Carrie's Corner

In my little corner of the world, we just experienced one of the worst natural disasters in America. My family and I were spared from the catastrophic flooding in our neighborhood, but many of my friends were not.  My church was not spared.  What is left is hard to put into words.  The waters have receded in most areas, but there are still areas of town where the waters are still trying to claim houses, land, and anything else in its path. The devastation is truly unbelievable. And sometimes you feel guilty that you were spared and they were not...but... People need help and because I was spared, I get to help. Though our church building was not spared entirely, our worship center was and our pastor decided that we could help with what we had, and so the mission began. Over the past three days, we have started a laundry unit, taken in over 500 bags of smelly, wet, water-swamped laundry, returned over 300 bags of laundered and folded clothes, taken in donations by ...

I walked outside after dinner and saw the remnants of a few storm clouds off in the distance.  The tops were white, but the outer edges of the clouds were rimmed with pink and coral and golden light while the underneath side was giving way to the blue gray shadows.  The air hit me.  It  looked like it should be a pleasant summer evening to take a stroll in, but the sticky air reminded me that I no longer live in a climate where cooling evening breezes gently lilt across your face.  Instead I was instantly reminded that I live in the South.  The South--where summer is longer, hotter and stickier than I prefer.  Oh how I hate this time of year.  Yes.  Hate.  I'm always counting the days until the first strong cold front comes to our area and we finally get some relief from the sultry days of summer. But this time it dawned on me that I have spent so many years just trying to get through this time of year, that I have forgotten to enjoy...

I have often found myself to be on the outside of situations looking in...wishing to be a part of the "in" group.  I wasn't a cheerleader, not popular, wasn't the one with the big personality and the ability to draw people to me.  Even though I've performed as a musician, taught as a teacher and given speeches throughout my life, my personality still tended to hold me back.  I was the quiet one, hugging the wall or the corner of the couch.  If I had a stage or microphone, I was usually okay, but as soon as I stepped offstage, my nerves and fears would overtake me. It was what I knew and where I was most comfortable--yet I often longed to be the one in the middle of the action. I  have struggled in my life to overcome my natural tendency to blend in with the wallpaper and to learn instead, to step forward, speak up, introduce myself and stand out in the crowd.  I still really stink at that ability, but I'm learning...slowly. But this post isn't about me f...