called out, not caring if he heard me with the grip of nostalgia holding me tight. I started looking through the photos. One of the first ones was my graduation from high school two years back. I was so happy to be done with it. I had to get through the worst finals week of my life, but I managed to get through with half-decent grades. The next one was when I figured out how to track smells with my strong nose. Dad was howling with pride that day, and I was, too. We all had a bit of a laugh after with how weird mine sounded. Polar bears aren’t meant to do that. I still had to figure out what smells were what for a while, but I was able to follow scent trails without much trouble. I still remember the day my dads took me out for snow cones to congratulate me. The third photo I don’t remember well because I was a young cub, but it’s one of Pop and me swimming at a beach. I must’ve complained a lot that day if this wasn’t during winter. I could never stand hot days, and I still can’t. I always have to keep my fur cut short, wear clothes that won’t trap much heat, and wear cooling packs under my clothes so I don’t pass out from overheating. Then there’s, a picture of my cousin, Nieve. She was a Kermode bear, a type of black bear with white fur, and we were said to go together like ice and snow, which was a coincidence with how we were named. She was always just around the corner for me to go see, which I’d do almost every day, but now that we moved… I set the photo of us aside and pick out another photo, hoping it’s something that’ll put me in a better mood. The picture I picked out is of none other than a young me and my birth parents. I think I’m done with nostalgia.

I put the photo back in the box, pushed the box of photos to the side, then got up to look for anything else to take my mind off this. The next box I lift is smaller but much heavier than I expected it to be. Opening the box, I see Dad’s laptop and its charger. If something as small as this feels heavy now when I lifted my giant polar bear bed earlier, then I should have stopped ten minutes ago, before I opened that box of photos.

“I’m getting tired. I think I’m ready to stop for the day,” I set Dad’s laptop and charger on the living room table we reassembled earlier, “I’ll go take a bath, and after that, we can talk about dinner?” Not hearing any sort of response, I leave to my new room.

I flick the lights on and start sifting through my box of clothes to find some pajamas. I’m trying my best to keep myself together, but with reminders like those, of what I’ve lost in moving and why I feel like I do in the present, it feels impossible. I clutch a shirt in my paws, feeling tiny spots on it become damp, and I wonder… “Why me…? Why did we have to move? Why is it me that will always be alone?”

When I open my eyes, I see nothing. I look to the side, up, down, everywhere, and see nothing but black. I notice that I can’t hear anything either: not Pop, not Dad, not the wind, not the crickets that were chirping outside just a few minutes ago, or any of our neighbors. I’m back in a place I call the void, the place my brain sends me to when I feel completely isolated. I almost went there earlier but got snapped out of it, this time

I wasn’t so lucky, I’m here. I need to get myself out of this before the panic sets in. Nieve was always able to help me through this, but she’s not here, and I’m not going to see her for months. Will I ever see her again? I don’t know. How do I get out on my own? I’m on my own. I’m alone. I’ll always be alone, and nothing will ever change that.

Something touches my back, making me jump. It comes back a moment later but is less abrupt and more comforting. At first, it just sits there, but then it starts moving around. It feels good. I’m able to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. When I open my eyes, I’m back in my room. I feel around behind me with my paw to see what’s on my back and feel an arm; turning around, I see that Dad is stroking my back.

“I think the bath can wait, Comet. Why don’t we eat dinner together first? Pop ordered baked fish.”

With a nod, Dad gets up from my bed and leads me to the living room, where Pop is already setting out food for all of us. “How long was I in the void for…?”

Dad continues leading me and gets me to sit on the couch.

“Do you want to talk? Or do you just want to wait it out?” he asks, putting a plate on my lap.

After going through the void like that, I don’t want to speak. Instead, I take a bite of food. Despite all of the seasoning I can see on it, it tastes like nothing.

Dad opens his laptop that I left on the table before leaving. “I’d say we should watch something on the TV, but we don’t have the internet set up yet for cable, so I’ll set up some movies I downloaded.”

