Lent 2010

It's almost Lent, and I just started to think about what my practice will be for Lent this year. As you know, Lent is my favorite time in the church calendar. I like the reflective nature of it, and the drama of Palm Sunday just can't be beat - so moving. Anyway, the customs around Lent are described at wikipedia:

There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.^[8]

I wasn't coming up with anything inspiring, until I took a look at a friend's post on SoulPancake. You should check it out too. It's kind of more of a meme than a Lenten practice, but this is what I'll do:

Now, the opportunity: Draw on your innate creativity and make a collage that represents your soul over the past year.

No one else can tell your story like you can. Here are some guidelines to help you get started:

1. Make a list of your highlights, low points, and learning experiences of 2009.
2. Find some old magazines, bits of paper, small objects or photos and cut out the images/words that resonate with the experiences on your list.
3. Layer the images and words and attach them to a surface (using glue, wire, tape—whatever).
4. Upload your collage here and tell us how it felt to tell your story using art.

Can you muster the courage to share the life of your mind, soul, and emotions?

So, I'm going to do that project. And, I'm going to continue to work on prayer, because I'm starting to feel like it's really effective! I'm not sure yet on the fasting.... I don't think I can handle a Facebook fast, but I will probably focus on eating better. For the "almsgiving" mentioned above, I am still working on raising money for Haiti.


On a similar note, I just got a link from another friend about facing "mid-life" and how to cope with change. That the lived life means facing change, and the fear involved.... it's a thought provoking article, especially coming ahead of my BIG birthday coming up.


Image from religious imagery in culture

Autumn Meme etc.

I found this meme on the blog The Kitchen Door [thanks Charlotte for the link!] I love her "Prayer Request Wednesday" feature - check it out! Anyways, to the meme:

1. Share a Fall memory.
Of course jumping in a pile of leaves that my dad raked. Walking outside in the crisp air. Beautiful blue skies, orange leaves blowing in the breeze. Apple picking and eating. Waking up warm and cozy in bed.

2. Your favorite Fall clothes--(past or present)?
Warm sweaters. A gift from a friend of hand-me-down oxblood leather boots that go great with all my plaid skirts. Woolly tights.

3. Share a campfire story, song, experience...etc.
Not really a campfire song, but my college has a tradition of singing Greek hymns outside in candlelight in November. It's beautiful and haunting and amazing.

4. What is your favorite thing about this time of year?
I used to hate this time of year because I would always catch a cold that would last all winter. And I hated being cold all winter, with the snow and dreariness and all. But I have come to really appreciate fall for the beautiful season that it is. The colors and crispness of it all is overwhelming some days. In my household, everyone but me has their birthday in the fall, so it makes it a time of celebration. Plus we host Thanksgiving, and who doesn't love Halloween? I also think All Soul's Day is one of the most beautiful ideas out there, and so I try to create a WASPified Dia de los Muertos, if you can picture that. I plan to take the photos of the family members that have died and put them on the dining room table w/candles and then cook a big Mexican feast. Yummy.

5. What changes are you anticipating in your life, your church, family...whatever...as the season changes and winter approaches?
I am considering what becoming a chaplain would mean for me. How I would do it, how much schooling I would need, how I would do it w/my current life situation, etc. While I remember that my daughters are growing each and every day. I don't want to let that slip by in a cloud of busyness - where I don't recognize their awesomeness. [I didn't sign up for Moxie's Release the Yelling class, but hope to when I have more time/less insanity in my schedule.....]


Bonus: What food says "AUTUMN" at your house? Recipes always appreciated.
Pumpkin pie. I use the recipe on the Libby's can. It's the best.

* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 large eggs
* 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
* 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
* 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
* Whipped cream (optional)

Third Year Blogging

Hey All - I just finished my second year of blogging on February 15th! I've been at this 2 whole years! Wow. You know, I really love blogging. I like exploring the web, and finding images of great religious art. I think it's great that I'm not alone in my love for the art. And that I've "met" people, however virtually, who share my enthusiasm for religious art (Terry, Bob & Menachem come to mind immediately. But I have other friends from real time who also share this "crazy passion." You know who you are, and I thank you for your support, from the bottom of my heart.)

