Diva On A Mission - Thankful For Africa - by Kerri Pomarolli

I can't sleep...maybe it's the Prednisone I'm taking to clear up this sinus infection? Or maybe it's the fact that I just spent 10 days in Africa and came home reeling?

I've been home from Swaziland South Africa since Friday. It's now Wednesday 7:14am. I've been up since 4:00am. Every single solitary night since I've been home I wake up in the night and I can't stop the hamster wheel that is literally rolling round and round in my head. My thoughts are all over the place. I can't sleep to save my life. I've gone through bouts of pregnancy insomnia and this is fairly reminiscent. But this seems deeper in some ways.

It all seems like a dream  from some far off distant land that keeps haunting my "normal everyday crazy stress filled" life here on planet Kerri. The haunting of it isn't a bad thing either. I find myself thinking of my experiences and longing to be back there. I know it's a humanitarian effort, some might say, to do a short term mission trip like the one we just came back from. But the longing in my spirit to return is clearly for selfish reasons.

I think I was happier there. Is that crazy? How could that be? I can hear you now! Stop it! I love my daughter Lucy. I missed her with every fiber of my being when we were away from her. I have a loving husband and successful career. I love my life.

I love the fact that I get up at 6:00 am with both guns blazing to get two munchkin's fed, my husband and my daughter. I then might get the luxury of bathing alone for 10 minutes and try to have some "quiet time" with God in the shower and if I'm really lucky some time to reflect on my personal spiritual walk with Him. Wait, who am I kidding? That's how it's supposed to be.

Most mornings in the shower are filled with me trying to make notes on my arms with soap of my never ever ending to do list that consist of all the duties of a  stay at home mom, wife, daughter, confidant friend, dishwasher/housekeeper, "Elmo play master",  traveling standup comedian, ministry speaker, writer, actor super model wannabe and face book/email addict!

I saw these kinds of women on Oprah and swore I'd never become one. I was warned. I was counseled if I didn't stop this madness in the schedule I was keeping I would one day spontaneously combust. I've come close so many times but by the grace of God I'm somehow still standing. There is no other explanation.
Then in the midst of all my own life's craziness, my husband and I decided to commit to going to Swaziland Africa to spend 10 days helping orphans with Heart for Africa, a faith-based  organization dedicated to help the children of Africa.

Now, I'm a self proclaimed diva through and through. My life  song has always sounded something like "It's all about meeeeeeeeeeeee!" I was happy to send a check or do a fundraiser for any great cause as long as it didn't involve me doing manual labor! I'd do a "manicure mission any day!" But to make a long story short, when I heard about what was going on with the kids over there and saw pictures that were self explanatory, I didn't have a choice but to go. I didn't want to. I was scared out of my mind. Who wants to spend 16 hours on a plane and then 5 days on a bus to get hot and sweaty?  Well, some people but I'm not one of them.
My husband Ron is the kind of guy who's so relaxed about everything so he just kind of went with the flow. He was a great comfort on the trip over.

I could write volumes about our experiences there. We saw miracles of healing that you only could read about in books. We did things we never thought we'd do including me actually using contraption called a "rake" and Ron a "weed wacker!" That was comedy material right there.

I don't want this to be some rant about my day to day experiences. I'm writing this because I'm wondering about other people out there that are feeling the way I do right now? I just had this supposedly "life changing" experience and now I'm back in my "world" with my "old world problems" and I don't seem to be dealing with them any differently. Why is that? Why didn't Africa make all of my superficial issues and worries go away? Wasn't that what was supposed to happen?

