March 29th

(transcribed)

It is almost two in the afternoon...Today I painted two small landscapes...on my backpack (view of Natural Bridges where God had saved me from drowning a few years ago...so good to be here and again and be thankful.

We could tell that it might rain today so we left the beach...

Thank you God for last night. It was special staying at a beach where you saved me from drowning.

food (camp food) Garbonzo Bean Stew with seaweed, mushroom (shitake) and assorted veggies

and /I am so proud/ corn dumplings stuffed with pepper jack cheese

It is important to have a good simple hot meal at the end of the day

Sitting here @Borders...

LOOKING through the Santa Cruz weeklies

trying to find events and so on. I am sad that Ellen left us. The first three days of anything are the hardest.

Again...yes

Yesterday was a blessing. I had prayed for ice tea and got to drink it twice. Amazing how being tired and out of one's everyday domain makes the simple pleasures (that often bore me) so fantastic. Comfort here is such that I could take a nap (haven't slept all that great these past few days).

Lots of things to think about.

Like each of us on the team have different gifts

Gotta jam...need to find a place before dark

Love you all...thank you for your prayers

xoxoxoxox Susanne

California Central Bay: Log 1But i am so

O3/28/2010 Transcribed from Travel Journal

Beautiful

Mustard Greens

Yellow and Bright

We are in a field of them...we see them, smell them and had some for dinner. Salinas River Wildlife Refuge

Yesterday I thought about burdens...

About how the pack is too heavy for me and then I realized I had packed it. Nobody had packed it for me.

As I reflect on this trip...this walking, getting closer to God and developing as both an artist and as a Christian I am tempted to over anaylize. I want this to be so significant but maybe I need to learn how to just be. All day long I am walking and seeing in the things that I see metaphors for life...and in my mind I try to articulate these things so that they will bless and help other people. But you know what in all this, I am a spectator of my own life instead of being in the moment.

I think of yesterday at the ocean with Ellen...It felt like God was playing with us in the water...The waves came from all directions...each step (and you cannot see the bottom) is different...high water

low water and...that too feels like a metaphor.

God is like the ocean

or...

rather the ocean is like God

Because he made the ocean.

A challenge for sure (both God and the ocean)

but also a joy

deep

shallow

deep

splashing

This morning I washed dishes with God.

It was joyful

(as if)

God was saying

"What do you need a faucet for?

I'll rinse for you"

And so God rinsed the dishes for me.

Thank you Jesus

Had a nice conversation with a man here...

He seemed excited about what we are doing...

He said:

"You'll be fine. What you are doing now you'll (remember? appreciate?)

more than any dumb job.

Feels like maybe...

a lot of people do things for work that they feel alienated from

...that strikes me as being a form of prostitution.

I want a job that I believe in...

Here I am laying down on the cement writing. It is the front of a coffee shop that just closed.

Sun feels good

&

I know that when the sun goes down

again...it will

not be warm anymore.

basic

simple

feels like being connected to the body again.

Jesus....

Thank you for my parents

thank you for their

support and love.

I really want to make them proud.

I have been exclaiming some form of

"LOOK it's BEAUTIFUL"

all day long

&I hope that my comrades are not overtaxed

It has been hard carrying a lot of weight. My feet hurt but I am glad that I am out here doing this.

Open my heart

Jesus so that I can hear you.

I love you.

UNTITLED POem

The other night

I was trying to finish

an application

that I had been working on all day long...

Was:

tired

screen weary

and sick

of being indoors

Then the phone rings

it is a man taking a poll

We accidentally disconnect

I decide (with some thought)

that I'd just as soon not

phone rings

the second call (I ignore)

phone rings

the third call (machine eats)

phone RINGS RINGS RINGS

i amsopissed

"YOUCAN"TDOTHISTOPEOPLE"

and then

the next day

i think

man

maybe hates his job

maybe took it

onlybecause there was n o t h ing else

and then i am sorry as i imagine

his hurt feelings

and his wounded manhood

wounded further by me