"Divergent" book to read!

Divergent by Veronica Roth is a book I gave to my youngest daughter MJ for Christmas, just because it came up as a recommendation on Amazon. She read it within 24 hours, as I did after she gave it to me to read. It is intended to be the first in a trilogy of books taking place in a dystopian world. It is a debut novel for the author and is targeted for the young adult audience.

It is easy and riveting to read. If you enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy, you will like this one. Amazingly, the second one entitled Insurgent will be published in May 2012.

Friday Five: Last Year and Next Year

Sally brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

A simple Friday Five for a busy part of the year; indulge me by sharing two fives:
As you look back over 2011 share 5 blessings, they can be as grand or as simple as you like,if you year has been like mine they are probably a mixture!

<--2011 Blessings (without counting family):
Three fabulous trips:
1. Spain with my youngest daughter MJ

2. U.S. National Parks on road trip with husband CB

3. Russia with friends in the Methodist Russian Initiative

4. Finally, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, with eventual relief of symptoms through the combination of methotextrate and Humira.

5. Reconnection with two seemingly "lost" people: my cousin Karen through cards and letters and former blogging friend Christina through the online game Words With Friends.

-->Looking to 2012:
1. More frequent visits to Austin to be with our granddaughter Avery, as she grows in both movement and learning. (She is walking a lot now.) Plus, see her parents there!

2. Visits to Houston to see son BJ.

3. I also hope to make visits to WA to see AE and KA plus to Calgary to see my elderly cousin Margaret.

4. Finally commit to and accomplish cleaning out excess in my house, which is too overwhelming to list. I hope to consistently work at this, and not start and stop--as I tend to do.

5. Spend one morning every other week at the church library, cleaning and organizing it.

My Christmas and Afterwards

One week ago, I felt sicker than this snowman looks. Last Thursday, after appointments with two different doctors, I surprisingly came home and vomited. Sadly, this was only hours after my grandbaby Avery and her parents had arrived.

I kept getting sicker, so that on Christmas Eve (Saturday) evening, our family doctor met us at his office and gave me a shot to stop the vomiting. Later my husband told me that Dr. S advised him to take me to the hospital if I kept throwing up. Luckily, the shot worked and by Sunday I could drink water (and keep it down).

Christmas was a blur for me, but seemed happy for everyone else. I am still grateful that husband CB, daughter-in-law AA, and youngest daughter MJ did all the cooking for breakfast and the big Christmas dinner. The girls made cinnamon rolls, apple and pecan pies, plus side dishes for dinner. CB cooked the turkey. I hear it all was lovely and delicious.

I finally started to feel better on Tuesday, so this stomach flu lasted for five days. So far, no one else has caught it from me. And today, one week since the onset, I feel really WELL. All's well that ends well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other health news is related to that first doctor's visit last Thursday, which was with my orthopedic surgeon, who happens to be married to a good friend of mine. This was about my shoulder that continues to hurt since I partially fell from a top bunk on a train in Russia. X-rays showed that I had torn my rotator cuff, with a bone chip floating around.

Yesterday I had an MRI on my shoulder, which showed more fully the damage done when I torqued my shoulder. Dr. D kindly explained it all in a phone call last night--that I tore the infraspinatus part of the rotator cuff, which he said is consistent with the description of how I fell on the Russian train. There are bone fragments loose, which will cause nerve pinching unless removed. So surgery is indicated.

Today I learned that I can have the surgery next Wednesday afternoon. I spent almost three hours at the hospital this afternoon pre-registering. I am glad it can be done so soon and by such an excellent surgeon, who is also a kind and good man.

Merry Christmas!

Church of the Resurrection and Spilled Blood
Saint Petersburg, Russia

40 Years Together

December 21, 1971
Jan and CB after wedding with
CB's brother Tom looking on

Christmas Wishes

Within Our Reach: Joy

— by Fra Giovanni Giocondo

Fra Giovanni Giocondo (c.1435–1515) was a Renaissance pioneer, accomplished as an architect, engineer, antiquary, archaeologist, classical scholar, and Franciscan friar. Today we remember him most for his reassuring letter to Countess Allagia Aldobrandeschi on Christmas Eve, 1513.

---

I salute you. I am your friend, and my love for you goes deep. There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take. No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.

Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see. And to see, we have only to look. I beseech you to look!

Life is so generous a giver. But we, judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love by wisdom, with power. Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel's hand that brings it to you.

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow or a duty, believe me, that angel's hand is there. The gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Your joys, too, be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty beneath its covering, that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage then to claim it; that is all! But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together, wending through unknown country home.

---

Mary

At Cathedral of the Resurrection and Spilled Blood
Saint Petersburg, Russia

All the pictures in this cathedral are mosaics, but to my untrained eye, they looked like paintings.

More Mysteries!!

I have recently discovered two new mystery writers I like, who have multiple books in their series. In fact I went to the library today and checked out eight books! (They are not due until Jan. 3, so I should have time after Christmas to read them more diligently.)

