Thursday, February 22, 2007

I don't know if my heart is breaking or soaring...


I don't know if my heart is breaking or soaring...

Our beloved youngest, a sophomore in high school, is an extraordinary student (and a lovely, generous person, if I may say so). God wired her brain differently than anyone else I've ever known well. She actually doesn't study all that much.

She took the PSATs as a test run last fall, without one minutes' prep. And scored in the top 1/2 of 1% of all test-takers nationwide. The scores were published in early January, and our lives haven't been the same.

In the last six weeks, we've been contacted by more than 40 colleges and universities from around the country. Columbia, Brown, Caltech, Northwestern, U of Chicago, Duke, Tulane, Emory, Rice, Washington & Lee.

The "Little Ivies": Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore. The "Womens' Ivies": Smith, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Wellesley. And public universities: Universities of Washington, Illinois, Florida, Delaware.

Stanford and UCLA invited her to attend classes this summer on their campuses. She was asked to participate in the national Junior Statesman program at Yale, Princeton and Georgetown.

We're proud. We're happy. And we're overwhelmed and unprepared, and confused at every turn. We had NO idea to expect such a rush; we thought that was reserved for athletes.
And truthfully, it feels alien that all this fuss is about a very normal someone we live with everyday.
I suppose I've always secretly hoped she'd attend my alma mater, UCLA (pictured above.) And she still might, I suppose. But the process seems to have a Life of its own.

I have no idea if my heart is breaking or soaring. Our daughter is growing... almost grown up, and will leave our cozy nest soon for a future unimaginably bright and promising.
And possibly far from home.

This I do know: we are grateful to God for her, as well as the opportunities he is offering her to make a difference in His name.

And I need to trust His leading.
Now.

Monday, February 12, 2007

A Talented Legend


We watched most of the Grammy Awards last night.

I'm a longtime fan of the joyfully soaring artistry of the Dixie Chicks. And it was delightful to see my lifelong heroine, Joan Baez, introduce these three talented women who fought and worked to be seriously regarded.

I rejoice in their rebellious "Not Ready to Make Nice," because, as a woman, I've often also not been ready to make nice on someone else's cue. I GET it.

Mary J. Blige was a musical vision. If only she and Bono had sung "One"...

But my favorite of the night was by a musician I'd never previously heard of: R & B singer/composer John Legend. His soul-deep, gospel-tinged music touched my heart.

Today, I downloaded his new CD, "Once Again," and I can't get his haunting "Coming Home" out of my mind. The lyrics tell of the desperate desire of a young soldier to someday come home again. Legend's voice poignantly tells of the solider's pain and weariness.

I cried when I first heard it today. The Iraq War, and all its immorality, tragedy and anguish, hangs heavy on my heart, as it does for our country.

I urge... listen, really listen, to John Legend's "Coming Home."


Here are the lyrics:

A father waits upon a son
A mother prays for his return
I just called to see
If you still have a place for me
We know that like took us apart
But you're still within my heart
I go to sleep and feel your spirit next to me
I'll make it home again
I pray you'll fall in love again
Just say you'll entertain the possibility
I learned enough from my mistakes
Learned from all I didn't say
Won't you wait for me

It may be long to get me there
It feels like I've been everywhere
But someday I'll be coming home
Round and round the world will spin
Oh, the circle never ends
So you know that I'll be coming home

We fight to stay alive
But somebody's got to die
It's so strange to me
A new year, a new enemy
Another soldier gone to war
Another story told before
Now it's told again
It seems the wars will never end
But we'll make it home again
Back where we belong again
We're holding on to when
We used to dare to dream
We pray we live to see
Another day in history
Yes we still believe

It may be long to get me there
It feels like I've been everywhere
But someday I'll be coming home
Round and round the world will spin
Oh, the circle never ends
So you know that I'll be coming home

I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming?
You know that I'll be coming home
It may be long to get me there
It feels like I've been everywhere
But someday I'll be coming home
Round and round the world will spin
Oh, the circle never ends
So you know that I'll be coming home

John Legend Lyrics