DEEP WATERS

Okay, so let me start by saying that I'm not the first to pick this bone. The buzz has already started. Apparently others have written about this. Even MSNBC has shared some  unfavorable sentiments about it. But it makes a lot of sense. Usually when you're fighting mad about something, someone else is too. And it feels good to know I'm not alone. But this past Friday night when I sat in a dark, crowded movie theater watching the hit Disney movie "The Avengers" with my husband, I felt all alone during one particular line. Here's the backdrop: Thor, a demigod and member of the Avengers, has an evil brother Loki, also the villain of the film. While discussing Loki's wickedness, Thor begins to defend his brother. His spiel sounds a lot like, Well he's not all that bad . Then fellow Avenger Black Widow makes the huge observation, "He killed 80 people in 2 days." Thor replies with, "He's adopted." Now, let me begin ...

I've been reading a book lately that's absolutely breaking my heart. This book tells the story of Maria who walks the streets of a slum in Uganda to beg for food every day. It's the story of Rose and Brenda, orphans that were abandoned and left to grow up in an orphanage. It's the story of David and Bashir who were abducted, sold as slaves and forced to kill as child soldiers. And it's the story of a petite, Caucasian twenty-something young woman who left her home in wealthy  Brentwood, Tennessee to live in Uganda, East Africa to serve the poor, forsaken children there. (By the way,  I lived in the neighboring town to Brentwood for almost a decade and had the privilege of meeting Katie on a few occasions.) This young woman is relentless in her love and passion for these forgotten children. She is relentless in her pursuit to live out the Gospel of Christ. Katie's  words are enlightening. "Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the gre...

The Hendricks Clan "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  Did you grow up hearing that adage? I don't think I reached age ten before I realized how false that saying is. The scars of sticks and stones heal with time. The scars of hurtful words? Many of us will take our share of those scars to our graves. If you have adopted, you've heard your share of ill-timed/insensitive questions and comments. Many will come from the lips of perfect strangers. This can be annoying, but in the end, feels rather harmless. Yet sometimes the offenses come from the people closest to us -- parents, grandparents, siblings, long-time friends. Some of those words have left scars on your soul. And maybe on the souls of your child. This post is not only for those of us that have adopted. This post is for our family members, our close friends, our fellow church and community members. This post is for our loved ones who may be very happy for us, b...

I've got a bone to pick. I'm sick and tired of something, and I can't think of a better place to vent but here in Deep Waters . Now let me just say, I'm a fan of print media, especially magazines. Just today I was doing my thing on the elliptical machine fully absorbed in a recent copy of Ebony . So absorbed that a dude I see in the gym all the time said, "Wow, you were in a zone." Of course I was. I was getting my read on. But I digress. So, about that bone I've got to pick. I'm getting so tired of popular women's magazines and their covers. And not just the photo-shopped images of perfection. I'm tired of the headlines. Here's a few I've seen recently: A testimonial from a star I'll leave unnamed: "How I Lost 30 Pounds and Got My Confidence Back!" "Feel Great Naked: 9 Foods that Burn Fat While You Eat"  "131 Little Ways to Your Best Body" And this little beaut from a billboard on an...

“Can we all get along?” Five words. Spoken by an assaulted man. Repeated countless times since that day twenty years ago. Last week marked the twentieth anniversary of the Los Angeles riots incited by citizens furious over the acquittal of four L.A. police officers that had brutally beaten L.A. resident Rodney King . Rodney King happened to be African American. The officers happened to be Caucasian. And while Rodney King was no saint (he was a 25-year-old convicted robber on parole at the time), his speeding violation and intoxication didn’t warrant the inhumane beating he received at the hands of the men commissioned to “protect and serve.” And when those overzealous officers received an acquittal, the city of L.A. turned upside down. The upheaval from those riots led to more than 50 deaths and $1 billion in property damage. After three days of riots, King emerged from seclusion to speak those infamous five words, “People I just want to say, can we a...

My last two weeks have been full of household appliance repairs, a car in need of repairs, ministry strains, etc, etc. On top of that, I've experienced disappointment in my writing career. But that's a story for another blog... So this past Sunday, after a quick nap, I did what any fed-up-with-real-life woman would do. I went to the movies. And not any old movie. A comedy. I chose to see "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" , based on the book by comedian-turned-actor-turned-radio host-turned-bestselling author Steve Harvey . Let me first say, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed the humor, the fresh take on relationships, and the  all-star cast of upperly-mobile African American folks. So today, I thought I'd take a look at the movie -- what I'd take away and what I'd leave. Take Aways First of all, the movie was terribly funny. Despite the profanity (I've gotten pretty sensitive to profanity in my older age), I found myself lau...

This week we've experienced the ending of two careers. Icon Dick Clark , considered an ambassador of American pop culture, died this past Wednesday from a heart attack. And Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt announced  her retirement from her 38-year coaching career at the University of Tennessee, due to her diagnosis of early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type eight months ago. During her career, Summitt led her Lady Vols to 1,098 wins, more than any other coach in NCAA history -- in men's and women's basketball. This year, President Obama will honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. What can we learn from Pat Summitt's amazing career? Do Not Despise the Day of Small Beginnings Women's basketball has come a long way since Pat began coaching. During her first year, she earned a meager $250 a month. The program offered her few resources, but she worked well with very little. In fact, her first team w...