We watched these videos last night, sent from a former parishioner. Our prayers and thoughts have been with the people of our former home for days now. My grandmother is in Grand Forks, an hour or so north...once they thaw, the waters will head that direction. Parishioners, family friends, and other family all live here. Over the course of my life Fargo was my home for about six years.
As we watched we were in awe. The engineer next to me expressed amazement over the feat they were accomplishing. "It is pretty amazing." he exclaimed at one point. He was referring to the engineering, the sheer physical labor, the organization...and the attitudes. We expressed what we already knew....these are amazing people. Strong work ethic. Positive hope in the face of anything. Stoic determination..."this is just what we need to do." Our admiration would be too much for them...bordering on arrogance and being prideful. And we wouldn't want to brag...but man, flood waters and all, we were a little homesick last night.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I want to go...
http://www.christianity21.com/
Anyone coming with me?
Two of the speakers are the author's of blogs I follow...never met either one of them. Well, I kinda met Nadia in WA but she doesn't know it. I also enjoy Diana Butler Bass' books.
Seriously. Let's go!
Anyone coming with me?
Two of the speakers are the author's of blogs I follow...never met either one of them. Well, I kinda met Nadia in WA but she doesn't know it. I also enjoy Diana Butler Bass' books.
Seriously. Let's go!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
One
For nearly an hour and a half this morning I had to bite my tongue and sit on my hands to keep from jumping up and shouting this verse or others like it....
"There is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
Sexism was alive and well today as I listened to a talk. It was, I believe, meant to be a talk aimed at helping us create a hedge around our marriages. To be mindful of the subtle ways we can erode the spiritual, intellectual, emotional (and physical) intimacy with our spouse. This is all fine. It is a good reminder in the face of life, and all the chaos that pulls us away from the very one we committed to creating this life with in the first place.
But what it turned into was a lesson on how to please a man lest he be driven towards pornography or "those pretty women at the office." After opening with statistics on pornography and then sharing the revelation that men are "visual," the rest of the talk was geared at the ways in which we, the wives, are responsible for ministering to our husbands needs, lest they fall victim to scantily clad women or those pesky pop-ups on our computers. We were left pretty much with a 1950's "hand him his pipe at the door" view of our role...with the 2009 update...a recipe for chocolate sauce to spice things up.
Chocolate sauce aside, my mind is overloaded with what I heard today. Curious if the instruction to, enjoy sex and honor the fact God created it, is a reflection of the messages these young women get from their particular church or a hang over from the generation of the women speaking. (an odd comment in this particular group where three children is the average and most are willing to have more...from what I can tell, we've got sex down.) Pained for those women who view their created role as one of submission and obedience. Mindful of the many women who pay the price each day for saying 'no' to men. Concerned by the chasm in theology amongst my fellow sisters in Christ.
And so the gospel keeps coming to me...that radical message that I believe killed Christ...one that continued to crucify him to this very day. Freedom. Oneness. Grace.
And bubbling out of me is the need to proclaim this: that I was created by God to be servant to all and slave to no one. I was baptized into a body that counts my unique contrbution no more, and no less imporant than those of my neighbor. In marriage, we are meant to model God's love...honoring the gifts both people bring, honestly naming the sins both parties carry, respecting the desires and needs of each...
After all, my husband and I both took these vows...
I promise before God and these witnesses to be your faithful spouse, to share with you in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorow, in sickness and in health, to forgive and strengthen you, and to join with you so that together we may serve God and others as long as we both shall live.
Now on to the sermon for Sunday...good to get that out.
"There is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
Sexism was alive and well today as I listened to a talk. It was, I believe, meant to be a talk aimed at helping us create a hedge around our marriages. To be mindful of the subtle ways we can erode the spiritual, intellectual, emotional (and physical) intimacy with our spouse. This is all fine. It is a good reminder in the face of life, and all the chaos that pulls us away from the very one we committed to creating this life with in the first place.
