BurnSite

This Is Who We Are Now

2010-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

The days after Christmas are always strange. The tussle to get here begins with the whirlwind of writing and finals--which truly deserves a blog post all its own; the transition from writing and studying endlessly to a complete halt and switch is somewhat dizzying. My wakefulness has competing subjects: "Oh no--did I add Hecuba's quote when I wrote about her broken mama's heart in Hector's death scene?" And, "Does my dad really need a trunk golf organizer?" And worse: "Did I give him one of those last year?"

In the midst of all this there are the holiday fundraisers, at which I am expected to wear shoes that hurt my feet and threaten my balance--which does little for a woman's confidence--and remember the names of people and what they have given, and perhaps most importantly: remember not to say any bad words or use inappropriate phrases I have picked up working in the very ghetto for which we are raising the money.

Then there is the gathering of gifts and the accompanying lists: all the excitement and brouhaha of the Dakota House Christmas celebration--the ridiculous notion that we, somehow, can make up for all the horrors of these kids' lives by making this one night magical and handing them just the right gift. The stampede through our home of excited and overwhelmed children and later the rush of ripping paper--Emily and I looking at one another and then back to the faces of the kids,wondering, 'Are they happy with this? Do they feel loved?'

And finally the anticipation of family, and returning children, all centered around the constant struggle to remember that this is about Jesus, who came to save us all.

There are moments of peace and joy, even in this vortex of glitter and lists and unholy traffic.

One glorious hour I am in the kitchen with my husband, and we are making arancini--Italian rice balls that I am determined to make into a new Christmas tradition--in honor of my Grams and Grampo, who both left us recently, still funny and cuddly and remarkable in their nineties. We listen to my own special treat: Tinsel Tales on NPR. My hands mix the arborio rice and eggs, and it is wonderfully tactile; my hands are coated in the sticky scent of my heritage. I season the arancini with the coveted spice from my Uncle Joe, also gone now but with a rich aroma left behind him.

Days before, my daughter Emily and I are in the Dakota House living room. Every surface is covered with shoe boxes and toys and wrapping paper. Each box is examined, and considered for the child who will receive it. We exchange, and add, and take away, according to what we know about each of these children we love. And on the night when they open those same boxes, it has, somehow--by God's wondrous presence--actually become magical.

There are other moments. Sitting in my sister's living room, with all of the family who could get there--some are missing because they live far away or their lives won't allow the trip. My parents have been loving and generous, as usual, and we have all brought gifts. We are huddled up next to one another, facing a screen in which just one brief portion of a film is played. It is The Nativity Story, and before our eyes the Christ child is born. A thrill of hope--the weary world rejoices. And so do we.

We gather again on Christmas night, three of my four children make it after all the obligations that are forced upon children of divorce. Aimee comes early and we have treasured time with her; Aimee's excitement for our family time brings an electric energy into our home.

Finally Nate and Emily arrive and we settle. Only my oldest daughter Sarah is missing. She is with her husband in the bay area--they are working hard to build their new life and their jobs demand a toll for their rewards. We are all in our comfy clothes; the room is soft and cushioned and light comes from the fire and the Christmas tree. We hand one another gifts we have chosen with care, with deep knowledge of one another. There is wrestling, and laughing; it is sometimes irreverent. It is us. And I breathe it in. Soon it will be over and we will stand under an awning in streaming rain to wave goodbye to my son Nate as the train pulls away.

This is who we are now. I no longer tuck my kids in and pull their favorite toy from their hands. They are all grown. And when they leave our house, our home is quiet again. My husband and I read by the fire, talk in the kitchen, and walk on our street. In a few weeks I will step into my classrooms and meet my professors who will teach me the wonders of writing; I will take up books by Tolkien and journey to Mordor with Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins. My husband will work to provide for us all, and lend his hands to a gardening group. I will love on the kids God brings to Dakota House and watch as He brings adventure to my life. My kids will have their own journeys, and I will love them fiercely and pray for them daily.

It is a good life, and I scarcely deserve the joys it contains.

seriously, people. really?

2010-11-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

conversation

2010-02-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

classmate: "People are so stupid. That class is boring and stupid."

me: "I like it, actually."

classmate: "It bores me."

me: "Oh. Yes, well, some classes are like that."

classmate: "All of my classes are like that. Boring. But especially that one. Hemingway. Lost generation and all that. Who cares?"

me: "That's an extremely ironic statement."

classmate: "I'm 25. I've seen a lot. I just don't get that excited about learning. You?

me: "Me? I'm quite old."

classmate: "You like to learn, though."

me: "I do. I really do."

classmate: "Why? Oh. Never mind. I'm turning here. I have class right there."

me: "What are you learning in there?"

classmate: "Oh. I dunno. Wonders of the world, I guess. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. It's boring."

me: "Oh. Ok. Well, I'll see you Wednesday."

classmate: "I suppose you will."

your story

2010-01-20T13:04:00.001-08:00

Donald Miller has a new book. It's called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I finished it a week or so ago but it is still inside my head, swirling around and stirring things up.

