Enneagram

Since hearing Russ Hudson and Richard Rohr speak about the Enneagram and Non-Dualistic Thinking, I have been talking and writing about the Enneagram and reading, too. Today I read this in Richard Rohr's book:

"Meditation and prayer play a central role in this (exercises that help us grow closer to God and ourselves) , because the Enneagram cannot be mastered on a purely intellectual level, not even by a Five. It is an experiential method in which through a mind of 'inner listening' I find out what 'voices' are at work within me. The 'discernment of spirits' is that instinctive spiritual authority that helps me to realize which of these voices will free me for an 'abundant life' (John 10:10) and which will lead me to jail and to death."

Rohr, Richard. The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 2008. 231.

Today I ordered more books online about the Enneagram, some connected to spiritual direction, which I am keenly interested in.

Here are some links to good sites about the Enneagram:

The Enneagram Institute--founded and managed by Russ Hudson and Don Riso
This contains links to descriptions for the various types, Enneagram tests, and other sources.

9 Types.Com
This has links to various components of the personality types and other sites.

Enneagram Worldwide--founded by Helen Palmer
She also has this site:
Enneagram.Com

There's a funny dinner cartoon by Elizabeth Wagele, which I am unable to put on my blog, but will write down the dialogue below as it indicates the personality of the nine different types of the Enneagram. The cartoon is from her book entitled The Enneagram Made Easy.
And she has a link to "famous personality types" that is fun to look at.

Around a bountiful dinner table are seated nine people:
One: "Not enough food groups represented here."
Two: "It's so great to feel needed!"
Three: I need to eat and run. I'm swamped."
Four: "Cheap caviar--shocking!"
Five: "It's a talkative group. Good--that gets ME off the hook!"
Six: "She's leaving early. Doesn't she like us?"
Seven: "First I'll eat, then take some pictures, then go to my class, then. . ."
Eight: "Pass it down. Pass it ALL DOWN HERE!"
Nine: "I feel so CLOSE to everybody!"

Which type are you? These cartoon figures show me aspects of the personalities I can picture immediately.

Scenery in NM and west TX

CB and I visited the Petroglyph National Monument on New Year's Day morning. It was a time filled with beauty and awe and deep connection with the spiritual yearning of these people from 300-1,000 years ago.


Driving to and from Albuquerque, NM, we passed through desert territory with mesas, where there were many wind turbines atop them.

AND

THE SHINING WORD
“AND”

teaches us to say yes

And allows us to be both-and
And keeps us from either-or
And teaches us to be patient and long suffering
And is willing to wait for insight and integration
And keeps us from dualistic thinking
And does not divide the field of the moment
And helps us to live in the always imperfect now
And keeps us inclusive and compassionate toward everything
And demands that our contemplation become action
And insists that our action is also contemplative
And heals our racism, our sexism, heterosexism, and our classism
And keeps us from the false choice of liberal or conservative
And allows us to critique both sides of things
And allows us to enjoy both sides of things
And is far beyond any one political party
And helps us face and accept our own dark side
And allows us to ask for forgiveness and to apologize
And is the mystery of paradox in all things
And is the way of mercy
And makes daily, practical love possible
And does not trust love if it is not also justice
And does not trust justice if it is not also love
And is far beyond my religion versus your religion
And allows us to be both distinct and yet united
And is the very Mystery of Trinity
And is why we are called the
Center for Action AND Contemplation

This comes from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, which can be subscribed to here.

Dualistic Thinking

Dualistic thinking is the way most Western people automatically think--in opposites and in comparing. Good/bad; right/wrong; night/day; either/or. Richard Rohr stresses that contemplation gives one the openness of non-dual thinking. Since some bloggers asked about this from my post about Richard Rohr, I looked up some more about him and dualistic thinking. Thus, I found an interview in Australia on November 12, 2006. (Click on "show transcript.") Here is a specific excerpt where Fr. Richard answered a question about dualistic thinking:

"Stephen Crittenden: Let's go back to what do we mean by dualistic thinking, us and then principally, is that right?

