Hey All. I haven't blogged in forever. Sorry! This city keeps me busy. Just wanted to share the words to a song I wrote about a woman I have gotten to know. I have had the privilege of getting to know many people in the past year, many of which live on the streets. Enjoy!
Caroline Waits
Dressed in blue velvet, eyes to the sun
Caroline waits for her prince to come
Yesterday is gone, but maybe today
She'll find the right potion to take her away
Lips of scarlet, hair of gold
Goes to church on Sundays and does as she's told
Don't think for a minute she's yours to hold
Caroline waits Caroline waits
Chorus
How long, how long must she wait?
How long, how long must she wait?
Her locket holds the ashes of her prodigal son
He left this world empty with the turn of a gun
A broken heart, shattered
Her mind on the run
Caroline waits Caroline waits
(Chorus)
Off in the distance, her carriage awaits
Streets of gold and pearly gates
But from down here, she's controlled by fate
Caroline waits Caroline waits
Ashes to ashes, a stick in the sand
The streets her family, her home the land
That blue velvet dress is all that's left in her hands
Caroline waits Caroline waits
(Chorus)
Friday, July 25, 2014
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
What I learned today
One fun part of living in a massive city, is that it is inevitable that I will constantly learn new things. The purpose of this blog entry is to tell you about all the new things I learned today. That's right, folks. Fresh off the press. I know you can hardly contain your excitement....
TODAY
1. I learned from an incredible source(Curious George) that NYC has a squad of skippers that float in the ocean every day, skimming trash out of the water with giant nets. I pondered this for quite some time while my kids continued to watch the rest of the cartoon. Pretty soon, I was googling it. Then, I was thinking, "Hey, this would be a great job. Maybe I should do this some day." THIS, my friends, is why I have gone to 3 different colleges with 6 or more areas of study, and currently work at Starbucks.
2. You can't walk the streets of Brooklyn at 11pm and eat an egg salad sandwich. Well, you CAN, but all you will taste is rotten sewage.
3. NYC squirrels are quite aggressive. I had one run under my ponytail while I was sitting on a park bench. Totally nutty.
4. Living on the first floor of an apartment building definitely has it's perks. The fact that FEDEX, UPS, USPS, and their mothers all ring MY doorbell to deliver everyone else's packages is not one of them. 5, yes 5, door bell rings just today!
5. " Brooklyn Water Bug" is just a cute way of saying " Massive nasty creepy cockroach". My skin is still crawling.
6. When you walk into a meat market, and everything is written in Polish, you most certainly will get ripped off. I asked for a pound of ground beef, and was apparently given the best part of Bessie. I think Bessie was made out of gold.
So, those are just a few of the many things I learned in a single day in this lively, diverse city. I have to admit, no matter how strange the experiences, the fact that they are new experiences is a huge part of why this city has my heart. This place is heaven for all senses. Life's too short to not be interesting, so Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in!
TODAY
1. I learned from an incredible source(Curious George) that NYC has a squad of skippers that float in the ocean every day, skimming trash out of the water with giant nets. I pondered this for quite some time while my kids continued to watch the rest of the cartoon. Pretty soon, I was googling it. Then, I was thinking, "Hey, this would be a great job. Maybe I should do this some day." THIS, my friends, is why I have gone to 3 different colleges with 6 or more areas of study, and currently work at Starbucks.
2. You can't walk the streets of Brooklyn at 11pm and eat an egg salad sandwich. Well, you CAN, but all you will taste is rotten sewage.
3. NYC squirrels are quite aggressive. I had one run under my ponytail while I was sitting on a park bench. Totally nutty.
4. Living on the first floor of an apartment building definitely has it's perks. The fact that FEDEX, UPS, USPS, and their mothers all ring MY doorbell to deliver everyone else's packages is not one of them. 5, yes 5, door bell rings just today!
5. " Brooklyn Water Bug" is just a cute way of saying " Massive nasty creepy cockroach". My skin is still crawling.
6. When you walk into a meat market, and everything is written in Polish, you most certainly will get ripped off. I asked for a pound of ground beef, and was apparently given the best part of Bessie. I think Bessie was made out of gold.