When we were there we were engrossed in helping these truly amazing kids that were literally celebrating our very presence. I had the pleasure of delivering sandwiches to kids that hadn't eaten in 2 days. Can you even comprehend the joy they experienced from a simple sandwich? What about when I got to give each of them their very own blanket for warmth? These were just things that didn't have much meaning to me back home. But I got to see things we take for granted in a whole different light on this trip. My baby has an endless supply of blankets and these kids had almost none. They smiled and hugged me and were so polite and thanked me.  It was me that should be thanking them for showing me what true innocence and purity looks like. This family of children are basically raising themselves. They get up and get dressed for school and walk a long way every day. One of the boys is first in his class. They don't have a home to do homework in. They live in an abandoned garbage dump. But does that stop them from smiling and dreaming of a better tomorrow? No! They aren't quitters. They are literally living a day to day existence and savoring every moment. I heard that when they have extra food they don't horde  it or save it. They go over to their neighbors and share. It's like their faith is so pure that they know some way they will be provided for and they just don't have time to worry about it. I guess life is different when everyday is about your basic survival. You'd never know this though, by the looks on their faces. They showed me what joy looks like. Do you think we'll ever truly know the simple joys that they do from getting their most basic needs met by the kindness of others?

I visited with this particular family of kids two days in a row. Ron came back with me the second day. We prayed together and thanked God for His plans for their lives. The thing that is also so amazing about this family is that there is a mom and a dad. In Swaziland people are dying literally everyday from AIDS. A huge population of households are run by children age 6 or younger because their parents have died and left them to fend for themselves. In other cases the father has fled the scene. But this family has  a mom and dad. They are together. They have their struggles and from what I've heard they're both engrossed in alcohol and possibly drugs. We smelled Marijuana on their property. But they are around.

So the question I have to ask myself is...God are you going to restore this family as  a whole? I know Heart For Africa has plans to help Dad and Mom get real jobs and actually raise $10,000 to build them their very own home. So maybe they could be an example of God's restoration powers? Is anything too big for Him ? He designs our steps. The thing that blows me away is that this family  is still together. I 'm not about to judge them for their poor choices and addictions. Are we really any different over here in the USA? I think not. We're filled with addictions, neurosis, fear, and divorce. We are the first ones to "call it quits" on a marriage when things don't look too pretty. But at least we have a roof over our heads and running water.

Through all the terrible tragedy that this particular couple has gone through, they're still trying to find a way to survive. They've lost a child, dealt with friends dying of AIDS time and time again. They live with the fear that they themselves could be dying of AIDS or worse, their children. I know that marriage is under attack not only in our country but all over the world. I know we get "quickie divorces" and tell our sob stories about how it was just "too hard." I know that times are hard for all of us with the state our county is in. My mind is just going nuts right now that I can't seem to get a handle on my own life. I still get fuming mad at my own husband when he's 15 minutes late and doesn't call. I still freak out over our finance sometimes and wonder what sport to put my 2 year old Lucy in so she can go to college for free! I'm still the same selfish, mixed up person I was before I went to Africa and I'm mad about it. I guess I thought I'd come home and be like Mother Teresa or something. I'd all of a sudden appreciate every single detail of blessing in my life. The fact that I even have a healthy family should be enough.

 And I'm sitting here thinking about this one particular couple far off in Swaziland South Africa who literally have nothing and they still get up every  morning and find a way to make it through the day. I remember the look in Sarah's eyes as she laid on the dirt watching me give her children clothes and blankets. She said thank you without words. When we prayed she smiled. There was still a glimmer of hope in her eyes. I just know that God is doing something special with her. I've heard she's started to go to church now.

She's a much stronger woman than I could ever be. I pray to God he can give me some of her resilience. I pray He could show me how to persevere when I want to throw in the towel. I pray he can show me how to be like a child again and be joyful in the midst of great trials.

"Dear God if you're reading this right now, please help me." I want to be changed. Please help me not to forget what I saw, what I experienced and what happened to me in Africa. Please help me to remember Sarah and her children when I think my life is tough . "I look forward to the day I can visit the Misuku family again in their new home and see just how miraculous you are God. Please help me not to forget that you're still in the miracle business and your love has no borders."  ~ Kerri Pomarolli

Do You Ever Want to Sell Your Baby on Ebay?

(This is an article that I wrote a while ago and I thought I would share it with you guys!)

