USPS New Postal Rates

Did you know that the U. S. Postal rates just went up? In fact, they were raised four days ago! Thanks goodness, for "forever" stamps that don't have a price stamped upon them!

With thanks to Letter Writers' Alliance for this image.

Poem from Oregon

It’s such a sad world

Don’t we all get on with it though?

I, for example, am upset

because I’ve lost a shoe

and am tearing up

an almost clean house to find it

so I can run to the store for carrots.

I have everything else I need

for a chuck roast dinner,

went to the store last night

and bought half a dozen

unnecessary things, but forgot my carrots.

Can you believe it?

I’ve got a sister

saving up money she doesn’t have

for a divorce she doesn’t want,

another sister praying

‘cause she’s been there. My dad’s feet

are turning black from diabetes,

and about half the people I know

are recovering from an addiction.

The other half are in denial.

I’ve been trying to read

three chapters from the gospels every day.

I’m twenty-seven chapters behind.

But I believe

that all my poems are prayers,

that it’s OK to ask God for anything, anytime;

that it’s OK to sit down

in the middle of your floor and cry

because you’ve lost a shoe,

that it’s OK to ask Him

for a glimpse

of what it will feel like

stepping into that place

He’s promised to prepare.

~~Ginger Andrews (1956- )

Andrews, Ginger. An Honest Answer. Ashland, OR: Story Line Press, 1999. 49-50.

Evolving

As there are billions of stars
There are billions of steps.
As there are billions of souls,
There are billions of ways to grow.

Don’t mind the destination,
Don’t mind the end.
Don’t mind the good or bad
or right and wrong.

Grow from the past,
But grab hold of now.
Now is always evolving.


--Rumi

A Month of Letters!

From the Letter Writers' Alliance:

February is almost here and that means it is time for A Month of Letters. Begun in 2012 by writer Mary Robinette Kowal, A Month of Letters has a simple concept- write one letter  each day of February and write a return to whatever you receive. It was a lot of fun last year and should only be even more successful this second-go-round. You can sign-up on the website and I'd also recommend following her blog on the subject. Plus, you can download fancy stickers for free and buy a pretty postcard. It's all great fun.


If you want something from me in the mail, email me your address!

Friday Five: Never Again!

Deb brings today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five:

NEVER AGAIN!!!

You may have read David Foster Wallace's essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" where he notes his lack of enthusiasm for going on a cruise. (That's putting it in a nutshell. It's hilarious. Do read it!) However, I think it (perhaps) is just a wee bit of a hyperbole. ;)

All this is the inspiration for this week's Friday Five! 

Perhaps you have tried something that everyone assured you was SO MUCH FUN!!! and you swore on a stack of Bibles that you would never ever be dragged to said activity ever again. Was it horseback riding? Rappelling? Ballet class when you were 7?

So share with us 5 Supposedly Fun Things You'll Never EVER Do Again. You may find some commiserating souls among us. A bonus if you share pictures. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cover of that picture book exemplifies this attitude of being scared to try, but needing to. As I try to think back to times I tried something new and never wanted to do it again, I came up with:

1. Backpacking and camping trip: The ONE trip I took was when Chuck was in graduate school at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. Our good friends Steve and Gayla took us up to the mountains on a backpacking and camping trip. The mosquitoes were so dense that we could not find refuge from them; I particularly remember trying to relieve myself in the middle of the night and having those little bugs buzzing and biting me! I never wanted to do that again!

I know many people like camping, but I grew up with a Marine dad who had to do that "at work" and didn't want to do it "for fun." Unfortunately, that colored my life as a parent, so we never took our kids out camping, though TX is pretty hot for those endeavors anyway. 

2. Waterskiing: I have only gone waterskiing once, when we moved from VA to OR before Chuck went to graduate school at OSU. We stopped off to see friends in Idaho, and they took us out on their boat. I never could stand up on the skis! But if we had had access to a boat and skis we might have continued to try. No boats in our lives. Chuck says that that was the second time he'd waterskiied and was the only time HE stood up. Maybe if I had had a second time, I could have stood up, too.

3. Some books: Usually I like to read almost any book but there have been a few that I definitely wondered why I'd even read them. One very popular book that I disliked and swore I'd never read such books again was Room. I still look at it with distaste, probably because of the long-term abuse. 

4. Summer church camp: I only went to the First United Methodist Church Camp once as a sponsor (I was one of the cooks). I remember I asked my two oldest kids if it was okay for me to come. Young AE also went just that one time, and she had told me I could come, but then the first night, she asked me when I was going home! She'd thought I would go home each night, which I did not do. Both of us decided we would never go back.

