Bleeding Heart

I don’t know anything about flowers. Seriously, ask me my favorite and you’ll get the reply, “You’ll be lucky if I can even name five.” I’ve just never really cared for them. However, I have heard about the mysterious “bleeding heart” flower. It seems odd to me that you would name a flower, bleeding heart. It just doesn’t jive. Flowers are pretty and you give them on special occasions. Could you imagine bringing those home for your wife? “I got you a dozen bleeding hearts.” I’m sure it’s happened before, but still, sounds weird.

I was listening to a song the other day. It’s called “Proud Father” by Jon McLaughlin. I was compiling a list of more unconventional father/daughter songs for my friend for her December wedding. There’s a line in the song that goes something like this: “It won’t always be easy to love when you give and you never get back/But no one’s intended to die with their heart still intact.” The last part of that really stuck out to me. No one is intended to die with their heart still intact. Really? Is that the intention?

I find so often in today’s culture there is an air of safety about us. Obviously safety, in it of itself, is not a bad thing. But we almost take it too far. We take it to the extent of self-preservation. And not just of our exterior, physical bodies, but of our feelings and our emotions. Now, mind you, there is a way to guard your heart. I am aware of that. But we are so careful with decisions we make because we want everything to be perfect and we don’t want to get hurt. The irony is that often in the process of trying to protect ourselves, we get hurt worse. We’re always looking out for big numero uno. We rarely take risks because somehow we believe the risk of getting hurt does not outweigh the risk of not taking a risk. The irony is that there is certainty in getting hurt. It’s part of life. We’re all sinners by nature – saved by grace – but sinners nonetheless. We will get hurt. You can count on it. But we try to preserve ourselves and avoid absolute vulnerability by not putting ourselves fully on the line. Is that what God intended? Did he put us here to see who could preserve self best?

We’re here to put God on display. We’re walking billboards for Christ. So if our job is to put Christ on display, what better way than to continually try to be more like Him? We should love more. We should love more extravagantly. We should love people who aren’t lovable. We should love people without the expectation of getting any love in return. We should love because Christ first loved us. We should love how Christ first loved us. Talk about vulnerability. Just trying putting this into practice in every day life.

If we’re trying to be more like Christ, where does self-preservation fit? It doesn’t. Less of me, more of Him. God molds us into looking more like Him, by putting us through trials. By refining us with a refiner’s fire. It’s not fun, it hurts. But there is grace that abounds more and more. Sometimes we bleed. That’s how life works. God is there with us through it all. He loves us. So much. That’s why He does it. He knows we need these things if we’re ever going to look anything like Him. He graciously puts us through these trials.

So maybe a bleeding heart isn’t such a bad thing. After all, blood is a sign of life. God did say, “Life is in the blood and all life belongs to me.” Sure, it’s bleeding. That means it won’t live forever. But it’s living – for an allotted amount of time. Maybe self-preservation shouldn’t be at the top of our to do list. Maybe a little blood isn’t such a bad thing. I mean, we’re all going to die, shouldn’t we go down fighting and not go down trying to hide behind our shield lest we get hurt? All I know is Christ wasn’t here for self-preservation. His heart bled for His people – and we’re saved through that very blood.

So are bleeding hearts the new roses? Doubt it. Does it make sense to me now? Yeah. Bleeding hearts are very pretty. It shows a life of growth, risks and a Christ-likeness. I’d like to have a flower that reminds me of that.

I Am Entitled To…

…a better job.

…stronger friendships.

…having a significant other.

…more money.

…a bigger house.

…a house.

…an apartment.

…spending my time the way I want it.

…a better life.

I am entitled to all of this. Or so we think. Our generation, especially, is a generation that has a sense of entitlement – to everything. Everything revolves around us and for us. Even we, as Christians, get caught in this trap. We feel as though we deserve it. The key word in that sentence being ‘feel’. That’s our problem. We base most of our decisions on feelings and emotion. When what we really should be basing them on is truth. And the truth of the matter is this:

I actually deserve…

…death.

…punishment for the sins I have committed and will commit in the future.

…hell.

…a life with no purpose and no relationship with Christ.

…eternal separation from God.

The truth also is that Jesus came down to earth, lived a perfect life and paid the price for my sins, so that I could stand before God with His record and enter into the kingdom of Heaven for eternity. Jesus’ death on the cross, covered my imperfect, blemished and utterly appalling record and put His in my place.