I'm kinda kidding when I say I'm considering putting my almost 2 year old up for auction on EBay. Is that cruel to say?  I could just put her on Craig's list and sell her to someone local in case I want to visit. No seriously, has your child ever made you so mad you just think about throwing in the towel on this whole parenting thing? Have you come home to find sharpie artwork on your new suede couch or all your favorite perfume poured down the toilet? Today was one of those days- !

I was making Lucy's favorite blue Jello today - #1.Because I don't really cook and Jello is easy to make. # 2. Because I'm awesome! I put the Jello in little ice cube trays and put them in the fridge.  Behind me my lovely submissive daughter was quietly eating watermelon and drinking her milk. Don't you just love those moments when all is right with the world.

The phone rang as I started to fill the last Jello mold. As I answered the phone, I turned around to see  watermelon all over  the floor along with spilled milk.  Cleverly, Lucy had taken the top off the sippy cup. I promised myself when I had a child I wouldn't punish them and freak out over little things like "spilled milk."  I contemplated putting the watermelon back as she was trying to eat it off the floor. But I decided for the sake of cleanliness I would have her put it in the bowl and then trash it. I know there are starving kids in the world but I hadn't mopped in a while and I didn't feel like taking her to the Dr. because she ate watermelon off my dirty floor and get some weird parasite or something.

So I sweetly told her to do "clean up " and put it all back. She kinda- sorta started to do it. Then she grabbed more and stuffed it in her mouth. This was her version of cleaning?! Then she grabbed my shoe. I got the paper towels and told her to wipe up the milk. She decided it would be easier to do it with her feet while standing on the paper towels. Hmmm, I wonder where she learned that - she really does pay attention to mommy!

I continued talking to my friend on the phone assuming Lucy was doing her Cinderella clean up routine. Just then I hear "Oh no !" from her little mouth. I looked behind me to see the opened refrigerator  and a waterfall of blue Jello cascading all over inside, all over the food, into the drawers  and down into every crevice of my fridge and onto the floor mixing with the already spilled milk to make the most disgusting green sludge mess you have ever seen.

I absolutely lost my mind for a second. I  hung up the phone and yelled

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LUCY! Look what you did! Look what you did!" She's looking at me as if to say "Yeah mom I did it but you're cleaning it up!" Her shirt, that was clean this morning, was now covered with pink watermelon stains and blue Jello streaks. I thought in a moment of insanity that I could convince her to clean all of this up. I used up all the paper towels and went to get more in the closet. But my loving husband put the rest of them on the top shelf where I can't reach them and he's gone. Perfect!

I sat there cleaning and telling her to help me at least pick up the watermelon. She looked at me with this smirk on her face, toddler tunes blaring in the background, she did the unthinkable. She started to dance and sing! I'm thinking "What? Are you serious? "Then after her performance we had a stare down contest to see who would break first, me or the cute adorable kid. I had to bite my lip because she knew I was about to crack a smile and give her victory. I didn't budge and neither did she. She just kept staring at me with that "I know I'm cute and you can't be mad at me" look that she does so well. I think she learned that from her father. Just then, I realized she was right. I could lose my temper over spilled Jello but she wouldn't hold a grudge . She wasn't mad at me and I couldn't be mad at this little person that's been messing up my house for the past two years. She was too cute, too endearing and too smart. I took the pink onesie off then put her down for a nap in her crib. As I write this she's now singing Betty Boop songs and rolling around her crib talking to her dolls. It's adorable. She kills me every time!

I think I need to learn more from this little munchkin.

We never need to cry over spilled milk or Jello. We always have more than enough to eat because we're blessed. When engaged in conflict with the enemy just give them that million dollar smile and sing some toddler tune like "Oh my darling Oh my darling ,then add your own lyrics and start clapping and say YAY! All Done!" You most certainly can diffuse even  the toughest foes anger...even mom!

http://www.kerripom.com

Fleetwood Mac....Feeling Cool!