I like my comforts and didn't like sleeping in a dorm bunkbed with kids coming in and banging pots and pans in the middle of the night. I also need a lot more sleep than I got there. And probably because I am an introvert, I needed more "alone" time.

5. Some meetings: I am not a good meeting person, especially when they go on and on. I don't like people blathering. Somehow I like spiritual formation and book club meetings, but planning and business meetings are not for me (unless they are short and to the point). I've come away saying I'll never ever be on that committee!

Now I Become Myself

Now I Become Myself

Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"Hurry, you will be dead before--"
(What? Before you reach the morning?
Or the end of the poem is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!
The black shadow on the paper
Is my hand; the shadow of a word
As thought shapes the shaper
Falls heavy on the page, is heard.
All fuses now, falls into place
From wish to action, word to silence,
My work, my love, my time, my face
Gathered into one intense
Gesture of growing like a plant.
As slowly as the ripening fruit
Fertile, detached, and always spent,
Falls but does not exhaust the root,
So all the poem is, can give,
Grows in me to become the song,
Made so and rooted by love.
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move.
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!

May Sarton

Prayers Needed

Please pray for my husband's father, who is in extreme pain with various broken vertebrae in his back. His mobility, comfort and quality of life are greatly diminished.

When both my parents were ill and then died (in 1992 and 2002), I regretted not taking more pictures of them in their last years, while they were still healthy. Now I am wishing I had taken more pictures of Chuck's parents this past summer, when we saw them in Washington State.

Here is one of the few pictures I took in August 2012 in Bellingham. Although Avery is unhappy, her dad, grandpa and great-grandpa are in the picture. I like seeing the three generations of males together.

Chuck, Avery, oldest son DC, and Chuck's dad

Forgotten Prayer

It is Saturday, and I forgot about posting a prayer on Thursday for the RevGalPrayerPals Blog. So I looked up "forgetting prayer" on Google and found this "forgotten prayer" by Paul Coelho:

Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.


Amen

By Paul Coelho

Friday Five: Grateful Smiles!

For this Friday Five with RevGalBlogPals, we are going to tell of five things that make us smile.

1. I am smiling because my oldest daughter AE has written me two emails today! I also got an e-letter from a friend. It is so nice to get communication from dear people rather than just the email subscriptions and advertisements that are always popping up in my email account. Another sweet thing was a "thank you" on Facebook from Fran.

Margaret Faith White

2. I've been thinking of my mother a lot lately. She died 20 years ago and stories 
bring her to mind, just like her words about smiling.

Here is an early picture of my mother even before I ever knew her.

Grief is a long journey. I used to cry when I thought of her, missing her very much. Now I remember my mother with love and gratitude and smile. I also smile when I think of how much she would enjoy seeing and hearing about her grandchildren and great-grandchild Avery.

3. Stew is cooking in the crockpot. But what I am smiling about is that my husband Chuck browned the stew meat. I dislike doing that and wasn't going to do it all. Instead, he offered to and finished the job much more quickly than I ever do.

4. I smile when I hear the dinging sound on my Kindle Fire that someone has played Words with Friends with me! I don't often win, but I enjoy playing this scrabble type game with friends and sometimes my children. Only oldest son DC still plays with me, and he usually wins by 200+ points.

5. I am much happier when the sun is shining outside. Much of the year in south TX this makes it too hot as we have a 9-month "summer." But the gray drizzley days that are more common for the Pacific Northwest where I grew up are not much to my liking anymore. This morning it was chilly in the low 50s, but the sunshine made it cheery! (So it is also possible to hang clothes out on the clothesline.)

Smile!

The older I get the more I realize the truth in my mother's saying about faces:

Until you are in your 40's, you have the face you inherited but after that you have the face you made.
Look at older people and you'll see the truth in this statement.


She was always telling me to SMILE!

God Fills All Things

God is not only in heaven, but everywhere,
and God fills all things.
God communicates according to the particular conditions of
God's listeners, desiring to lead them all up little by little.
— St John Chrysostom, Homily 27 on John 3, 4th c CE

Cold!

We are struggling with the cold in south Texas, even though it isn't as extreme as in the north. Today it stayed in the 40s F., which is at least 20 degrees colder than usual. It probably affects us so much because only a few days ago, it was 80 degrees F. It will be short-lived here though, unlike where my daughters live in WA State and Utah. In fact, youngest daughter MJ sent a picture of the icicles on her apartment building in Salt Lake City, where it has been below 0 degrees F. at times lately.