Now, doesn’t it seem absolutely microscopic what we think we’re entitled to, when we’re getting the opposite of what we actually deserve?

Remembering Responsibilities

So, it’s been 3 months since I last posted. Yeah, that’s horrible. Lack of motivation + no accountability = no blog. I decided tonight I needed to write on something the Lord has been pressing on my heart the past week or so.

I attended/chaperoned the Give Me An Answer conference at Boyce College this past weekend. I sat in on 6 sessions ranging from topics of knowing God’s will to understanding the Emergent Church; from teen responsibilities to a gender confused culture. As you can see, the topics were about as different as you could imagine. They were all very, very good and left me with a lot of thinking I had to do on my own. It’s taken about a week and an earnestness of going through my notes again to really process and get out of the weekend what I believe the Lord wanted me to get out of it.

One of the sessions that struck me the most, was actually two sessions that the Harris brothers, Brett and Alex, tagteamed. Boiling it down it was talking about how we have lowered the expectations of teenagers today from the ceiling to where the floor is. People usually live up to their expectations. When you set the bar low, it takes someone really special to come along and burst through that “ceiling” of expectations. One way to do that is simply by doing hard things. Doing hard things builds character. Now they were gearing this toward teens, as that was the vast majority of the people who were in attendance. But it got me thinking about our responsibilties as adults – and many of the things that Brett was talking about apply to every age group – in fact, that was his very point. There is no separation of teen years and adult years. God expects excellence from everyone, no matter what the age. But with age comes more responsiblity. And as a person who is sitting on the edge of a major responsibility shift, I figured I needed to look into this a bit more. Now, like I said, this is a newly forming idea, so it’s an ongoing lesson.  But as adults, what responsibilities do we need to remember?

The responsbilities we have are vast and numerous depending on what station in life you’re in. Do you have kids? Obviously that is responsiblity that you have that I, right now, do not have. Do you have a significant other? Again, a relationship that is a responsiblity that I do not currently share. The responsibilties are endless. And let’s face it, you do not want to hear me talk about them all. But there is one responsibilty that the Lord has impressed upon my heart this week that I would like to share with you, my audience of two. (Hey mom and dad.) That responsibility is this: No matter what age you are, no matter where you are in life, the decisions you make effect those around you. The decisions you make most often have an impact, maybe not directly, on not only you, but those around you.

Our generation is a selfish generation. Seriously, so selfish. And a lot of times I think we forget that the decisions we make – whether it be to drink the last Coke or what college we go to – affect those around us. When making a decision, the only factor we factor in is us. But this fact is a responsibility we hold to think of others. When we make a decision we should ask ourselves first, “How will this affect my relationship with Christ?” That’s the most important. Secondly we should ask, “How is this going to affect those around me?”

It’s actually very interesting. I’ve seen almost the same scenario acted out in two different ways in people’s lives around me. And that issue has been the issue of dating/engagement/marriage. One man, who shall remain nameless, for lack of better terms, did it the right way. He carefully weighed his decision and in doing such, factored in how it would affect those around him. Now, when making a decision do we do it to please those around us? No. But should we consider how it is going to affect them? Yes. The other scenario involves someone who is doing just the opposite of the situation before. And I can see how it is hurting those around them, and they don’t even realize it. Now these situations are slightly different, with different people and different circumstances. But the same end goal is in mind. And I can’t help but see that the people who are going about it right, and staying true to their responsibilities, are going to end up with the happier, more fulfilled relationship because they are carrying it out in the way the Lord would have them.

You see, the situations have different variables, but the process doesn’t change. Our God is never-changing. He always stays the same. That is why the core responsibilities we have as Christians, never changes. We are called to fight sin, glorify God, read and follow His word and many other things. Those things don’t change with age. He wants us to excel in these no matter what age we are. It’s time to wake up and remember our responsibilities as Christians – for we are going to be held accountable for these some day. The good news is, He gives us the grace and the strength to carry these responsibilities out – and He even lets us enjoy them by blessing us for following His commands.

More to come on what I learned at Boyce…stay posted.