"Richard Rohr: Yes. That the dual mind, which is the egoic operating system that we're all operating out of, knows by comparison, by differentiation, by distinction and by separation, it says 'I am not that'. It's a process of affirmation and denial, the classic Western debate and the smarter person is supposed to win. Dual thinking is very good in the world of science, mathematics, ordinary logic of getting you through the day. But once you approach mystery, infinity, eternity, God, the great concepts like freedom, the dualistic mind falls utterly short. It can't deal with it, it can't know it, it divides the field. You see, dualistic thinking is inherently a self-cancelling system. It always divides in the field. What contemplation does, and contemplation is simply my word for non-dual thinking, where you pull back and get your own ego and fear and agenda out of the way, and you look at things as they are, not as you want them to be, not as you need them to be, it just is what it is what it is. And you let that affront you and confront you. That's always a humiliation for the ego. So that's why people don't like to grow up into the contemplative mind, or non-dual thinking, because it is experienced as a loss of control."

Friday Five: Pancakes

RevGalBlogPals has this Friday Five by Sophia about pancakes:

1. Scratch or mix? Buttermilk or plain?
I always make them from scratch, rarely with buttermilk.

2. Pure and simple, or with additions cooked in?
When the kids were young, CB would cook either blueberry or apple pancakes. I usually cook plain ones.

3. For breakfast or for dinner?
Usually breakfast and a few times, for dinner.

4. Preferred syrup or other topping? How about the best side dish?
Maple syrup

5. Favorite pancake restaurant?
Probably Denny's. When we were on our trip to and from NM, CB and I discovered that we qualified for the "senior" discount at the Carlsbad, NM Denny's. Both times we were there, we ordered the Senior Grand Slam--and had pancakes with eggs for dinner!

Bonus: Any tasty recipes out there, for pancakes or other special breakfast dishes? Bring 'em on!
From the La Leche League cookbook Whole Foods for the Whole Family, here is a family favorite:

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

1/2 cup flour
1 c. cottage cheese (or tofu)
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk (approximately)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients except milk in blender and process at medium speed until smooth. Add milk until batter is like medium-thick pancake batter. Bake as for ordinary pancakes. Serve hot with fresh fruit, jam, hot applesauce or butter and cinnamon-sugar.

Our family loves melted butter and cinnamon-sugar on top. I usually have to double the recipe to make enough.

Notes from Richard Rohr's talks

I'm just going to copy down some of my notes from the talks Richard Rohr gave in Albuquerque, NM at the "Laughing and Weeping: The Enneagram as a Tool for Non-Dual Thinking" conference, Dec. 31, 2008-Jan. 3, 2009.

• highest level of thinking=wisdom=non-dualistic thinking
• honor incongruity without fixing, so you'll laugh and/or weep
• Training for conflict, to misunderstand through dualistic thinking, so the ego is invested in own opinion
• polarity thinking is the norm with comparisons, competition
• sin is self-defeating behavior; sin messes us up
• We are not punished for our sins, but by our sins.
• mystics loved and suffered profoundly, which is what destroys dualistic thinking
• Religion gives you patience with mystery, NOT certitude
• Ego is out of control when one is certain of eternity (heaven/hell), especially in judgment towards someone else
• God cannot "get in" when we are in a moral, judging, worthiness contest
  
• God doesn't need to eliminate the negative in us to love us
• If you pretend you're not wounded, you'll miss out on the mystery of God.
  

Sometimes

Sometimes
if you move carefully
through the forest

breathing
like the ones
in the old stories

who could cross
a shimmering bed of dry leaves
without a sound,

you come
to a place
whose only task

is to trouble you
with tiny
but frightening requests

conceived out of nowhere
but in this place
beginning to lead everywhere.

Requests to stop what
you are doing right now,
and

to stop what you
are becoming
while you do it,

questions
that can make
or unmake
a life,

questions
that have patiently
waited for you,

questions
that have no right
to go away.

~ David Whyte ~

(Everything is Waiting for You)

2008 Retrospetive Meme

I saw this meme when I was in New Mexico and thought it looked fun. It's a good way to "waste" time, even though it is one week into 2009. Here's how it goes:
If you'd like to play, here's what you do:
Take the first sentence of the first post of each month in 2008 and see if you notice any pattern or common theme.

January:Nothing is more practical than finding God,
That is, than falling in love in quite an absolute, final way.
What you fall in love with,
what seizes your imagination will affect everything.

February:I'll be driving to San Antonio tomorrow, and somewhere around there is this spot, though I've never seen it.

March:March 1 is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years). There are 305 days remaining until the end of the year.