So the clock radio in the car strikes 5:40 am and I'm driving to the YMCA to torture myself in week two of boot camp because I'm 20 pounds overweight after giving birth to a child who doesn't seem to care about the havoc she has caused to my body. I'm in some bright pink sweats and a T-shirt that is too tight that says " This is my sassy shirt." For the first time in years I have a gut and it's not sexy. Nothing about me is sexy.  In fact I felt very very middle-aged as I tried to fit into my skinny jeans last night and failed.  Ironic, last year at this time I was in the best shape of my life after finishing a weight loss infomercial with Ron.

So I look down and see in the dash of the car-- Dora the Explorer toys from McDonalds, a razor of Ron's, a Red Bull Can, and a Mexican Coin. But I'm not seeing those things because I'm listening to Fleetwood Mac's  lyrics. "Thunder Only happens when it's rainin’..Players only love you when they're playin." I'm instantly transported to another lifetime. Another young 23 year old totally carefree girl who was head over heels, and every other body part in lust with some Marine she met on the Hermosa Pier at a bar called Sharkeez in some cute little sundress.

It seems like a million years ago but hearing that song brought every sensory image from that relationship and time in my life flooding though my brain. I wasn't driving to boot camp. I was driving to San Diego on a whim to go to some exclusive party with my "love/lust of the moment," and walking along beaches with him picking flowers from people's yards at 1:00am, and me thinking it was the most romantic thing on the planet...stealing..so cute!

He was a charmer to say the least (he's in my first book). But it's not about him. It's about the girl I once was. Who was that? Do I envy her? Do I want to go back? Am I jealous I'm not jumping off to Cancun for "Girlfriend vacations," or spending hours lamenting over which outfit to wear while jamming out to Prince Songs in my bathroom? I think my biggest anxiety back then was "Did I like him more than he liked me?" Nothing had changed since kindergarden when I had the same issue with Brandon Duck. I thought about my Marine (yes I looked to see if he was on face book and he's not)! I thought as I was listening to the music and letting it fill my senses, I wonder what life would have been like if I ended up with my Marine? We had a dramatic parting and I think I was secretly waiting for him to show up somewhere when he "shipped back in" and carry me off like Richard Gere, but it never happened. I heard he's a lawyer somewhere in the Midwest and well, I'm me. I am a comedian with a husband, two kids, and a Suva going to boot camp 3 times a week to try to regain my “youthful figure" whatever that is.

 It was a moment this morning that made me literally grin from ear to ear. I turned up the jams and bobbed my head a little bit feeling "cool." So just for a moment I realized that girl is still in there, 20 pounds or so heavier, but she's in there. I have some cool little sun dresses in the back of my closet along with my “little white goal pants." I also have two amazing little girls who genetically would not be in existence unless Kerri Pomarolli and Ron McGehee turned off the cable TV a couple of times ( sorry for the visual mom). But I love my life. I really do. I love that Friday nights are now spent with take out Mexican Food and ice cream on the couch anxiously waiting for the girls to sleep so Ron and I can try go make it through an Episode of Burn Notice, Biggest Loser, or Food Network without falling asleep . So for today Jan 2011 I'll jam out to my Fleetwood Mac and know that I still" got it"(Whatever “it” is)! I just know that there are 3 people in this world named Ron, Ruby, and Lucy that think I'm really really cool!

Ok wait..my 3 year old just approached me wearing nothing but a fur coat asking for more jello to put all over her body. I told her "No honey that' s a different kind of outreach ministry all together." Go back to Diego and eat your dry cereal breakfast like mama made you.

www.kerripom.com

Some Funny Stuff for you

I have, on occasion, been known to call in as a guest on a the Drew Marshall radio show. I did that recently and was able to get audio copies of my appearance, so I decided to share them with you. You can download and listen to them by clicking on the links below. Thanks for listening!