But what it turned into was a lesson on how to please a man lest he be driven towards pornography or "those pretty women at the office." After opening with statistics on pornography and then sharing the revelation that men are "visual," the rest of the talk was geared at the ways in which we, the wives, are responsible for ministering to our husbands needs, lest they fall victim to scantily clad women or those pesky pop-ups on our computers. We were left pretty much with a 1950's "hand him his pipe at the door" view of our role...with the 2009 update...a recipe for chocolate sauce to spice things up.
Chocolate sauce aside, my mind is overloaded with what I heard today. Curious if the instruction to, enjoy sex and honor the fact God created it, is a reflection of the messages these young women get from their particular church or a hang over from the generation of the women speaking. (an odd comment in this particular group where three children is the average and most are willing to have more...from what I can tell, we've got sex down.) Pained for those women who view their created role as one of submission and obedience. Mindful of the many women who pay the price each day for saying 'no' to men. Concerned by the chasm in theology amongst my fellow sisters in Christ.
And so the gospel keeps coming to me...that radical message that I believe killed Christ...one that continued to crucify him to this very day. Freedom. Oneness. Grace.
And bubbling out of me is the need to proclaim this: that I was created by God to be servant to all and slave to no one. I was baptized into a body that counts my unique contrbution no more, and no less imporant than those of my neighbor. In marriage, we are meant to model God's love...honoring the gifts both people bring, honestly naming the sins both parties carry, respecting the desires and needs of each...
After all, my husband and I both took these vows...
I promise before God and these witnesses to be your faithful spouse, to share with you in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorow, in sickness and in health, to forgive and strengthen you, and to join with you so that together we may serve God and others as long as we both shall live.
Now on to the sermon for Sunday...good to get that out.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Two Kids, Two Moms
Last Wednesday, I celebrated the second most amazing thing I have accomplished thus far. The second and first, 'most amazing' accomplishments are similar. I managed to keep EG alive, with some help, for 12 whole months. She made it. I made it. We all made it.
She is alive and thriving, with smiles and giggles to share. She is joy incarnate and I love her more than she will ever know. One specific, 'amazing things for me' about EG's 12 month life is that I breastfed her the entire time. I made it 7 months with BB and that is a generous accounting. In reflecting upon this difference in my time with them, I realized they really had different mothers.
BB's mom was overwhelmed and suffocated by the enormous amount of attention he needed in those first months. She felt like she was in post traumatic shock syndrome for the first few months. She felt like the new kid in school among other mom's. She was sure she wasn't accomplishing anything with her time and talents. She felt like she was faking it most days...waiting for it to feel real. She was in a hurry to get back to normal...her schedule, her emotions, her body, her mind...she wanted it back and was often frantic in her search for it.
EG's mom knows more. She is no longer adjusting to her identity as 'mom,' she just is one. For better or worse, most days better, it is part of who she is now. If this mom has learned nothing else it is that 'normal' will never return. It was really an illusion to begin with. No, this mom knows that what she had...with herself, her body, her mind, her husband, her friends, her job...will never be again. And most days she is ok to wait to see what will be.
I like EG's mom better. This isn't her first crack at keeping a baby alive for 12 months so she relaxes a bit more. She's more tired, and so she looks upon the times she has to sit with EG not as, interruptions in her hunt for "what was" but as chances to pause to see "what is."
It is time for EG to take up cow's milk...for us to part ways a bit. But I won't let her get too far away just yet...and I'll keep her brother close too, together they are introducing me to myself in ways no one else can.
She is alive and thriving, with smiles and giggles to share. She is joy incarnate and I love her more than she will ever know. One specific, 'amazing things for me' about EG's 12 month life is that I breastfed her the entire time. I made it 7 months with BB and that is a generous accounting. In reflecting upon this difference in my time with them, I realized they really had different mothers.