Pop sits up on the couch next to me, but instead of eating his food right away, he first gives me a hug and then hops to give me a boop on the nose. I can’t help but give a tiny laugh. I even begin to purr a bit.

“Looks like someone’s starting to feel a little better!” Pop giggles.

It’ll take some time before I can feel happy again, just in general, not even considering us living here now. I’m sure of one thing in this very moment, though: “Dad and Pop will always be here for me, no matter where I go or how lonely I might feel.”

#my writing #fantasy #slice of life #furry #lgbtq #The Worlds' Stars #TWS #TWS Comet #polar bear #TWS Evanthe #river otter #TWS Ryan #red wolf

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11/8/2023 DAB Transcript pt3

And then there are a number of examples of this, clarifying that each individual person is personally responsible for the covenantal relationship with God, and each person will reap what they sew. Which leads us to God revealing His heart about all this. Do you think, God said, that I like to see wicked people die, says the sovereign Lord. Of course not. I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. And there it is. There’s God's posture of heart toward the people that He's speaking to. And He goes on to say, repent. Turn from your sins. Don't let them destroy you. Put all your rebellion behind you. Find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O people of Israel? I don't want you to die, says the sovereign Lord. Turn back and live. And of course, we've all heard the word repent. Repentance is to change, to change what's going on inside you, to change the way you're looking at things, to go a different way. So God is saying look, each of you have this choice and this choice affects your destiny, and I'm telling you flat out, I want you to live and prosper. It's all I’ve ever wanted for you. But this is a covenant and there are terms, if you want the benefits of the covenant, the benefits of me being your God, then you’ll have to obey the covenant. I’m obeying it. I expect you to be faithful and loyal to it as well. But the choice is yours, and that my friends, echoes its way across history and plops itself squarely in our own laps. You can't blame God for what you have done. But you can repent and come running home. And the choice is yours.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we allow that to sit in our laps, we sit with that, we invite Your Holy Spirit to reveal the ways that we’re breaking the covenant. That we’re being unfaithful to You. You use the word adultery and adulterer many times in these prophecies in order to explain what it feels like for You and what's really happening. And so, we don't want any part of that. It's leading nowhere but destruction. Come Holy Spirit and show us the places that we’ve compromised ourselves, that we’re stepping out on You, that we’re cheating on you, and then blaming You for the repercussions of it. We’re sorry, we’re sorry that we've done this, we're sorry that we do this. We invite Your Holy Spirit to correct us in this, we choose another way, we repent, we turn around and face You and come running back. Come Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

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And that's it for today, I'm Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Brian, it’s Brian from Huber Heights, it's Spark from Texas. I wanted to let you know I heard your call and your son Mitchell and yourself are going through some changes in life. And I wanted to reach out. It’s ironic. I’m really tired today, I didn’t sleep well last night. And that’s what this app does, it wakes us up and helps us see other…other people, rather than ourselves. And I wanted to, I wanna pray for you and your son. As you know, you might not, I…I had substance problems and jail problems throughout my life and also, in your situation divorce. I’ve been divorced also. So, let’s just go to God real quick. Father God, I ask that You be with Brian and his son Mitchell, whose getting ready to be released. The addiction problem with Mitchell God, has held him down in life. Lord, I ask that You be with Mitchell and even let him hear this. And help him to have another drug. The other drug of happiness of You telling us that we are enough. That You will guide our lives and there’s a feeling of happiness and peace that comes along with You. And it is better than any other drug that ever gave us a minute of satisfaction that made us chase more. God, I ask that You be with Brian also. Help to guide him as he’s going through his divorce. Help him to just take this time to be with You and not see this as a burden but a time to love. Amen.

