the forgotten.

My friend posted this trailer on my wall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctyX5ItSQ

This is what came out afterwards:

How could I have forgotten you?
All the stories that have never been uncovered
That only those who took the time to stop and look, knew about.
Something moved within me this morning
Watching those images.
My old self woke up somehow.
Knowing that I have to do something about those who are cast out these days,
Those who are unloved,
Those who are told they have no place in this world,
Those who are devalued,
Those who are forgotten.

I made it a point not to forget the forgotten,
But that is exactly what I've done.
I'm sitting here,
I'm supposed to be studying for a test,
But how can I when I know that you are suffering,
That you are held in captivity,
That you are being beaten,
That you are isolated,
That you are walked past,
That you are hungry, thirsty, naked,
That you've been forgotten.

But you are forgotten no longer
For I will come find you.
I will come find you so that I can
Hold you,
Feed you,
Clothe you,
Tell you that you are worth more than anything of this world,
Give you a chance,
Love you.
Let me not worry about myself being forgotten,
But let me intentionally seek out those who are.

This is what we were made for.

silent library.

Hello Larky!

Hope all is well on this gray rainy day.

I'm sitting at the library actually doing my homework... can you believe that? I can't. Bahahaha.

People are so funny, Larson. Maybe it's just me. Or maybe not. I'm at one of those table in the back and there is a dude working on his laptop at the table to the left of me. About 15 minutes ago, an elderly couple and a middle-aged woman sat in the group of chairs to the right of me. Now, I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping, but how can you not when people are sitting 5 feet away from you? I don't think it's possible. Maybe if you're Yoda.

Anywho, the couple and the women were (are) obviously talking about some serious family issues. I don't really know because I tried not to listen too closely, but from what I've heard, that's what I can conclude. Now, if it were me, I don't think I'd come into a library to talk about issues and stuff - people are reading and studying, plus, I don't want the world to hear about my private life - but perhaps this was the only quiet place they could find in Princeton. They were talking kind of loud, so I just put my headphones on so I could focus on my work. I guess I'm kind of used to it because of the organ practice rooms and people being loud late at night. So it wasn't that big of a deal to me. But, I knew it was only going to be a matter of minutes until the dude sitting to the left of me would say something.

He said politely (I thought), "Say, do you think you could talk at the cafe? Some people are trying to study." Then, the middle-aged woman to the right of me replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't know we were talking so loud. There's no room at the cafe." Then, she got up and walked around to the study rooms, I assumed that she was looking for another place to talk, but instead she came back to the couple and said, "Those are for individual study," making sure her whisper was loud enough for all to hear and that she emphasized the word "individual."

I couldn't help but laugh inwardly. I'm not saying I'm perfect, or that I'm better, or any of that. I just thought it was funny! If I could go back and edit the conversation, it would've gone like this:

Study-man: [walking over the couple and Talking-woman with a genuine smile on his face] Excuse me, would you mind finding another place to talk or perhaps talk a little more softly? I'm trying to study for my basket-weaving exam.
Talking-woman: [Genuine sympathy] Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know we were talking so loud. We'll try to keep it down.
Study-man: Thank you, very much. I appreciate your understanding.

HAHAHAHA. Aww. I should never be a script writer.

Anywho, I had a great sandwich for lunch - turkey, brie, lettuce, tomato, mayo on focaccia bread. Whenever I eat brie, for some reason, I think of Tom Sawyer's island. Isn't that weird? That's weird.

I don't what I'd do if any of this were to happen in this library right now:

http://www.mtv.com/shows/silent_library/series.jhtml

That is all.

- G. Love

a little change, a little risk.

Hey Hannah Gee,
Today is a good day. Today I feel different. I think that somehow, although I didn't think it was possible, God changed my attitude. Remember when we were talking about that? Of all things, my attitude is something I thought I was stuck with. My attitude is what I was born with, a part of my personality that would never be different.

This attitude of mine (that is, before it changed) seems to have a mind of its own. My attitude likes to dwell and be bitter. It likes to cast blame on people and places and everything around me. It likes to wish everything could be perfect all the time. It likes to be disappointed when things are not perfect. My attitude likes to be all up or all down.

I never thought that people could change. I knew that we were constantly changing, but I didn't believe that we would ever change change. But maybe we can change. Maybe we change all the time.

Today I recorded a song in the studio. It felt good, but I wasn't on top of my high horse afterwards like I usually am. Release, yes, but no high horse. Instead of a high horse, I felt a simple urge to let go and take more risks. It's not something I've ever been ready to do. My risk always consisted of packing up and moving myself around. Transporting my entire life has become my comfort, actually. Pretty backwards, I'd say.

I'm going to take a risk. I'm going to stay right here...right where I am.
That's where God wants me. I just know it.

Love,
Hannah El