Monday, December 9, 2013

Photo of the Week! Thanksgiving...Belated!

I know its a bit belated but I wanted to share just a couple of photos from Thanksgiving! We had a pretty huge gathering this year and my parents were actually able to join which is always just so so much fun! 

Aprons were included in the dresscode...for some of us


I think the Thanksgiving Meal may have been a bit much for ole Jeffery!


This year the Powells were in  charge of bringing desserts, I'd say we delivered!

Self Caring!

Recently I have been in a lot of conversation about different things that help me rejuvenate and how do I take care of myself. I think it is awesome that I have a group of friends and coworkers that challenge me to think of that, but truthfully it has brought about some reflections that I thought I would take a moment to share.

I feel that deep down self care is seen as in some ways antithetical to the "American Way of Life." Since grade school I feel I had shoved into my head the idea that we were to work as hard as we could and to stop would be to not be working hard enough. Self care seems to be taking a moment to say I work hard and because I work hard I need to be intentional about making sure I do not burn myself out. In many ways this takes so much vulnerability and self analysis and honesty to ever say this. However, I actually thought this was weakness upon first coming out of undergrad. "Sleep when I die" was my saying and while I still wish I never had to sleep, I see the importance and I see the beauty of taking time away.

I believe that self care will be something that I continue to learn about for the rest of my life, but I am okay with that because I actually do feel that it is something that can cause me to accomplish things with more joy, less stress and all the while not burning out. So, I guess take care of yourself and how do we allow others to do the same?

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Detroit is Eligible: Bankruptcy Begins

Posting this in two places on this blog, but big news today: 

Check out this article about the Detroit Bankruptcy filings and its a tough time here and for many it may get more difficult. I just pray that we are able to work through this process and better understand how we can possibly do this right.

"Judge Steven W. Rhodes of the United States Bankruptcy Court, found that Detroit was insolvent and that the pension checks of retirees could be cut during a bankruptcy proceeding, a crucial part of his decision."