Ask yourself this question: "If my life were a book, and I picked it up to read it, would I want to finish it? Or would I put it down because it is too boring, meaningless, trivial? Would I like the main character (me) and root for for her?

From chapter 12:

If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation.

and...

If the character doesn't change, the story hasn't happened yet.

Just thinking about wounds, and healing, and transformation. And thanking Jesus for His place in all of that.

meth and milk.

2009-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Mark Arax, a former Los Angeles Times reporter and author of the book West of the West was born in and lives in Fresno, the grandson of an Armenian fruit picker.
"We're living in a region that produces the finest fruits and vegetables in the world, and yet the children of this valley rarely taste those fruits and vegetables," he says.
Alongside the most intensive farm belt the world has ever known, he says, is this stunning poverty. Some neighborhoods in Fresno have the most concentrated poverty of any city in the country, and all the pathology that goes along with it: the drugs and the gangs.
"We produce more meth and more milk than any region in the country," he says.

FRESNO HAS THE MOST CONCENTRATED POVERTY OF ANY CITY IN THE U.S.

Listen to the story here on NPR .

Greenpeace

2009-07-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

read about it here.

a definite lose-lose situation

2009-07-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Monday I took my seat belt off to give a dollar to a guy on the corner of 41N and Shaw, who was holding a sign that said HARD WORKER. He refused to take my dollar. He actually shook his head at me and walked away. I had this feeling I had insulted him somehow.

Before my back wheels hit Shaw a motorcycle cop had his lights whirling on me. He cited me for driving without my seat belt.

Yeah. A definite lose-lose. The guy on the corner lost out on one dollar, and I will likely lose out on 100 times that.

But here is the issue...

At first, I thought to myself, "Well I guess that guy really does want to work. He doesn't want me to hand him money at all."

Further reflection (and some snickering from acquaintances) has led me to believe that the gentleman on the corner saw that cop way before I did. And that he knows a lot more than I do as well.

So...is panhandling illegal? I've heard conflicting stories. Some involving $90 fines. What is YOUR understanding of the issue?

in an instant

2009-03-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

This morning on the way to school I passed a traffic accident. An old boat of a car was halfway up the little hill that runs alongside the freeway. Two other cars were mangled and tangled up a few feet away. It had just happened. The police had just arrived.

As I passed the wreck on my right, to my left a van came up beside me. The lone woman driving it sullenly made the sign of the cross as she passed.

Due to my own issues surrounding my Catholic upbringing I have not only abandoned the gesture but have come to view it with slight disdain.

And yet…the graceful sweep of the woman’s hand across her heart… an instant response...invoking the care of her Savior for a stranger…

I drove on, noting the sprinklers in the morning sun and my own omission. Several miles later I had still not uttered a prayer of my own.

It is astounding how swiftly God can check my heart. In an instant. In the time it takes for one car to pass another.

quote for the day

2009-02-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

"I didn't come in here all ginned up to spend $8 million."

--President Obama

I found an interesting short recap of the press conference here.

photo for the day

2009-02-07T14:36:00.001-08:00

Footprints in Tongren, Quinghai (China) believed by Tibetan monks to have been left by a monk who prayed in this spot for decades.

overheard in the women's locker room

2009-01-29T08:19:00.000-08:00

girl getting dressed: "So yeah I taught my mom how to text."

girl combing her hair: "Why?"

girl getting dressed: "I dunno. Thought it would make my life easier, I guess. But now... she's like, all thinking she's cool and shit. And she sends me these texts that say, like, 'Hi! What's up?' Jesus."

girl combing her hair: "Oh no."

girl getting dressed: "Um, yeah. It's hella annoying."

girl combing her hair: "Tell her to stop."

girl getting dressed: "Well I would but she pays for my phone and shit."

girl combing her hair: "Gawd. That bites."

girl getting dressed: "It hella sucks."

Sunday

2009-01-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

So we have started 'church' at Dakota House.

My hope is to have very unchurchy church, where real prayer happens, and people are just themselves... and God is very big and makes subsequent and meaningful appearances in the homes of the neighborhood folk who are brave enough to walk through the door.

Last time we met, I was thoroughly astounded.

In the middle of Brad's talk--we take turns leading--a young woman we know and love burst through the door. Her eyes searched the room for someone she knew, and they fell on me. She ran to me and buried her face in my chest and cried that her brothers might be going to jail.

Now, we know her brothers. They are probably our two most consistent Dakota House kids. We LOVE these boys. There was a crazy incident that was basically about flared emotions and a paranoid parent... an all too familiar story line.

Emily and I left the service and went across the street, retrieving babies we were implored to take for fear of C.P.S. intervention.