April:


May:I am saddened and very disappointed, as are these people at the United Methodist General Conference in Fort Worth, TX, that the majority of delegates (55%-45%) voted to keep the exclusionary wording the same for the United Methodist Church.

June:I wish CB and I were feeling this way, with everyone, especially MJ gone.

July:First day of July: My first child's birthday is on July 6, and his dad's is three weeks later.

August:It’s easier when I am alone—listen to the radio or cd in my car.

September:I miss being at the computer, especially visiting blogging friends.

October:This is my third beautiful day in Calgary, where they are experiencing a sudden Indian Summer.

November:And I am an old, fat, (not) naked woman for peace!

December:

Enneagram of the USA

While at the conference in Albuquerque, NM, Richard Rohr spoke about the United States being a corporate #3 on the enneagram. Threes strive for success and do everything for praise--to put it simplistically. Here's a brief snippet of what Richard Rohr writes in his book The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective:

"In the U.S. there is no motivation not to be a Three. Anyone who has mastered the Three game here will get to the top of the system. In this country Threes become CEOs, bishops, and presidents. That is one of the reasons why we are so often disappointed by our leaders. Every now and then it dawns on us how superficially things are managed up there. All their lives these people have been so busy climbing the ladder of success that it has become the sole focus of their lives. The Three is the prototype of the white male American. . . .

"We Americans have an extremely hard time seeing through the lies of our system. America, that 'kingdom of the good,' is exalted above every impure motive. This kind of deception is part of our system and lifestyle. . . .

"The Three is a type that grows out of affluence. . . The United States has to go a long way to meet its false collective self, to confront it, and acknowledge its susceptibility to lies, deceit, and illusion." (89)

Richard Rohr expressed hope of Barack Obama becoming our next president. From afar, Richard thinks that our new president is a 9, who are excellent peacemakers and mediators (when integrated).

For a quick overview of the personalities typified in the Enneagram, go here or here.

The Five Love Languages

Going to and from Albuquerque, CB and I listened to the four cd's of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. We were amazed at the insights we gained, even though they seem like "common sense." It is based upon the book of the same title. By listening to it together, we could stop the cd player in the car and talk or ponder silently together. The five love languages are:

1. Language of affirmation
2. Language of quality time
3. Language of receiving gifts
4. Language of acts of service
5. Language of physical touch

I wish I'd known more about these when I was a parenting young and adolescent children, too.

I am still planning to post about Richard Rohr's enneagram conference, but that will come later.

Missing E-Mail

Suddenly, I cannot find email from Dec. 13 until today! I had checked my email and discarded some while on the trip to NM, but the remaining ones were there this morning. I have no idea how three weeks of mail could disappear. I know there were messages to answer, so I am apologizing now for not. It's weird.

Blogger meet-up

Ellie and I met at the Enneagram Conference! She has three blogs: Child of Illusion, Does Not Wisdom Call?, and Meditation Matters. In fact, on one of them, she wrote about the conference, more specifically about a quote from Jung that Richard Rohr talked about, so please read this.

And here are Ellie and me:


There were 649 registered attendees. Richard Rohr and Russ Hudson were inspiring, authentic, and enervating.

We're home!

We got back from our trip to NM this evening. It is very nice to be home. MJ got home last night from her skiing trip with her boy friend and his family. So there are lots of clothes to wash! I have pictures to post and blogs to visit, but that'll happen tomorrow.

"We do not have to improve ourselves;

we just have to let go

of what blocks our heart."

~~Jack Kornfield

January 1, 2009

This morning CB and I visited the Petroglyph National Monument west of Albuquerque.We walked several miles along sandy trails with big black rocks all around. Every so often, we would see figures carved on the rocks, like serpents or birds or turtles. Some boulders had been disfigured by bullets over time. The website for the park states that over 20,000 petroglyphs are there. We didn't see that many, but I took pictures and will post some when I get home.

I have difficulties with MJ's laptop and don't know how to highlight with it, which sounds pretty dumb. Thus, I am not putting links in these NM posts. That's why I am not linking to Ellie's three blogs, which I love.

Because of the inspiration, humor and depth she provides, I am thrilled that I have met Ellie at the Enneagram conference here. She and I are excited by the insights and instruction of both Richard Rohr and Russ Hudson. Wow!

More about the conference and some pictures will be posted on my return to Corpus Christi, TX on Jan. 4.

Happy New Year!

Now

Albuquerque!

