My Christmas reflections this year were colored by our experiences in El Paso at Thanksgiving. Some young soldiers from Fort Bliss joined us with Carrie and Robert and family ; Ft. Bliss is the springboard for troop deployment and they look forward to leaving soon for Afghanistan.
As we enjoyed the spectacular desert sunsets and the bright stars in the dark Texas sky, we looked out to the twinkling lights of Juarez in the valley below. Images that belie the paralysis of street life for 1.5 million Mexicans there. . .a violent drug war rages.
While El Paso is the second safest city in the U.S., the harsh reality of "Peace
on Earth, Good will to men" seems far away and unattainable. May God help us to create peace in our own personal relations and in our circle of influence.
The world needs each one of us to radiate good will.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Health Care Reform
Today the Senate passed their version of the historic health care reform - gutted from the original plans, yet historic. All that remains is for the conference between the House and Senate to forge agreed legislation.
We rejoice because our daughter, Susanne, who has lived in London for 16 years
will be able to get insurance when she returns to this country. She is in remission for non-Hodgkins lymphoma; she and her husband, Jens, and two young sons plan to return to the U.S. With a pre-existing condition, insurance has been a big issue.
Her care in the UK was world class. Similar care in this country, even with
good insurance, can send young families into bankruptcy. She paid nothing.
Susanne is working on a certification to teach math, grades 7 to 12. As an architect, she has had a strong background in the field. She will try to find a job in mid-Missouri. Group insurance should cover her until health reforms take place which is important if she should need it in the future.
This legislation is a bright spot in the future for our family. Merry Christmas to all and to all, a good night!
We rejoice because our daughter, Susanne, who has lived in London for 16 years
will be able to get insurance when she returns to this country. She is in remission for non-Hodgkins lymphoma; she and her husband, Jens, and two young sons plan to return to the U.S. With a pre-existing condition, insurance has been a big issue.
Her care in the UK was world class. Similar care in this country, even with
good insurance, can send young families into bankruptcy. She paid nothing.
Susanne is working on a certification to teach math, grades 7 to 12. As an architect, she has had a strong background in the field. She will try to find a job in mid-Missouri. Group insurance should cover her until health reforms take place which is important if she should need it in the future.
This legislation is a bright spot in the future for our family. Merry Christmas to all and to all, a good night!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thanksgiving
From the El Paso Times, "Annie's Mailbox":
Be Thankful
(Author Unknown)
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something, for it give you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will bring you strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lesssons.
Be thankful when you are tired and weary, because it means you have made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Lunch in Lee's Summit
Decades have passed since we lived together at 809 Richmond in Columbia, the Alpha Delta Pi house. When we gather a couple of times a year, friendships take up exactly where we left them. The mountain biker, the K.U. housemother, the special education specialists who continue to give, fanatic Tiger sports fans . . .well, a few Jayhawk supporters. :) A computer connection to our friend at her home in Baja California.
We speak of rewarding careers which we loved. . .the way “one door closes and another opens.” Lives richly invested in communities, in friends, caring for family. Stories and reports of sisters not with us today.
Troubles. . .we’ve had some. Cancer survivors, seriously ill loved ones, a husband in hospice, one who faces surgery in the coming days. Learning to survive the grief and loneliness following the death of spouses, some of whom were lean young guys we all knew when they hung around the sorority house. The process of healing. . . “What I can do for others is to stay a few days with friends who need someone when they have a crises.”
Laughter and tears. Undaunted by what life has given to us. . .affirming the joys. We are Believers, brave in the truest sense of the word as we look toward the future.
Inspired by each other, intrepidly facing the future with faith, we part. . .until the next time.
We speak of rewarding careers which we loved. . .the way “one door closes and another opens.” Lives richly invested in communities, in friends, caring for family. Stories and reports of sisters not with us today.
Troubles. . .we’ve had some. Cancer survivors, seriously ill loved ones, a husband in hospice, one who faces surgery in the coming days. Learning to survive the grief and loneliness following the death of spouses, some of whom were lean young guys we all knew when they hung around the sorority house. The process of healing. . . “What I can do for others is to stay a few days with friends who need someone when they have a crises.”
Laughter and tears. Undaunted by what life has given to us. . .affirming the joys. We are Believers, brave in the truest sense of the word as we look toward the future.
Inspired by each other, intrepidly facing the future with faith, we part. . .until the next time.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Stardom
Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald has a way with words which I admire.
Regarding reality shows and Youtube productions, he says that all it takes to be a star these days is a "willingness to be rude, crude, lewd, or nude on camera.
All it takes is a complete lack of personal borders, self-awareness or the ability to be embarrassed." We have heard too much about the boy in the balloon and parents of multiple children lately. Where is personal dignity these days?
Regarding reality shows and Youtube productions, he says that all it takes to be a star these days is a "willingness to be rude, crude, lewd, or nude on camera.
All it takes is a complete lack of personal borders, self-awareness or the ability to be embarrassed." We have heard too much about the boy in the balloon and parents of multiple children lately. Where is personal dignity these days?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
High School Memories
The following was written in response to a Writers Guild prompt to write about high school memories:
About 1955 or 1956, a high school friend whom I admired introduced me to a popular perfume, Arpege by Lanvin. To me, it seemed like the very elixir of sophistication and beauty. I paid three dollars for three ounces of “eau de toilette” at Brown’s drug store on the north side of the Marshall Square. Not cheap at the time, but worth every penny because spraying it on my wrists and shoulders transformed me into a model like the pictures in magazines for 30 seconds or so.
My long skirts with matching tops were gathered at the waist,skillfully sewn by my mother. Several crinoline petticoats made the skirt quite bouffant, and a wide belt cinched the waist.