Sheltered in Suburban America

I’ve been raised in white suburban America my whole life. I love it. Can’t get enough of the equal distances from each house, the perfectly paved sidewalks, the streets named after trees, flowers or battle sites, and the common courtesy neighbors show to one another – not really delving any further than the surface. You know your neighbor’s names, they send you Christmas cards, pick up your newspapers when you’re gone so no one robs your house, and deliver your mail to you if it accidentally gets put in their mailbox. For the most part, that’s the extent of it. And I like that. Is that wrong? I think so.

This past Thursday, Fran spontaneously invited me to go ice skating with her and some of her friends in Fountain Square downtown. She did so purposely as to break me of my need to have made plans a week in advance kind of personality.  And I’m not going to lie, spontaneity looks good on me. It’s kind of itchy and rubs me the wrong way to begin with, but I thoroughly enjoyed having no idea what was going on. It’s good to get our of your comfort zone every once in awhile. Or maybe more often than not. The story is pretty hilarious. We drove to Covington to meet her friends at their apartment. When I went to park on the street, I struggled a great deal (I failed my driver’s test due to the fact that I couldn’t parallel park – but that’s a whole other story). This resulted in my stepping out of the car in front of all of her friends that I didn’t know and announcing that Fran had to park my car because it was becoming very apparent that I could not. We then proceeded to ride the city bus down to Fountain Square. This is something I have never done before. 21 years old, lived in Northern Kentucky my whole life, never been on the bus. Bus fare = $1.50. Jessica’s money = $20 bill. Good thing someone told me that they don’t give you change for the fare, otherwise I would have stuck my $20 in and expected $18.50 back. One of our traveling companions made me aware of the fact that students rode free. No, I am no longer a student. Yes, I still have my student ID. What I did next, I am not proud of. I flashed my student ID hoping it would cover my fare. Much to my chagrin, the bus driver informed me that only ID’s from NKU were acceptable. Mine was from EKU. Prior to the flashing of the ID, I had helped Fran get 50 cents from her wallet to cover her bus fare and she had made her way to the back of the bus. At this point, I had an invalid student ID (because of the university and in my own mind, because I am not, in fact, a student) and a $20 bill. I turned to Fran, with four people waiting behind me to get on the bus, and said, “Fran, I just…I need…” And at this point, Stephen, one of our generous traveling companions loaned me $2 for bus fare. I then proceeded to the back of the bus with Fran. This is what happens when things happen spontaneously. We had a great night. We made it to Fountain Square, skated, successfully without falling, for an hour. And then waited for the bus again to take us back to the apartment.

While we waited for the bus, and the time proceeding when we were actually on the bus, God impressed an important thought on my heart. One thing I know is that I have not even begun to fully understand this lesson, but He gave me a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. One that I am most certain that if I don’t begin to get a grasp on, I’m destined to ram my ship of life into and could quite possibly become a detriment to my life here on this earth. And that thought is this: There is a whole world of people out there. I am so consumed with my little bubble, and the people in my little bubble and what I am used to, that I have been blissfully unaware of life outside of said bubble. It’s not like I’ve been completely sheltered my entire life. I’ve been to a public university, been to the city, been halfway across the world to a third world country. I’ve seen things. I’m not completely ignorant of life outside of Northern Kentucky. But for some reason, for the first time on Thursday, I saw these people not as people, but as souls. The bus ride to Fountain Square, had me shaken a bit because I’m just not used to those kind of people. Well, that and the whole interaction with the bus driver at the beginning of the journey. Side note: All of this was a much needed growing experience. But on the bus trip back to the apartment, I saw a married couple – a happy married couple. Next to them, an old man – very tired, very worn out, very homeless. Sitting on the bench at the bus stop was a middle-aged black woman – bundled up and freezing, and most likely starving. And my first thought was how cushy my life is. And how so very unaware, at least spiritually, of the deprivation and the absolute need for Christ. I know there are homeless people. I see them whenever I go to a Reds game. I’ve seen the living conditions of people in Bucharest, Romania. I’m not unaware, mentally, of the need in our world.

Immediately, I thought about the verse that talks about loving the unlovely. And how we immediately attribute that to the annoying kid in class who constantly asks questions, or the family member who’s mission in life is to cause trouble. Yes, these people are hard to love and we are called to love them. But there are so many other “unlovely” people out there. So many other people who really do need love – Christ’s love. Everyone needs to hear the good news, and what better time of year to proclaim it than Christmas? God opened my eyes Thursday night to an entirely different kind of need in our world. I don’t know how to go about using this new eye-opening experience, but I do know one thing. I may have been sheltered in suburban America, but I am no longer unaware of the spiritual need of everyone in this world.