BB's mom was overwhelmed and suffocated by the enormous amount of attention he needed in those first months. She felt like she was in post traumatic shock syndrome for the first few months. She felt like the new kid in school among other mom's. She was sure she wasn't accomplishing anything with her time and talents. She felt like she was faking it most days...waiting for it to feel real. She was in a hurry to get back to normal...her schedule, her emotions, her body, her mind...she wanted it back and was often frantic in her search for it.
EG's mom knows more. She is no longer adjusting to her identity as 'mom,' she just is one. For better or worse, most days better, it is part of who she is now. If this mom has learned nothing else it is that 'normal' will never return. It was really an illusion to begin with. No, this mom knows that what she had...with herself, her body, her mind, her husband, her friends, her job...will never be again. And most days she is ok to wait to see what will be.
I like EG's mom better. This isn't her first crack at keeping a baby alive for 12 months so she relaxes a bit more. She's more tired, and so she looks upon the times she has to sit with EG not as, interruptions in her hunt for "what was" but as chances to pause to see "what is."
It is time for EG to take up cow's milk...for us to part ways a bit. But I won't let her get too far away just yet...and I'll keep her brother close too, together they are introducing me to myself in ways no one else can.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Decorating for Lent
This is the easiest of my decorating seasons. Everything that was up for Valentine's day or winter goes away.
Nothing new comes out.
BB was not impressed. "Mom, what is this season?" Muttering to himself as he walked up the stairs with me..."This isn't fun. Nothing to it...must be somp-thing in a box...on a shelf."
In a photo a few entries earlier you'll note a crucifix on a table. This is the only 'Lent' thing we brought up from the "decorating room." BB touches it and say, "Hi, Lenty Jesus."
Obviously, I haven't quite found my words to describe this season. BB talks about people dying enough already that I'm not sure what Jesus' death and then resurrection will do, beside make for some very complex conversations.
Any chance I can just leave it as a decorating theme of austerity?
Nothing new comes out.
BB was not impressed. "Mom, what is this season?" Muttering to himself as he walked up the stairs with me..."This isn't fun. Nothing to it...must be somp-thing in a box...on a shelf."
In a photo a few entries earlier you'll note a crucifix on a table. This is the only 'Lent' thing we brought up from the "decorating room." BB touches it and say, "Hi, Lenty Jesus."
Obviously, I haven't quite found my words to describe this season. BB talks about people dying enough already that I'm not sure what Jesus' death and then resurrection will do, beside make for some very complex conversations.
Any chance I can just leave it as a decorating theme of austerity?
The State of My Life...in words.
It has been a while. Missed you. Here's the update...
new part-part time job to create small group at church.
evening meetings mean doing more parenting hand offs in the entry way.
time is a bit more precious and multitasking skills are being honed.
EG is nearly a year old. What a miraculous and horrible year...all in one. She is the funniest little bug.
BB is articulating lots of thoughts. Some are HIL-arious (as he says), some are annoying, some get him in time outs. He spends much of his day in a imaginary world all his own.
dust bunnies breeding with abandon.
kitchen manages to get cleaned up each night.
do not enter bathrooms.
potty training may go on until college.
caught the flu...lost a week of my life.
time to run to the post office...behind on mailing b-day gifts.
in constant search of Christian compassion and patience for those who see the world differently than I do.
husband's job, our housing and location remain in limbo.
dog is too much work for me.
have cut out fast food for Lent.
hope to join a gym.
clothes are clean as I leave the house.
new part-part time job to create small group at church.
evening meetings mean doing more parenting hand offs in the entry way.
time is a bit more precious and multitasking skills are being honed.
EG is nearly a year old. What a miraculous and horrible year...all in one. She is the funniest little bug.