Arpege was a temporary salve to my adolescent insecurities. Like teenagers
of every era, I worked hard to make myself fit the ideal of the times. Mostly impossible, since Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were our role models with their perfectly proportioned measurements. Especially impossible for a skinny brunette kid.
Our mothers frowned on “dyed hair.” Natural blondes were the envy of us all. Flamboyant and courageous girls became blonde with peroxide. Page boy “hairdos” – long hair with the ends carefully rolled under, straight bangs across the forehead, boy cuts, pony-tails, or poodle cuts were the rage. My mother insisted that I get a frizzy permanent every three months so my hair would sort of look like Shirley Temple. Needless to say, I did not aspire to look like Shirley Temple. Elizabeth Taylor in “National Velvet” would have suited me fine, but that image was out of reach for me as well.
Arpege was my connection to the beautiful people, fleeting though it was. The advertising slogan, “Promise her anything, but give her Arpege”, successfully sold the product; we had little idea that these words were sexist; our feminist consciousness was lying dormant. We aimed to please. Within the rigid rules of the fifties, of course.
A mist of Arpege followed me through my university days. Perfume was not high on the list of priorities, however, when I married a medical student and became the mothers of babies and toddlers. The price of eau de toilette was rising. My husband knew my passion for the scent and once he gave me a bottle for my birthday. The aroma still had the power to make me feel stylish and trendy, overcoming my feelings of fatigue and guilt over weight gain.
Sometime in my thirties, I was in a Kansas City department store and
came across a special offer of my favorite scent with a free fashion umbrella
emblazoned with the word, “Arpege”. I loved it and I remember thinking, “At last, I am a woman of the world. As sophisticated as I am going to get. . .”
Strangely enough, I did not feel any great regrets that I was not one of the beautiful people. Maturity and a sense of humor had given me a great perspective on style and fashion.
In the seventies, I passed a display of three ounce Arpege on a cosmetics counter for $50. In the next decade, while visiting a specialty perfume shop in Paris with my daughter, I saw Arpege on the back shelf for $80. We were not shopping for perfume. My architect daughter was leading us on a tour of glass and steel buildings and the perfume store building was a prototype of modern architecture.
Now and then I long for a nostalgic “fix”. To my horror when I discovered that the current source for buying my favorite perfume is that famous catalogue which arrives in the junk mail from the Vermont Country Store. The Vermont Country Store stocks those old favorites like men’s long johns with the flap that unbuttons in the back and women’s knit underpants with flared legs.
Right under the small blue bottles of “Evening in Paris” and “Blue Lagoon”, toilet water, which were once available for purchase in the dime store, is the musky, sultry scent of sophistication and fashion, Arpege by Lanvin. Really now, what are they thinking?
About 1955 or 1956, a high school friend whom I admired introduced me to a popular perfume, Arpege by Lanvin. To me, it seemed like the very elixir of sophistication and beauty. I paid three dollars for three ounces of “eau de toilette” at Brown’s drug store on the north side of the Marshall Square. Not cheap at the time, but worth every penny because spraying it on my wrists and shoulders transformed me into a model like the pictures in magazines for 30 seconds or so.
My long skirts with matching tops were gathered at the waist,skillfully sewn by my mother. Several crinoline petticoats made the skirt quite bouffant, and a wide belt cinched the waist.
Arpege was a temporary salve to my adolescent insecurities. Like teenagers
of every era, I worked hard to make myself fit the ideal of the times. Mostly impossible, since Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were our role models with their perfectly proportioned measurements. Especially impossible for a skinny brunette kid.
Our mothers frowned on “dyed hair.” Natural blondes were the envy of us all. Flamboyant and courageous girls became blonde with peroxide. Page boy “hairdos” – long hair with the ends carefully rolled under, straight bangs across the forehead, boy cuts, pony-tails, or poodle cuts were the rage. My mother insisted that I get a frizzy permanent every three months so my hair would sort of look like Shirley Temple. Needless to say, I did not aspire to look like Shirley Temple. Elizabeth Taylor in “National Velvet” would have suited me fine, but that image was out of reach for me as well.
Arpege was my connection to the beautiful people, fleeting though it was. The advertising slogan, “Promise her anything, but give her Arpege”, successfully sold the product; we had little idea that these words were sexist; our feminist consciousness was lying dormant. We aimed to please. Within the rigid rules of the fifties, of course.
A mist of Arpege followed me through my university days. Perfume was not high on the list of priorities, however, when I married a medical student and became the mothers of babies and toddlers. The price of eau de toilette was rising. My husband knew my passion for the scent and once he gave me a bottle for my birthday. The aroma still had the power to make me feel stylish and trendy, overcoming my feelings of fatigue and guilt over weight gain.
Sometime in my thirties, I was in a Kansas City department store and
came across a special offer of my favorite scent with a free fashion umbrella
emblazoned with the word, “Arpege”. I loved it and I remember thinking, “At last, I am a woman of the world. As sophisticated as I am going to get. . .”
Strangely enough, I did not feel any great regrets that I was not one of the beautiful people. Maturity and a sense of humor had given me a great perspective on style and fashion.
In the seventies, I passed a display of three ounce Arpege on a cosmetics counter for $50. In the next decade, while visiting a specialty perfume shop in Paris with my daughter, I saw Arpege on the back shelf for $80. We were not shopping for perfume. My architect daughter was leading us on a tour of glass and steel buildings and the perfume store building was a prototype of modern architecture.
Now and then I long for a nostalgic “fix”. To my horror when I discovered that the current source for buying my favorite perfume is that famous catalogue which arrives in the junk mail from the Vermont Country Store. The Vermont Country Store stocks those old favorites like men’s long johns with the flap that unbuttons in the back and women’s knit underpants with flared legs.
