This Year's Remembrance Day

Note: in case y’all are wondering, I still haven’t figured out what I’m gonna do with the design of this website yet. A lot of it will depend on what I do with my own career and how it grows. I have some ideas, so mind the mess :D

I wanted to take a moment and write again on Remembrance Day. If you remember from my Odyssey of Light series, Remembrance Day -- for me, June 28th -- is a day to remember God’s provisions in all of our lives and how He can change things for the better, if we just trust Him to do so. And I’ve found it’s not just a God thing, too. Whatever branch of the universe you believe in, if you align yourself with karma’s correct path for you, your life will change and upend in ways you never thought possible. It’s such a mystifying and amazing occurrence that you have to be in awe of it, to remember it -- and that’s what Remembrance Day is all about.

If you’ll remember correctly, that’s in a sense what the entire Odyssey of Light is about as well. On June 28th, 2005, I had no clue what my future held, I had a boyfriend for convenience, I was writing a novel, avoiding my ex-girlfriend, and was trying to find my way back to the God I knew existed. By August 16 -- Installation Day and the end of God’s journey with me -- I was ready for my senior year with a new drive and all distractions eliminated.

It’s funny that you can see similar things happening in my life as of recent. Take Emily on last Remembrance Day. When I wrote the blog series last year, I lived in New York City, I was working two part-time jobs to make ends meet, and I had an amazing long-distance girlfriend I could care for. Flash to this year -- I’m in Columbus, my one full-time job has everything covered, I have a place to hang out with friends, and I somehow lucked into an amazing boyfriend who cares for me. (Yeah -- I got no clue how that one happened either, but that’s a story for another day.)

This period of time has not been easy for me. I’ve written on my personal blog about some of the changes I’ve been going through. But I’m taking time to heal from a city that never sleeps and years of not knowing what I need. Notice I’ve said what I need, not what I want -- something similar that I said in 2005. “It’s what I need, not what I want.” “All dreams to me are worthless.” It’s because what we want and what the universe/God needs us to do are sometimes (often) not the same thing. We have the free will to choose, but when we find that pathway that God has made for us, it’s amazing how the world will change to help us. It’s kind of like the turtles in Finding Nemo -- you jump in the jetstream and it takes you exactly where you need to be. (Just, you know, don’t barf on the shell, it was just waxed.)

I want to celebrate Remembrance Day with you all this year, my friends, my straphangers, as I witness God changing my life again and bringing me into a new era. What are some ways that God has changed your life for the better? What are some things that you can thank Him for? If you don’t believe in God, how have you noticed karma this year? What beautiful things have you seen in this world? Remember those, particularly now when all it seems we hear is bad news and trouble around every corner. Stop and think about the best day of your life, whether it was running down the midway at Cedar Point or relaxing under a tree in a field. I’d love to hear about some of the things you remember.

And then, we take those memories, we hold onto that potential -- and for the next seven weeks, we do something about it. Let’s make this an Odyssey to remember.

Odyssey of Light Series: Part 5

This is part 5 in a five-part series, in which I finally tell the truth about myself, my music, and my identity in Christ. Special thanks to my awesome roommate Tamsin Silver for reading this over and making sure this was coherent! You are the reason I've made it through this city in one piece, and I wouldn't have made it without you. :)

James Fineran was my eleventh-grade English teacher, who taught me basically everything I’ve ever learned about writing papers. He always said that, at the end of your paper, your summary should say, “So what? Why did I just waste all my time reading this big long thing?”

Over the last four parts, I’ve delved into my history and my past. Now, we reach the “so what” -- and how this affects me today.

Odyssey of Light Series: Part 4

Odyssey of Light Blog Series
Part 4: Installation Day (Or, "Why Did Millennium Force Break Down?")

This is part 4 in a five-part series, in which I finally tell the truth about myself, my music, and my identity in Christ. For this entry in the series, I am building around a paper I wrote for my senior year English class (hey, I was told I could write about ANYTHING) which gives an account of August 16, 2005. Lots of you have read this version before, so I include it here, along with the proper rest of the story. Read the entire thing all the way through for the best experience. Also, this the longest entry, so buckle up, guys.

Odyssey of Light Series: Part 3

Odyssey of Light Blog Series

Part 3: The Vortex Complex (Or, "Who Really Let The Dogs Out") 

This is part 3 in a five-part series, in which I finally tell the truth about myself, my music, and my identity in Christ. I should probably be clear as I get more into my story: just because I mention somebody does not mean that they endorse me OR my “deviant” lifestyle. I mention them by name in an effort to be honest to you, the reader. That is all.

In case you’re wondering, Dan Smith is the one who let the dogs out.

He’s the pastor of Momentum Church in Cleveland, which I’m pretty sure is still being taught out of a movie theater. During 2004, he created a parody of some well-known rap song called Baby Got Book, which hit YouTube and everybody loved it. He followed that up with an entire album of parodies, spurned on by his Masters of Storytelling. And yes, that’s a real degree.

He was also our week-long speaker and minister during Summer in the Son 2005. Oh, you say, now it makes sense, Emily. Be patient. There are some of you who know this part. And for the rest of you, I left you on an unfair cliffhanger last time, so now we catch you up to speed.

Odyssey of Light Series: Part 2

Odyssey of Light Blog Series
Part 2: Remembrance Day (Or, "A Simple Motion, Coming Toward")

This is part 2 in a five-part series, in which I finally tell the truth about myself, my music, and my identity in Christ. While you read my story, you might question my ability to think clearly in the circumstances or wonder if I am reading too much into “signs.” I tell this story to the best of my availability, as it happened to me, and leave coincidences as what they are: just coincidences, maybe with a little push from God. To compromise the way I experienced the story at 17 is to compromise my identity, and therefore to compromise the reason I’m writing this.

Odyssey of Light Series: Part 1

Odyssey of Light Blog Series

Part 1: The Before And The How (Or, "Why I'm Not Sixteen")

This is part 1 in a five-part series, in which I finally tell the truth about myself, my music, and my identity in Christ. Please leave any and all comments on Facebook, where they can be monitored better. Over the next two months, as part of my Year of Practicing Personality, I’ll be making some changes to this website as I continue to release music and stories. If a link doesn’t work, please let me know.

Let me start off by re-introducing myself, particularly if this is your first time here. My name is Emily Ann Imes, I am a Christian and I am a lesbian, and the two are mutually exclusive. I am from the most obnoxious city in America, which means I am from the most awesome city in America and nobody can convince me otherwise. Yes, it’s true, I’m from New York City, where the pigeons have more class than the people do and it's not church, it's brunch. In my spare time, better known as day 8 of the week, I do this music composition thing. I also used to write and am trying to get back into it after bedbugs ate my career. You know. Because New York.

This is the summer of 2016. Eleven years ago, in the summer of 2005, some freaky deaky stuff happened and my life got flip turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, and tell you how Jesus saved my life by using roller coasters. But before we talk about the summer of 2005, we gotta cover what happened before that...the beginning of the Rest of the Story. It's a very good place to start.