So, a few updates.
Initially, this was going to be the main focus of my entry, but I figure I should give y'all something more than just my rants. Anyway, there's this one social issue that I just can't seem to get past, and has, for some reason, been a huge source of frustration for me. As most of you know, I am a vegetarian, and have been for about 2 1/2 years now. I thought doing JVC would be an environment that accepted and supported the choice that I have made. However, I have been met with the complete opposite. Especially in my house, I am made to feel badly and "picky" for being a vegetarian. I feel as though I am a burden, even though there are two other members of my house who are vegetarians. With coworkers and people in the community, I'm met with less animosity, but more confusion. "Oh, you're a vegetarian...?" I never really felt strange or such a burden being a vegetarian until I came here. And I get especially frustrated because no one asks me WHY I chose to be a vegetarian. Everyone looks at me like I'm a vegetarian because I don't like meat. You don't think I would love to have bacon in the morning? You don't think I miss having chicken in my salad? You don't think I'd like to have more than 3 choices on a menu when I go out? Well, I would like all those things. However, for me, being a vegetarian is not about giving up meat... it's a social issue. It's about feeling uncomfortable NOT knowing where my meat comes from, or what they put into it to make it look/taste the way it does. It's about the statistics that say that meat production factories are responsible for almost half of air pollution. It's about the horrific way both animals and farmers are treated. I just don't understand why my belief is not being respected. Or, at least that's the way I feel. I know it's up to me to defend my beliefs and, besides, a responsibility that I think comes with being a vegetarian is creating awareness. I know that me not eating meat is not making a whole lot of change with the meat industry, so I think it's important to couple my vegetarianism with being proactive. But that's something I really need to be better at.
Anyway, enough of that. I have been working a whole lot, which has been great... until I got a stomach virus. It was only a matter of time until all those germs got to me, I suppose! But it hit me last Saturday, and I'm just now getting back to normal. I'll spare you all the gross details, but I am so grateful to be feeling good enough to eat normal food and to be able to drink coffee again!
As far as Youth Group goes, conflicting schedules have made it hard to schedule/plan, so it's been on hold for the past two weeks. But finally I had a normal night of Youth Group last night. Our meeting revolved around gratefulness, obviously. Only one girl came, which was initially frustrating because I had so many cool things (well, I thought they were cool...) planned. But she was wonderful, and we talked about gratefulness, but also about some things going on her life that she's worried about. We wrote thank-you cards to people in our lives that we're grateful for, and we also talked about being grateful for the struggles, challenges, and limitations present in our lives, and the good things that ultimately come from them.
One more big update is that... ::drum roll please:: I'M COMING HOME FOR THANKSGIVING! I really can't express how excited I am. This break is coming at an absolutely perfect time, actually. I just feel myself needing a little break from, well, everything. Not that anything is bad or unbearable... actually quite the opposite. I love my job so much that I sometimes work too much, and I am working hard on intentionality so I make sure I am as present as I can be with my community. But after 3 months, I feel myself just needing some self-time, and some time with my family. And even more exciting, I get to visit San Diego, too! Very, very briefly, but still. I'm going to fly out of SD back to San Antonio, so I'll be there on the Monday after Thanksgiving, just for a few hours. Can't wait to be back home and in a place of so much comfort. And I really can't wait to share my life with everyone back home and really be able to invite everyone into my experience more. It's going to be amazing, and much needed.
Anywho, that's all for now.
Hope you're all doing well and I'd love to hear updates on your lives and what you're doing!
Thank you again for your constant support, prayers, and love.
I wouldn't be here without y'all.
Peace and love,
Kels