Right under the small blue bottles of “Evening in Paris” and “Blue Lagoon”, toilet water, which were once available for purchase in the dime store, is the musky, sultry scent of sophistication and fashion, Arpege by Lanvin. Really now, what are they thinking?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Opposing ideas. . .
F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to holdtwo opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." His statement seems to apply to the current political climate.How do we retain the ability to function with all the conflict on every front?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mourning a Friend
Sue Hall, a friend and work colleague of my husband's, retired last Friday at age 62 and died in her sleep that night. We were profoundly affected by her sudden and unexpected death. Sue, an LPN, was a favorite of people from all walks of life. Her amazing sense of humor, birthday parties that included a street dance in her small home town of Arrow Rock, her artistic work. . .all combined to make her a one-of-a-kind individual.
We can learn from her life that seemed too short: Live each day to the fullest, give of yourself to others, create beauty, learn, grow, and change, do not put off doing the things that you love and celebrate life's special occasions. The world will not be quite the same without Sue Hall.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Applebutter Making
It still comes back to me occasionally on a fine day in autumn with a nostalgia that is not so much regional homesickness as it is a wish to find some fixed and constant thing in a world whose whole order is changed. I comfort myself that, even now, in some parts of Missouri there is a sound of apple-butter kettles being dragged from lofts, of apple peelers whirring, of tongues clattering while busy fingers cut through Winesaps and Jonathans. A smell of woodsmoke, mingled with cider and cinnamon, fills the air while over it all hangs the haze of Indian summer. And someway, I feel that so long as Missourians are still making apple butter, the world can't be in too bad a shape. "Life Was Simpler Then" Loula Grace Erdman
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thoughts while hiking to a waterfall. . .
In the summer of 1988, we visited my daughter Carrie in Ecuador while she was in the Peace Corps. After hiking to a waterfall, I wrote these thoughts which seem to apply generally to life.
Look for the step-worn groove in the stone footpath
Wisdom has chosen the safest route
Take care what you reach out to grasp for support
If it does not have deep roots, it will let you down
Should you fall: catch your breath and start again
Avoid looking ahead to see how far you still have to climb
Just concentrate on taking the next step carefully
Stop from time to time to reflect,
What lies ahead? Is it worth the effort?
Look for the step-worn groove in the stone footpath
Wisdom has chosen the safest route
Take care what you reach out to grasp for support
If it does not have deep roots, it will let you down
Should you fall: catch your breath and start again
Avoid looking ahead to see how far you still have to climb
Just concentrate on taking the next step carefully
Stop from time to time to reflect,
What lies ahead? Is it worth the effort?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Small Moments of Happiness
Looking back on the summer months, I recall the complete abandon and joy my two London grandsons exhibited when they played in mud puddles following a rain shower. Adults find it difficult to let go of all their worries and concerns and plans even when they are having a good time.
Researchers from the Universities of California, San Francisco, Michigan, Pittsburg and Cornell co-operated on a study of positive emotions and reported the results in a professional journal, "Emotions". Happy people seem to have the ability to savor small moments of happiness in everyday life.
"Small moments of happiness let positive emotions blossom, and that hels us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression, and continue to grow," lead author Barbara Fredrickson said.
I resolve to savor the little things in life. . .fall weather, sitting on the front porch, visiting with friends.
Researchers from the Universities of California, San Francisco, Michigan, Pittsburg and Cornell co-operated on a study of positive emotions and reported the results in a professional journal, "Emotions". Happy people seem to have the ability to savor small moments of happiness in everyday life.
"Small moments of happiness let positive emotions blossom, and that hels us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression, and continue to grow," lead author Barbara Fredrickson said.
I resolve to savor the little things in life. . .fall weather, sitting on the front porch, visiting with friends.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Shore lunch at noon. . .
Beautiful weather, but the fish weren't biting! Our one bit of excitement came one afternoon as we fished in a small cove of an island. Richard caught a big fish at the same moment that I snagged my lure on a rock. I released the uptake on my reel to spin the line out so it would not interfere with his catching
the 35 inch Northern. But then his reel broke and he had to pull the fish in by hand. I grabbed my camera to take a picture, and the battery was dead. That was the sum total of action for that day!
A fox has become a familiar visitor at Forrest Lodge. She recognizes no enemies among the owners and guests there and makes her rounds whenever she smells food cooking. One night she came on the deck to our cabin and looked right in the window at us.
Scott and Mary Jo, the camp owners, had previously had a wood chuck who would eat from their hands. This spring, "Digger" had a litter of five and one day the fox showed up and ate two woodchuck babies right before their eyes.
Even though they found this unforgiveable, the fox gradually moved in to replace Digger as the camp pet. Digger is still around, but keeps her distance.
Nature just is not "cute"; we have to accept wildlife just as it is.
Scott and Mary Jo, the camp owners, had previously had a wood chuck who would eat from their hands. This spring, "Digger" had a litter of five and one day the fox showed up and ate two woodchuck babies right before their eyes.
Even though they found this unforgiveable, the fox gradually moved in to replace Digger as the camp pet. Digger is still around, but keeps her distance.
Nature just is not "cute"; we have to accept wildlife just as it is.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I'm back after an absence. . .
A summerful of company, a bad cold, a computer virus, and a trip to Canada combined to keep me from writing in my blog for several weeks. I hope I have not lost all of my readers! I was aware of 40 or 50 friends in several states and a cousin in Australia who checked in periodically! Hope you have not given up on me. . . Carol
Friday, August 7, 2009
Books
"Reading is an engagement of the imagination with life experience. Humans are hard-wired for story. . .we possess the power to be moved." Timothy Eagan writes a blog, "Book Lust", and I quote from his entry 2/28/08 in the New York Times.
According to the Associated Press 27% in a sample interviewed had not read a book lately. However, three out of four people do read for pleasure.