BB is articulating lots of thoughts. Some are HIL-arious (as he says), some are annoying, some get him in time outs. He spends much of his day in a imaginary world all his own.
dust bunnies breeding with abandon.
kitchen manages to get cleaned up each night.
do not enter bathrooms.
potty training may go on until college.
caught the flu...lost a week of my life.
time to run to the post office...behind on mailing b-day gifts.
in constant search of Christian compassion and patience for those who see the world differently than I do.
husband's job, our housing and location remain in limbo.
dog is too much work for me.
have cut out fast food for Lent.
hope to join a gym.
clothes are clean as I leave the house.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The State of My Life....in photos.
I came across this sculpture in the kitchen today,
it is the inspiration for this entry.
it is the inspiration for this entry.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Bowlin', Bowlin', Bowlin'
I am sore from bowling last night.
That is all I have to say about that. Sore. SORE!
That is all I have to say about that. Sore. SORE!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Time, in Months
It is hard to see the passing of time in those around you. It is only when you are gone for a while that your eyes adjust to what time and nature has done. Growth. Deterioration.
I took note of this during communion on Sunday. I tell time with this congregation on a month to month basis and it is always striking to me what has gone on...
Hands that have aged.
Rings that have been removed.
Babies that are seemingly 12 times bigger than a month ago.
Children who utter complete sentences.
The elderly man, missing from his wife's side at the railing.
Teenagers who have grown even taller.
The woman with Alzheimers who isn't sitting beside her husband at worship today.
Faces that look more drawn.
Hair that is growing in.
It made me look more closely at my own family. Taking in each day...because in a month so much can change.
I took note of this during communion on Sunday. I tell time with this congregation on a month to month basis and it is always striking to me what has gone on...
Hands that have aged.
Rings that have been removed.
Babies that are seemingly 12 times bigger than a month ago.
Children who utter complete sentences.
The elderly man, missing from his wife's side at the railing.
Teenagers who have grown even taller.
The woman with Alzheimers who isn't sitting beside her husband at worship today.
Faces that look more drawn.
Hair that is growing in.
It made me look more closely at my own family. Taking in each day...because in a month so much can change.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Update
I have never watched so much tv at one sitting.
The cookies worked. BB pretty much made them himself with me half paying attention. I think too much flour went in...they never really browned and are dry as sand. BB, who would have been able to eat as many as he wanted as I had my eyes glued to NBC, only ate two.
The funniest moment came when BB was convinced he met the Mondale's while in MN. I imagine he heard the announcer talking about MN as the former VP walked in and decided to enter his mother's fantasy world. He was so fragile throughout the day that I just wasn't going to argue with him. "You know them?" "Yes, I sh-ink I met them in MN. I sh-ink when I was two...or maybe I was one. The year I had a baseball cake."
After a day of a three year old left to his own devices, our home looks very much like I imagine The Mall does tonight. Perhaps, I should check back in with my children before I dress for the balls this evening. :)
The cookies worked. BB pretty much made them himself with me half paying attention. I think too much flour went in...they never really browned and are dry as sand. BB, who would have been able to eat as many as he wanted as I had my eyes glued to NBC, only ate two.
The funniest moment came when BB was convinced he met the Mondale's while in MN. I imagine he heard the announcer talking about MN as the former VP walked in and decided to enter his mother's fantasy world. He was so fragile throughout the day that I just wasn't going to argue with him. "You know them?" "Yes, I sh-ink I met them in MN. I sh-ink when I was two...or maybe I was one. The year I had a baseball cake."
After a day of a three year old left to his own devices, our home looks very much like I imagine The Mall does tonight. Perhaps, I should check back in with my children before I dress for the balls this evening. :)
44
How do you explain to a three year old that today is a really important, exciting day? "Please be quiet while Mommy watches tv. No, this isn't any normal program. This is a big deal."
Screams abound. They only get louder as we try to quiet him.
My parenting guilt sets in.
An internal conversation begins:
Punish him for screaming because I need to be focused on the tv? Send him to his room because he isn't listening? Ignore him?
Throws himself on the floor. Screaming and screaming. Now he wants to watch his firefighter show.
EG has gone to bed. Practically took herself there in an attempt to escape her insane family.