We return to the church service and--as I am too revved up to just sit and listen--request prayers for our boys. And singing. For us.

In a little while, here comes our boys--not hauled off to juvenile hall--looking scared and schooled.

And soon thereafter, a parade of uncles, and aunties, and cousins....and more babies. Our living room is suddenly filled with neighborhood people who have never been to Dakota House. And they want prayer. Because they have a court date, or can't pay rent, or want to stop using.

Most of them approach individuals and ask for prayer. But one woman boldly addresses the small crowd and tearfully tells us that she wants her 7 month old baby back.

And so we pray. We put her baby in God's hands and ask Him to deliver the child back to her mama.

Two days later I am at Dakota House and I hear the news. The baby is returned. After months of no hope, this mother is holding her child once again.

This is what that mother says: "It is a miracle! God is so powerful. When do we get to have church again?!"

Sunday.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

have it your way

2008-12-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

thanks becky. i owe you.

my view on the matter

2008-11-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

I'm imagining we are all weary--no matter who we voted for--of hearing condemnation or bewilderment directed towards Christians who support Obama.

Well. I'm weary of it, anyway.

In my opinion, Obama's alleged position on abortion is--in light of the tragedy of abortion--a good one.

Here is a link where you may read about it yourself, and also follow related links to help increase your understanding, if need be:

2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College on Apr 13th.

You can also read about the Prevention First Act bill which Obama supports.

From what I have read and comprehend, Obama sees abortion as a problem and a tragedy that cannot be solved by a law, as something that needs to be addressed on a deeper level. He proposes we put our energy there.

I agree with this approach. I work in an impoverished neighborhood, and see in the eyes of the young girls I love that a law will not move them. There are always ways around laws. What will bring about change is what has always done it, and Jesus gave us the best example. It is through relationship, and truth, meeting needs, and reaching people where they are.

As I see it, if the church spent more time doing this, and less time judging and proclaiming, we would see real change.

blue like jazz the movie

2008-11-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

The latest estimate for its release is 2010.

The shooting begins this summer in--where else? Portland.

The official site is here.

these people are amazing

2008-11-10T10:12:00.001-08:00

and I get to be their mom.

i just have to say this

2008-11-06T19:28:00.001-08:00

There was over 73 million dollars spent by both sides combined to argue the prop 8 issue.

I can't stop thinking about how much food that would buy.

And if you know anyone who came to Jesus because of hatred and judgment, please tell me.

Because I haven't exactly seen it work that way.

the acceptance speech

2008-11-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Acceptance Speech of Barack Obama, President Elect of the United States of America:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America. It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.
Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
… the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady…

… Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia…

… I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us…… to the new White House.

And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe…the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod…… who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics…
… you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy…

(APPLAUSE)

… who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.

And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.

There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!

OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.'

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

YES WE DID

2008-11-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

WE MADE HISTORY TONIGHT.

voting day. it's here.

2008-11-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up with a jolt. 'It's here. Finally,' I thought.

And then, "Oh no.'

Because for the first time in a long time, I care.

I am old enough to remember when both Kennedys were shot, and how heartbreaking it was. I also remember when Watergate happened. I distinctly recall the feelings of disillusionment and betrayal. 'What? Our president is a LIAR?'

This was before I became aware of all that Kennedy-Marilyn Monroe nonsense... before Watergate, and Monica Lewinsky...back in the day when we thought our president was someone to be respected.

When Watergate happened I was 16 years old. Very naive. And though I did not like Nixon, I still thought that THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES would be an honorable person.

Well that was a long time ago. Since then I have pretty much adopted the stance that politics and politicians are not to be trusted. 'poli'= 'many' and 'tics' = 'blood-sucking parasites'.

And it has been a long time since I have looked at a candidate and thought he was someone who could lead our country.

My hope is in Jesus... but hey--it would be sort of cool to have a president who gives us new hope for our country, and has a relationship with Jesus and proclaims it. Wouldn't it?

Our theology insinuated, that shortly after original sin, once Adam and Eve at the apple, they registered as Democrats and went on with their lives, trying to create large governments that would enable lazy people through expensive social programs. --Donald Miller

So, to appease myself, I started off today by reading this article, in which Donald Miller explains why he is voting for Obama. I suggest you skip the rest of what I have to say and read the Don. It is a brilliant piece.

Tonight Brad and I will cast our votes and then head to this pub where we like to go after voting. I like to go there because after I have voted I want to be around other people, in a general but non-invasive sort of camaraderie.

Plus--there will be TV there, as opposed to at our house where there isn't and I would crouch over my laptop obsessing on CNN.com--not satisfactory at all.

Today I am praying for our country. And for myself, actually. Because hope deferred doth make the heart sick.

if you looked inside yourself what would you see?

2008-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Whenever Ruben stopped and looked inside herself, she saw a woman flinging her arms wide and screaming, a sculpture of grief.