The first was a book loaned to two other people, one of whom passed it on to me--the first Charlie Moon mystery. I had not heard of these until now, and the author has been writing them since 1994 (one a year). the first one is The Shaman Sings by James D. Doss. I had six of these books in my Amazon shopping cart immediately after finishing that book last night, but I checked at the public library first today, which was the financially responsible thing to do. Now I have deleted them all from the cart. By using the library, I got copies much more quickly, though I must admit I was lucky that so many were on the shelves ready to be checked out. I'm also glad I did not succumb to the temptation of downloading them to my Kindle!

Even though this is a "Charlie Moon" mystery, he did not appear until the end, though his Aunt Daisy, an Indian shaman, was in the beginning of the book. There is also a small town Colorado sheriff who eventually meets both of them in solving the mystery. Charlie Moon is a (Ute) Tribal Police officer. Mystery, Indian mysticism and humor are all mixed in to make a good read.

It was a happy surprise that I found the other author, because I was first attracted by the cover drawn by Edward Gorey (1925-2000) at the independent Book People store in Austin. Then I read the employee's blurb about The Sybil in Her Grave, which got me to buy the book. This is the last mystery written by Sarah Caudwell (1939-2000) and was published posthumously. I am only 1/3 through the book but want to read the three others written by her. The hero of these books is Hilary Tamar, a professor Oxford, whose sex is never revealed. The elegance of language is beautiful, with humor and wonderful plots.

Shoveling Snow With Buddha

Daughter AE printed this poem, putting each letter (typesetting) in place beforehand in the printer. She and KA had this framed and gave it to CB and me during their visit to Austin this past weekend. This was our Christmas present from them.

I took the picture with my Ipod, on which eldest son DC demonstrated how to do that and email the photo to my blog. I love doing this now, which is how the last few pictures have been posted to the blog.

The poem is entitled "Shoveling Snow With Buddha" by Billy Collins. The framed poem is hanging on the wall I am looking at right now--above this computer screen. I'll re-read it often this way.

Shoveling Snow With Buddha

In the usual iconography of the temple or the local Wok
you would never see him doing such a thing,
tossing the dry snow over a mountain
of his bare, round shoulder,
his hair tied in a knot,
a model of concentration.

Sitting is more his speed, if that is the word
for what he does, or does not do.

Even the season is wrong for him.
In all his manifestations, is it not warm or slightly humid?
Is this not implied by his serene expression,
that smile so wide it wraps itself around the waist of the universe?

But here we are, working our way down the driveway,
one shovelful at a time.
We toss the light powder into the clear air.
We feel the cold mist on our faces.
And with every heave we disappear
and become lost to each other
in these sudden clouds of our own making,
these fountain-bursts of snow.

This is so much better than a sermon in church,
I say out loud, but Buddha keeps on shoveling.
This is the true religion, the religion of snow,
and sunlight and winter geese barking in the sky,
I say, but he is too busy to hear me.

He has thrown himself into shoveling snow
as if it were the purpose of existence,
as if the sign of a perfect life were a clear driveway
you could back the car down easily
and drive off into the vanities of the world
with a broken heater fan and a song on the radio.

All morning long we work side by side,
me with my commentary
and he inside his generous pocket of silence,
until the hour is nearly noon
and the snow is piled high all around us;
then, I hear him speak.

After this, he asks,
can we go inside and play cards?

Certainly, I reply, and I will heat some milk
and bring cups of hot chocolate to the table
while you shuffle the deck.
and our boots stand dripping by the door.

Aaah, says the Buddha, lifting his eyes
and leaning for a moment on his shovel
before he drives the thin blade again
deep into the glittering white snow.

-Billy Collins,

Picnic, Lightning

Friday Five: To Do List

Ever since I was little, I heard that Santa is making a list and checking it twice. I can see why he has to keep checking it, because there is so much to do before Christmas! Only nine days left, and I don't have church services to plan, but there is much left to be done. My daughter-in-law tells me that she feels behind, which is how I have been feeling.

No matter how organized you are, there must be some things you still need to do. For this Friday Five, tell us five things on your Christmas "To Do" List. Include anything you have decided to skip doing this year. As a bonus, give us something that helps you remember why this season even exists.

1. Decorations out--I'm not sure how much will get out. We finally put up a Christmas tree last night. The lights are on it and an angel on top, but still no other decorations. I am thinking that it looks very nice as it is.

2. Baking cookies--I've only baked the only family favorite "Holiday Sparklers," which are butter cookies with three chocolate chips rolled in the middle of each ball. Each ball is topped with green or red sprinkles. I am not sure how many other ones I will try; usually I bake way too many.

3. Decide on our Christmas meal--Over my entire life, we've always had about the same menu for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This last Thanksgiving had me wondering if I really wanted the same old, same old. I know I am stuck with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, but I need to plan what the accompanying items will be.