Another 27% read more than 15 books a year. Do not despair! We continue to be a literate society.
According to the Associated Press 27% in a sample interviewed had not read a book lately. However, three out of four people do read for pleasure.
Another 27% read more than 15 books a year. Do not despair! We continue to be a literate society.
Monday, July 27, 2009
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A coiled hose. . .
Nothing signifies order in my outdoor environment more than a coiled hose by the outside spigot. Perhaps it is because of the almost complete lack of order we experience in living on the edge of an untamed woodland. The prairie flora (also known as "weeds") creep up to meet the thicket. My garden circle in the drive has an English country look. My husband mows sparingly. We are content with this unsubdued, overgrown style of living.
But a coiled hose gives the appearance and feel of planning and control!
But a coiled hose gives the appearance and feel of planning and control!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The definition of love. . .
Matt Arni, a lay minister and a friend from church, has worked out the following definitions of love in a spiritual sense. . . Love, the noun: everything that lives and breathes is to be valued, according to Scripture. Love, the verb: every action that we take to value people.
Matt is the guiding force at the mid-week service, using the theme,
"The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a
sincere faith." 1 Timothy, Chapter 1, Verse 5.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Independence Day
The manager of a local gift and antique store in the center of our town posted pictures of the founding fathers along with quotations in her window display for July 4th. I found this quote from Ben Franklin thought provoking:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
I have to think about that all the way around. . .to me, "well-armed" means protection with laws to protect helpless victims. Sometimes I think today's farmers fall into this category. But then again, I look at it from the point of view one might have if you have the misfortune to have a pre-existing health condition which completely prevents you from getting medical insurance.
Democracy is messy. The wolves are powerful. The lambs are many. Fortunately good things happen, at least a part of the time.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
I have to think about that all the way around. . .to me, "well-armed" means protection with laws to protect helpless victims. Sometimes I think today's farmers fall into this category. But then again, I look at it from the point of view one might have if you have the misfortune to have a pre-existing health condition which completely prevents you from getting medical insurance.
Democracy is messy. The wolves are powerful. The lambs are many. Fortunately good things happen, at least a part of the time.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Rural Missouri
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"The world is so full of a number of things. . .
I'm sure we all should be happy as kings!" Robert Louis Stevenson
Sunday, June 21, 2009
June - When Missouri Pretends to be Perfect
June—When Missouri Pretends to be Perfect
Ah, June, when Missouri pretends to be perfect!
Regal in a gold-green, leafy cloak,
A garland of Queen Anne’s Lace round her shoulders
With Brown-eyed Susan’s bouncing at her feet,
She flings translucent blue chicory on roadbanks
And dances to the wild music of birdsong.
Missouri, in June, denies dusty drives and swampy feedlots.
Laughs at chigger bites, sweat bands, and sunburn.
Accused of petulant weather behavior, she sighs,
“O-oh No-o” on the deceptive voice of the wind,
“I am the irrepressible dew-covered joy of the morning. . .
I am the reverent hush of a prairie sunset!”
So you forgive her for high humidity, heat strokes and poison ivy.
For snakes, crawly things and wildlife in the garage.
Forgive her capricious rainstorms, sometimes endless,
Loosing her rivers into fields and crop.
Rivers with unquenchable appetite for space and soil.
Missouri calls seductively in June:
“Soak up my radiant sunshine, feel the soft, cool breeze.
Inhale fragrant clover blossoms and new mown hay.
Forget your ordered existence; linger in the porch swing.
Float upon my lakes, and fish in my languid streams.
Meanwhile, crabgrass flourishes; cocklebur germinates
Innocent corn sends down deep roots for thirsty days ahead
Let go your memories of July’s sweltering mid-day sun!
Give over heart and soul, and sink deep into the Present.
It’s June, when Missouri pretends to be perfect.
Carol M. Raynor (copyright 2005)
Ah, June, when Missouri pretends to be perfect!
Regal in a gold-green, leafy cloak,
A garland of Queen Anne’s Lace round her shoulders
With Brown-eyed Susan’s bouncing at her feet,
She flings translucent blue chicory on roadbanks
And dances to the wild music of birdsong.
Missouri, in June, denies dusty drives and swampy feedlots.
Laughs at chigger bites, sweat bands, and sunburn.
Accused of petulant weather behavior, she sighs,
“O-oh No-o” on the deceptive voice of the wind,
“I am the irrepressible dew-covered joy of the morning. . .
I am the reverent hush of a prairie sunset!”
So you forgive her for high humidity, heat strokes and poison ivy.
For snakes, crawly things and wildlife in the garage.
Forgive her capricious rainstorms, sometimes endless,
Loosing her rivers into fields and crop.
Rivers with unquenchable appetite for space and soil.
Missouri calls seductively in June:
“Soak up my radiant sunshine, feel the soft, cool breeze.
Inhale fragrant clover blossoms and new mown hay.
Forget your ordered existence; linger in the porch swing.
Float upon my lakes, and fish in my languid streams.
Meanwhile, crabgrass flourishes; cocklebur germinates
Innocent corn sends down deep roots for thirsty days ahead
Let go your memories of July’s sweltering mid-day sun!
Give over heart and soul, and sink deep into the Present.
It’s June, when Missouri pretends to be perfect.
Carol M. Raynor (copyright 2005)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Annual United Methodist Conference #4
A thought from Reverend Lynn Dyke:
The world constantly tells us that we don't have enough, that we need more
money, more things, more pleasure, more power. . . We live with a "scarcity
mindset".
Actually we have great abundance spiritually. No limits to wisdom, knowledge, gifts, opportunities, mercy and grace.
May the peace that passes all MISunderstanding be with us all.
The world constantly tells us that we don't have enough, that we need more
money, more things, more pleasure, more power. . . We live with a "scarcity
mindset".
