Sneak Peek!

We are so excited to give you this picture as a sneak peek for what we will have in store for you next Thursday! This may not look like much, but it is going to turn into something exceedingly good!

Stay tuned!

tales of grace: in feast or {in this case} famine

Oh, geez, the banana and handful of raw almonds I ate for breakfast was long gone.  The growls bellowing from my stomach were so loud, I was pretty sure the hoopty to my right could hear it over my blaring Patty Griffin album. Luckily, however, I was less than a mile from work and the first thing on my agenda for the morning was a staff meeting. Memories of past A + P staff meetings from my intern days me so strongly, I could almost taste the buttery, flaky layers of those to-die-for croissants. Recollections of flirting with the coffee cart guy kept me occupies until I finally found an empty parking spot.

I wandered down the hall toward the room Mrs. Peoples had gestured towards when telling me about the staff meeting last week.  I couldn’t help but notice how quiet things were. It was two minutes until the meeting was supposed to start and there was no hustle and bustle. No clanking coffee cups.  No tittering of office gossip.  Nothing, nothing but the hum of fluorescent lighting.  Glancing in the door, I saw a handful of people, five at most, sitting around a table that could comfortably seat fifteen.  There were, only seven chairs.  There were no projectors or computers for video announcements.  There wasn’t a croissant in sight. Maybe the time got changed?  Maybe the meeting got cancelled?  As if sent from heaven to answer my questions, Charity appeared from around the corner.  “Hey girl, you ready for the meeting?” she asked with a kind smile on her face.
 

Charity and I sat in the last two rolling chairs and, before I could inquire about the missing breakfasts treats, her cell phone rang. Because there were no more empty chairs, each staff person entering the room was physically dragging in four-legged chairs along with them.  Internally grateful that I had chosen a rolly chair closest to the only window in the room, I scooted my seat closer to the wall to give people room.  Before Charity could finish her phone call there were about thirty people in the room.  The availability of personal space was dropping just as rapidly as my blood sugar.

A woman I didn’t know from Adam entered the room with a commanding, yet welcoming, presence. After being on the receiving end of the puzzled look on my face, Charity mouthed “CEO.” The woman thanked us for our attendance and explained that she was going to begin our meeting by reading an excerpt from a letter she received in the mail from a former client of Non-Profit’s:

“From the moment I crossed the threshold at Non-Profit, I felt like a worthwhile and valuable human being, a feeling that I have rarely been afforded in the past. In the months I spent coming to Non-Profit, I learned that the traumatic events of my past, while they shaped the person I am today, no longer define me. Each time I look into the eyes of my son, I am reminded that this moment would not be possible without the care, compassion, and counseling that I received at your agency. I am eternally grateful.”

The woman swiftly laid the letter off to the side and began discussing the agenda for the remaining time, but I couldn’t even begin to discern the words spilling out of her mouth.  Tears were already welling up and the pains of hunger so dominant moments before were quickly swallowed up by a sense of pride in the work being done at Non-Profit.

Yes, Chloe is right.  I could make more money at Corporation. I could eat fancy lunches and wear pencil skirts.  My ego could be stroked by the mobile office barista. But lives are changed every day at Non-Profit and, today, I think it was mine.

Play Ball!

We can't believe that summer is winding down!

Some of us {cough, cough...Allison} are super excited about the crisp breezes and colored leaves of fall being in the near future. Others of us {ahem, Sarah} aren't quite ready to loosen the grasp on the summer heat and carefree spirit. But, alas, regardless of what we want summer will end soon, so we decided we wanted to partake in one of the quintessential parts of summer before it slipped away... baseball! 

Check out our video from our fun night at Greer Stadium cheering on the Nashville Sounds!

sir {william} shakes a lot

The humid evenings and back to school sales of August not only usher in excessive amounts of mosquito repellent and new backpacks, but the sights and sounds of a Nashville tradition: The Nashville Shakespeare Festival!

With compelling performances of Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew in their archive vault, the cast and crew proudly present Much Ado About Nothing as their 25th annual festival production. Sarah and I went to see it on it's opening night, August 16, 2012, and were quickly captivated by the wit and flash of the performance. The onstage band added dimension and foundation to the talented artists singing, dancing, and shining across the stage. And we're not the only one's who enjoyed it, check out the Nashville Scene's review!

What you may not know is that this summer, while the NSF is celebrating it's 25th anniversary, the original Shakespeare in the Park is rejoicing in 50 years of providing the landmark works of William Shakespeare to the masses. The Delacorte Theatre in Central Park in New York City has provided house and home to many celebrities as they have recited the works to so many memorable works. CBS This Morning recently featured the Delacorte and the story of this milestone, check it out! 

I {allison} have been attending NSF shows at Nashville's Centennial Park for several years now and look forward to carrying on that tradition for many years to come {including an encore performance with my sister in a few weeks}! It's an exceedingly good way to support the arts, local organizations, and summer fun!

love take me far away

During any given moment in Nashville, TN, you can find a plethora of talented musicians covering classic hits and singing originals.  Last Wednesday evening at Douglas Corner Café , one local favorite, Emily Shackelton-James, shared some new gems.  Hailing from a small town in northern Minnesota, she has made quite a name for herself during her five years in Nashville.  Most recently, you might have caught one of her songs on the promos for ABC’s new fall show, Nashville.  A writer for Liz Rose Music, Emily is also a dear friend of the lunchbox buddies.  We know her music is exceedingly good (check it out for yourself below!), but we choose to highlight her for this, as well as all her many other exceedingly good qualities.

Including, but not limited to:

*her mad gardening skills

*girlfriend can fishtail braid

*she is a freakishly coordinated zumba participant and overall gnarly dancer

*hospitable bonfire extraordinaire hostess

*amazing writer and

* possessor of an overall passionate heart

She and her husband, Caleb James, just returned from a mission trip serving with the Hands and Feet Project in Cyvadier, Haiti.  Join us in supporting her music and this worthwhile ministry.

Tales of Grace: Read Between the Text

rest in pops

Oh, the glories that could have been popsicles and peeps
at Percy Warner Park...

Unfortunately...

Sunday's rain check location was the hipster, casual hang out, Fido.  It was the perfect (dry) replacement locale for our pops in the park celebration, due to its proximity to Hot and Cold, for those still wanting some gourmet ice pops, and Dragon Park, aka Fannie Mae Dees Park.

It was an exceedingly good opportunity to reconnect with some familiar faces, as well as meet new ones.  Here's to squeezing in more summer get-togethers come rain or shine!

*      rest in popsis a copyrighted trademark of Jennifer "Ain't No Pun (If the Homies Can' Have None)" Clapp, 2012

** images in this post may or may not be slight or gross exaggerations of potentially real or actual real-life situations