• Interview
• Busted at the Dollar Store

Moments In Time

I'm sitting here with Ruby by my side. REO Speedwagon is having a reunion on PBS and songs from my pre teen years are blaring through my tv screen. Ron is asleep and so is Lucy.I'm recovering from a humbling night of entertaining 500 screaming kids and their 500 parents at an awards sports night. I survived with my dignity in tact except for the fact that my 3 yr old Lucy asked some guy" Why are you brown?"
Tomorrow I'm performing for a group of lovely ladies, mostly seniors, and then racing back to LA for a commercial audition for Converse Tennis shoes. Then I'm off to Lucy's ballet class then meeting with our pastors for a prayer meeting . What a life. I got a phone call from a very ollllllllllllllld friend who happens to be in CA on business. When I say old he's actually exactly my age and I met him when we were 14 with our families on vacation. He was my first real grown up love!
It was serious. We were 14!
He's a big boy now with two sweet daughters like me and many huge businesses and fancy cars, unlike me!LOL We've grown up and out of our Richard Marx songs crushes and gotten married and had kids on oppossite coasts. I actually talk to his lovely wife more than I do him on facebook. I had to laugh because we were trying to squeeze in a visit and I heard myself say" I can't drive at night because my vision is bad!" He started laughing so hard. I couldn't believe that came out of my mouth.
Did I need to talk about my dentures next? When we were 15 we would have run across the country by foot to visit eachother even if it was for 5 minutes. Now I'm trying to fit him in between pre school car pool and my Christian comedy show for the senior ladies at the country club. I'm typing this as I ' m literally hearing" I Can't Fight This Feeling Any Longer" plays in the background. Hearing old music and old friends voices make me a bit nostalgic sometimes for the days when grown up life didn't get in the way of all our plans. Before it was our parents who were getting in the way, now it's kids! Such is life.

Then I walked over and held my darling Ruby in my arms. We played and she laughed out loud at me for the first time . I'm a comedian this was a big moment and I got big laughs. I rocked with her to my 80's tunes and as I saw her smile I said" Ruby you're worth it. I love you so much and even though being your grown up mommy is hard sometimes. I wouldn't change a thing.You're the best audience in the world." I can enjoy the past and sigh, but my smiles come from my present. I love my Lucy , my Ruby , and my Ron. It's 11:30pm time to go to bed .Oh wait I think Ruby wants to jam a little more with me.

Why I Still Watch Chick Flicks

When I was single I wrote a very empowering piece, or so I thought, titled Why I Don't Watch Chick Flicks basically explaining why they are bad for women. I expressed how they were hurting society by portraying relationships in a  totally unrealistic way. They also caused me to go into a serious chocolate chip cookie binge late at night under the covers crying myself into a chocolate coma then drifting off to sleep only to dream of the leading man in the movie. When I was single, and pushing the dreaded age 30, I just couldn't find any reason to hope my life would turn out like Julia or Reese or worse yet Rene in the ever popular Bridget Jones movie! My heart goes out to women everywhere who watch these movies - where the girl always gets the guy.  Why? Why ? Why do we do this ourselves? Real life never works itself out in 90 minutes and I myself have never been picked up by a guy in a horse drawn carriage, limousine or private jet.

However, I did fall in love with a guy who offered me chocolate chip cookies and had no car! I did get married and walk down the aisle in a rented pretty white dress. And to top it all off we had a little girl named Lucy join the crew last year. No it didn't take 90 minutes, it took 32 years!

But tonight after another long exhausting day of chasing my one year old, playing 15 games of don't eat that and folding 343 loads of laundry, I found myself engrossed in a rerun of You've Got Mail on Lifetime with my all time favorite Chick Flick actors Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Yeah, I'm old school. Meg was the ultimate romantic and you just can't help but love her. At the end of the movie Tom and Meg find out that they really are meant to be together and when they embrace, I'm a goner. I can't help but notice I've got the same goose bumps I had the first time I saw this cheesy film and the same tear rolling down my left cheek. I'm just so darn happy for Meg because she was lonely and then she found her true love. She even used the dreaded internet. God bless her! We've all been there! I got rejected by E Harmony!

My point is that these movies can't be taken from the shelves because like it or not we need them. Yes I said it! We live in a bitter sarcastic world full of sickness, financial crisis and war. But some of us still want to believe in happy endings. Is that so wrong to admit? I grew up with fantasies of what would truly make my dreams come true. I marvel tonight at what true contentment really is. 