4. Find out when and if third child (and second son) BJ is coming home for Christmas.

5. Clean out the big drawer under the wall ovens to be devoted to Avery's books and toys--before she and her parents arrive next Thursday.

Bonus: Centering Prayer at least once a day--twice would be better, but that is not always managed, to my chagrin.

Another picture of Avery

CB holding Avery, while she and I look at each other.

Daughter AE used up her entire memory card taking pictures during her visit to Austin to see us (and especially Avery) this past weekend. It was wonderful to have all our children together for a short while. Thank you, AE and KA, for flying to Austin from Seattle!!

Christmas Reindeer

Near the gingerbread village of TX buildings at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin is this funny reindeer.

Santa's Little Helper

Avery has taken one or two steps!

Avery's Elephant

Aunt KA knitted this cute elephant for Avery

I am so excited!

At 7:30 this morning we are driving to Austin from Corpus Christi! We'll be seeing ALL our children, plus our one grandchild. Daughters AE and KA flew to Austin from Seattle yesterday.

I am so excited!!

Christmas Shopping

I have done almost all my Christmas shopping on the internet this year. I find that easier, especially when people have Amazon Wish Lists.

Friday Five: Random

Revkjarla brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

I don't know about you, but my life seems to have a lot of random surprises lately. Just little things,like the doggy in the picture, who was rescued by a Good Samaritan from running into traffic, who then brought him to the police, who brought him to my neighbor's house. I took the doggy, now named Scout, to the vet on Monday, and the woman behind the desk said, "This dog looks so familiar. Were you here last week?" I told her no, that this particular dog is a stray, and she looked at me, and said (use your best Boston accent here), "Oh my GAWD! I rescued that dog on Satuhday! I took him to the police!" and then she proceeded to tell me the story. She was Scout's angel.

Random, right?

So, for our Friday Five, I invite you share five random things about you, or five random thoughts, or five random surprises in your life.

Just be random!

This goes along with something my friend Katherine said to me today about her husband--he will ask "Tell me something interesting." That could be random but interesting!

1. I've been hating my hair recently, as it has been so flyaway and weird. When I got my hair cut recently, I asked Dee, who has cut my hair for the past 18 years, about it. She said it is because I have varied lengths of little hairs coming up on top of my head--I have been losing hair over the past few months so slowly that I did not notice. I had thought I had escaped side effects of taking methotextrate for my RA, even though my rheumatologist asks me at every appointment if I am losing hair. . . .and I had not thought so until now! So I am in the in-between stage of growing out my bangs, so the weight will cover up the little hairs. So I am encouraged.

2. Daughters AE and KA are flying from Seattle to Austin on Saturday! They are not going to spend Christmas with us, but will visit KA's family in Ohio instead. So we are having a mini-family gathering this weekend in Austin. Yay!

3. AE and KA gave me the newly published book 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami for my birthday, which was also its publication date. I plan to read this thick book after Christmas when I have more time to dedicate myself to it. I had never heard of it before they gave it to me, even though many people were awaiting its publication.

4. I love playing Words with Friends on my Ipod, even though I usually lose.

5.I had to go to three different supermarkets to find red sprinkles (sugar) to buy. I cannot find red currant jelly anywhere in Corpus Christi, but may get it in Austin. At least, I am getting ready to bake Christmas cookies! (The only Christmas item I've brought out is our Christmas wreath on the door. Husband CB put lights on the house outside, too.)

Personal Mail 1963-2011

The U. S. Post Office continues to lose money. They are planning to close processing centers so that first class mail will take longer to reach recipients. The only complaints seem to be from companies about bills and payments taking longer to get to the proper addresses.

Unlike the above commercial for zip codes from 1963, regular citizens of the USA do not seem to be affected by the projected change in mail delivery--or the media assumes we do not care. I object to it, because I like to write notes and cards to friends and family and dislike the way such mail will take longer for them to receive.

In 1963 the Post Office visibly encouraged people to use zip codes, because back then there was no internet and little long-distance phone service. Living in Japan 1961-64, we came back to direct dialing on the phone and zip codes for mail!

I feel sad that letter writing is a dying art. In fact, a dear friend died in October at the age of 94 years and she was my most consistent correspondent. Her demise and also her age illustrate that the era of handwritten correspondence is disappearing.

Now I feel like the Postal Service is contributing to the idea that handwritten correspondence is outdated and slow. Snail mail will be even slower in the future.

Sad. . . .maybe my age (61) also shows why I still like to write with a pen, though I must admit I don't do it as frequently or prolifically as I did in the past.

Don't you like to get a "real" note (not a bill or advertisement) in the mail? At least, we'll get a few more in this holiday season, but after that I don't know.

