Review

Sometimes review sessions are good. Is that too vague? Lemme try that again.

Sometimes review sessions are productive in the positive sense. Yeah that sounds better. The ones where you go and discuss things and the instructor has good handouts and/or helpful advice and at the end when you think it couldn't have gone any better they pass around a plate of cookies and say thanks for coming. But then sometimes review sessions feel kind of heavy. Like you have questions about the subject covered in class but so does everyone else because the topic of the original lecture was confusing or too much to handle all at once. And they try I know they do bless their hearts but sometimes you just cannot answer everyone's questions or explain it in depth in those forty to fifty minutes. I don't think this situation can be qualified as a "problem" because it's just the way review sessions go sometimes and anyone would be hard-pressed to think of a solution if it ain't a problem. That's all I got on the subject of review sessions.

I know it too

There was a house fire less than two blocks away in my neighborhood today. What's a person supposed to say when that happens? "I'm sorry for your loss" "We'll pray for you" "What can we do to help?" And those are things I could genuinely say. But it doesn't feel like enough. The worst part is I know how they feel. My family moved seven years ago because of a house fire. I didn't have shoes for a day because I ran out screaming fire, call 911, the house is on fire. Flames threatening to envelop the whole house, one room at a time. You think it's bad while the fire is raging. It's worse when you try to salvage what you have from the remains. A collection of smoky, damp toys, books, appliances; never to be used again. The ceiling fans are grayer than they ever could be from dust, and there's a wavy shadow that sits where the walls meet the floor in the room, in every room. I don't even know if that was from the fire or the high pressure water sprayed to quench the fire. Over time you'll be able to move on, I promise.  I wish I could convey the feelings I had to them. It's so hard for me to talk to people I don't really know. If you ever read this, neighbors, know that I'm praying every day for your safety and future.

More to give

Sometimes love means sacrifice right? I mean, I've been thinking see-living means survival and survival means you gotta have self-interest to keep on living. But if you care about something just as much or maybe more than your own survival, then you have to devote some of your interest and your life to that other thing that you love. And that's kind of a definition of sacrifice right?