CB and I got to Albuquerque around noon today. It was a sunny day in the high 50s F. We wandered around Old Town and visited the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center. There were and are 19 Pueblo Indian tribes!

Tonight I registered for the "Laughing and Weeping" conference on the enneagram. I am excited by all the options, especially for New Year's Eve, but am worried that husband CB is waiting each day for me to be "done." I think I'll go to half of the New Year's Eve events, so I can spend the end of the evening with my husband.

I always vacillate about which number of the enneagram I am. . . .which is why I signed up for the pre-conference session tomorrow: "Know Your Number" with Suzanne Stabile.

I waver in my belief in the enneagram system, and I have been won over by Richard Rohr's interest, this conference, and reading Understanding the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson. (Russ Hudson is one of the speakers with Richard Rohr for this week.) We'll see what I think by Saturday afternoon, when we depart.

Here's a quote I really like at the beginning of that book:

"In addition to giving us insight into our day-to-day behaviors, the enneagram offers an answer to our spiritual yearnings because it shows us with great specificity how our personality has limited us, what our path of growth is, and where real fulfillment can be found. It teaches us that the longings and structures of our personality are actually useful guides to the greatest treasures of our soul. By regarding our self-defeating patterns and even our psychological pain and limitations as indicators of our spiritual capacities, we are able to see ourselves in a different light. With this new perspective comes compassion, healing, love, and transformation." (4-5)

Hope it's true.

Interrelationship

You are me, and I am you.
Isn't it obvious that we "inter-are"?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.

I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.

~~Thich Nhat Hanh (1929-)

We're in Carlsbad, NM

Daughter MJ loaned us her new and quick laptop computer, so here I am in Carlsbad, NM. We left at 8 am and got here at about 5 pm (or 6 pm central time). MJ got to Winter Park, CO at about the same time; she's with her boy friend's family.

Getting ready to go

CB and I are taking down the Christmas decorations, boxing them up, and putting the tree outside. It seems early, but tomorrow we start our drive to Albuquerque, NM. We will not be back until January 4th, and we do not want to return to the dusty Christmas things still scattered around the house.

My break from getting ready for our trip and this cleaning is to come to the computer. My desire is to post some inspirational things for the time I'm gone, but I'm not sure that I'll get around to it! Maybe one or two. . . . .?

A Christmas picture

I only have time to post this one!


MJ, BJ, and DC playing the game "Puerto Rico." AE and KA were also playing, but they didn't want their picture taken.

MJ is 19; BJ is almost 24; DC is 29.

Richard Rohr Conference

By Monday, only our two dogs and one cat will be left at our house, to be taken care of by a long-time friend. MJ goes with her boy friend's family to Colorado to ski tomorrow. Also on Sunday, DC and AA will return to Austin and BJ goes back to Houston. They take their bulldog and Brittany Spaniel with them.

And on Monday morning, CB and I start our drive to Albuquerque, NM for the "Laughing and Weeping" conference. CB is not attending the sessions, but magnanimously agreed to go with me on this trip.

And I am going to meet fellow blogger Ellie at the conference. She's going, too! If you don't know Ellie yet, she has three blogs: Child of Illusion, Does Not Wisdom Call?, and Meditation Matters.

Five Dogs at Christmas

This is sweet Morgan, AE and KA's four month old cocker spaniel. She accompanied them on their travels from Seattle to Austin, TX and on to Cincinnati, Ohio. They'll return to Seattle on January 1st.

Sampson is one year old and weighs 50 pounds! He is DC and AA's dog. He and Morgan loved to wrestle and play. They moved so quickly that I had a hard time getting a picture of them playing together.

Here is Morgan with Cisco, the dog our children gave husband CB last Christmas. Cisco came from the Humane Society. We think he is about four years old.
Morgan is here with Baillie, our 13 year old cocker spaniel. AE gave her to me when she was a little puppy--that was such a big surprise!

Here is 1 1/2 year old Troy, Brittany Spaniel, who is BJ's dog. Troy runs and runs and has a hard time being still. He is outside much of the time.

Boxing Day

Christmas was lovely with our entire family together. Growing up near the Canadian border, I always heard of "Boxing Day" being the day after Christmas. I am thinking of that today, especially because a box arrived from my cousin Margaret from Alberta, Canada today. Sadly, it was a little late for AE and KA who left today. . . . but I am mailing all their books to them anyway media mail, so Margaret's offerings will fit into that box! (I've learned it's also Saint Stephen's Day.)