Actually we have great abundance spiritually. No limits to wisdom, knowledge, gifts, opportunities, mercy and grace.
May the peace that passes all MISunderstanding be with us all.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
United Methodist Annual Conference #3
El Paso has a special place in my heart as it is the home of my daughter and her family. Annual conference delegates heard a report from the Lydia Patterson Institute which provides a high school education near the border for needy students. Of the 72 graduating seniors this spring, 70 are going on to college. The following information is from a CNN report on Lydia Patterson Insititue May 20, 2009
Since Mexican border towns became battlefields in the drug war, American towns like El Paso have become refuges for middle- and upper-class Mexicans.
For students at Lydia Patterson, who live in Juarez and cross the bridge each weekday, the small, United Methodist preparatory school has become a safe haven in the months since drug-related violence in Juarez has intensified.Our students are exceptional, and I always tell them I respect them and I admire their courage because they're living through this horrible time," says the school's president, Socorro Brito de Anda.
About 70 percent of the institute's 459 students live in Juarez. Some are American citizens with Mexican parents; others are Mexican citizens who carry a student visa to any one of three U.S.-Mexico border checkpoints in El Paso that serve tens of thousands of students, white-collar workers and day laborers each day.
Since Mexican border towns became battlefields in the drug war, American towns like El Paso have become refuges for middle- and upper-class Mexicans.
For students at Lydia Patterson, who live in Juarez and cross the bridge each weekday, the small, United Methodist preparatory school has become a safe haven in the months since drug-related violence in Juarez has intensified.Our students are exceptional, and I always tell them I respect them and I admire their courage because they're living through this horrible time," says the school's president, Socorro Brito de Anda.
About 70 percent of the institute's 459 students live in Juarez. Some are American citizens with Mexican parents; others are Mexican citizens who carry a student visa to any one of three U.S.-Mexico border checkpoints in El Paso that serve tens of thousands of students, white-collar workers and day laborers each day.
Annual Methodist Conference #2: Mozambique
I hear little about Africa and it's problems here in the middle of the U.S., but I am aware that the problems are overwhelming. Carol Kreamer, Mozambique Initiative Coordinator, reported that more than 700 United Methodist congregations, groups, and individuals in Missouri have covenant partnerships
in this country. Despite barriers of geography, language, culture and economics, good things happen. Not only are churches and individuals supported in the faith, but humanitarian projects such as safe water, malaria prevention and leadership development improve daily living.
One pastor shared this meaningful benediction: "Grace is a gift from God to me on its way to someone else."
in this country. Despite barriers of geography, language, culture and economics, good things happen. Not only are churches and individuals supported in the faith, but humanitarian projects such as safe water, malaria prevention and leadership development improve daily living.
One pastor shared this meaningful benediction: "Grace is a gift from God to me on its way to someone else."
Friday, June 12, 2009
Missouri United Methodist Annual Conference
According to Bishop Robert Schase, the extraordinary generosity of the Missouri annual conference in 2009 is humbling; Missouri is one of three or four conferences in the entire USA that can say that 86.3 % of congregations gave money for all their church apportionments. Church apportionments cover maintenance and running of camps, retirement and health care for pastors, missions, and partnerships with numerous organizations. To name a few: "Nothing but Nets" for the prevention of malaria, colleges and universities, educational events for young people, the Mozambique initiative to improve the quality of life in that country.
Attendance in the conference increased by 500 in 2008 and local church budgets have increased 10.6%.
In spite of the emphasis on numbers, delegates to the conference were encouraged to return to their local churches with the message . . ."It is not about taking care of me, it is about taking care of others."
Attendance in the conference increased by 500 in 2008 and local church budgets have increased 10.6%.
In spite of the emphasis on numbers, delegates to the conference were encouraged to return to their local churches with the message . . ."It is not about taking care of me, it is about taking care of others."
Monday, June 1, 2009
Back to the wild green jungle!
After the carefully tended, symetrical gardens of England, it is a shock to return
to the wild green jungle of home. Our flowers are beautiful, but it is all so out of control. But good to be back to what someone described as "the easy charm of Missouri"!
to the wild green jungle of home. Our flowers are beautiful, but it is all so out of control. But good to be back to what someone described as "the easy charm of Missouri"!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tea?
How I wonder, just what is a "champayne cream tea with Frank Sinatra recorded music and a tea dance"? Saw a poster advertising this in a village north of London.
"The United Kingdom and the United States of America: two countries
divided by a common language."
"The United Kingdom and the United States of America: two countries
divided by a common language."
Monday, May 25, 2009
Exploring London
I went to have coffee at a flat nearby with the mother of one of Susanne's friends. Doreen and I share a love of books and writing. After visiting for awhile, we took a bus down Oxford Street to find Charing Cross Road. . .site of a famous book by American author Helen Hanff , "84 Charing Cross Road." 84 is now a pizza place, but on the outside wall is an identifying plaque about the 1970 book, a New York City-London conversation about books.
Charing Cross Road was once a "book village" with shop after shop of old and new book stores. Presently there is a Borders, Blackwell's (a big British chain), many restaurants and a few antiquarian book stores. We browsed through old books then went for tea in the undercroft of the National Portrait Gallery. Doreen told me about being evacuated from London as a child during the WWII Blitz. I was deeply touched by stories of sleeping in the tube stations at night
and listening for Doodlebugs, unmanned aerial bombs which made a buzzing noise--if they suddenly became silent, you ran for cover because it was going to explode right where you were standing. To make a day of it, we visited a wholesale jewelry shop on our return home!