12 Gifts of Christmas

I just came across "The 12 Gifts of Christmas," a list of kind things to do for strangers for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. It would be most appropriate to post this 12 days before Christmas, but I'll probably forget, so here it is:

12 Gifts of Christmas by Trista Wilson and here is her list:

THE 12 GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS:

DAY 12: (DECEMBER 13)-- Buy food for a homeless person (or someone in need). This does not have to be expensive. $5 should cover lunch.

DAY 11: (DECEMBER 14)-- Write a kind, hand-written letter to someone that changed your life for the better. And no, I'm not talking about an email or a text...I'm talking about snail mail people. ;) (This can be to a childhood friend, a teacher from the past, or even an old baby-sitter that impacted your life for the better.)

DAY 10: (DECEMBER 15)-- Pay for the person's order in line behind you in either the coffee drive-thru, fast food, a tollbooth, train ticket, etc. (There are a LOT of options here...)

DAY 9: (DECEMBER 16)-- Put grocery carts away in a random parking lot for other shoppers or find carts that others have left behind. It will help the employees out by bringing them indoors where they belong.

DAY 8: (DECEMBER 17)-- Write a letter of thanks to the armed forces. (Yes, even if you don't support the war. Remember that these people are risking their lives daily in order to ensure our safety and Freedom).

Here is the address:

A Million Thanks
17853 Santiago Blvd. #107-355
Villa Park, CA 92861

DAY 7: (DECEMBER 18)-- Buy or bake something for a neighbor. You may know them well, you may have never even introduced yourself. So here's your chance;)

DAY 6: (DECEMBER 19)-- Buy a $5 or $10 gift card for a grocery store, gas station, coffee place, etc. Leave the gift card on a random park bench or windshield of someone's car.

DAY 5: (DECEMBER 20)-- Do something kind for the elderly. This can be anything from helping them to their car with heavy groceries, holding the door open for them, volunteering at a retirement home, or even raking their leaves.

DAY 4: (DECEMBER 21)-- Tape quarters to a vending machine. So simple, yet so convenient! I honestly cannot count how many times I have wanted a snack or a soda, but could not dig up that last quarter to satisfy my craving.

DAY 3: (DECEMBER 22)-- Leave a generous tip for a server, barista, or bartender--along with a nice note. This will most likely make their night. Having been in all three of these positions, I know how easy it is to get discouraged when guests are difficult and do not tip. This could turn their entire day around!

DAY 2: (DECEMBER 23)-- Purchase a gift card at a local grocery store (of any amount). Turn around in line, and hand it to the first person you see. Then walk away. No explanation is needed. I'm sure their expression will say it all.

Day 1: (DECEMBER 24)-- YOUR turn to choose a random act of kindness. I thought it would be fun to see the different ideas everybody comes up with for this last day before Christmas. Be creative. The sky is the limit. =)

Trista like you to document this and if you do so, please email your blog address and the account of your experience to CHAINLINKS08@GMAIL.COM.

If you'd like to get involved online on Facebook, go to
https://www.facebook.com/events/315454065150001/

Or just try one or all twelve activities now or on the dates indicated. Show you care!

We offer to the Lord

Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart –

a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water – I accept with joy.

– Bhagavad Gita

"We can look upon everything we do as a gift to the Lord. If we hoe the garden carefully so that our family – or a neighbor’s family, or someone in need – can have fresh vegetables for dinner, that is an offering to the Lord. If we work a little more than is expected of us at something that benefits others, that too is an offering to the Lord. Everywhere, in every detail of daily living, it is not a question of quantity or expense that makes our offering acceptable; it is cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and the capacity to forget ourselves in helping others."

~~Eknath Easwaran

The Thought for the Day is today's entry from Eknath Easwaran's Words to Live By. (Copyright 1999 and 2005 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.)

New mystery series!

I love books. I have many, many--too many to fit on my book shelves. Plus, there are more than I count that I haven't read yet!

My friend Nancy gave me five paperback mysteries for my birthday--to introduce me to the mysteries featuring China Bayles, who lives in the Texas hill country. This is an extensive series (20+) by Susan Wittig Albert about a former defense lawyer who owns and operates an herb store in a fictional town and her love interest who is a former cop. Quirky and interesting things happen in and around the little town of Pecan Springs with fun characters who recur in subsequent books.

I am hooked on these books and checked out nine of the books from my public library, as I am trying to read them in order. I also compulsively bought two intermittent mysteries for my Kindle, as I could not find them in the library.

Go here for a listing of the China Bayles mysteries in order.

The titles and cover art of the books are too "cutesy" for me at times, but the stories are captivating. Since Albert started writing these books in 1992, your public library will probably have many of her books, as will used book stores.

Advent Prayer

God of hope,
help me prepare the way for you in the wilderness of chaos.
Give me strength, wisdom, and patience

to clear a path for you through my cluttered heart and life.

Amen.

Beth Richardson, The Uncluttered Heart

Beth has written a book for Advent, The Uncluttered Heart--also the name of the blog. Both will encourage us during this 40-day journey.

