Teen Profile: Naomi

Buongiorno, hello, my name is Naomi. I'm not very good at writing letters and stuff about myself, I always think of what I should have said after I submit my writing. So bear with me. I live near a pretty cool city called Cleveland. It's a lot of fun, has an awesome independent theater, beautiful parks and museums, and frikin awesome pizzerias. I am passionate about films, watching them, not being in them. Music can easily change my mood, from one extreme to the other. Umm....weird, different, and odd anythings are what I prefer. Conformity is a waste. Going to retreats opens my mind about the world every time I go. Spending time in nature and with my bestiest best friend make me super-D duper happy. My bestiest best friend and I job hunt all the time, we've filled out many applications and done many odd jobs, but never have time to splurge at concerts....the biggest dream I have is to spend a week or more in every country in the world and learn whole or part of the languages in the process. Second to that dream is to go to Lollapoloza when MGMT and Green Day are on tour which would be this summer btw, but it is way too expensive at the moment.

Both of these paintings were done when I was in 8th grade (2007-2008) and both done in watercolor.

This painting with a cigarette in it was basically my inspirations and feelings of that school year (which was the best year ever besides kindergarten). The floral makeup and pop art represented my feelings of confidence and peace.

The girl in the melting kimono is my favorite painting that I had ever done, I have written this sentence 5 times and cannot find a good way to describe it any better than the fact that it's simple, eerie, and has the 3 best colors in it: grey, purple, and blue.

In that art class I sat with 3 really artsy kids and one who was not at all. One of the artsy kids was depressed most of the time, the other one was a bubbly shy girl who loved the color pink, and the last chick was a mixture of the two. Those girls and my crazy art teacher, made that year the best year I've ever had in art. Why are all art teachers crazy by the way?

Convention Registration

This Friday, May 14, your Convention registration is due. If you would like to go to Convention, please contact me asap so I can help you.

Kitchener Teen Retreat

You may think that a retreat with only 4 teens might be a disappointment. You would be wrong. What the group lacked in numbers it made up for in spirit, enthusiasm and deep connectedness.

Four boys, Cameron, Malcolm, Joshua and Joseph, met at 9 am on Saturday morning at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Kitchener, Ontario. Last year, 30 teens assembled at this same retreat, so one of the first things that we did was talk about the good things about a small gathering. With a small group, you can often be more flexible, have deeper, more meaningful discussions, go on different (more costly) outings and establish closer relationships. Rev. Alison, Rev. John, Steve and I were the leaders and our theme was "Wild or Tame: Finding Yourself in the Animal Kingdom". In the morning, Rev. Alison led us on a meditation to find our animal guide(s). During the guided meditation, Rev. Alison played soothing music and purified us with a sweetgrass smudge. Burning this most sacred herb brings in positive energy and helps to create the peaceful environment to allow your spirit animal to appear. Three of the teens visioned animals, Josh an eagle, Malcolm a turtle, and Joseph a wolf. Cameron did not vision an animal, so he was called, the seeker. Alison shared many resources with us and encouraged us to find personal meaning or message from our spirit animal by looking through Native American and Celtic druid books.

The four boys gathered with Rev. John in the afternoon to take an in depth look at Psalm 23. John explained how there are 150 Psalms in the Bible and that Psalm 23, one of the most beloved, is about God being our shepherd, or guide. The teens then were given freedom to create their own poem or song relating the strength of the Lord as reflected in animal guides. The boys wrote a wonderful poem that they titled "Psalm 151"

Psalm 151
By Cameron, Malcolm, Joshua and Joseph

I am a seeker who cannot find a guide.
I am slow and very knowledgeable like the earth.
I am a spiritual light to whom all people come.
I inspire energy, healing and aid.
I am a guardian of rituals, loyalty, and spirit.
I am a Seeker, I am a Turtle,
I am an Eagle, and I am a Wolf.
We are your guides.

Later in the afternoon, we were joined by Tanya, a modern dance and martial arts leader. Tanya taught us how to "score" a performance and then helped the teens create an original modern movement of the Psalm 151 poem. She provided encouragement and advise on how to bring the poem to life. Then she added music to play in the background during the movement and reading. After a couple of rehearsals in the sanctuary, the teens felt ready to share their creation with the congregation at the Sunday worship service.

In the evening, we were treated to a showing of "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D. Then we went over to the Groleau's home where we joined with their boys (Rochelle is away) to enjoy their trampoline, fire pit and marshmallows, snacks and video games (plus lots and lots of yummy coffee for me!). We returned to the church around midnight with just enough time to play a little Sims 3 before bed.

Sunday morning, we gathered for a quick breakfast, cleaned up and prepared for worship. During the worship service, Josh played the keyboard during the Offertory. Then the four boys, Cameron, Malcolm, Joshua and Joseph performed Psalm 151 to close the worship service. I enjoyed the seeking of Cameron, the slow, deliberate turtle plodding of Malcolm, the wolf roaming of Joseph, and loved watching Josh fly like an eagle (I caught a video of it during rehearsal to share with you). I left the retreat feeling enlivened and free. It was an enlightening experience for me and I truly feel blessed to spend some time getting to know each of these teens better. Their talent and spirit inspires me and I look forward to visiting with them again soon.