Leave Out the “Thee” and “Thou”

Yesterday, I purchased my very first ESV Bible. Go ahead, clap. It deserves it. See, I had previously been reading from my KJV Bible – correction, two KJV Bibles. I actually own three. There, I said it. I own three KJV Bibles. As well as an NKJV. Having said that, I now feel ashamed for the fact that I own four Bibles and cannot bring myself to read any of them on a consistent basis. Which would put an interesting twist on this post as that is not where I was intending on going. Let’s face it – we could all stand to pick up one of the many Bible’s we own on a more consistent basis. Moving on. I grew up at a Christian school where we were required to use a KJV Bible for everything. Bible class. Chapel. Scripture memorization. Because of this, I had gotten use to the KJV. It was comfortable. And then I ran into an organization that told me that the KJV was the only “true” Bible. That all the other ones were just not the best versions you could read from. I held to that for quite some time. And I’d like to give a shout out to anyone I offended by doing such. I apologize. I was wrong – very wrong. See, the facts are these (name that television show) – King James was a very bad man. He persecuted Christians. He hired a bunch of guys to translate the Bible into the language of the people. Which mind you, is not the language of today by any stretch of the imagination. (Don’t believe me? Check this out. I literally just flipped my KJV Bible open to a random passage and this is what I got: Acts 8:23 “For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” Yeah, now you get it.) Ever wonder why so many of Shakespeare’s works are being made into modernized movie versions of themselves. You guessed it. It’s easier to understand. Now, I realize I just equated Shakespeare with the divinely inspired Word of God. I do not actually think they are of the same caliber. However, I don’t believe that the KJV is the only divinely inspired translation of the Bible. It was translated by men. Do I believe that God can work through men to give us Scripture? Of course. How do you think we got the first version? 

So now we’ve established that I no longer believe that the KJV is the only way to go Scripture-wise. I have converted to ESV for the time being because I find that it’s actually translated with most of the same principles as the KJV and is the most closely related modern version to the KJV other than the NKJV. Today I officially raise my flag in surrender of the King James Version of the Bible. Not to say I won’t ever use it again. But I am no longer a one translation kind of gal. 

Now having said all of this, let me get to the real reason why I wrote this post. Thinking about all of this, really got me thinking about the root behind it all. And you know what I realized? God is so much bigger than translations. Hallelujah, praise the Lord! How could we limit the God of the universe to one translation??? Are you kidding me? I almost feel like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner or rather being blinded to that truth. I put God in a box. He does not deserve to be in a box. In fact, He can’t be in a box. He is God. And He is much bigger than the King James Version translation of Scripture. 

So in regards to my KJV only past, I have only one thing to say. In the words of my dear friend Fran, “I’m so over it.”

Prior Knowledge

Ever wish you would have had some knowledge prior to going into certain life experiences? Like, I wish I would have known that it was going to rain today, I wouldn’t have spent so much time straightening my hair. Or, I wish I would have known that roller coaster was going to make me sick, I wouldn’t have decided to ride it. Or I wish I would have known that I was going to get stuck in two and a half hours of traffic today on my way to work, I would have just stayed home. Or my recent favorite, I wish I would have known that Sarah Palin was in Lebanon, I would have gone to her rally. (I’m still a little peeved about that one.) Things of this nature usually produce such phrases as, “That would have been really nice to know beforehand” or “Hindsight is 20/20.” But the truth of the matter is, we don’t know. And there’s a reason for that.