Charing Cross Road was once a "book village" with shop after shop of old and new book stores. Presently there is a Borders, Blackwell's (a big British chain), many restaurants and a few antiquarian book stores. We browsed through old books then went for tea in the undercroft of the National Portrait Gallery. Doreen told me about being evacuated from London as a child during the WWII Blitz. I was deeply touched by stories of sleeping in the tube stations at night
and listening for Doodlebugs, unmanned aerial bombs which made a buzzing noise--if they suddenly became silent, you ran for cover because it was going to explode right where you were standing. To make a day of it, we visited a wholesale jewelry shop on our return home!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Rushton Hall
On the way to pick up my son-in-law, Jens, at the Kittering train station, Susanne drove the rental car into a small village, Rushton, in North Hamptonshire. We were looking for a place to have coffee as we were early for the train. Saw a lane marked "Rushton Hall Hotel and Spa" and found a huge manor house and estate with immaculate grounds. We were shown into the great room,
a lounge furnished with overstuffed chairs and sofas in a number of seating areas, a fire in the huge fireplace and oil portraits on the walls. It was breathtakingly beautiful and I stood there with my mouth open, gawking until Susanne whispered to me, "Stop acting so rural." Humorous, since that is what I used to say to the girls when they were children and we went to Kansas City.
After we finished our coffee lattes, we drove a short distance and saw Triangle Lodge, a small building with triangular rooms and windows. Sir Thomas Tresham, of Rushton Hall, also built this curious little house for the keeper of his rabbit warren, a money-making proposition in medieval times. On one estate, a fifteen acre fenced rabbit warren produced 29,000 rabbits a year which were sold for meat and skins. Rabbits brought from three to ten pounds per hundred depending on their size and coloring.
We retrieved Jens and went on for a quiet country week-end at Peacock Cottage behind the National Trust Property ruins of Kirby Hall.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Timelessness
The memorial service for our 92 year old friend, Berneice, gave me a sense of the mysterious "wholeness" of life. Berneice was a thoughtful and creative teacher of fourth and fifth graders whose students thrived on warmth and praise. She went to college for her teaching degree at age 45, finishing at 48 and going on to get advance degrees later.
Berneice's husband died of a heart attack at 58, her only child died in a car accident at 37, her daughter-in-law died in her late fifties. Yet this lady maintained a positive attitude toward life and believed that she was greatly blessed. Her grand-children, Molly and Ryan, were in constant contact with her and made her long life satisfying. In their twenties, they are in that phase of life which requires intense effort to reach goals, yet these two maintained a close relationship with their grandmother.
At her memorial service, Ryan spoke of the quality of "timelessness" in her dealing with others. Over the years, her personality attracted loyal friends of all ages. In her last days, she was not alone. To fracture an old saying, "God could not be everywhere and so he created" . . . friends like those who were committed to Berneice.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Spring
Through every window, a watercolor scene of trees and grass. Dogwood, redbud, prairie crabapple trees in full bloom. What a joy!
Rains and cool weather have made for a spectacular midwestern spring.
Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower, but only for an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost
Rains and cool weather have made for a spectacular midwestern spring.
Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower, but only for an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost
Monday, April 27, 2009
Spending the Stimulus Money
This week I spent my "Stimulus Check" patriotically! I bought a Spitfire kayak
at Cabella's. . .a plastic sit-on-top that is short, light-weight, and sturdy. Inspired by my cousin Gayle in Tennessee, I have shopped and shopped for just the right one at the right price.
We took it to the farm pond and put on the life jacket, taking turns paddling
around. What a joy! A heron and a visiting duck left promptly, but we could get close to interesting birds. What a "stimulus" to experience the fresh air, the wind, and the sounds of nature!
I do hope my investment helps keep a job for someone. God bless us each and every one.
at Cabella's. . .a plastic sit-on-top that is short, light-weight, and sturdy. Inspired by my cousin Gayle in Tennessee, I have shopped and shopped for just the right one at the right price.
We took it to the farm pond and put on the life jacket, taking turns paddling
around. What a joy! A heron and a visiting duck left promptly, but we could get close to interesting birds. What a "stimulus" to experience the fresh air, the wind, and the sounds of nature!
I do hope my investment helps keep a job for someone. God bless us each and every one.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Road Trips
"We turn, we are a turning tribe--born into, borne by rotation--earth propelling us around its axis once a day, like a revolving door, while gravity deceives us into thinking that the sky is moving, we are standing still.
. . .Another trip around the sun--another turning--is what we are celebrating when we celebrate an anniversary. . .another journey of 574,380,400 miles. . .
These are major road trips when you think about it."
Marianne Wiggins, "The Shadow Catcher"
. . .Another trip around the sun--another turning--is what we are celebrating when we celebrate an anniversary. . .another journey of 574,380,400 miles. . .
These are major road trips when you think about it."
Marianne Wiggins, "The Shadow Catcher"
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Words of Wisdom
I recently found a yellowed newspaper clipping, part of a column which warns
that you should distrust yourself when you are tempted to establish your own lifestyle as the norm by which others are to be judged. Included was a paragraph by St. Theresa written in the 16th century:
"Let us look at our own shortcomings and leave other people's alone; for those who live carefully ordered lives are apt to be shocked at everything, and we might well learn very important lessons from the persons who shock us. . .There is no reason why we should expect everyone else to travel by our own road, and we should not attempt to point them to the spiritual path when perhaps we do not know what it is."
that you should distrust yourself when you are tempted to establish your own lifestyle as the norm by which others are to be judged. Included was a paragraph by St. Theresa written in the 16th century:
"Let us look at our own shortcomings and leave other people's alone; for those who live carefully ordered lives are apt to be shocked at everything, and we might well learn very important lessons from the persons who shock us. . .There is no reason why we should expect everyone else to travel by our own road, and we should not attempt to point them to the spiritual path when perhaps we do not know what it is."
