Ketchup

And no! I haven't fallen off the face of the world! Post number two on this Fantabulous blog has just been waiting patiently for a lazy afternoon like today.
Is it possible to catch up? Do I really need to? Shall I just briefly go over the highlights? Huh? Hugh?
The month of May began with Gramma Augur's death. I was at the Goodriches watching The Prestige when Dad called. The hospital had given him the "this is it" call. It was already 10-ish but I wanted to go. However, I don't think Gramma wanted to go. All she could do was breath and even that required a huge inhale. I was there in the early hours of the next morning when she another inhale didn't come. My heart tugged inside my chest like a dog on a leash in a last effort to catch the heels of her soul as it fell away.
The end of May was full of happiness when I got a job at The Bean Tree. It was fun! While it lasted. Those silly people laid me off a week ago. Ahh, so it goes. More on that later.
June, lovely, delicious June. Calvin, Michele, and Jenny came over and brought much laughter. Especially when it came time to set up the tent. Calvin, I'll always be willing to help you...'cause you really need it! Then, oh yes THEN! I went to the beach!! (two exclamation points, Kacey!!) Wow, it was the best time ever. The girls of Goodrich and I planned the whole thing and just did it. No parents, curfews, homework, mixed company. Can a vacation get any better? I submit to you that it CANNOT!
In July, I sprouted wings and left the nest. They must have been weak little pinfeathers, or maybe I flew too close to the sun but I only got as far as Kacey and Anders' house. But that's fine. It has saved me a lot of gas money and she's such a good cooker. So that's fine. There is an apartment waiting for me in town as we speak. It was in July that my boss said, "We can't afford to keep you anymore. Next week is your last one." It is SO exciting grabbing life by the horns and flying by the seat of my pants and shooting from the hip and flying by night and add-libbing it all. Is is entirely wise moving into an apartment jobless and without a job? "Not entirely" you say. But what else am I to do but stick to the plan? I can feel God saying "You go, girl" so going I am.
This has been my life so far. Wowza, huh? Thanks for reading.

Blood Drive today. I'm drinking a lot of water so my blood will flow out more easily.
What I should have been doing for a long time was ingesting more Bread of Life so more counsel could have flowed last night. What does one say to a 16-year old girl who was kicked out of her home and is now staggering under a very adult world? "God's the only one who knows how this story's going to end," I said. "I'd stick with the guy who knows what's going on." Guy? Since when has God been a guy? Oh my.
The things we bumbling humans say. Grasping for words we don't even mean. When the youth group was organizing a concert, it was my job to keep in contact with the band's agent. In the e-mails I sent to him, I was constantly trying to sugar-coat my descriptions of Randle, the Roxy, and how desperately poor our youth group is. It was pitiful how many times I deleted whole paragraphs for the sake of reality. And that phenomenon isn't isolated to the written word. If only I can delete paragraphs of speech!
The generousness of God is something for which I will always be thankful. His free grace is so sustaining. Another chance I don't deserve. Another chance to learn.

Proverbs 6:20-23