So, those are just a few of the many things I learned in a single day in this lively, diverse city. I have to admit, no matter how strange the experiences, the fact that they are new experiences is a huge part of why this city has my heart. This place is heaven for all senses. Life's too short to not be interesting, so Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Living the Dream
Hi all. This is my first official blog entry. It seems that blogging is the thing to do these days, and some of you have requested that I start a blog describing some of our adventures here in the Concrete Jungle. I'm always having adventures here, whether I'm at the market buying groceries, riding the train, or having a glass of wine with neighbors. This city is BURSTING with life and excitement! Even the most mundane tasks often become adventures :)
As many of you know, Michael and I have shared a love for this city for many years. Mike first fell in love with NYC in the summer of 1998, when he spent a summer here with Here's Life Inner City. Here's Life is a ministry that is put on by Campus Crusade for Christ. My first experience with the city was in High school, when I took a singing tour with the Owatonna Concert choir. Even at a young age, the energy and excitement of this city gripped my heart.
Fast forward 15 years, and we are living this heartfelt dream! We have landed our family of 5 (YES, families of 5 exist in NYC!) in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. We love our new neighborhood for countless reasons. Old Brooklyn charm abounds, and artistic creativity oozes from every crack and crevis. Even the street art is beautiful! Or is it?
One thing that has hit me now that I live here is that the beauty I see all around me is breathtaking, to me. It is breathtaking to Michael. But, I don't think it is breathtaking to everyone. I believe we are in constant awe of this city , because we have been hard wired to love this stuff. The hussle and bussle, the packed, shoulder to shoulder train rides, the graffiti, the variety of people, from the hippie banjo player on the corner, to the Italian meat shop owner, to the cross -dresser. EVERY aspect of this city lights us up, and brings us to life. For many years, I just assumed every human being on the face of this planet had the same love affair with New York. Now, I'm beginning to see that maybe we are wired this way for a greater purpose than ourselves.
We came here because we love it here, yes. But I also think we love it here, because we are called here to help bring hope into the lives of many lost and hurting people. We, along with our dear friends, the Deverauxs, Rachel Larson, and others, hope to begin a movement of missional living in nyc that will bring people into deeper community with one another, and with Christ. Our main objective: Love. People need hope, and people need love.
This is only the beginning of this grand adventure. I can't wait to see where it takes us! Thanks for listening :)
Peace,
Kristi
As many of you know, Michael and I have shared a love for this city for many years. Mike first fell in love with NYC in the summer of 1998, when he spent a summer here with Here's Life Inner City. Here's Life is a ministry that is put on by Campus Crusade for Christ. My first experience with the city was in High school, when I took a singing tour with the Owatonna Concert choir. Even at a young age, the energy and excitement of this city gripped my heart.
Fast forward 15 years, and we are living this heartfelt dream! We have landed our family of 5 (YES, families of 5 exist in NYC!) in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. We love our new neighborhood for countless reasons. Old Brooklyn charm abounds, and artistic creativity oozes from every crack and crevis. Even the street art is beautiful! Or is it?
One thing that has hit me now that I live here is that the beauty I see all around me is breathtaking, to me. It is breathtaking to Michael. But, I don't think it is breathtaking to everyone. I believe we are in constant awe of this city , because we have been hard wired to love this stuff. The hussle and bussle, the packed, shoulder to shoulder train rides, the graffiti, the variety of people, from the hippie banjo player on the corner, to the Italian meat shop owner, to the cross -dresser. EVERY aspect of this city lights us up, and brings us to life. For many years, I just assumed every human being on the face of this planet had the same love affair with New York. Now, I'm beginning to see that maybe we are wired this way for a greater purpose than ourselves.
We came here because we love it here, yes. But I also think we love it here, because we are called here to help bring hope into the lives of many lost and hurting people. We, along with our dear friends, the Deverauxs, Rachel Larson, and others, hope to begin a movement of missional living in nyc that will bring people into deeper community with one another, and with Christ. Our main objective: Love. People need hope, and people need love.
This is only the beginning of this grand adventure. I can't wait to see where it takes us! Thanks for listening :)
Peace,
Kristi
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