--Alice Mattison
--The Book Borrower

It's not really the sort of question you can ask in an on-the-street-survey.

Or maybe even of your friends.

It is a very big question.

desperate times. desperate measures.

2008-10-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

"... not afraid to get mavericky."

2008-10-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Pleasant Pleasantries 101

2008-09-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure my parents took this course.

if you could wish...

2008-09-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

"If you could wish for one thing to happen by the end of the day, what would it be?"

Fifty People, One Question: Restored from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.

2008-09-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

this is for you, cory.

then and now

2008-09-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated Sarah's birthday. She is 28.
Can this be?

Sarah in 1981

Sarah in 2008 @ Lucy's Lair Ethiopian restaurant
(go there. the food is wonderful. we love it.)

6th grade lesson for the GOP

2008-09-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

When I was in 6th grade I was Campaign Manager for a girl named Peg, who was running for Student Body President.

I proudly made and distributed posters that said extremely clever things like:

"The best vote is Peg. I'm not pulling your leg."

Before the campaign ever got into full swing, our Principal Mr. Smith sat us all down and told us that we were never allowed to say negative things about our opponents. Though this seemed obvious to me at 11 years old, Mr. Smith felt the need to drive the point home.

"If you do that, it is not at all honorable. It is what we call 'dirty politics'".

After watching the Republican Convention on my laptop the other night, I had the urge to get out some soap and water and give my monitor a thorough scrub down.

eagle vs. shark confession

2008-09-02T21:18:00.001-07:00

I want to buy this movie and watch it about 47 times.

There. I said it.

party in the hut

2008-08-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

the don nails it

2008-08-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Yep. He's one of us.

I’m honored to deliver the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention Evangelical voices have been scarce within this party, perhaps since the Carter administration. But as strides are being made on key issues of sanctity of life and social justice, as well as peaceful solutions to world conflicts, more and more evangelicals are taking a closer look at options the Democratic Party are beginning to deliver. There is a long way to go, but sending a message to Washington that no single party has the Christian community in their pocket, thus causing each party to carefully consider the issues most important to us, is, in my opinion, a positive evolution. I am glad that, for the most part, the dialogue has been constructive and positive. Will you join me in keeping the conversation thoughtful and not reactionary?

That said, I am honored to speak to, and especially pray with and for, the DNC. Here is the full text of the prayer:

Please join me for the next few moments in our Benediction.

"Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Hep us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen."

the SUPER TEAM

2008-08-19T08:27:00.001-07:00

yep.
it's gonna be good.

Fresno Bee article on Dakota House

2008-08-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

"Whoever makes Dakota House happen --
God bless them."

Read the article here.

that's how much God loves me

2008-08-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

I get to go camping with a whole bunch of
these kids this weekend.
I love my job.

life's a beach. or it WAS, anyway.

2008-07-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

my nephews Isaiah and Adam

the view from our deckNate, Grampo and Kim

mi esposo es muy guapo

I'm thinking Grampo was the only 96 year old on the
boardwalk that night

Duncan on the Boardwalk carousel

my daughters rock the Boardwalk

Nate and Caleb

my cousin John and his new wife SaraBrad and me at the wedding

Nate, David, Jacob, and Caleb

Sarie, Grampo and Aimee

savior on capitol hill

2008-07-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

three cups of tea

2008-07-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

It was good and restorative to have time away at the cabin. God used that peaceful respite to encourage me. He spoke to me in many ways, one of the most powerful being through a book called Three Cups of Tea. The story astounded, inspired, and bolstered me.

It is the story of Greg Mortenson, a climber who fails to summit K2 in the Karkoram mountains of Pakistan, but succeeds in walking straight in to a life work more rewarding and adventurous than any climb.

I am reminded that mountains can move when individuals take their eyes off of their own goals and fall into step with where God leads them.

Read this book.

May we all watch where we are walking... our ears tuned to His voice at each step.

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.
You feel it, don't you?

--Rumi

Greg Mortenson in the Hushe Valley

***buy Three Cups of Tea here and Amazon will donate a portion of the proceeds to Mortenson's organization: Central Asia Institute.

extend a little grace. and eat more ice cream.

2008-07-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

It is not yet 7:00 a.m. and I am already dragging a fan around with me from room to room and using bad words in conjunction with the word "hot."

Not to be mistaken for 'hot' as in "Hansel. He's so hot right now."

It's more like, "Jamie. She's SO HOT AND CRABBY RIGHT NOW."

Today's forecast is 111 degrees.

Yesterday was hot, too. And the day before that. It is taking a toll on us, I tell you. I have come to the conclusion that the heat has addled our brains. People honk and curse at each other in traffic. Store clerks glare and scowl at you as they ring up your groceries. We are all walking around with our craniums cracked and dried, which is the only explanation I can come up with for my experience yesterday.