My daughter's apt. building in Salt Lake City

Amazing Teaching!

This video is 10 minutes long but so worth the time spent watching it. She taught cooking students to cook paying attention and then with the intention of love, and the results surprised everyone. Even the food tasted better! And an added plus is I learned a better way to chop up onions.

Books Under the Bed

Do you ever leave books under your bed? Well, they used to be beside the bed, but shifted? I keep reading too many books at the same time. . . and then losing them under the bed. . . .  or elsewhere. . . .

“When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story's voice makes everything its own.”
― John Berger, Keeping a Rendezvous

Russian Cabbage Borscht

Two years ago daughters AE and KA gave me the soup cookbook Mollie Katzen' s Recipes: Soups. Tonight I made a good winter soup from that cookbook, which I will copy below.

Russian Cabbage Borscht

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potato
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups water
1-2 Tbsp.butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
(1 scant tsp. caraway seeds)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 medium-sized carrot, sliced
3-4 cups shredded cabbage
 freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp.dill
1-2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp.Brown sugar or honey
1 cup tomato puree

 Toppings:
sour cream or yogurt
 extra dill

1. Place potatoes, beets, and water in a medium- sized saucepan. Cover, and cook over medium heat until tender (20-30 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot. Add onion, caraway seeds (I didn' t like), and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (8-10 minutes).

3. Add celery, carrots, and cabbage, plus 2 cups of the cooking water from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8-10 minutes).

4. Add the remaining ingredients (including all the potato and beet water), cover, and simmer for at least 15 more minutes. Taste to correct seasonings, and serve hot, topped with sour cream or yogurt and a light dusting of dill. (We did not use any toppings.)

Also, those same two daughters have a vegan recipe blog and recently posted another beet soup recipe: Orange Beet Soup. I may try that one soon, as we're getting another cold front in south TX tonight.

Mary, Mother of Our Tribe

By Ruth Councell in ECVA Exhibit

Just getting back to the computer today, I was cheered by seeing these different artists' renderings of Mary at the Episcopal Church Visual Arts "Mary, Mother of Our Tribe."

There are 40 pieces of art, each of which you may see more closely by clicking on them. They are unique and lovely. Catherine, a blogger I met at Come to the Table, linked this site on Facebook.

Here is another:

by Posey Krakowski (quilt)

By Chuck Kirchner (photo taken in Peru)

Go and look at "Mary, Mother of Our Tribe!"

Buggy

Today has been a lost day even though it was beautifully sunny--I've been in bed most of the day with a stomach bug. Blah!

Chuck Is Home!

It is so nice to have Chuck back home with me! He got back from Washington State today after being gone for the past week, visiting his parents. AND when I showed him the following cartoon, he told me that I HAVE to put it on my blog. So here it is:

I found it on Sue Fitzmaurice's Facebook page, and I thank her for it. She also has a blog entitled Trying God's Patience.

Contemplative Practices

© The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society
Concept & design by Maia Duerr; illustration by Carrie Bergman

For printing: Download a 2.6 MB, 8″ x 10″ .jpg image of the Tree of Contemplative Practices (if you require a .pdf or other sizes or formats, please contact us.)

For low-resolution use: Download a 185 KB, 600 x 608 pixel .jpg image of the Tree of Contemplative Practices

After Christmas

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

 

~~Howard Thurman

• The Mood of Christmas

From Inward/Outward. Subscribe here. 

Uh-Oh!

From the pinterest site of Deb Vaughn, I found this wonderful cartoon:

Spanish Clothesline

Spain, April 2011

It has been too cold and rainy for me to hang clothes out on the clothesline lately. Here is a reminder of clothes hanging out from my trip to Spain in April 2011 when I visited youngest daughter MJ there.

An Eating Giggle

Too funny as I consider what to eat and also think of the varying tastes of my adult children and spouse.

Friday Five: Beginning Again

O begin!
 Fix some part of every day for private exercises.
Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. 
It is for your life; there is no other way; 
else you will be a trifler all your days. . . . 
Do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. 
Do not starve yourself any longer." 
~~John Wesley 

Rev. Pat Raube brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

The New Year has dawned! At this point, we are four days in. As for me and my house, there is a concerted effort afoot to keep a record of everything I eat, as well as the seasonal re-commitment to morning prayer. At the same time, I'm trying to cultivate a more self-accepting stance, an attitude of gentleness and forgiveness with myself when I don't keep those promises. Herewith, a Friday Five all about Resolutions and Absolutions.

