Des Moines

I'm back. I loved being "single" for a few days and loved coming home to my fam. Top row: Helen, my refugee friend and her boys; me holding the 4-week-old Snodgrass twins (6 lbs now); Second row: the whole Drost family, the Snodgrasses, in one day they have as many people in their family as we do; Bottom: Kindle Hope Drost, 4 months old, the newest Drost and the first girl baby!

I highly recommend hanging out for several days with another family. I was inspired in the never ending discipline journey for myself and my kids, I was comforted (this sounds a little pathetic) seeing other kids misbehave too, I was thankful for my family, though I do love you my friends. Visiting another family teaches you; it made me wish for the idea of that book It Takes A Village (to raise a child). I miss the intimacy of my friends in Des Moines and how they could make up for our weaknesses as parents. I miss the Sunday morning gatherings and the way the families serve each other. God hasn't given us that kind of intimacy since we left, but we keep praying.

I cried out to God for my new city of Ignored. Since I've left Des Moines, it appears to be prospering. The streets from the airport to downtown and all along the interstate that runs through the center of the city are lush with landscaping, flowers, and trees (even as the flood waters receded). Several of the formerly run down areas of town have been transformed into trendy restaurants and boutiques and there were people shopping in them! No empty strip malls, a low unemployment rate, good schools, a normal number of houses for sale and they haven't lost much value in the last year. I know Des Moines is a white collar town with the insurance industry at its helm--an industry that will always be "needed." But it has an inner city, a large foreign refugee population and gangs. Yet it is thriving. I long for Ignored to get turned around, to be able to say to all those people who abandoned it...see what some love from a few Christians did to turn this place around. Mostly I want the kids here to be hopeful. This part of Michigan is so low on hope.

Lastly, airports boggle my brain. So many people going so many different places. I like to people watch at O'Hare. It's like a city in glass tunnels. I wish I had had my laptop with me to write about all I saw. Part of my boggled brain though comes from the technology. People with ipods, laptop stations, cell phones, electronic books, text messaging, and most people trying not to speak to the person next to them. I try to greet everyone I sit by especially when I don't have kids to keep track of, but they don't always appreciate my intrusion! How sad.

Not So Quiet

This post really isn't a quiet musing. It's more of an angry I want to scream because I don't know what to do post. I'll work through this backward.

Happily, both my children were born in the spring so in the early days of June, I walked with H and newborn K to the park near our house in Des Moines. It was our first trip to the park with just the three of us. I brought just the essentials: snacks, sippy for H, sun hats, diapers, wipes and an emergency change of clothing. Usually I keep my wallet in the daiper bag, but that day I remember thinking, it's safer at home. School wasn't out yet so the park was empty. Gleeful at the opportunity to play outside H (2-years at the time), wanted help on the monkeybars. I put K on a blanket nearby and started to help. A teenage boy rode by on his bicycle. He rode by again a few minutes later. I noticed him. Based on his looks, I stereotyped him to be a dropout thug. Then I berated myself for being judgemental. I went to catch H on the slide. Teenager on bike rode by again, slowed down, swiped my diaper bag and sped away. Knowing H would scream if her mother ran AWAY from her without catching her, I ran after that boy, screaming "Hey, that's just a diaper bag, there is nothing in there you want, look through it." I ran after him all the way to the corner and then told some men hanging out on there porch that that boy had taken my bag. Wanting to be heroic, ten African refugees jumped in their car and chased him. It would have been comical, if I wasn't in the story, I ran back to my screaming, bewildered H and obilvious K feeling terrible for abadoning them. There is a long list of reasons why running after the biker wasn't smart, but it felt good. I did't just stand there. The men never did find the boy, probably they didn't really even know who they were looking for, but we found our abadoned diaper bag and all its contents less than a block from the park.

Ignored is a rough town. We knew that when chose to live here. It is a town that needs help, love, Christ. I have come to expect violent, head-shaking crimes that hurt my heart and ridiculous ones like stealing the newly planted flower baskets from the bridges. Yet, I still read about them because they affect the people in this town. The crime this past Sunday though makes me want to chase down a criminal and beat him to an inch of his life. At 6 pm, a group of kids were playing on a corner, about a dozen of them ranging in age from 3-14. I don't know where the parents were, they may or may have been nearby. Doesn't matter. The kids were bouncing basketballs. A car drove by, shot 3-4 times into the group and drove away. A twelve year old boy was killed. His name was Quintae, he was being raised by his grandparents. He was a star student. The best math student his teacher,a 14-year veteran, had ever had. Witnesses can't even agree on what the car looks like. I suspect people are hiding facts, scared to be the rat. There isn't even a lead for the killer. I hate sitting here, God. I know this simmering anger is righteous. David regularly asked you in Psalms to deliver him from his enemies. I think this town has enemies. Deliver us Lord.