Grumpiness

At times, oldest son DC has teasingly told me that one trait of our family is grumpiness. It could be genetic since my father was often grumpy. I am grumpy when I am tired and/or in pain. Still, that old standby prayer helps me cope (or try to cope): "Bless ____________, change me." I cannot change anyone else's grumpiness; only my own--if I am aware enough to notice.

(But saying "it's genetic" is a cop out.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

And dedicated to my two vegetarian daughters:



I hope they'll enjoy today despite the tradition of eating dead meat, though they will not do that.

Thanking the Lord

Matins

Now we are awake
and now we are come together
and now we are thanking the Lord.

This is easy,
for the Lord is everywhere.

He is in the water and the air,
He is in the very walls.

He is around us and in us.
He is the floor on which we kneel.

We make our songs for him
as sweet as we can

for his goodness,
and, lo, he steps into the song

and out of it, having blessed it,
having recognized our intention,
having awakened us, who thought we were awake,
a second time,
having married us in the air and water,

having lifted us in intensity,
having lowered us in beautiful amiability,

having given us
each other,
and the weeds, dogs, cities, boats, dreams
that are the world.

What Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems by Mary Oliver

With thanks to my friend Louise for sharing this poem with me.

Avery's First Birthday!

Mommy AA singing "Happy Birthday" to Avery

TODAY is Avery's first birthday, but her birthday PARTY was this past Saturday. It was lots of fun for all the adults. Avery happily crawled among all the people.

Today she is one year old. Avery will have her one-year-checkup with the doctor and get her shots. Her daddy (my son) told me that she is starting to recognize the place or the nurse where she gets shots. . . . We can tell that her brain is developing--she is remembering people, places, and things.

We celebrate with joy Avery's birth!

Friday Five: Thanksgiving

I've been home from Russia for less than a week, and in less than a week it is Thanksgiving Day in the USA (Nov. 24). So for this Friday Five, answer these questions (and if they don't apply to you, list five things you are grateful for):

1. Where will you be on Thanksgiving Day? With whom?
This year we will be staying in Corpus Christi. Our two youngest children, MJ and BJ, will be with us.

2. Are there any family traditions or memories associated with Thanksgiving?
Mostly it's food and the Thanksgiving Parade on tv.

3. What will be on your Thanksgiving menu?
Turkey with stuffing, candied sweet potatoes (NO marshmallows), cranberry sauce (not from a can), broccoli. We always used to have a jello salad, but oldest son wanted that more than the others and we may not have it here in CC this year.

4. Are you trying anything new this Thanksgiving?
Instead of pumpkin pie, I am going to try making pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

5. What is the weather forecast for this day (next Thursday)?
The high temperature is projected to be 80 degrees F.

I can't stop yawning!

I keep yawning and have been for the past two hours. Jet lag must still be affecting me from my 12 days in Russia. I am so sleepy! But it is too early to go to bed.

My Russian Host Family

Two weeks ago, very early on Friday morning Nov. 4, I was met at the dark train station in Vologda, Russia by my host family. They graciously took care of me for the next five days and nights. The parents, Sveta and Zehnya, are about the ages of my oldest son and his wife. Their two children are boys, who are 3 and 6 years old.

Dima, Sveta (mom), and Vladic

Moscow, Russia

Painting on the wall of the Russian United Methodist Seminary in Moscow.

With only one day to tour Moscow, we visited the Methodist Seminary in Moscow and toured the city on a bus on Nov. 3, 2011. Read about the seminary here.

This building is the Russian United Methodist Seminary.

This was right before a holiday (Unity Day) and so the traffic was quite congested. It turned out that Red Square was closed to the public, because groups were rehearsing for the upcoming military parade for the following Monday:

I later learned that:
"Thousands of Russian soldiers and military cadets marched across Red Square to mark the 70th anniversary of a historic World War II parade.The show honored the participants of the Nov. 7 1941 parade who then headed directly to the front to defend Moscow from the Nazi forces. The parade Monday involved about 6,000 people, many of them dressed in World War II-era uniforms."

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Russia-marks-anniversary-of-1941-military-parade-2256020.php#ixzz1dp7k1Rfc

We took the metro (subway) to the train station where we met our bus and got our luggage. The artistry of the metro stations was amazing, with statues, mosaics, interesting ceilings. In the Revolution Square metro station, there are bronze statues depicting Soviet workers. One has a dog that is reputed to give you good luck if you rub its nose, which we all did:

Then we boarded a train from Moscow to Vologda, a trip that took us almost 8 hours. We slept in cars which had four bunk beds and arrived at 5:30 am the next day.

Our Russia Trip

Before checking-in at San Antonio Airport on Nov. 1:

Mary Tom, Judy, Gloria, Joan, Paige, Ann, Jan, Katherine

I never posted much about my trip to Spain to see MJ in April, but I am determined to put pictures and comments up about this most recent trip to Russia, which was participating in the United Methodist Russian Initiative. 8 of the 14 members of the group were from Corpus Christi and are pictured above--after husband CB drove us in the FUMC van to the San Antonio Airport.