With dramatic flair I stomp off saying, "I'll just go to Mom's group, after all." (Where oh where does BB gets his drama?)
At this point Dad gets involved. Calmly trying to explain the big day to BB. No success. But as BB heads away, Dad looks at me and whispers emphatically," Just send him to his room. You want to watch this...it's a big day. He'll get over it."
Then an idea hits me. Cookies.
BB is still screaming and whining as he moves from room to room trying to get us to follow his lead.
"BB, let's make cookies while we watch the Inauguration."
It is amazing how quickly that passion and noise can stop. Silence and smiles. A little jump and a clap. We head to the kitchen to watch history.
Screams abound. They only get louder as we try to quiet him.
My parenting guilt sets in.
An internal conversation begins:
Punish him for screaming because I need to be focused on the tv? Send him to his room because he isn't listening? Ignore him?
Throws himself on the floor. Screaming and screaming. Now he wants to watch his firefighter show.
EG has gone to bed. Practically took herself there in an attempt to escape her insane family.
With dramatic flair I stomp off saying, "I'll just go to Mom's group, after all." (Where oh where does BB gets his drama?)
At this point Dad gets involved. Calmly trying to explain the big day to BB. No success. But as BB heads away, Dad looks at me and whispers emphatically," Just send him to his room. You want to watch this...it's a big day. He'll get over it."
Then an idea hits me. Cookies.
BB is still screaming and whining as he moves from room to room trying to get us to follow his lead.
"BB, let's make cookies while we watch the Inauguration."
It is amazing how quickly that passion and noise can stop. Silence and smiles. A little jump and a clap. We head to the kitchen to watch history.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Conversations
"You lazy, EG!" shouts BB as I dress her on our bed.
"She's not lazy."
"Yes, she is."
"What does lazy mean?"
Pause. "You tell I."
"If you don't know what a word means you shouldn't use it. Lazy means someone isn't working hard enough or is sitting around." (Which at this point I realize she is just sitting around...)
"I want to call her lazy." Time to ignore him.
"Let's call her happy. Or smiley. Or silly. (or even stinky, I want to add.) Or squirmy..."
"I want to call her lazy!" he says with an emphatic gesture and a dramatic throwing of himself on to the floor.
He instantaneously jumps up and stands beside me as I dress her.
"Or, I will call her Jesus. Life of God, Jesus."
"Sure, this whole train of thought makes perfect sense", I think, as I chuckle to myself.
He moves in closer to her toes and begins to tickle her and gently pat her legs...in a very sweet, sincere voice he says, "Hi, little lazy baby Jesus."
"She's not lazy."
"Yes, she is."
"What does lazy mean?"
Pause. "You tell I."
"If you don't know what a word means you shouldn't use it. Lazy means someone isn't working hard enough or is sitting around." (Which at this point I realize she is just sitting around...)
"I want to call her lazy." Time to ignore him.
"Let's call her happy. Or smiley. Or silly. (or even stinky, I want to add.) Or squirmy..."
"I want to call her lazy!" he says with an emphatic gesture and a dramatic throwing of himself on to the floor.
He instantaneously jumps up and stands beside me as I dress her.
"Or, I will call her Jesus. Life of God, Jesus."
"Sure, this whole train of thought makes perfect sense", I think, as I chuckle to myself.
He moves in closer to her toes and begins to tickle her and gently pat her legs...in a very sweet, sincere voice he says, "Hi, little lazy baby Jesus."
Monday, January 05, 2009
Epiphany...a day ahead.
Hello! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Tomorrow, January 6th is Epiphany on the Christian church calendar but I had to share my 2009 epiphany early.The fog has lifted. The birds are singing. The air is fresh. The sky is blue. Life is wonderful and so, so good.