Early this morning strong and silent CB (I had to put that here, because AE was teasing me about using those adjectives for her dad) and I drove AE, KA and sweet cocker puppy Morgan to the San Antonio Airport. All except CB slept most of the two hour drive there.

CB and I dropped them off at the airport and then went shopping at The Container Store for half-price Christmas wrapping paper. I've always wanted to go there on Dec. 26, but never have driven to San Antonio on this date before. There were very few people there, which was nice for us. At the checkout counter, I got a phone call from AE, telling me that their plane to Chicago was delayed by three hours.

So we went back to the airport and got them. We had coffee at Starbucks, sitting outside so Morgan could wander a little bit while still on the leash. Then we drove to one of our favorite restaurants there, Twin Sisters. We sat outside again, with the pavement on the porch wet from the humidity. That was fun!

After a quick trip to Half-Price Books, we again took the girls and their puppy to the airport and left them there. CB and I drove home and got here in the late afternoon.

All the dogs miss Morgan, especially DC's bull dog Sampson. It was so funny to watch the two puppies play. Morgan was so little that she could even scoot under Sampson's tummy!

Tomorrow I will post pictures. I wanted to get a picture of all FIVE dogs together, but it was impossible to get them still at the same time in close proximity.

AE, KA and Morgan will hopefully get to Cincinnati tonight--they finally got to Chicago a few hours later than planned, only to find the flight to Cincinnati delayed also. Traveling with a puppy is much like going with a toddler, except that the puppy is usually happy.

Everyone else leaves on Sunday.

Love at Christmas

Maria Lactans
Artist: Reni, Guido, A.D. 1575-1642

Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas:
star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
love incarnate, love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith the sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
love for plea and gift and sign.

---

Words: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), 1885

Merry Christmas!

by Signe Wilkinson

Gingerbread house

Two days ago MJ baked the pieces for the gingerbread house. Yesterday she and KA put it together and decorated it. The note there tells everyone NOT to eat anything until Christmas Eve so people can admire it first. We have to wait until MJ's two brothers and DC's wife get here (with their two dogs!) tomorrow.

After hearing horror stories of all the snow in Seattle and Bellingham, WA, we are very grateful that AE and KA left Sea-Tac Airport before another foot of snow fell on Saturday. The pictures of all the people stuck for days at that airport make me glad I'm not flying anywhere this holiday season!

37 YEARS!

37 years ago today CB and I were married at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Bellingham, WA. It's pretty amazing that we are still married, especially as we were only 21 when we got married. That's why I have always told my children not to get married too young, which may be why my oldest son did not marry until he was 27.



37 years ago neither of us imagined living in Texas or having four children. Here we are.

And we are lucky enough to have all four of them coming home for Christmas. We are blessed.

Cat allergy alert

I don't have a cat allergy, but KA does. She and daughter AE are flying to Austin at this very moment, along with their cute cocker puppy, Morgan. Last Christmas poor KA was miserable and didn't complain at all. So this year we are taking a few actions to help (I hope!) alleviate some of the allergens, though probably not enough.

Husband CB spent the last few days shampooing the rugs. (They needed to be cleaned anyway.) And today I am vacuuming the furniture, hoping that will help.

Daughter MJ and boy friend CS are driving my car to Austin to meet them. They'll get home while we are at a wedding tonight.

Our other children will arrive here on Christmas Eve day.

Nativities

I collect nativity scenes. My family, especially daughter AE, has given me many lovely ethnic creches. Here are some of them:

This is the first nativity scene I ever had. My cousin Margaret, whom I visited this past fall in Calgary, Canada, gave it to me when she had traveled in France as a young woman.
Maybe this was my first introduction to Mary holding baby Jesus, which I love.

Friday Five: Countdown to Christmas

Songbird writes for RevGalPalsBlog: There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.

Since I am not a pastor and since I have no paying job, my things "to do" are more mundane than everyone else's. They still hang over me though. Plus, I'm getting ready for our empty nest to swell to eight people with all my children and their partners coming here--and three dogs to add to our two!