I wrote earlier about the delayed flights to Moscow, which resulted in us having only one day to "see" Moscow. On one of our stops, we walked around street sellers, not quite realizing then that everywhere we would go, we would see these nesting dolls, called matryoshka dolls:

Home!

No delays on the flights from St. Petersburg, Russia. Dear husband CB met me at the San Antonio Airport last night, as did youngest daughter MJ. Wonderful to see them!

During the 33 hours since awaking at 3 am in St. Petersburg on November 12 and finally getting home to Corpus Christi, TX at 11 pm on November 12, I did NOT sleep at all, unlike some of my friends.

Mary Jane, Ann, and Paige asleep on the final leg of our journey.

That was probably a good thing, because I slept 11 hours last night--from midnight to 10 am this morning. Yay! But I've been waning since dinner and will go to bed after being awake after only 11 hours. Maybe the jet lag will not be as bad as when I returned from Spain in the spring.

I am glad to be home. It was wonderful for everyone in our group to arrive in the USA when we debarked at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC. We were (are) really glad to be back in the States!

It is about 60 degrees warmer here than in Russia today, and so I enjoyed hanging clothes on the clothesline in the warm sunshine.


Now it is time for me to go to bed. Good night!

Coming home!

Flying home. If all goes well, I will get to San Antonio tonight at 8:30.

Going home. . . .

“My friend, you thought you lost Him;
that all your life you've been separated from Him.
Filled with wonder, you've always looked outside for Him,
and haven't searched within your own house.”

~~Rumi

Feeling alone

Today is our last full day in Russia. We'll be in St. Petersburg and will visit the Church of the Spilled Blood.


When I hurt, I sometimes feel that you have left me.

I share the hurt of those first disciples when Jesus left them

But now I know your absence can become a new space for your presence. Amen.

~~Richard L. Morgan

Ed. Rene O. Bideaux. A Book of Personal Prayer. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1997. 56.

Remember how God's perceived absence is actually God's presence??


This is today's prayer at A Place for Prayer, a ministery of RevGalBlogPals.

In Community

Today we are touring St. Petersburg (in community).

Today I remembered this circle when thinking of community. Dorotheus of Gaza, a desert Abba in the 6th century, drew a circle in the sand with lines drawn to meet in the center. The lines represent our spiritual journeys: the closer we come to God, the closer we are to each other. Plus, I think we then may realize that all was in God from the very beginning.

Dorotheus wrote:
“Imagine that the world is a circle, that God is the center, and that the radii are the different ways human beings live. When those who wish to come closer to God walk towards the center of the circle, they come closer to one another at the same time as to God. The closer they come to God, the closer they come to one another. And the closer they come to one another, the closer they come to God.” (Instructions VI.)

What would Jesus read?

Today we will arrive in St. Petersburg!

Empty Words

Today we leave Vologda on the train and go to St. Petersburg.

by Hugh MacLeod

“You are fed up with words, and I don’t blame you. I am nauseated by them sometimes. I am also, to tell the truth, nauseated by ideals and with causes. This sounds like heresy, but I think you will understand what I mean. It is so easy to get engrossed with ideas and slogans and myths that in the end one is left holding the bag, empty, with no trace of meaning left in it. And then the temptation is to yell louder than ever in order to make meaning be there again by magic. . . .

“The real hope, then, is not in something we can do, but in God who is making something good out of it in some way we cannot see. If we can do God’s will, we will be helping in this process. But we will not necessarily know all about it beforehand.”

~~Thomas Merton

From Russia with Love!

The only place I've had internet access in Russia has been in Vologda with my host family, but only tonight could I decipher the Russian alphabet to get to sign in! Since I'll be leaving by train to go to Saint Petersburg tomorrow, I may not have internet again until I get home. (But I've pre-posted things for each day I'm gone.)

We got to Moscow 14 hours later than scheduled because our original flight from San Antonio left hours after its published departure time. With only 42 minutes of transfer time in Washington, DC, we missed our connecting flight by a long period. The 13 of us rushed to find a ticket counter to get re-booked, which took many tense moments in the next 45 minutes.

The first 10 people were booked on a 7 pm flight to London, but three of us were left to go on an 11 pm flight. Through this experience with Billie and Mary Jane, we became a close-knot group of friends, especially surprising since Mary Jane and I had not known Billie. With hours to wait and a long flight to London, we were exhausted and relieved to arrive in Moscow the next evening.