Resolutions, which are really re-commitments:

1. Start by sharing your success stories with us: In the past, what resolution has been your most successful? What change have you made that has been the most beneficial, to your mood, health, finances, or other way of being in the world?


Probably the major changer was the commitment to pray "Bless _____________, change me" when I was irritated or bothered by someone else. Getting into the habit of praying or merely saying that eventually brought forth peace within me and changes that I could perceive much later. It sounds inconsequential, but it is a powerful practice that I am committing to begin again.


In the past year, with my shoulder surgery performed exactly one year ago today, physical therapy, water aerobics and the re-commitment to Weight Watchers brought forth better health and well-being for me. And I am beginning anew after my indulgent holidays.

2. What is one thing you hope to do differently this year with regard to health, either physical or spiritual? If you are satisfied with your current status in both areas, perhaps you would be willing to share something you've already done (or regularly do) to care for yourself.


I want to start walking a set route more routinely/regularly. Our current cold spell in south TX makes it a good time to begin, because it is not as hot and humid like it normally is.  I want to return to water aerobics classes at the YWCA, which fell by the wayside with the holidays and colder weather. I am considering going back to Tai Chi again, as new classes start next week.

3. What is one thing you hope your family (of origin, of choice, however you define your primary place of mutual emotional sustenance) will do differently this year? A new tradition for birthdays? More vacation time? Game night? Feel free to really dream about ways to deepen your connections with those you love.

Learn to play Mexican Train dominoes-- I bought the game for my family to play over the short time the kids were here, but we never got around to it. Chuck and I cannot figure out how to play, so the plan is to invite friends (who originally told me about the addictive quality of the game) over for dinner and have them teach us how to play. Perhaps that will be a regular activity in the future, who knows?

4. What is one thing you hope your community of faith will consider doing differently this year? New music? Different approaches to preaching? Rearranging the furniture? If you are in a position to try to introduce change, share some of your enthusiasm and/ or anxiety with us!

With our new priest, there will be change--no one is sure what. He has a lot of enthusiasm with his youth (around 40), outgoing personality, and this being the first time he is the "main" guy.  
For myself, I am pondering what is the future of a church library. Ours was repainted--off white--last year. The walls are still bare, so what is to be done? It is almost like a blank canvas. Having the new year arrive is helpful to begin again with the library!

Absolutions:

5. In what area would you most like to learn to be gentle with yourself? For what would you most like to forgive yourself? Share your ideas and strategies for extending yourself the kind of grace we know we are assured of. 

This is connected with #1. I need to let go of guilt I automatically take up when things go badly, which is an illogical action. A friend told me a good story connected with that today:

A few days ago she noticed all the fallen, brown leaves (in south TX, leaves fall in January!)  on her lawn and thought she should rake them up, but she didn't. Then she observed herself automatically telling herself she was "bad" for not doing that, which spiraled down into condemning herself for putting off the leaf raking and other things ALL the time, and so what a "bad" person she is. She was able to step back and realize that all her energy was caught up in the self-condemnation instead of anything productive. She realized that there is nothing good or bad about the leaf accumulation, which is more about detachment. She said every time she observes a leaf, just lying in the house or anywhere else, she notices it without jumping into personal judgments. It is a practice in detaching.

My friend's story gives me an image of how I react to things in my life and how I would like to stop doing that. Remembering how she is trying to live is a lesson for me in the new year.

O begin again!

What Love Is

I love this picture and the words that go with it. It reminds me of times in our marriage that Chuck and I were not getting along but we still cared for each other. The picture of the grizzled old man reminds me of dad, too., whom I mentioned in the post below.

Forgotten War: 1950-1953

I had not realized that the Korean War was called "The Forgotten War" until I saw the Rose Bowl Parade this morning. I was struck by the float sponsored by the Defense Department to commemorate the Korean War ending 60 years ago.

Go here for more pictures and the story about this being built.

I pay attention to info about the Korean War, because my father served there in the First Marine Division until he was wounded. He refused to be carried off until his men were safe. That is why he was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart medals.

Due to his convalescence, he was at the Bremerton Navy Base when I was born in 1950.

He never talked about combat. Perhaps that is why he refused to have any fire arms in our home. I respect him for his service and for that action. He died ten years ago at the age of 79.