Hello, my sweet family, this is Manita. I heard Kyle from Pennsylvania asking for prayer for his 3-year-old daughter, Rylee. And she also has down syndrome, I hear. And surgery will be in November, what, 11 I think you said. Kyle, I wanna say a prayer. Father God, in the name of Jesus, You are so wonderful and You are merciful. And You are the God of miracles, Father. And we all come together in one agreement, Father, boldly Father, before Your throne, dear God. In the name of Your son Jesus, lifting up Rylee, to Your throne, dear God. I pray that You put peace, dear God, in his parents, in Kyle’s heart and soul, dear God, and mind Father. I pray, dear God, for that peace that surpasses all understanding. Father, when something we don’t understand and we have questions, Father. We hand it out to You, dear God, and You, Father God, give us that peace, Lord, that will never die, dear God. So, I pray Father, in the name of Jesus, for this little girl, Father. We pray for a miracle in her life, Father God. Lord, that You guide the surgeons, dear Father, every staff that going to be taking care of her, Lord. In Jesus name, I pray. I love you, my brother. And I will continue to pray, okay. Please keep us posted. God bless you. God is strong. God is good. And He does things in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. We all believe that. He is merciful. And he loves the little children. He even says it, in the word. Let the little children come to me. So, I pray, we’ll be praying for you guys. God bless you. A big hug. Love you.

Good morning DAB. This is Romans 12:2. I wanted to pray this morning for Rylee, the 3-year-old that’s going in for surgery. Father, we just lift up Rylee to You, in the name of Jesus. I just thank You, oh God, that You would go before her. You will go before the surgeons, Lord. Father, that You would be the one in the room, Lord. You said You would never leave us, nor forsake us. So, I stand today with her parents and the other DABers, oh God. Father, that You would make everything straight, Lord. That Father, You would make crooked paths straight. That You would complete the healing that has begun in Rylee’s body, in Jesus name. Father, at three years old, we know the anxiety of the parents and even possibly Rylee, Lord. But we lift that up to You, oh God, and we pray that You calm every fear. Father, we thank You, Lord God, that You will do the surgery Yourself, oh God. That You would guide the hands of the surgeon. Lord, we know nothing is impossible for You. And we thank You, oh God, for the good report. Lord, I also pray for others, oh God. Who are getting different medical procedures done, Lord. Father, the worry, the fear, the anxiety oh God. Lord, I lay it at Your feet, and I pray, oh God, that the joy of the Lord will be our strength. I pray, oh God, that You would help us to lay down every weight, Lord. That’s what the word says. That we should lay down every burden and every weight, Lord. That You care for us. That You will carry it. You are the burden bearer. And You are the heavy load sharer. So, we thank You today, oh God, for what You’re doing. We thank You, oh God, that You would give us the grace Lord, that we will trust You, as it all comes down to faith and trusting You. Help us, oh God, to trust You, oh God, for the impossible. Help us to trust You for situations and circumstances that we don’t see the answer. But You have our best in mind. We thank You and we praise You in the name of Your glorious Son, Jesus. Amen.

Hello hello hello, Daily Audio Bible fam. How are you? Checking in, it’s Saturday, November the 4th 2023. This is His Girl Warrior from Alabama. And today I’m grateful for light, specifically the light, the sunlight that was dappling through the really beautiful leaves today as I was hiking. It’s amazing the way it reflects so many colors in the leaves this fall. And that Jesus is the light of the world and that He shines through us and that He’s so gracious to shine through us. And so, I’m gonna lift up the people who are feeling the darkness. And it seems that the darkness is about to overwhelm them. God, we thank You that You are a bullwork and our standard against the darkness and that Your light shines and penetrates all. God, I pray that Your word would be a lamp to their feet, and a light to their path. God, that the word that Brian shares with us, that we would hide that word in our heart that we may not sin against You. God, I pray for all the people who need to see the light. That You would take the scales off their eyes and that they would see it. And God, thank you for all the ways that You show us Your light in the world, out in creation. We love You Jesus. Thank You so much for loving us and for pursuing us. Oh great light of the world, just fill us. Fill us up. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Talk to you guys tomorrow. Bye.

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