Visual of Joel

My Painting on Joel done Sept 23. Joel 2:30-31 "The Day of the Lord"

Love's Minimum Wage

         Sitting back feeling anxious yet at peace he sits back in his seat, not in first class but in coach for the very first time in his life. He finds it very displeasing, the cramped seats, the lack of food, and the congestion. Second guessing himself and mentally preparing for take off he sits and ponders on this life changing challenge he has volunteered to do. Watching the stewardess slowing walking down the aisle taking orders from each person he notices the smile upon the stewardess face. He asks himself, “does minimum wage equal happiness? Normalcy? Is this what I want in life”? As he continues to ask himself questions about the so called “normal life” he slowly closes his eyes and retraces back to the decision he made 1 month ago. He was at a coffee shop with his best friend Aaron. He said, “Aaron do you ever feel like this life, that we are living is pointless? I mean do you feel complete? Because I sure don’t”. He remembered the look on Aaron’s face. It was a puzzling look. Aaron replied, “Man we are living the good life, we’re rich, handsome I mean what more do you want? It’s all about…” but before Aaron could finish he cuts him off “see right there, that’s what I’m talking about, I don’t want that. I want to find out who I truly can be and find someone for me instead of what I got. So I’m going to go, I’m going to live a minimum life, work a minimum wage job for a year.”! Aaron mouth dropped to the floor he couldn’t understand but he supported him and from that point he knew that there was more to life than just money.

       “Ding” the sound from over head and fasten your seat belt light interrupted his thought. Before he knew it the plane began to descend and he found himself passing through the international gate, baggage clam, and continuing out the airport. Sticking out like a sore thumb among the Dubai people. He was a tall 30 year old bachelor, your traditional all American man. He was rugged. His eyes showed curiosity and he had hair that you wanted to run your fingers through. He looked and soaked in all that laid before his eyes the city was breath taking. There were sky scrapers and the women wearing dresses in bright radiant colors. As he began to observe his surrounds more he realized he had went to one of the riches countries in the world. He had known before hand but he didn’t truly imagine Dubai to quit like this. He thought “what am I doing here? This is truly going to be a challenge, I have placed myself right back in my old ways”. He quickly realized that this was exactly what he needed to truly push himself into growing. As he hales for a cab, he takes a deep breath and under his breath whispers “welcome to your new home for the next year”.

          He finally reaches his new fully furnished apartment that he had pre rented before leaving home. He then begins to settle in. Later on that day he attends his job ordination, where he receives a uniform ,along with instructions and fills out paper work, life as he knew it was about to change.  It is now his first day of work as a concierge at a very high ends Hotel in Dubai called Deira Hotel. Before stepping behind the counter he pins the name Josh, a bright shinny gold name tag on his upper left side of his chest. Josh’s boss stands along side of him and utters some encouraging words. “Don’t worry! If you don’t get everything right, if there is anything you don’t understand or have questions about just come and ask. I’ll be more than welcome to assist you”. Josh took a deep sigh of relief to let out the nerves he was feeling.” Thank you sir”. Josh was acting like he had never worked a day in his life. Well, in a way he pretty much hadn’t. He came from old money. The only thing that Josh could ever remember that came close to him actually working was when he had helped his father with some office work but that only lasted for about a month. Josh’s first day of work was going rather well. He seemed though to be struggling with the task of being at the front desk and some encounters with rude customers. He couldn’t understand why he was being treated as such. Quickly, being reminded that he was no longer going to be respected by others based of his wealth, his pervious status. Also he is quickly reminded the he is in a new country with new ways of doing things. Just by observing the people in the lobby and the few customers he has already encountered. Josh got through the major challenges that he was mostly going to face through out the day. Josh knew it wasn’t going to be a day like any other. There was just something about it. “was it the new life style, the people, what was it”? In three hour from him clocking in, he notices this gorgeous woman as she sparked walking into the wide open, marble floor lobby, struggling to carry with her 5 pieces of luggage. She looked about in her late 20. She was clothed in bright colors and sequences and covered in jewelry: chandler earrings, rainbow colored bracelets on both wrists, along with a nose piercing.  She had long silky black hair and tan smooth skin that looked perfectly kissed by the sun. As Josh ran from behind the counter to assist the breath taking woman with her bags, all Josh could do is stare into her perfectly almond shaped eyes and her full lips. “Let me get that for you”! Says Josh. The woman places one of her bags she is holding on the floor and extends out her right hand. “Oh thank you so much! I’m Karishma by the way”. Just gazing at her beauty he almost forgets to say his name. “I’m Josh” he replied. Karishma was from India and came from wealth herself that was very clear to see through her appearance and tons of luggages she carried. She inherited her father’s millions when he had died. He died when she was 12 from a sickness that wasn’t looked after properly.  Despite her wealth she is very sweet and loving. Yet she is hard to read at times. Karishma keeps up this wall against many people and doesn’t let too many people into her world. Karishma fears that men will only purse her because of her riches. She wishes her father was still alive to continue to teach her what to look for when it comes to finding a soul mate. However, there was something about Josh… thoughts began to race her mind. “ what was it? Was it he’s foreign good looks? Or the curiosity that filled his eyes”? She wasn’t sure but something about him struck her interest. Karishma was visiting Dubai for quite some time. she was excited to spend her time in Dubai.