When we walked into the terminal after we got our baggage and with through customs, NO ONE was there to meet us! WHERE were our friends? We kept looking around and then panic began to set in--not being able to speak Russian and not knowing what to do was scary. Billie tried to use her cell phone, but could not get through to anyone. When we tried to find someone who could speak English, a taxi driver attached himself to us and followed us around, trying to convince us that he could take us to our hotel for 60,000 rubles. Feeling abandoned by our team members, none of us felt secure. I am glad to say that we did not go with the taxi driver. After 1 1/2 hours, finally Mary Jane spotted another friend, Mary Tom (such Texan names!), with a Russian woman coming towards!!

It turns out that everyone had been UPSTAIRS the entire time!! The Russian woman who turned out to be the representative sent to greet us and Mary Tom had been trying to locate her missing luggage which had come on OUR plane. But the rep. had said we'd be late and so probably showed up after we'd left the area and could not see us. At least, they all waited upstairs and checked again later.

What's odd for me was that I broke down crying--all the feelings of abandonment, fear and exhaustion overwhelmed me. None of the members upstairs understood that we'd been there the entire time, but thought we had JUST arrived! It all seemed so unfair.

The days that followed improved my mood. We had only one day in Moscow, which was spent in a bus driving around. Even Red Square was closed because groups were marching around it, practicing for today's parade that commemorated the Russsian army turning back the Germans from Moscow in 1941. The exciting moment of the day was riding the subway to the train station, where we departed for Vologda.

An all-night train ride got us to Vologda at 5:30 am where our host families met us. My wonderful host family are about the ages of my oldest son and his wife (DC and AA).I will write about them and their sweet little boys when I get back home. They have been wonderful to me.

Later in the day our conference started, which lasted until Sunday evening. It was for the Methodist pastors and some laity in this district, which comprises five Methodist churches. I gave a talk each of the three days:

• Contemplative Prayer
• Breath Prayer and "Bless_____, change me."
• Lectio Divina

And today it snowed! Only about 1/2 inch, but this was the first snowfall of the season. That must be why our host families were upset that it was below freezing (-11 degrees C.) the morning before.

Tomorrow afternoon we'll take a 12-hour train ride to Saint Petersburg.

Aim Your Flashlight!

Still in Vologda.


Here is another story from Gregory Boyle's book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion:

While Pedro was in rehab, his younger brother Jovan committed suicide. When Pedro returns from rehab, Father G. tells him about a dream he had about Pedro and himself: They are in a dark room, with no light. Then Father G. retrieves a flashlight from his pocket and turns it on:

". . .I shine this narrow beam of light on the switch. I don't speak. I just hold the beam steady, unwavering. Pedro says that even though no words are exchanged, he knows he is the only one who can turn this light switch on. He thanks me for happening to have a flashlight. . . He arrives at the switch, and takes a deep breath, and flips it on. The room is flooded with light."

And this is what is going on while Father G. is relating his dream:

"He (Pedro) is now sobbing at this point, in the telling of the dream. And with a voice of astonishing discovery, he says, 'And the light. . . is better . . . than the darkness.'

"As if he did not previously know this to be the case. He's weeping, unable to continue. Then he says, 'I guess. . . my brother. . . just never found the light switch.'

Possessing flashlights and occasionally knowing where to aim them has to be enough for us. Fortunately, none of us can save anybody. But we all find ourselves in this dark, windowless, room, fumbling for grace and flashlights. You aim the light this time, and I'll do it the next." (127-128)

Boyle, Gregory. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. NY: Free Press, 2010.

Our love and friendship shine the light for for both ourselves and others. Acting in love is how to aim the light outwards.

Thinking of Heaven

The program for Methodist clergy and laity continues in Vologda.

Heaven,
What is heaven?
Will we finally stop
to wander
in the wonderland?

Life is not heaven.
Love is!

From eternity
the life of love
speaks of Heaven.

"Live on, then, in my Love,"
in my heaven.

O little soul,
why must you know more?

There is no more than
Me to know.

I am the Way of love,
the Truth of love
and your Life of Love!

In me,
you are in Heaven.

~~Patricia J. Bruno

Bruno, Patricia J. Waiting for the Echo. NY: iUniverse, Inc., 2007. 29.

Happy Birthday to MJ!!

Today is MJ's birthday! As I remember her birth 22 years ago, I will be helping in the program for Russian Methodist clergy and laity in Vologda.

6 month old MJ

Happy Birthday, dear daughter!

Breath Prayers

Today we will arrive in Vologda in the morning and meet the families we are staying with. The next five nights and days will be in this city. Our program for Methodist clergy and laity starts this afternoon.

One thing I am going to talk about is the Breath Prayer:

The breath prayer is a short prayer of about 7 syllables that one uses to remind oneself of God. Sometimes I think to myself, "This is holy ground," even in the car! That is a peaceful, lovely reminder of God for me.

STEP 1

Sit comfortably and calm yourself. Close your eyes and be mindful that you are in God's loving presence.

STEP 2

With your eyes still closed, imagine that God is calling you by name. Hear God asking, "(your name), what do you want?"