Since my semester ended it has been a challenge to find a place where I can swim laps. Lately I have been going to Airways, a dried up ghost of a golf course with a public pool sporting a small section set aside for lap swimming.

When I arrived yesterday (after a long hiatus at the cabin where I happily swam daily in an ice cold creek) I had to rub my eyes in the bright glare and look again at the sight I saw. There were so many people in the pool it looked like that opening-day-at-the -beach scene in 'Jaws' where Spielberg hired double the extras for the visual impact.

I peered past the sea of teeming humanity and gratefully noted that the lap area was still roped off. My relief soon dissipated, however, when as my big toe dipped into the water the lifeguard began blowing her whistle so vehemently I thought there was an air raid. She waggled her finger at me in the universal signal for You Are Doing Something Bad. As I ascended back up the ladder a small girl with sopping black braids approached me and said with a lisp, "You can't thwim in the deep end. They jutht put Cloroxth in there."

Determined to still get my laps in, I entered the pool on the legal side and began the attempt to cross the pool without running into someone. First off, let me say that the water had taken on a new quality heretofore unknown by me. It was cloudy and foul-smelling, and bits of debris floated past my goggle view from time to time: candy wrappers, a chewed up piece of gum, and the like.

Secondly, eeeew. It was just gross. There were so many people in there it felt like the human flesh overrode the water. Like the tuna vs. the 'spring water' in a can of StarKist.

I only swam a few wayward and meandering 'laps', and was congratulating myself for not flailing my arms into a small child when I dove underwater and did my usual torpedo to the wall on my last lap.

The water was so murky I couldn't see too far in front of me, so it happened quite quickly that I was suddenly upon a couple against the wall of the pool. These were adults, mind you, of the proportionately large variety. They were, shall we say, engaged in an amorous underwater activity. From my vantage point there was absolutely no mistaking what was going on.

Putting my torpedo move in reverse is not easy, and it resulted in much choking, splashing, and sputtering on my behalf. The couple ceased their aquatic romp with a little adjusting of swimwear and a lot of chuckling, while I--obviously the more embarrassed--got out of the pool and headed for the shower.

My intense and immediate need for a shower at that moment cannot be exaggerated.

As I stood under the cold water rushing over me, I kept my back to the bobbing heads in the pool. I was inexplicably embarrassed, as if I had done something wrong.

I was contemplating that fact when a small boy of about 3 walked up. He was ridiculously cute, brown-skinned and smiling up at me, his faded Sponge Bob swim trunks way too big on his small frame. He stood right next to me, just looking at me with that big smile, the water coming off of me and splashing on his adorable face. Then he looked down, assumed the position, and promptly peed on my right foot.

As I drove away from the old golf course, surrounded by brown grass and dying trees, I thought that perhaps in these days of suffocating heat we--old and young alike-- cannot be held responsible for our actions. Like the withered grounds around me, our brains need moisture. Don't they sort of float around in water? What can we expect of ourselves when we have been dehydrated of all our fluids, and our brains are knocking around in our skulls like walnuts in a jar?

Moments later I was walking around the cool grocery store, my wet suit under my clothes. I lingered in the refrigerated section a while, drinking water and marveling at the sensation. I began to feel my brain cells re-hydrating. My sense of well-being returned and I became hopeful again.

The heat will pass, and we will regain ourselves. Until then, my panting friends, remember to drink plenty of water, eat more ice cream, and try to extend a little grace to those around you. We're all doing the best we can with what we have been given.

cabin time

2008-07-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Outpost 2008

2008-06-22T21:18:00.001-07:00

It was amazing.

Stories to follow.

Go here for pictures.

Grampo is 96 today

2008-06-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Johnny Sordi in 1928 (age 17)

John Sordi in 2008 (age 96)
--check out the headline on his hat--

nate has graduated...

2008-06-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

...now he's on to get his EMT...and then the Fire Academy.

CONGRATULATIONS NATEY
God has great plans for you.

Nate and his best friend Zac walked together.

Puddin, Sarie, Natey and Aimers

Kim and Nate

Emily came home from Calvin Crest for the ceremony

Brad figuring out Nate's new phone

just a few reasons i love my job

2008-06-03T17:59:00.001-07:00

whirlwind spokane trip

2008-05-19T11:06:00.001-07:00

Brad and his daughter Christine in Manito Park, Spokane

downtown Spokane

Ryland Walker Cosby

Cosby squared

Ryland and Brad doing some male bonding (sans cigars)

Ryland checking out his picture on my phone

muy feliz madre

nice moment caught with cell phone camera

2008-05-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Grampo and Emily

i read this today. i needed to hear it.

2008-05-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

"Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense." --Gilead

billy collins. yes. again.

2008-05-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

The way the dog trots out the front door
every morning
without a hat or an umbrella,
without any money
or the keys to her doghouse
never fails to fill the saucer of my heart
with milky admiration.