1. Find MJ's stocking gift that I put in a "safe" place and cannot find.

2. Clean my office, so the sofa can fold out into its thin sofa-bed mattress.

3. Make all the cookies "ordered" by each member of my family, plus extras to give to some friends.

4. Plan the vegetarian and carnivore meals to be fixed next week and get all the ingredients. Then cook!

5. Clean and wash for the company, while the company is here, and after they leave!

Stir me from placidness

Are you familiar with the hymn, "Spirit of Gentleness"? We sang it yesterday at a communion service, and I was most struck with the phrase "Spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness." This is a good prayer for me.

Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free,
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,
then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;
and over the eons you called to each thing;
“Awake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.”

You swept through the desert, you stung with the sand
and you goaded your people with a law and a land;
and when they were blinded with idols and lies,
then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes.

You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,
then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;
and down in the city you called once again,
when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.

You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes.
From the bondage of sorrow all the captives dream dreams;
our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.
With bold new decisions your people arise.

(James K. Manley (20th century), hymn-writer. Published in Everflowing Streams (1981). "Spirit," l. 1-4 (1978).)

Christmas Baking

I am not blogging much because daughter MJ is home from college. Daughters AE and KA from Seattle will be here on Saturday!

So I am baking a lot. Last night I made our family favorite "Holiday Sparklers" while MJ and her boy friend CS helped. Somehow I ruined the first two sheets of cookies because I haphazardly set the ovens 100 degrees above the needed temperature--425 instead of 325! That certainly produced crispy brown cookies that ended up in the trash can.

I asked each member of my family to tell me the ONE cookie they liked, so I would bake just the kinds that are favorites. Four out of eight said Holiday Sparklers, but others picked cookies from the best cookie cookbook I have ever found: The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook, which is out of print. My mother gave me my copy, which is well-worn now, in 1990.


I highly recommend this cookbook, as I have never tried a recipe in it that was not good! If you can find a good used copy, grab it!

Tonight I am baking Double Gingersnaps, a recipe submitted by Jody Saville:

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground cloves
4 tsp. ground ginger
Sugar for rolling

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and molasses and blend well.

Mix dry ingredients together. Add half of dry mixture to creamed mixture and blend well. Add remaining half and blend by hand.

Chill dough for several hours. (Though I rarely do--the dough is sticky but manageable.)

At this point, you may bake whatever portion of the dough you desire, and refrigerate or freeze the remainder. (Dough keeps in the refrigerator, well covered, for at least a week. To freeze, wrap dough well in plastic or foil.)

To bake, pull off pieces of dough to make balls the size of a walnut. Roll the balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15-18 minutes. Balls will flatten out and tops will be crackled.

(Recipe may be halved or doubled.) Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Advent
by Christina Rossetti

"Come," Thou doest say to Angels,
To blessed Spirits, "Come";
"Come," to the Lambs of Thine Own flock,
Thy little Ones, "Come home."

"Come"--from the many-mansioned house
The gracious word is sent,
"Come"--from the ivory palaces
Unto the Penitent.

O Lord, restore us deaf and blind,
Unclose our lips tho' dumb;
Then say to us, "I come with speed,"
And we will answer, "Come."

Fourth Sunday of Advent reading in Run, Shepherds, Run: Poems for Advent and Christmas selected and presented by L. William Countryman, London: Morehouse, 2005. 47.

I think I like this so much, because it reminds of the early morning mass at Lebh Shomea in Sarita where the priest says over the Eucharist, "Come, Lord Jesus." The people respond with, "Come."

I haven't gone there for over a year. I miss the quiet time spent there.

Looking at their website, I am reminded of the beautiful creches they arrange with plants and flowers they have dried in the time before Advent. Here are pictures from their website:

As we prepare for the birth of our Lord Jesus, we invite you
to share some Advent scenes at the House of Prayer.

---

To join in our joyful celebration of the Incarnation, we invite you
to spend time with some Christmas scenes at the House of Prayer.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

For the first time in my life I baked a flourless chocolate cake yesterday. I am wondering if it is like "Chocolate Decadence," which was once a popular dessert in the 1980s. A friend was having a dinner party last night, and when I volunteered to help, she gave me this recipe. It was somewhat complicated, but well worth the trouble.

Creamy Flourless Chocolate Cake
one 9-inch cake

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate
1/4 pound unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbsp. water, coffee, Cognac, OR brandy
1/ cup plus 2 Tbsp. butter
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

1. 1. Put chocolates and water in top of double boiler. Melt over warm water. Removed from heat. Add butter in 5 pieces, blending each piece into the chocolate before adding the next piece. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar until dissolved.
2. Beat egg yolks until light and thickened. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture so it does not separate. Add vanilla.
3. Beat eggs whites and salt until foamy with electric mixer; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff. Fold whites into chocolate batter.
4. Pour into buttered and sugared 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes (no longer; the cake will fall slightly, then it will firm as it cools). Put cake on wire rack to cool; remove from pan.
   
5. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or serve with whipped cream OR Brush warm cake with seedless raspberry preserves, thinned over heat with a little water.

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I baked it and topped it with raspberry preserves. It looked sophisticated and elegant. With 16 people at the dinner last night, half of it is still left. One cannot eat a large piece, because it is so rich.

My friend gave the half cake back to me, because she said it freezes beautifully. Now I have our Christmas dinner dessert!
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Go here for more chocolate dessert recipes.

Christmas MEME

From Welcome to My World--a Christmas me-me-me-me!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. I am trying to get rid of my collection of gift bags on Freecycle.org.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually by Dec. 15, which is very LATE according to Texas standards.
4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually on New Year's Day, but this year it will be on Dec. 28, because the next day we start our drive to Albuquerque, NM for Richard Rohr's New Year's conference on the enneagram.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Not really. My eldest daughter AE used to love it; I'm not sure if she still does.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A bride doll with high heels when I was in second grade.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
My husband.
8. Easiest person to buy for?
My youngest daughter MJ.
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
I have way too many, as I collect them.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I love to mail Christmas cards. I am very pleased that my children, though three of the four are on their own, continue to contribute to our "Christmas letter," a copied two-page letter I enclose in each Christmas card. Since my mother died in 1992, each person in our family has written his/her own section--a tradition that is continuing (I hope in the future).
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A book on how-to make potpourri.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
"Its a Wonderful Life."
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually around Thanksgiving.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
"Holiday Sparklers," a shortbread like cookie with three chocolate chips inside it.
16. Lights on the tree?
Of course.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
"Mary, Did You Know?" by Kathy Matea
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home. I am so lucky that my children are all coming home this Christmas!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Almost
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Yes: a starched, crocheted one
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We open one each on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
All the ads that started before Thanksgiving, just like the Christmas decorations coming out in some stores after Halloween.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I love the ones that my mother and children made.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Same meal as for Thanksgiving--turkey and stuffing.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I want each person in my family to appreciate the time we have together.
26. What do you like most about Christmas?
Everything--joy, tradition, family, love.

If you want to play, leave a comment here. It will be fun to read others' answers.

Advent Longing

In the darkness of the season, in the silence of Mary’s womb,

new life waits and grows.

Hope is shaped in hidden places,

on the edges, in the depths

far from the blinding lights and deafening sounds of consumer frenzy.

In the darkness and silence of my own life,

I wait,

listening for the whisper of angel wings,

longing for a genuine experience of mystery,

hoping for a rekindling of joy and the establishment of peace.

I lean into the darkness

and silence.

Expectant.

~~Larry J. Peacockby Jan van Eyck

1439

Time to get ready

I love poinsettias, always have and always will. The red ones are gorgeous and bring the holiday spirit home to me, especially as I am feeling so much better.

It is funny to say, but last night I suddenly realized, "I feel like myself!" After three days of being sick, I felt better. I was still "myself" when I was ill, though the energy was not there. I'm glad to be "back"!

Now it is time to decorate for Christmas. I collect nativity scenes, especially ones from other countries. Time to move the various knick-knacks to make room for these creches.

That reminds me of last year's post on Nifty Nativities. That's where I revealed my love of images where Mary is holding the baby Jesus, which doesn't happen often enough in my eyes!

Perpetual Advent

"Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and author, remarked that life is a perpetual Advent. He sensed that in that waiting, trust began to grow. Trust in God, trust in the Holy One who is beyond all that is created and is the source of all things, seen and unseen. Trusting and waiting allow the loving-kindness that is the essence of God's own Life to grow in us, and to bear fruit that we never expected."

To read the rest of Mary Earle's short article, go here.

Bug Infested

Sorry I am not visiting or writing much--have caught a bug.

Middle East Map Quiz!

Geography Quiz!

Hope you do better than I did! And I used to be an elementary school teacher. . . .

Ego

Richard Rohr in his little Advent book writes about EGO:

Don't Edge God Out!