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Adventure in El Paso
Recently spent a week in El Paso with my daughter and family. Early one morning, Richard and I went to a near-by convenience store to purchase a newspaper. I went to the bathroom and got locked in! The door knob did not respond to any of my efforts. I knocked on the door and yelled "Help!"
Richard, of course, was reading the paper in the truck, waiting for me. It seemed like an eternity, but it was probably only 10 or 15 minutes, when I heard an employee on the other side of the door, removing the door knob plate.
I was so glad to get out of the windowless bathroom; I am slightly claustrophobic! It is a good thing the clerk was smiling and wearing a Circle
K name badge, because when I saw the 8 inch dagger-like knife blade he had used to remove the screws, I felt some anxiety! He put it in a holster on his belt. An unlicensed weapon?!
I suppose working the night shift in a convenience store makes one want to have protection. . .even though El Paso is remarkably safe even with Juarez
drug wars across the Rio Grande.
Richard, of course, was reading the paper in the truck, waiting for me. It seemed like an eternity, but it was probably only 10 or 15 minutes, when I heard an employee on the other side of the door, removing the door knob plate.
I was so glad to get out of the windowless bathroom; I am slightly claustrophobic! It is a good thing the clerk was smiling and wearing a Circle
K name badge, because when I saw the 8 inch dagger-like knife blade he had used to remove the screws, I felt some anxiety! He put it in a holster on his belt. An unlicensed weapon?!
I suppose working the night shift in a convenience store makes one want to have protection. . .even though El Paso is remarkably safe even with Juarez
drug wars across the Rio Grande.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Mother-Love
Dedicated to my four daughters. . .
"Mother-love is not inevitable.
The good mother is a great artist, ever creating beauty out of chaos."
Alice Randall, novelist who wrote "The Wind Done Gone"
and the first black woman to write a #1 country song.
This message printed on the side of Starbucks styrofoam cup;)
"Mother-love is not inevitable.
The good mother is a great artist, ever creating beauty out of chaos."
Alice Randall, novelist who wrote "The Wind Done Gone"
and the first black woman to write a #1 country song.
This message printed on the side of Starbucks styrofoam cup;)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Quilt Respect
A few days ago in misty cold weather, I pulled up behind a truck at a stop sign.
The pick-up bed was crammed with furniture, moving, I suppose. But draped over one bedstead was a pieced quilt in lovely colors. . .protecting the wood from scratches. I grieved because someone had labored hours on that work of art. Are my quilts destined to be throws to protect furniture during a move or
to serve as a bed for the dog??? Let it go, Carol, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will do what they will. It cannot be my problem;)
The pick-up bed was crammed with furniture, moving, I suppose. But draped over one bedstead was a pieced quilt in lovely colors. . .protecting the wood from scratches. I grieved because someone had labored hours on that work of art. Are my quilts destined to be throws to protect furniture during a move or
to serve as a bed for the dog??? Let it go, Carol, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will do what they will. It cannot be my problem;)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Friends
Recently I have been reflecting on the role of friends in my life. I have ever been drawn to high energy people who live in very creative ways. People who have a passion for important elements in their world, whether it is art, cooking, books, music, entertaining, decorating, traveling or other subjects too numerous to mention. People whose beliefs and values are woven into the way they live each day. People who have a radar for appreciation of cultures and who give of themselves to make a difference to others. People who make family and friends their top priority.
As a result, I have often felt humble and inadequate when I compare myself.
But I can see how these friends have shaped my life and made an indelible mark on who I am. Who would I be without them?!
As a result, I have often felt humble and inadequate when I compare myself.
But I can see how these friends have shaped my life and made an indelible mark on who I am. Who would I be without them?!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A Prayer
In the book, "Home", by Marilynne Robinson, Jack struggles with alcohol addiction and is alienated from his large family. He returns as his minister father is dying, and one night at a family dinner, he reads the following prayer which he has written out on paper:
"Dear Father, you are patient and gracious beyond our understanding. . .You let us hope for forgiveness when we can find no way to forgive ourselves. You bless our lives even when we have shown ourselves to be utterly ungrateful and unworthy. May we be strengthened and renewed--to make us less unworthy of blessing, through these your gifts of sustenance, of friendship, and family."
"Dear Father, you are patient and gracious beyond our understanding. . .You let us hope for forgiveness when we can find no way to forgive ourselves. You bless our lives even when we have shown ourselves to be utterly ungrateful and unworthy. May we be strengthened and renewed--to make us less unworthy of blessing, through these your gifts of sustenance, of friendship, and family."
Monday, February 9, 2009
Egret World
I follow an egret, white as bleached linen, as he shops in the high tide. The ocean breeze gives him a wild "bad hair" day. Daintily he paces on his spindly black legs, then, standing stock-still, he executes a deadly stab to a tiny silvery fish. With rhythmic gulping, the glimmering, twitching creature becomes breakfast. Suddenly he stops and stares directly at me from a distance of less than three feet. No fear of humans, he has seen too many tromping along this beach. He wings away, and dive-bombs at another egret several yards away who apparently has infringed on his territory. A brief glimpse into the World of Egret. . .feral, fierce, and fragile.
Long-time friends invited us to share in a fifth week of the year retreat to Puerto Vallarta, a welcome break from Midwestern cold!
Long-time friends invited us to share in a fifth week of the year retreat to Puerto Vallarta, a welcome break from Midwestern cold!
Friday, January 30, 2009
A Favorite Quote
"Ancora impora" or "I am still learning" was scribbled in the margins of a sketch
by Michelangelo at age 87. Learning something new is one of the great pleasures of life!
by Michelangelo at age 87. Learning something new is one of the great pleasures of life!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Keeping Score
Ann Herbert has written a crazy parable about our fixation with numbers and keeping score. Think about test scores, salaries, bank accounts, etc.
