“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie
Archive for November, 2006
On NPR this morning Steve Inskeep interviewed the Bordelons in St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans. Simon has kept in touch with them throughout the year and they are irrepressible. They have two FEMA trailers in their front yard, a house full of sheet rock, and a checkerboard neighborhood. But, this doesn’t stop them from cooking up a feast today and giving thanks. They haven’t lost hope and that is inspiring.
The turkey is in the oven and the Macy’s Day parade just began! My husband’s family is joining us today and this is one of the strangely beautiful and tasty recipes on the table:
Great Grandma McNamara’s Date Nut Tapioca Pudding
Description:
They say it’s a salad, but it tastes an awful lot like a desert to me!
Ingredients:
4 C Water
1 1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. White Sugar
3/4 C Tapioca
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 C Chopped Nuts (Optional, but then it is a Date Nut Salad!)
1 1/2-2 C Dates
Directions:
1) Boil water, Brown Sugar, and White Sugar
2) Add Tapioca in above, cook till thick.
3) Add Vanilla, Nuts, Dates
4) Chill, top with Whipped Cream and dot with Maraschino cherries.
5) “Serve in a beautiful crystal bowl,” Mae E. McNamara
Number Of Servings: A bunch.
Preparation Time: 2 hrs w/ help from toddler
Happy Thanksgiving!
Actually, at 5:44 p.m. she will officially turn nine. We call her chocolate drops because her eyes are like two dark chocolate Lindt balls with cocoa beans inside. They are deep and beautiful.
I took cupcakes to her school today and she came up and kissed me, it made her feel special to have me and her little brother visit. It made me feel special to see her so content, dutifully working away and teasing with Caitlyn across the table.
And then I marveled, as I always do, at the carnal pleasure it brings me to be her mom. It reminds me of the sentiment that mothering brings us closest to understanding God’s love for each of us. The pure, unselfish pleasure in seeing our growth, our happiness and just our smile. It is just a glimpse, but a little bit holy, I think.
I recently read Tim Bascom’s book “Chameleon Days: An American Boyhood in Ethiopia.” I gobbled it down in one afternoon it was so good, like a mini visit to Ethiopia.
When I was working as Press Officer for World Vision UK I helped lead a group of supporters to visit Ethiopia. I remember practicing complicated Amharic verses before our travels but when we arrived in Ethiopia we were tickled to find that everyone greeted us “Ciao,” a leftover from a brief Italian occupation.
In Addis we stayed in the Hilton before flying north. There was a gift shop and a pizza place but the smell of incense and strong coffee overwhelmed the familiar space and made it feel exotic. The hotel attendants would race ahead of us to push the elevator buttons, and we quickly realized that it was the only space where they could speak privately to us.
Bascom has a recommended reading list in the back of his book which includes other gems of stories about Africa, particulary from the perspective of missionary kids. I am not a missionary kid, I was completely unprepared and unversed in the ways of missionaries when I arrived. My experience is more like “The God’s Must Be Crazy.”
Here are some other recommendations from Bascom:
“The Scent of Eucalyptus,” Daniel Coleman; “Swimming in the Congo,” Margaret Meyers; “God’s of Noonday: A White Girl’s African Life,” Elaine Neil Orr.
I heard back from the lady who helps to administer the FEMA trailer park in Baker, Louisiana. From an earlier post we heard how people are isolated and hungry. For those who can help this Thanksgiving she writes:
I am grateful for your help in providing monetary donations for a Thanksgiving Feast for Renaissance Village Families!
Make checks out to: Baker Charitable Foundation
Send checks to: City of Baker
Att: Mayor Rideau
P.O. Box 707
Baker. LA 70704-0707
Best regards,
Miranda Restovic
Voting is exciting. I always feel a little nervous voting. It is a right and a privilege. And, to think that women have only been able to vote since 1920.
The woman who processed me this morning was friendly but officious, taking her duties seriously while she munched on a ham sandwich served on a red, white and blue paper plate. I thought about her mother who probably voted for the first time in the presidential election of 1920.
I surprised myself a little because as I walked into the church where our voting stations were located one of the local candidates was standing there and greeted me warmly. When I got to that race on the ballot I almost considered voting for him because of that brief meeting! And, then I chastised myself for being so silly. I had already decided to vote for the woman he was running against, although I have never met her, but could I be so easily swayed to change my mind? In the end I didn’t change my mind, but it was a lesson to me on the power of that personal interaction.
