Big Boi and The Love Below

Wanna know something? We have a record player. Wanna know how often it is used? Almost never. Wanna know why? Because I am crazy. True story. 

About 8 years ago, Nick and I purchased a record player. We spent time together at record shops building our collection and stored them in some sort of janky crate. This was fine until I turned crazy. I decided the crate looked bad with our other, now grown up, furniture and made a purchase of a box type thingy from ikea. Nick decided it was too flimsy and would damage the records. He then purchased a piece of furniture from his cousin that I immediately rejected. Crazy. Nick moved the piece of furniture to the basement, along with all of the records. The record player is in the dining room. See how this makes no sense? Nick and I really enjoy music and, in the past, buying records together. Nick certainly has a stronger connection to the records and it seems pretty mean to make him hide his love away in the nasty basement. Luckily, my BFF Sue is helping to calm the crazy so I decided to figure out how to fix this record problem. I researched on the googles what other record lovers use to store records. Many wrote about a shelf from ikea. I bundled Isabelle, we grabbed up one of those shelves, built it and arranged the records. A Christmas miracle for my number one:

It's placed conveniently in the dining room with tons of room to grow our collection. Shoot, you can buy more of the same shelf. Line em up. Stack em high. It's pretty much awesome. We have some great records- Dr. Dre, The Black Keys, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Marvin Gaye, MJ, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, etc- and we have been listening to them like crazy.  I walked into the living room yesterday afternoon to find Henry and Nick playing tecmo bowl while listening to led zeppelin on record. I spent that same morning wrapping presents to Outkast, The Love Below:

  

Nick had taken the kids to church and to make advent wreaths while I stayed home to nurse my cold and get some christmasing done. On the record, Big Boi has a song about church- "sometimes life can keep you down, with your face all in the dirt. Now if you feel that left behind, need to get up and go to church." I started to think about church. I have pretty positive memories of the church I went to before my parents divorce. It was old, smelled like a church, had Sunday school, and I met Jessie Jackson one Sunday. Once my parents split I was moved into the catholic religion by way of my father's second marriage. I was baptized, had first communion and was confirmed all in the same day. At age 14. It was totally strange, and I was already strange and teenagery enough. I knew then that the church wasn't for me and I just kind of sailed through my required Sunday morning visits. I learned very little except that I did not love it. Naturally, I married a man with a religion major and a fairly strong connection to faith. It didn't really become something we discussed until our little friends were born. We thought maybe we should look into joining a church. A catholic church was not a choice for me so we started with a non-denominational church. The pastor was seriously the bomb and we thought we were settled there. However, it was not a fit long term as their values did not align with ours. It was not okay with me to join a church where some are excluded and I certainly did not want my children receiving that message. So, we left and tried Unitarian. It was a fit belief wise, but Nick needed a bit more of a traditional church feel. So, we left. 

It's hard to find a church. Driving down Saint Clair avenue one morning we saw a church with a sign that read, "all of god's children welcome here." On the sign was a dove and a rainbow. A promising sign. It's called Pilgrim Lutheran Church and it is the church we decided to join. The kids really love church, which I find odd based on my own childhood experiences. They look forward to service and Sunday school. They have friends. We've met some too. It is refreshing to be part of a community and we have made a genuine effort to attend. The way the kids believe so eagerly is helping me. Isabelle and Henry's enthusiasm and innocence is teaching me how to forgive and how to move on with life in a way that includes some type of god. There is comfort in that as well as a lot of work. But, it is worth it because I know, just like on the record, that when life seems to leave me behind I need to get up and go to church. Sometimes I don't even listen to the service, I just sit with my family and enjoy an hour of peace. I think that's what faith is- my family. And maybe records.

--maggie