What you may ask has come over me? A nice dose of thyroid medicine. Holy, amazing, batman...I won't go into any of the details except to say after each of my pregnancies nodes in my thyroid has grown. And that over the course of the last six months I have felt as if aliens overtook by body and very being. Check out this website for the symptoms. (and a bit of PSA: even if your blood work is "normal" if you feel these, push your doctor to get you some help.) But for me the most telling sign was just how dull I felt. I was in conversations but not there. Every moment of life was a chore...a painful, exhausting chore that I began to loathe every moment of. Truly. A normal day was overwhelming work.
Just two weeks into treatment and I am amazed/stunned at how much better I feel. Now, granted, the mundane parts of my day to day life are still there but cleaning the kitchen, laundry, and the like don't overwhelm or exhaust me. The grief and myriad of other feelings remain, but they too don't overwhelm or completely dismantle me any more.
Yesterday, I was dancing around the room and hopping up and down with BB. It was apparent in his face that this was new (and very fun) behavior from me. His excited and precious face reinforced for me how important it is to take care of myself--so I can be the best version of myself.
A cloud has lifted, joy returns. Yay!
As I say good bye** to 2008 and the gut wrenching, faith testing, awe filled, sad, miraculous year that it was, I am thankful for Epiphany. It is good to arrive, if only for a moment, at the cradle of Christ and offer whatever gifts I have. It is good to clearly see the star leading us.
(**or as members of my family said, "Kick its butt out the door.")
A note about the photo above. You will notice that the kings are on their way to the stable but aren't "suppose" to be there yet. BB and I were at silent odds over how close they should be. Every time I passed by the kings over the weekend they were a bit closer than I had intended...so I would move them backwards. Only to find them close again when I passed by. Those poor guys are going backwards as often as they moved forward...hum, sounds about right.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Advent Favorite
First Coming
Madeleine L'Engle
God did not wait till the world was ready,
till...the nations were at peace.
God came when the heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
God did not wait for the perfect time.
God came when the need was deep and great.
God dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. God did not wait
till hearts were pure. In joy God came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours of anguished shame
God came, and God's light would not go out.
God came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait til the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
God came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
The Emmaus Road has some other really nice poems for Advent up as well. :)
The art is from Creative Thursday...a blog that I really enjoy.
Wowzers...Santa Brings it out in People
I don't have a whole lot to share right now. I will report that the projects are getting clicked off the list in a timely manner.
If you are interested in conversations around Santa and how/if to communicate him to your kids, head over to The Paris Project or Peacebang. Both can be found as links on the left.
At three, Santa isn't a huge force in our family. BB doesn't want to meet him and isn't completely sure about him. I think in coming years we will focus a bit more heavily on St. Nicholas and the man behind 'The Man', so to speak....oh, and Jesus. We'll focus on him as well.
I will share that the one time I shared my family's (me and husband) take on this with friends, I was met with surprising passion on the topic of how it "should" be done. To me it has always been just a cute part of the larger season.
And because, once I get going, I can't stop, I will add: as I listen to people talk about Santa, I am struck by how often it is a threat..."You better....because Santa is watching." "Santa only brings toys to good girls and boys." BLECH. It does strike me as being completely opposite to "God born as one of us to free us from sin, and to know our pain."
In other news, I just stumbled across this blog, Design Sponge...what fun projects! I like the scarves.
If you are interested in conversations around Santa and how/if to communicate him to your kids, head over to The Paris Project or Peacebang. Both can be found as links on the left.
At three, Santa isn't a huge force in our family. BB doesn't want to meet him and isn't completely sure about him. I think in coming years we will focus a bit more heavily on St. Nicholas and the man behind 'The Man', so to speak....oh, and Jesus. We'll focus on him as well.
I will share that the one time I shared my family's (me and husband) take on this with friends, I was met with surprising passion on the topic of how it "should" be done. To me it has always been just a cute part of the larger season.