Who provides a finer example
of a life without encumbrance--
Thoreau in his curtainless hut
with a single plate, a single spoon?
Gandhi with his staff and his holy diapers?

Off she goes into the material world
with nothing but her brown coat
and her modest blue collar,
following only her wet brown nose,
the twin portals of her steady breathing,
followed by the plume of her tail.

If only she did not shove the cat aside
every morning
and eat all his food
what a model of self-containment she would be,
what a paragon of earthly detachment.
If only she were not so eager
for a rub behind the ears,
so acrobatic in her welcomes,
if only I were not her god.

--Dharma
Billy Collins

need vs. want

2008-05-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

I need to do my statistics homework.

All I want to do is swim, walk, and read. All the days.

Staring at my statistics book right now. I'm going to do this.

I am.

man in space

2008-05-01T10:24:00.001-07:00

All you have to do is listen to a man
sometimes when he talks to his wife at a table of people
and notice how intent he is on making his point
even though her lower lip is beginning to quiver,

and you will know why the women in science
fiction movies who inhabit a planet of their own
are not pictured making a salad or reading a magazine
when the men from earth arrive in their rocket,

why they are always standing in a semicircle
with their arms folded, their bare legs set apart,
their breasts protected by hard metal disks.

--Billy Collins

Nate's ridiculously cute new puppy

2008-04-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

poem for the day

2008-04-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

On Turning Ten

The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window
watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.

--Billy Collins

wolves, gerbils, and tattoos

2008-04-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

My statistics professor busted out some surprising news on us today:

HE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR.

Yeah.

When he was at Ball State in Indiana (in the late 90's) his former roommate called him for some help. He was working for a computer company called Outpost.com, for whom he was trying to come up with some commercials to help people remember their name.

So my professor and his buddy stayed up all night thinking up stuff. You might remember these ads that they came up with.

Suddenly statistics class doesn't seem quite so dreary anymore.

overheard on my campus

2008-04-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

guy in polo shirt:
"How's it going?!? I'll tell you how it's going... I just failed two practicals, my girlfriend broke up with me, and I lost my lucky pencil."

guy in Volcom hoodie:
"Dude. Seriously?"

guy in polo shirt:
"Yeah. Damn. I can't believe I lost my lucky pencil."

bi-polar weather

2008-04-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

It was 65 on Tuesday.

Tomorrow it will be 85.

There is NO RAIN predicted for April.

Remember 'March winds bring April showers, which bring May flowers'?

What happened to that?

the best LOST quote thus far

2008-03-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I would silently mock my dear friends as they excitedly shared the latest happenings on LOST.

The past couple of months Brad, Emily and I have been watching the DVD's. We are in the middle of season 2.

Hello. My name is Jamie. I'm a LOSTaholic.

My belated yet heartfelt apologies to the Cosbys, Pinas, et al.

"What're you gonna do? Beat me with your Jesus stick?"

--Charlie to Eko
The 23rd Psalm episode

"...street terrorism is right here."

2008-03-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I got word that this kid who used to come to Summer Lunch Club at Dakota House was shot in a drive-by. Not on our street...on the West Side where his family moved after leaving our neighborhood.

He is 11 years old and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

The thing I remember most about him is how he loved to do back flips. He was always begging us to watch him perform the next harder one he had mastered.

He still lives on the West Side but his best friend has moved back onto our street.

My prayer is this: somehow we can get him on the Dakota House camping trip. And we give him an experience he needs, and we love him up, and we remind him that God still has great plans for him.

Maybe I am just imagining this to make myself feel better.

But I am still praying for it.

*****

Today I read this story about a 17 year old boy in L.A. who was shot and killed in a drive-by. One of the quotes in the story ended like this: "...street terrorism is right here."

It is right here, too.

quote for the week's end

2008-03-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?"

Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."

--Charles M. Shulz

blog tattoo

2008-03-06T09:26:00.001-08:00

So I know we have heard this a thousand times.

The thing is... I was thinking of having it tattooed on my forearm, as a constant reminder.

But I'm too chicken to get a tattoo.

So I'm putting it on post-it notes instead.

And here.

Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.

--St. Francis of Assisi

dichotomy of the day

2008-03-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while waiting at a red light I saw this:

A big, burly guy in a mud-covered, beat up truck at a stop light holding a pink pinwheel out his window. His huge, muscled arm was hairy and tatooed, and at the end of it there was this slim little stem and a burst of color...

He stared at it...smiling at the shimmery petals turning round and round in the breeze.

rock steady

2008-03-05T23:16:00.001-08:00

quote AND book recommendation for the day

2008-02-26T08:05:00.000-08:00

I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.

--E.B. White

Essays of E.B. White

"...so ret it out and ret it in."

2008-02-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

"It's not even about Donkey Kong anymore."

2008-02-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

if you ever wanna see jesus again...