On my way home from work about a week ago, I had this epiphany. I was immediately transported back to this same exact week a year ago. See, I can stem the reason for my life-altering past 12 months to one very specific incident. And it happened on Monday, October 8th at approximately 9:00 in the morning. I was down in South Carolina visiting on my fall break when a huge incident occurred. A family I was very near and dear to had a major family split over night. I awoke the next morning to discover this information, blissfully unaware that it had been simmering for quite some time. Upon visiting my friend, one of the daughters in the family, an hour later, I discovered her heartbroken and sobbing about the situation, as I would expect to find her. I sat on her bed and we talked for a long time. She cried. I hugged her. She cried some more. I brought her breakfast from her favorite place, and we laughed a little as I tried to cheer her up. Little did I know that this conversation would ultimately be the catalyst for a slew of problems that would hit me like a ton of bricks, one right after the other, eventually ending in a no-fellowship rule mandated by her and her family. It’s a really long story and quite frankly, not one to be shared on a blog, but the other day I was thinking about that day. I remember what I was wearing. I remember the look on her face and my heart literally broke for her. I’d never seen someone so distraught before. And as I thought about that situation, I thought, what if I had known everything that was going to happen? What if I could have gone into that situation knowing where I would be today? To be honest, I was like, “Whoa, that would be so weird to have that information in that situation.” To me, it was just so surreal that would even be possible. There is just no way to describe how much that would have affected my response. I would have most definitely reacted differently. And that is the very reason why I know that we don’t obtain prior knowledge. You know what? She needed a true friend in that situation. And if I had the foreknowledge to know that she wouldn’t return the favor in the future, I maybe wouldn’t have necessarily reacted differently right away, but my thoughts would have been completely different in my head.

I’ve decided, I wouldn’t have wanted that knowledge in my head at that time. Because strangely enough, I’m glad I was there for her in that moment. I’ll never forget that day. It was a very traumatic day and one that would ultimately completely alter the course of my life. But had I known what I know now, my life would still be completely different than what it is. We’re always told the Lord reveals things in His own timing, and how everything is in His perfect timing and it all works out for our good to those who know Him and are called according to His purpose. But I guess I never really thought about it in this context before. I’ve been thanking the Lord for His perfect timing and rescuing me from a situation I know now was not the Lord’s plan for my life. But I also know now that that time down there wasn’t wasted. The Lord had me there for a reason, and He didn’t reveal things to me until my heart was ready to hear it.

So yes, I hope I don’t wake up tomorrow and straighten my hair and then walk outside only for it to start pouring. No, I don’t want to get stuck in two hours of traffic and I definitely don’t want to get sick on a roller coaster. But, if I had known that information ahead of time, I wouldn’t have had the experiences I had. See, maybe me spending extra time straightening my hair saved me from dying in a car accident on my way to work. Or perhaps getting stuck in traffic was a way for the Lord to test my patience. And maybe I wouldn’t have bonded with people over the experience that is riding a roller coaster if I just decided to sit this one out. There’s always a reason why things happen. If we knew the consequence of every action, we’d be God. And we’re not. It would mean we had almost complete control over our lives. And let’s face it, I know that if I had all that information, I would probably be paralyzed in fear. We are meant to live in the here and now, because life is fleeting. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. So while prior knowledge to any given situation would seem like a great gift, it’s definitely a hindrance to your walk with the Lord. Prior knowledge completely removes faith from the situation. And a life without faith is nothing.

Also, the information about Palin, yeah that would have been nice to know.

Come Thou Fount…

…of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Your praise. Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.

Alright, it’s been over a month. What a horrible thing for me to do, especially since I feel like the Lord has just been teaching me so much. But as of the past week or so, the Lord has just been showing me the huge amount of blessings that He continues to reap upon me. Everything isn’t perfect, and it won’t be until we get to Heaven, but I am so incredibly blessed. The Lord has blessed me with incredible friends that are just so amazing. Every once in awhile, I think about them and my heart overflows with love for them and for the One that put them on my path to walk with me for a little while. What a tremendous blessing that has been. My family has just been a huge blessing in showing me how much they care. The Lord has given me an amazing small group to attend every week. And how great it’s been to learn from them and just fellowship. How I have missed the body of Christ the past few years. It’s good to be back and plugged in to a church. My heart is overflowing with gratitude for what the Lord has done and only naturally, that should spill out in the way I live my life. I had just had to write about how overwhelmingly blessed I am, because I feel like if I don’t, my heart might explode. I think it already has.

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above.