And because, once I get going, I can't stop, I will add: as I listen to people talk about Santa, I am struck by how often it is a threat..."You better....because Santa is watching." "Santa only brings toys to good girls and boys." BLECH. It does strike me as being completely opposite to "God born as one of us to free us from sin, and to know our pain."
In other news, I just stumbled across this blog, Design Sponge...what fun projects! I like the scarves.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Scenes from the Nativity
On this Second Sunday in Advent I wanted to share some of our nativities. Only one of them has a real story...but after taking them out each year, they each have a place in my heart.
This one, while a bit ubiquitous these days, is perhaps, my favorite. My parents gave it to us for our first Christmas. I like the simplicity of it.
This one came from my trip to Palestine.
This one was a wedding gift from my husband's Aunt and Uncle. It, too, is from Palestine.
This one belongs to the kids. It is out all year long. The animals take turns in the barn as well as the manger.
This one is from my Grandma. For thirty-three Christmases she gave me a silver bell like the one in the first photo. We have a gorgeous tree! When it came time to stop that tradition, she began to give me pieces for this Nativity. We have three kings as well, but they won't appear until January 6...Epiphany.
Then, there is this one. It makes me smile and brings tears to my eyes each year. It was made for me by a confirmation student. It was a total surprise...both that he gave me a Christmas gift and that the gift was a handmade Nativity. He was a slightly heavy, smart, sensitive junior high boy who grew up with parents who did not have the gifts to be supportive of his intelligence, interests or sensitivity. His family struggled with finances. They struggled with their faith as well.
So did their son.
It was a class made up of four boys. They were in 7th grade, none of them wanted to be at church after school each Wednesday but three of them grew up and participated in, the life of the small, rural congregation, so it home to them.
We'll call him Joel. Joel's parents, while themselves either against, or apathetic towards the church, forced him to attend Confirmation. And, so with these confusing messages, Joel rebelled a bit in class. He claimed not to believe in much, he once told me he was just there "studying the Christians."
So, much to my surprise this Nativity showed up one Christmas. I don't know why he made it. But I can't help but imagine that God was involved. What even gave him the idea? What went on in him as he designed, cut out, wood burned and then carefully penciled in the names of each person? I can only pray, trust and believe Joel grew in faith.
Oh, friends, he was so proud as he gave it to me. If you have ever been present as the veneer and bravado on a junior high boy comes down, you know the look on his face. His giggy joy and pride was hard for him to hide. I remember trying to share in his joy without embarassing him by crying or getting too emotional...not an easy feat. We lost contact after he was Confirmed. He is among one of many kids from that Call that I pray for...hoping that temptations didn't get the best of them and that God's grace grants them strength to grow into the full person God created them to be.
This Nativity...this one, this one is the only one that truly allows me a glimpse of the incarnation. God with us. God for us. God as us.
Advent Blessings.
Little Elves Came to Help
From the chapter of my life titled, You Can No Longer Do It All, comes this little story about my Christmas cards.I've made our cards each year. I usually had a goal of getting them to people around the first Sunday in Advent. We have a Christmas card list just over one hundred people. I have high expectations for myself.
All of the above information becomes a stumbling block when you add an infant and a newly minted three year old and my current energy level.
So, going into this year, I tried to come up with easy cards with limited steps involved. But with limited hours for my Card Muse to work, I ended up with 5 step-cards that I wasn't totally in love with/inspired by. So, I put them off. And, off. And, off.
On the first Sunday of Advent my parents and Grandmother were here to celebrate our son's birthday. They became my Christmas Elves.
In matter of hours we folded cards, stamped a blue background, cut out green squares, stamped trees, stamped greetings, punched stars and glued them on.
It would never have happened without them. The best part is, their gift didn't just get the cards done, it jump started my Advent energy level. For me sometimes, when there is so much to do, it becomes easier to do nothing...but once the cards were completed and lined up so carefully by my Grandma on our dining room table, a weight lifted and the rest of the holiday list just started to fly.
Thanks, Elves! Love you so much.
Monday, December 01, 2008
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