In the beginning God didn’t make just one or two people; he made a abunch of us. Because he wanted us to have a lot of fun and he said you can’t really have fun unless there is a whole gang of you. So he put us all in this sort of playground park place called Eden and told us to enjoy.
At first we did have fun just like He expected. We played all the time. We rolled down the hills, waded in the streams, climbed trees, swung on the vines, ran in the meadows, frolicked in the woods, hid in the forest, and acted silly. We laughed a lot.
Then one day this snake told us that we weren't having real fun because we weren’t keep score. Back then we didn’t know what score was. When he explained it, we still couldn’t see the fun. But he said that we should give an apple to the person who was best at playing and we’d never know who was best unless we kept score. We could all see the fun of that. We were all sure we were the best.
It was different after that. We yelled a lot. We had to make up new scoring rules for most of the games to be played. Other games, like frolicking, we stopped playing because they were too hard to score. By the time God found out about our new fun, we were spending about forty-five minutes a day in actual playing and the rest of the time working out the score. God was wroth about that –very very wroth.
He said we couldn’t use his garden anymore because we weren’t having any fun. We said we were having lots of fun and we were. He shouldn’t have got upset just because it wasn’t exactly the kind of fun He had in mind.
God wouldn’t listen. He kicked us out and said we couldn’t come back until we stopped keeping score. To rub it in (to get our attention, He said), He told us we were all going to die anyway, and our scores wouldn’t mean anything.
God was wrong. My cumulative all-game score is now 16,548 and that means a lot to me. If I can raise it to 20,000 before I die, I will know I have accomplished something. Even if I can’t, my life has a great deal of meaning because I have taught my children to score high and they will all be able to reach 20,000 or even 30,000, I know.
Really, life in Eden didn't mean anything. Fun is great in its place, but without scoring there is no reason for it. . . We are all very grateful to the snake.
In the beginning God didn’t make just one or two people; he made a abunch of us. Because he wanted us to have a lot of fun and he said you can’t really have fun unless there is a whole gang of you. So he put us all in this sort of playground park place called Eden and told us to enjoy.
At first we did have fun just like He expected. We played all the time. We rolled down the hills, waded in the streams, climbed trees, swung on the vines, ran in the meadows, frolicked in the woods, hid in the forest, and acted silly. We laughed a lot.
Then one day this snake told us that we weren't having real fun because we weren’t keep score. Back then we didn’t know what score was. When he explained it, we still couldn’t see the fun. But he said that we should give an apple to the person who was best at playing and we’d never know who was best unless we kept score. We could all see the fun of that. We were all sure we were the best.
It was different after that. We yelled a lot. We had to make up new scoring rules for most of the games to be played. Other games, like frolicking, we stopped playing because they were too hard to score. By the time God found out about our new fun, we were spending about forty-five minutes a day in actual playing and the rest of the time working out the score. God was wroth about that –very very wroth.
He said we couldn’t use his garden anymore because we weren’t having any fun. We said we were having lots of fun and we were. He shouldn’t have got upset just because it wasn’t exactly the kind of fun He had in mind.
God wouldn’t listen. He kicked us out and said we couldn’t come back until we stopped keeping score. To rub it in (to get our attention, He said), He told us we were all going to die anyway, and our scores wouldn’t mean anything.
God was wrong. My cumulative all-game score is now 16,548 and that means a lot to me. If I can raise it to 20,000 before I die, I will know I have accomplished something. Even if I can’t, my life has a great deal of meaning because I have taught my children to score high and they will all be able to reach 20,000 or even 30,000, I know.
Really, life in Eden didn't mean anything. Fun is great in its place, but without scoring there is no reason for it. . . We are all very grateful to the snake.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Reflecting on Thoreau
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is that he hears a different drummer. Let him step to that which he hears, however measured and far away. Thoreau
As an adult, I respectfully acknowledge a number of friends and acquaintances who live their lives in highly original ways. The "different drummer" quote calls for a comfortable acceptance of others, and I deeply appreciate that attitude.
As a retired mental health professional,however, I grieve for the people I encountered who heard no drummer. They failed to march to any music, just wandered aimlessly over a vast plain of life with no fixed boundaries. Chaotic bouncing from one crises to the next.
One should be thankful to hear that invisible percussion that suggests a pace and a path to follow.
As an adult, I respectfully acknowledge a number of friends and acquaintances who live their lives in highly original ways. The "different drummer" quote calls for a comfortable acceptance of others, and I deeply appreciate that attitude.
As a retired mental health professional,however, I grieve for the people I encountered who heard no drummer. They failed to march to any music, just wandered aimlessly over a vast plain of life with no fixed boundaries. Chaotic bouncing from one crises to the next.
One should be thankful to hear that invisible percussion that suggests a pace and a path to follow.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Carriage ride at the Plaza
(Locked out of my account for some strange reason, but I am back again now!)
On the day after Christmas, we went to the Plaza to take the younger six grandsons on a carriage ride to view the buildings outlined in colored lights. Crowded with shoppers, it was a magical ride in the darkness of early evening. After our ride,
we went to Winstead's for hamburgers. Richard asked for one ticket for our throng of people. My son-in-law protested and felt he should pay for his family. My husband replied, "No, I insist. The bill is much less than what it is going to cost you for one day at the nursing home for Carol and me!"
Just a little humor to get us through the current economic gloom. . .
On the day after Christmas, we went to the Plaza to take the younger six grandsons on a carriage ride to view the buildings outlined in colored lights. Crowded with shoppers, it was a magical ride in the darkness of early evening. After our ride,
we went to Winstead's for hamburgers. Richard asked for one ticket for our throng of people. My son-in-law protested and felt he should pay for his family. My husband replied, "No, I insist. The bill is much less than what it is going to cost you for one day at the nursing home for Carol and me!"
Just a little humor to get us through the current economic gloom. . .
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