STEP 3

Answer God directly with whatever comes honestly from your heart. Your answer may be no more than a single word, such as peace or love or forgiveness. Your answer might instead be a phrase or a brief sentence, such as "I want to feel your forgiveness" or "I want to know your love." Whatever your response, it will be at the heart of your prayer.

STEP 4

Choose your favorite name or image for God. Choices people commonly make include God, Shepherd, Jesus, Spirit, Lord, Christ, Father, Mother.

STEP 5

Combine your name for God with your answer to God's question "What do you want" and you have your prayer.

EXAMPLES:

What I want: rest

Name I call God: Shepherd

Possible prayer: MY SHEPHERD, LET ME REST IN THEE.

What I want: to be led

Name I call God: Father

Possible prayer: LEAD ME ON MY WAY, DEAR FATHER.

What I want: love

Name I call God: My Lord

Possible prayer: MY LORD, LET ME FEEL YOUR LOVE.

You can find info about this on the internet, by searching for "breath prayer" and here is a site that has much of the same info I put here: http://www.presence.org/hoh/hoh_breath.htm

One idea is to ask God to help you find your own breath prayer when you go to bed at night, and in the morning that is often revealed.

Prayer of Teresa of Avila

Today I am in Moscow. Tonight our group will leave on a train for Vologda.


May you be blessed forever, Lord, for not abandoning me when I abandoned you.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for offering your hand of love in my darkest, most lonely moment.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for loving me more than I love myself.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for continuing to pour your blessings upon me, even though I respond so poorly.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for drawing out the goodness in all people, even including me.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for repaying our sin with your love.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for being constant and unchanging, amidst all the changes of the world.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for your countless blessings on me and on all your creatures.

~~Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Ed. Lyn Klug. Soul Weavings: A Gathering of Women's Prayers. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1996. 17.

This is today's prayer at A Place for Prayer, a ministery of RevGalBlogPals.

Love Melts Away

If all went well, we will be arriving in Moscow today! And we hope our luggage will get there with us!

From Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle:

Among all the stories told, there is one about a young man named Fabian, who tries to accept others in different gangs through Homeboy Industries:

"Fabian was spectacular at building good and enduring friendships with his 'enemies' at Homeboy. His tenderness knew no equal, really. He would visit an enemy undergoing brutal chemotherapy and supply him with videos to distract him from the ordeal. He'd do reconnaissance of the hospital area to make sure that none of his enemies were also visiting at the same time.

"His enemies wouldn't understand. Once, Fabian was stuck in the backseat of a car filled with his homeboys who were giving him a ride home.

"'Hey, look,' one of them screams in the car, 'that's that fool, Froggy.' The alarmist in the car is pointing at an enemy walking by himself on First Street. 'Let's bomb on his ass.'

"The car pulls over, and Fabian works his magic. 'Kick back, you guys. That's my primo.'

"'Serio, he's your cousin?'

"'Yeah--my tia's son.'

"And the car swerves back into merging traffic. Froggy was an enemy Fabian had come to know from our office. They are not related.

"I just don't know how Fabian managed it.

"With more mystery than I can explain away, Fabian locked on to the singularity of that love that melts you. It doesn't melt who you are, but who you are not. Turns out he wasn't all the abuse he endured. He was something else, astonishing and glorious." (102-103)

Boyle, Gregory. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. NY: Free Press, 2010.

When I look at changes in my life, especially concerning habits or reactions, I can see that LOVE melted who I was. I hope LOVE keeps on melting me into my true self!

Leaving for Russia!!

Today our group leaves for Russia! At 7 am, husband CB will drive the FUMC bus with all the Corpus Christi people on this mission trip to the airport in San Antonio. The tricky part of this journey is the transferring to the flight to Moscow at Dulles Airport--in 42 minutes!

Hope not!

For this trip, I have pre-posted quotes, prayers, and such on this blog. Each day while I am gone, something will appear, including cartoons! And here is an example:

“No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are.”

~~Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World. NY: Harper One, 2009. xiv, xv.

Getting ready to go to Russia!

Sometimes I am feeling like I am going in all directions--with the trip to Russia beginning very early tomorrow morning!

My small suitcase, which weighs 10 lb. with nothing in it, is full to over-brimming, especially with the bulky gifts I am taking to my host family in Vologda. One of the items was a Thomas the Train Roundabout Station, which I had to order from Amazon as it could not be found here--it came in a huge box! I took that apart and have various pieces in my suitcase--unwieldy parts, especially the wooden/plastic roundabout track!

But a friend just loaned me a light-weight carry-on bag that is bigger than mine, and I can take my boots out of the other bag and put them in the carry-on case. Yay--now I have room for the jar of peanut butter and other stuff I am taking the family!

Please come back--I've pre-posted entries for every day of the trip. There will be cartoons, quotes and other items, plus where I'll be. I don't think I'll have access to a computer too often, but when I do, I'll post!

I'll be back (online) on Sunday, Nov. 13.