The Aroma of Autumn

I was driving the other night with my windows rolled down and it was a little cooler outside than usual, and then it happened. My car was instantly filled with the aroma of autumn. Autumn, or fall as some people call it, is my absolute favorite season of the whole year. It’s not too hot and it’s not too cold, all you need is a light jacket. (Sidenote: Name that movie.) But seriously, I love going to football games. I love campfires when it’s actually chilly enough to have a reason to have one. I love the leaves turning colors. I love being able to wear jeans and not feel stupid about it because it’s 80 degrees outside (i.e. my summer). I love wearing sweaters. And I love the crisp coolness of the air. The combined crisp coolness, with the smell of leaves and campfire is my absolute favorite. I can’t even describe how it makes me feel. And the other night, in the midst of my pseudo discontent, I smelled it. I smelled fall. And God instantly just filled my heart with this unspeakable joy. That sentence alone doesn’t even do it justice. But I had the radio playing and I don’t even remember what song was playing, but I was immediately very aware of how good God is. And I just wanted to sing as loud as I possibly could to God. I wanted to sing, “I love you, I love you and I don’t care who knows it!” (Also another movie to be named.) I was just sitting in my black 2007 Toyota Yaris with a cracked front grill covered in diminishing silver duct tape on Mt. Zion Rd. with the absolute biggest smile on my face. All I wanted to do was share Jesus with the whole world. I wanted everyone to feel what I was feeling in that very moment. It’s very rare that I have these moments. So I cherish them when they come along. But this moment seemed absolutely stronger than all the rest. And I think the reason for that is that I’ve been dealing with some feelings of discontent in my life as of late. And even though I’m not where I had planned to be at this time in my life, God still cares and has me right where He wants me. I don’t know what God is doing in my heart right now – He’s changing it, that’s for sure. And it hasn’t always been the easiest thing in the world. But that night, it was like God just looked down on me and breathed a breath and it just filled my heart with unspeakable joy. Oh, how much God even cares for the little things. The little things like the aroma of autumn.

Matthew 6:26 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly)

So, a lot has been happening in my heart as of late. However, I cannot put it into words. But this song says it all.

Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly) by Sanctus Real

It’s time for healing, time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right, what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
All I can do is surrender

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
But I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone, time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything, I surrender to…

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
But I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but I believe
You’re up to something, bigger than me
Larger than life, something heavenly

It’s time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

Today, my pediatric dentistry died. It’s true. I turn 21 next month and once you exceed this age you are no longer allowed to get your teeth examined at this particular office. You may ask, “Why such a big deal?” Well, it wouldn’t be a huge deal if I hadn’t been going to this dentist for practically my entire life. The assistant checked my records as I sat down in the chair and I have been going to this same dentist for 12 years. That’s a long time, considering I’m only 20. If you know anything about me, you know that most of my childhood stories consist of dental problems. Why? I’m not sure. It all started at the age of 2 – yes, 2. A kid pushed me in daycare and I chipped my tooth on the table. I was rushed to the dentist, as a nerve was exposed and was issued my first “dentures”. Yes, I had a fake front tooth at the age of 2. No wait, it gets better. At age 6, I swallowed said tooth by biting into an apple. My life is so cliche’. Ever since this early developmental stage in my life, I’ve had tooth problems. I chipped another front tooth in the 4th grade playing tag in the upper parking lot at school. Most of my baby teeth were pulled instead of falling out – because they refused to fall out on their own and sent my adult teeth protruding through my gums in all sorts of awkward positions. My teeth have given me problems even recently. My senior year of high school, I got my wisdom teeth removed. The sockets got infected due to the pain medication they gave me which then in turn, made me regurgitate whatever food I had eaten prior to the surgery up through my open wounds. Yes, I was allergic to the medication. To top it all off, we were snowed in at the house and I couldn’t get to the oral surgeon. He told me, over the phone, how to irrigate my own sockets. Yes, my life has had it’s fair share of dental ordeals. And that is why, on this very occassion of dental death, I am saddened. For I have spent countless hours inside that dental office. I will never forget the smell, the taste of the pink fluoride toothpaste, or the kiddie toy chest which you were rewarded upon choosing a toy out of for good behavior on your dental visit. Pediatric Dentistry – may you rest in peace.

“It’s time to deactivate her account.” The nurse actually used those words when I walked out.

Inspirational Quote of the Day:

“Look carefully at the closest associations in your life, for that is the direction you are heading.” – Kevin Eikenberry

Office Quote of the Day:

Jim: Okay, we will be competing for gold, silver and bronze yogurt lids.

Pam: Now the bronze are really blue, and they’re also the back side of the gold. So no flipping, okay? Honor system.