2008-02-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

"while robust criticism is fair, scorn is not"

2008-02-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Due to the fractional portion of remorse I felt after my previous post, I give you this article from the New York Times. Thank you Brad Barker for sending it to me.

If you have some time, follow the link at the bottom of the article. It's a little painful to read. But it's real.

If we really do want to love people it seems important to have a clue what some of them think of 'us'. And why.

Side note: Last week I spent the day with my oldest friend (we have been friends for almost thirty years). He is gay. I found myself--once again--gently grasping his hand and proceeding cautiously when bringing Jesus into the conversation. He could see my heart breaking when his always brilliant banter turned itself to the scorn of my fellow Christians. "I can't even call you a Christian," he said. "I know your heart, and I know you love God... but I just can't use that word to describe you."

And sad truth is, neither can I.

Something has to change, people.

got any change?

2008-02-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

jesus is cool but...

2008-02-07T09:56:00.001-08:00

nate is.... an adult?

2008-02-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

Nate turns 18 today. We celebrated last night.

Last week we got word his application to the Fire Academy was accepted.

I think my youngest child isn't one anymore.

just thinking i'm glad...

2008-02-06T08:48:00.001-08:00

...that my hope is in you, Lord.

girl in the war...laurel begging hardy for a gun

2008-02-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

I can't get this song out of my head.

And what's worse I can't figure out what it means. Even to me.

Peter said to Paul
"All those words that we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go"
But now talkin' to God is Laurel beggin' Hardy for a gun
I gotta girl in the war, man I wonder what it is we done

Paul said to Petey
"You gotta rock yourself a little harder;
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
And I got a girl in the war, Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through

Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom
And the angels fly around in there, but we can't see them
And I gotta girl in the war, Paul I know that they can hear me yell
If they can't find a way to help, they can go to Hell
If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to Hell

Paul to Petey "you gotta rock yourself a little harder;
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
But I gotta girl in the war, Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
Sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain

a little nod to the don

2008-01-30T06:04:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite places to visit on the web is Donald Miller's site. No wonder. Check out the poet he introduced me to.

Touch Me

Outdoors all afternoon
under a gunmetal sky
staking my garden down,
I kneeled to the crickets trilling
underfoot as if about
to burst from their crusty shells;
and like a child again
marveled to hear so clear
and brave a music pour
from such a small machine.
What makes the engine go?
Desire, desire, desire.
The longing for the dance
stirs in the buried life.
One season only,
and it’s done.

So let the batterd old willow
thrash against the windowpanes
and the house timbers creak.
Darling, do you remember
the man you married? Touch me,
remind me who I am.

--Stanley Kunitz

Thanks Donald.

Did I mention Brad and I are going to see him on April 17th?

Oh yeah.

i know the feeling

2008-01-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

I love this video a friend sent to me... I so know the feeling.

a little elvis in your day

2008-01-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

My ex-husband Rod has gotten married and along with the deal inherited two great boys. They stayed with us last night while Rod and Michelle went to Vegas for the weekend.

I think they should have taken Colin (age 7) and given him a lounge act.

family time

2008-01-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

The prayer family (minus some beloved peeps) came together in our home to say goodbye to the Cosbys. It was wonderful. It was a little sad. But mostly it was wonderful.

Then Mel joined Brad and me out at Grampo's. Mel took me on a wild ATV ride. I will let her tell the story. And there is one.

Good weekend. Good people. Yep.

The Great Debaters

2008-01-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

Go see this movie.

nice way to ring it in

2008-01-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

a mix and a mingle with the jinglin' beat

2007-12-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite Christmas time things to do. We haul all the Dakota House kids over to our house and have a fat ol' party. It is great fun.

Last night we had 27 kids here, plus a few staff, and a surprise guest.

Okay. Now the jingle hop has begun.

I think this kid in the middle--Daniel--
will run Dakota House someday

Emily and Claudio: we fight over him, but
anyone can clearly see it's me he loves

Christmas carols in front of the manger...
here they are singing the perennial favorite:
'I'm Gettin' Nuthin' for Christmas'

Dee and me. I love this girl.

Angel and Keanu. sugar drunks.

surprise guest: Grampo!!!

fall from grace

2007-12-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." --1Peter 3:15.

Gentleness and respect, people.

Not violence and hatred.

My stomach hurts.

Fall From Grace movie.

cry when you need milk...

2007-12-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

Advent invites us to stand up as children of God. Being children of God requires that we act like children.

Cry when you need milk.

Act silly to make God laugh.

Listen to what God says.

Throw things off the table and experience God’s patience.

Curl up in the arms of God. Ask God to read you a story. Allow God to throw you up in the air.

Play hide and seek with God.

Allow God to play hide and seek with you.

Cry when God goes away.

Squeal with delight when God comes back.

Listen to God say how much you are loved.

Tell God of your love.

This, without a doubt, is what Advent is all about.

