Impacting Utah

A real storm blew through Salt Lake today. Up here on the East Bench, it was truly beautiful, and powerful. It rained for hours, which is notable for late-ish August in the desert. It was noon, but looked like the sun had set and the sky would be totally black soon. Sustained winds, not just an occasional gust. I loved it!

The Chinese Army (as we affectionately refer to Andy, Daniel, Eric, and Wai) is coming over tonight to make Chinese food for us. There used to be more in the “Army” but some have returned to China. They are all students at the U of U. Don’t care? You should. They have the potential to change the world!

No one likes brown air; thick, chewy, POINTY air. I am really sick of smog. It literally hurts to breathe. The beautiful Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains are not to be seen, and haven’t been visible for weeks. All the exhaust from the copper smelter, the oil refineries, and the 5 billion cars on the road here every day is trapped on top of me (okay; US) by high pressure. (I did say 5 billion,  because I MEANT IT.)

In spite of the lack of clean air (=oxygen), I feel really hopeful. Not sure why. I feel alright—-good, even—on the inside. Like I’m comfortable in my own skin. (Do you care about any of this? How could you possibly??) Somehow, it doesn’t even matter to me whether you care or not! And I guess that’s the deal right there. I feel like just being me, making myself vulnerable. It’s a freedom-thing, I s’pose. (lol) Baby, life is good.  Smog and all

well, my favorite yarn shop in salt lake is closing.  beyond a drag, really.  but, more than the loss of convenient access to excellent fibers, is the loss of community.  every wednesday evening, from 6-9 , they had a knit-in (bring whatever you’re working on & hang out with other knitters of all levels and walks-of-life).  a “small group”, if you will.  young, hip, college-aged men and women, older women now alone in life, and everything in between.   my experience, as a knitter, has been that fiber artists (yes…it sounds so much better that way) are not just willing to, but are glad to be able to help another artist along the way.  they find joy in helping someone else master a difficult stitch, or understand a pattern, or find an easier way to do something.  and though i am personally 67% introverted (that’s right: i took a test. precisely 67%.   ?  anyway…), i have no trouble asking a complete stranger in a yarn store if she’s ever worked with a particular yarn, or if she’s tried this technique, or volunteering my experiences to someone else.  even showing someone the mess i’ve made of a project, asking for help, and gratefully allowing them to help me unravel my mess . and my experience has been, in yarn shops from minnesota, across nebraska, montana, here in utah: people not just willing to help, but naturally, joyfully.  sometimes placing their hands right on top of mine; sometimes standing over my shoulder talking me through it; other times sitting right beside me with a pair of knit-stix in their hands showing me step-by-step so i could easily follow. 

this is the way it should be with people who follow Jesus.  willing to share, and dive into someone else’s mess. what i’m really thinking about here is a prostitute i know of.  a single mother of 8 here in salt lake city.  tommy and i want to come along side her.  what to do?  hopefully, whatever she needs.  i guess we just need to be joyfully, naturally, willing.