 I've just recently gone through a very tough time where the love of my life, my husband was battling an illness. I didn't have my cuddling time, my movie buddy, my best friend in my home for a while and it's brought new perspective to the term Happy Ending.

My  life may look different than a Lifetime movie and instead of sound track music mine might have Hickory Dickory Dock and Itsy Bitsy Spider. And instead of passionate sex scenes my scenes may involve me, my husband, an entire season of Lost on DVD, popcorn and triple chocolate ice cream, cuddled up for hours on our big fluffy red couch. It's my realization that I don't want Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise. I'm truly content with the man God gave me. I'm truly happy with our little world as corny as it may seem to other people. It works for us.
  

So instead of watching Meg with bitterness in my heart I can enjoy her journey and realize I wouldn't trade places with her or any other woman for anything in the world. I have my own fairy tale right here every day of my life. So I'm wondering about you out there reading this? No matter what season you're in can you look around and be thankful for all the blessings in your life right now? A mom/dad/friend who loves you? A great job? A roommate who cooks? New shoes you got on sale that go with the skinny jeans you can actually fit into? A child that needs you to hug them goodnight? No matter what trials you're facing I'm challenging you to find some happy endings in your life right now. They make the Chick Flicks more enjoyable because the movies are imaginary and your joy is the real thing.

Black Monday?

Here is an article I wrote several years ago, and decided to share in light of the impending holiday:

OK, OK, I KNOW I SAID in my last “Confession” that I’ve always thought New Year’s Eve was the worst day of the year. Well, that is only until February comes around, and it is time for my second worst day of the year—St. Valentine’s Day, or as I’ll affectionately call it this year, “Black Monday.” Traditionally, Feb. 14 has not been a day of celebration for me and my single friends. We never looked forward to it, and I haven’t changed my mind since.
In college I did a moving presentation in speech class about why we should abolish Valentine’s Day on college campuses. I said it was corporate America’s way of messing with the pocketbooks and self-esteem of young people everywhere. I remember getting a standing ovation when I compared the triple-marked-up price of a dozen roses to “24 pizza slices or 28 beef burritos at Taco Bell.” You make the choice, I said triumphantly. I got an A+!
My view on this holiday hasn’t changed much over the years because so many Feb. 14ths were spent alone avoiding calls from my mother saying, “You’re another year older, dear, and I’m just concerned.” That would only justify the chocolate binge I had been on for the last four hours. Or better yet, I’d dive into another online chatroom with my newest Glamour Shot for my profile as I looked for Mr. Right only to find other lost, depressed souls. It never worked out for me even though I think I was on every single site. Am I the only one who failed the eHarmony quiz? I don’t think so!
This entire holiday was conceived to draw attention to those who have supposedly found happiness in “coupledom” and even more attention to those who haven’t. How sick is that? Even when I had a boyfriend, he was recovering from Christmas presents and would use the line “I don’t need one day to show you I care, do I?” (Translation: “I’m broke! You’re not getting anything unless you plan it or buy it!”)
As I think back on some of my loneliest times, I have to recall that my heavenly Father was right there with me. I remember one February I actually broke up with this guy right before V-Day, and I cried all the way home. I knew this guy wasn’t right for me. He thought the word boundaries was for sports, not dating.
I lay in my bed at 4:30 a.m. questioning what I had just done. I threw open my Bible randomly, wanting a personal message from God. It opened directly to Song of Solomon, chapter 1, a love sonnet. And the verse that jumped off the page at me through my tears was, “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” (Song of Songs 1:15, TNIV). I lost it.
The God of the universe was telling me how much He loved me. I felt it. I knew it, and somehow I fell asleep. He had felt my pain that night. He was proud of me and assured me that He was going to get me through this. And He did. I lived to see another day!
So whatever life throws at you, whether it’s another lousy Black Monday, bad exam, screaming co-worker or concerned phone call from your mother, the God who created the whole world has something to say about it if you just give Him a chance. Try talking to Him about it ... He will always be available to listen.
Now if I could only take my own advice ... my mother is on the phone right now. Pray for me!
KERRI