       Time was passing but for them it was standing still. They began to show interest in one another and began to date. But as time moved on Josh feared to tell her, the most important thing that once shaped him. He was afraid to reveal this to her, because over the time they spent together he had learned about her feeling toward men that had money or men that only wanted money. And the stresses of life were starting to hit him hard. Keeping a secret from Karishma and the struggles of living minimum wage eat at him every day. So many times he just wants to revert back to his old way of living not having to worry about the struggles he faces. He finds it such a challenge trying to juggle both worlds stretching his pay checks and keeping Karishma happy knowing that he just your average joe.

          As the secret is eating at him he decides to take Karishma out on a date to reveal to her his secret. The waiter sits them down at the table. As josh is unable to even enjoy a night out he tell her, “I need to inform you about information of myself I have been holding from you.” She says, “Let’s wait till after we eat”. But he can’t finish this night. As he tells her this long awaited confession he see the pain fill up in her eyes her smile turn into hurt she doesn’t say anything she just slowly gets up form the table walks away a crack fill his heart to realize he has lost her. In the distance he sees her stop in mid tracks she turns around and smiles. And lips “I already knew” and continues walking.

Cemetery Field Trip

I went to the Tiger Flower Cemetery Complex for this Field trip; Intro to Lit. and i stayed for at least 30 min to be honest i had a really had time with this trip, i felt really uncomfortable and a little creeped out. i have only been to a cemetery once before this time to visit my Uncle. i though i would be fine on this trip but it was not as easy as i thought. I do get what we where doing and where it was heading because of the book but i still not to satisfied with this trip.

A Grief Observed

It seems as a society we as people need to go through tragic trials in our lives to be shaken or moved out of our current states. And death is definitely one to either make or break a person. I personally have not experienced a close family member to pass away, well I mean I have but I was so young and it didn’t affect me the way I though death should affect someone..  well now after writing this statement, how should one take death? Yet why is there a common emotion to have but at the same time we all have very different emotions and experience death  all in our own way. Despite that fact that its the same situation; we lose a love one. Its not that I was too young and didn’t remember my Uncle because I remember him in my life very well. but when my mom’s brother passed away suddenly at a very early age. I can even remember the pain my mother went through, it seemed like a year she grieved . To experience a pain like that, you can’t help but go with the flow of your life being rearranged in a way that can bloom open new seasons for you or keep you in the dark. For class we read the book A Grief Observed by C.S.Lewis; His journal, reflection, his grievances and feeling toward God about his wife’s death. Its easy to put the hurt that we are feeling on someone and most of the time its God, but I believe everything happens for a reason and God maps out our lives and things that we don’t understand or cant see why they are happening God knows. God used my Uncle’s death to bring people to him when he took his last breath. I would go into detail about what happened but even though I was young and then it didn’t affect me but now it still does. But I know through anything God can make it good.