Have you voted today?
Here is a link to an Episcopal News Service article I contributed to on the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s convention. They are one of the dioceses trying to break away from the ECUSA, but remain in the Anglican Communion.
There is a scene at the end of the Pixar/Disney movie “Nemo” when the tropical fish finally achieve their dream and make it from the fishtank to the freedom of the ocean. They are giddy, bobbing up and down in the water in airtight baggies. Finally, they calm down and survey their new surroundings and recognize their plight: “Now what?” one of the fish asks.
“Now what?” was the question I was struck with covering the convention at the Diocese of Pittsburgh on Friday. Resolution 1 passed quickly, rubber stamping an earlier decision of the diocese to leave the Episcopal Church seeking leadership directly under the Anglican Communion. The reasons cited were mainly the ordination of an actively gay bishop and the new Presiding Bishop’s approval of that decision.
But, the trick is there is no precedent for such oversight. So, technically these dioceses are still under the authority of the newly elected Presiding Bishop until some agreement is reached within the larger Anglican Communion. This likely won’t take place until the next “Primates” meeting February 2007 in Tanzania.
As I sat in the guest area I couldn’t help but think of all these people, mainly non-ordained, lay leaders in their congregations, called to be in this historic time, making historic decisions. They feel strongly about the issues involved and sit in an unpopular spot. By disagreeing with the elevation of homosexuals into ordained leadership in the church, they are against society and media who regard that as progress.
I sat and spoke with someone who said that he grew up as a Baptist but eventually came to the Episcopal Church because of the middle ground. He wanted to be in a place where there weren’t neat answers for everything, that mystery and the gentle unfolding of truth were appreciated. But, now he feels that he is being forced to make a decision, because the middle ground is annoying to both those on the right and left of the aisle.
I’m still thinking about it all. I’m annoyed by the assurity of both sides. And, I’m annoying to others because I haven’t taken a side, I am still thinking about it all. Do I have to make a decision?
If you are thinking about making a difference this Thanksgiving you can send money to help feed some folks at a FEMA trailer park in Baker, Louisiana. The hot meals have stopped and many are stranded in a rural area with no cars and limited public transportation. Read the note below from one of the director’s and an address to send donations.
Renaissance Village is a FEMA trailer park in Baker, Louisiana housing
nearly 500 displaced New Orleans families. Many residents have been
left homeless by hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and their lot has not
improved in over a year. In addition to a lack of social services
available to these families, there is a serious problem of hunger and
poverty. FEMA had stopped providing hot meals several months ago, and
there is very little relief in terms of food donations on a regular
basis. Part of the issue is that many of the residents have no
transportation to reach employment destinations, as the public buses
are unreliable and fail to make regular stops at the remote trailer
park. Many families have also neglected to enroll their children in
local schools, as they face local opposition to them being there in the
first place. It was this past Friday that Rosie O’Donnell finally cut
the ribbon to a newly built and donated complex which will house Early
Head Start, Head Start, a Renaissance Learning Center and a community
center where local social service providers may come and present and
offer help.I became aware of the problems plaguing the community of Renaissance
Village first hand, in my work with numerous families through our award
winning family literacy program, PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME. PRIME
TIME has impacted numerous families by teaching and inspiring families
to bond through the act of reading and discussing life issue through
children’s literature.For Thanksgiving, I am collecting monetary donations to pass on to the
coalition of residents planning to provide a meal to the residents who
will be on site for the holiday. Monetary donations will provide most
flexibility in planning a feast, as there is no kitchen where to cook
or heat food donations. I would greatly appreciate any immediate and/or
long term assistance in helping feed the families of Renaissance
Village.To make a donation or for more information please contact:
Miranda Restovic
Restovic@leh.org
(504) 620-2486
Assistant Director, PRIME TIME
Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners’ Hall
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, Louisiana 70113
direct: 504.620.2486
fax: 504.529.2358
LA toll-free 1.800.909.7990
www.leh.org
The Dude Abides Is a fun blog by Cathleen Falsani, the author of The God Factor. Check out her interview with Thomas Craughwell, author of Saints Behaving Badly. It’s a good reminder that the saints were not perfect people, but people who received grace.
In honor of All Saints Day next week, I intend to hoist a couple dozen stiff drinks, start a bar brawl, sucker-punch a co-worker, walk around the neighborhood nude and maybe rob a bank. What?