--Mark Bozutti-Jones

The Womb of Advent

read this book

2007-12-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

‘But Mr. Fred taught me something: how to disconnect. How to disappear in plain sight while I was being screamed at. I can’t hear him because I’m not here, I’d tell myself, standing there, blank-faced. He’s so stupid, he doesn’t even know I’m gone. It was a survival skill I used later on, with my own abusive husbands.’

--Bonnie Forshaw, incarcerated: 45 years without parole
--taken from COULDN'T KEEP IT TO MYSELF:Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution

ridiculous yet strangely satisying cabin activity

2007-12-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

early winter photo update

2007-12-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

Brad helping Grampo plant his winter garden

Grampo and me.

Shaddie spending a little down time at the cabin.

I call this Man Contemplating Wood.

Emily warming up the nativity angel.

yesterday's crap

2007-11-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

This morning, after lecturing for about an hour on introjection and projective indentification, my psychology professor rubbed his face and bald head vigorously, then looked at us and said this:

"Ok, look. It's like this. People from today catch the crap from yesterday. See you next class."

for those of you who remember joe and samo

2007-11-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

Joe has been in jail for four years (actually prison for some of that time) and just got out last week. Please pray for him. Of course all the bad stuff shows up and tries to ensnare right away, and he is trying hard to stay clean, pray, go to church, get a job, etc....

Samo is still in juvenile hall and will be out in June. That is if his mouth doesn't get him in trouble. Please pray for him, too. I miss him.

Jackie (their mom) is doing so well... has given her life to Jesus, has been clean for about three years, goes to church, has a job and a house and a car. All praise goes to Jesus, who never gives up on us.

It was soooo good to see Joe walk through our door.

come be my light

2007-11-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have just finished reading the book of Mother Teresa's letters.

It took me a while.

It's pretty intense.

Recently much has been made of her apparent 'crisis of faith'. I know this might surprise you, but the media didn't exactly get it right.

I have always been an admirer of Mother Teresa's. After reading her letters--which begin before her calling to start the Missionaries of Charity and follow through until her death-- I am even more humbled by this woman who gave her life to Jesus in loving the poorest of the poor.

She brought the light of God's love into the darkest of places.

It seemed fitting to me that on September 5, 1997, the night she died, there was an electricity outage in the city. Two separate emergency lines brought in also failed, which had never happened before.

While Calcutta was in darkness, the earthly life of the one who had brought so much light to this city and to the whole world was extinguished.
--Brian Kolodiejchuk, author

Here are just a few words from Mother Teresa. Her letters are filled with them:

"People are hungry for God. What a terrible meeting it would be with our neighbor if we give them only ourselves."

"Do we know who our own poor are? Do we know our neighbor, the poor of our own area? It is easy for us to talk and talk about the poor of other places. Very often we have the suffering, we have the lonely, we have the people--old, unwanted, feeling miserable--and they are near us and we don't even know them. We have no time even to smile at them."

"God is in love with us and keeps giving Himself to the world--through you--through me... May you continue to be the sunshine of His love to your people and thus make your life something truly beautiful for God."

"First thing in the morning... offer Him everything you will say, or do during the day. Love Him with a deep, personal, intimate love..."

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-24T16:17:00.000-08:00

quote for the day

2007-11-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.

-- John le Carre

from the I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HEAR MYSELF SAY THIS department

2007-11-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

"What the heck did I do with my protractor?!"

indecent exposure...exposed

2007-11-12T20:31:00.001-08:00

"That's the big difference between us," he said with a shrug. "You Westerners make love in public and pray in private. We Muslims do exactly the opposite."

--Time magazine article

raise your hand if you think...

2007-11-09T13:43:00.001-08:00

...we should have some grandbabies.

(thank you to the Cosbys for sharing in our time of need.)

garden love

2007-11-09T12:45:00.001-08:00

Yeah. Check out our string beans.

I married a man who, in addition to other desirable qualities, has a green thumb.

Happy me.

the sound of your voice

2007-11-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

bella for life

2007-11-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

Brad and I went to the movies with my son Nate and his girlfriend Kim tonight.

It was an incredible film.

Go see it before it leaves the theater.

phone conversation with friend

2007-11-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

"Well... at least it made for a good blog post."

"That's really what it all comes down to."

rent this movie. seriously. do it.

2007-11-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

i called my professor a smartass today...

2007-10-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

...as in, out loud.

...in front of the whole class.

I didn't mean to.

It just came out.

Other students heard me.

And so did the professor.

I think I had Tourette's for a minute.

the closing of the cabin

2007-10-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we closed up the cabin.

Which is sad/hopeful.

We stocked it up with firewood, in the hopes that we will be able to ski in, climb through the window, and spend a couple of cozy days inside.

But one never knows what the next season will bring.

quote for the day

2007-10-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

'Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.'

--H. L. Mencken

i think it would be cool to have...

2007-10-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

...a long conversation with a Tibetan monk.