Going into Deeper Thought

I really enjoyed class on Tuesday! I mean not only were we not in a class setting but we got to EAT a whole meal during class. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G :) Ever since I been in this class I’m really starting to like and slowly understanding Literature. I been able to observe and unwrap all the different areas of what literature really is and how it’s around us daily and its only been a few weeks of school. Last class meaning was great not only did I learn a little more about the different types of literature that my peers shared but I also got to meet new people and learn about them through literature… by the way they think or even feelings toward literature. I defiantly shared common feelings with them. Also I was able to gain new knowledge or look at sustain pieces of literature differently then I had seen it before. They brought new insight and perspective.


The literature that I brought to class was lyrics titled Lighthouse by Hope and my group came to soo many conclusions on what we think the song means. Was sure if she was talking about God or her inner self. But in the end one of my peers made a great statement reminding us that not all literature was meant to have a direct meaning. So we came to the conclusion that the song would fit with that person the way they needed it to fit to their lives.. I mean we bring everything back to us to compare with because we use what we experience to help direct our answer or not even answers but.. ummm yeah..you know.. I hope just cant quite find the words for that.. but it was kind of left general so that who ever read it would read it differently and so if they were having a rough time with their boyfriend they might see it as more of a love song but if they are struggling with their walk with God they might see the song differently than the lovers. So its left open for you to make the choice of what literature means to you.
  sorry if this blog didn't really flow.

Don't Let The Beat Fool You!

In class we heard this folk song about a week or so ago. I thought it was a joke and defiantly not a style that I like listening to but once we got the lyrics and begain to sing along, ( thanks boys for entertaning me with the echo of the end of just about every line) :) dissect, an analyze, the song I begain to get the deeper meaning of what we are singing. Like I notice she blow his head off and goes to the funeral but yet no where does it talk about her going to jail or getting in trouble, and it says there is no moral so….. its like its saying there is no good in men and its like every one expects it.. he had it coming.


So may times we listen to music dancing in our seats, nodding our heads and loving the sick beat. and AMAZINGLY… JUST after listing to it once or twice we already know the words and singing along with it. But not really knowing what we are self consciously sing. WHY? Is it so easy for us to memorize the thing that are not so good for us but we can't memorize our school work with such ease. But going back to the actual text it was about a couple and Johnny cheated and Frankie killed him. Just like the music today it talks about all the negative things that happens in the world but we really can’t hear it cause we are deaf to the rhythm and beats of the songs we listen to.

We also went over a skit "Sure Thing" and this skit I enjoyed at first I was not to sure and though it was a little interesting just like the song haha but as we kept reading I be gain to understand that the seen was changing and showing you new ways on which it could be acted out ,every time the bell rang. Don’t you wish you had a bell in life you could ring, every time you wanted to change your seen.. redo that moment or saying. If Life could be that simple… maybe there would be less drama in the world. I’m sure that Johnny if he could, would wish to ring his bell and had never cheated on Frankie.. but clearly he had no bell to ring because Frankie pulled out her old forty four.

Marital Bliss

LOVE … What is it? It’s a word that is thrown around carelessly, we have soo many ways and people telling us what love is. We get it from poems, movies, songs, romantic novels, I mean the list goes on. But really what is love? Think about what does it mean to you? To me love is strong , unconditional, sacrificial, selfless, and in my world everlasting. But true love is patience, it is kind, it never falis,  it is true, its the one thing that will always change you.


I read a narrative story, “What We talk about When We talk about love” it’s a story about 4 characters who have there own thoughts, views, and experiences on what love is. From physical abuse being love, to Marital Bliss..” still in the Honeymoon stage” all over a bottle of gin.

So when the honey moon is over – these test comes and u have no choice but to get real. The tests come in all forms. Getting real requires self searching and opening up like u never have before- but un like the characters they drink and put on a front about their year and half marriage.

We spend alot of time in fairyland and it starts at an early age- and even in adult hood we play out our ideas of what the fairy tale should be and we are disappointed when things go off script! The transition from La La Land to reality challenges you to really love your mate and to really give to your relationship. I believe that God created love and marriage to teach us hard lessons and also to give  us a joy like nothing else. Love is great and marriage is beautiful but why don't the fairy tales talk about the trying times that will inevitably come? why dont they teach us how to listen well? forgive completely? and sacrifice endlessly?