Gay Marriage with Jack Black and others

A little late for Prop. 8 in California--but very funny with some truth hidden in!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Big Wedding Weekend

Husband CB and I are going to San Antonio on Friday and will be there until Sunday for a big wedding celebration for good friends of son DC and wife AA. This is the last of "The Five" guys to get married. These were five boys who remained friends through elementary, middle, and high schools. They shared classes, soccer teams, and church youth group together. Each has been a groomsman in the other's wedding, and this Saturday is the last of "The Five" weddings.

"The Five" at DC and AA's wedding 9-2-06
WW, CD, DC (my son), SW, BT
BT is getting married on Saturday!

It is a very sweet and romantic story about BT marrying HL. They had never met until they walked down the aisle together at DC and AA's wedding! BT had not been able to get to Austin for the rehearsal dinner the night before, and so he only appeared in time for the wedding! After that, they became friends and then engaged.

Due to the history of "The Five," their parents are invited to Friday night's rehearsal dinner. For us, it probably is also because both DC and AA are in the wedding parties. And I have been asked to give the meal blessing there.

The wedding is on Saturday night. Youngest daughter MJ is going to come with us, since she is very fond of "The Five" guys, who were all her big brothers as she grew up. (They are ten years older than she is.)

It will be a happy and enjoyable weekend!
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Conveniently, I can also attend the monthly mystics talk in San Antonio, as I will be there on Saturday morning. This is Year 2 of Christian Mysticism: History, Wisdom and Insights. It is sponsored by both Oblate School of Theology (where I may someday earn my master's degree in Theology) and Contemplative Outreach of San Antonio. Saturday's talk will be on "Dominican Spirituality: Dominic and Catherine of Sienna."

Christ's Dependence

"By his own will Christ was dependent on Mary during Advent: he was absolutely helpless; he could go nowhere but where she chose to take him; he could not speak; her breathing was his breath; his heart beat in the beating of her heart.

"Today Christ is dependent upon us. This dependence of Christ lays a great trust upon us. During this tender time of Advent we must carry him in our hearts to wherever he wants to go, and there are many places to which he may never go unless we take him."

Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God, pp. 30-31

Look Out!

John Dear has written an excellent article about Advent, Advent: Time to be on the look out.

He writes:

"The Gospel would shake us from our weariness. 'Don't sleep while Mumbai burns. Don't yield to the culture's allures: shopping, selfishness, indifference, violence and war. Don't act as if there is no God, as if change is impossible, as if there's nothing you can do. Don't sleep as apocalypse encroaches. Don't remain unaware of the world's agony. Wake up! Look around! See what's happening. Get ready for peace!'"

And then goes on with this:

"And so this Advent let's become visionaries. Let's reclaim our imaginations and say "Yes, we can. Yes, a new world is possible; indeed, a new world is coming" --- a new world without war, poverty, nuclear weapons, violence or global warming. Get ready for it. Urge others to prepare. Such preparation is the spiritual task at hand.

"A final blessing. May these holy Advent days renew our lives, lead us to peace, fill us with grace and hope, disarm our hearts, turn us back toward the God of peace, and make us faithful watchers, ready for Jesus and his Christmas gift of peace.

"Together, we sing: 'O come o come, Emanuel! Come, Lord Jesus.'"

Go here to read the entire article

World AIDS Day

Last night I attended the annual AIDS Day memorial service, which was at my church this year. It was a small gathering, as the service had not been well advertised. Still, it was lovely, especially the music.

I went remembering an older couple whose son Keith died of AIDS over ten years ago, as they took me to my first such service. Sadly, the husband died last year, and I haven't seen his wife SB since his funeral.

I found her and sat with her during the service. My memories were strengthened by being with SB and her telling me that one year ago was the funeral service for her husband. We reconnected in loving memory and our present re-connection. SB easily sees things as "God's hand" and we both agreed God brought us together.

Through Keith's illness and death, his family came to embrace LGBT causes and people, as well as HIV/AIDS. I remember taking a friend to their house to see one of the AIDS quilts that was traveling around the U.S. a decade ago. They stood up when many in this conservative community in south Texas ignored and/or rejected gay people. I could see that SB still knows and supports people here, by all the names she mentioned who had died and the various people she introduced me to afterwards.

I'm glad we were brought together again. I needed that reminder of how much I care about her; I too easily get busy and do not see or talk to those I love.

May we open ourselves

Advent Resources

Advent Resources