[Nativity poster from the AWESOME Churches Advertising Network - one of the first places to rock my world with religious art.]

So, in honor of the anniversary past, I will do one of these wack-a-doodle memes. This one I found at Emerging Pensées.

The bold ones are things that I've done. My commentary in parenthese. Feel free to do this meme too if you'd like and link back to me so I can read them too.

1. Started your own blog (yay!)
2. Slept under the stars (I camped a lot in High School)
3. Played in a band (does "band" from school count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (I've seen them in CT and in Ontario, Canada)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (in church choir, and a duet in elementary school - ask Ladybird about that!)

11. Bungee jumped (I can't handle heights)
12. Visited Paris (my visits have thoroughly enhanced my love of religious art!)
13. Watched a lightning storm (who hasn't?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (cake baking)
15. Adopted a child (though my godson is adopted - AND I get to see him this weekend! yay!)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (I love to garden)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (with my cousin in the South of France. We were near Carcassonne. I felt so safe traveling with him!)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Ummm, I think it's called a "mental health day")
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (my parents' neighbor is a sheep farmer)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (seen them, didn’t ride)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (For a past job I got to pick trips for an alumni organization. One of the best trips I've ever been on was a cruise through the Mediterranean on a ship with a French crew. Oh, the food was SO good!)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Pillingsdorf, Germany; Philadelphia, PA)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Spanish & German - but I def. need practice!!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (I call it clamberin over rocks, but I've never used a harness, nor rapelled)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I’d like to…)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (saw it with the same cousin as #22 above, and another)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (I've been to the bottom)

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I LOVE snorkeling. In fact, my friend who suggests I figure out all kinds of exciting things to do once I turn 40 says that since I love it so much, I should make plans now.... hmmm.....)
52. Kissed in the rain (I'm sure I have... is it bad that I can't remember?!)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (see #32, above)
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (two - an Asian self-defense course in middle school, and Capoeira, later in life, which I just loved!)
59. Visited Russia (in high school. It was a formative experience for me.)
60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (part of the reason I don't want La Prima or La Segunda to be girl scouts.)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (Is Winter Park part of the Everglades? I think it is, but if so, then YES)
75. Been fired from a job (pretty darned close, and I don't want to talk about it)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (with a cousin from #34, above)
80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (does walking by the outside count?)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (a fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (I shook Al Gore's hand - he has a great grip!)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Meme

I'm supposed to answer the following questions with one word each and then tag 7 people with the honor. But, if you want to respond, just go ahead... I'm lazy like that!

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Mom
5. Your father? Dad
6. Your favorite thing? Cooking
7. Your dream last night? Multi-faceted
8. Your dream/goal? Grace
9. The room you're in? Cubicle
10. Your hobby? Gardening
11. Your fear? Pain
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Alive
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Dead
15. One of your wish-list items? Books
16. Where you grew up? CT
17. The last thing you did? ummmm..
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? Cat
21. Your computer? On
22. Your mood? Good
23. Missing someone? Yes
24. Your car? Runs
25. Something you're not wearing? Diamonds
26. Favorite store? Indigo
27. Your summer? Fun
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Last week (that's 2 words, but hey)

All About Me

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My maternal great-great aunt, Sara Virginia

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

At my older daughter’s ballet recital, with my younger daughter squirming on my lap the whole time.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

It’s ok.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Roasted chicken

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

2

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

yes

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

Not a lot

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS

yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

nope

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

This is tough, I don’t love cereal. I’d have to say muesli

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

sometimes

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

somewhat

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

This is hard. I guess I gotta say “Bananas on the Rum” by Ben & Jerry’s

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Their eyes – windows to the soul, of course

15. RED OR PINK?

maroon

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

Anxiety

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST

My dear friends who I used to live close to (either in college or growing up) and now are all scattered all over the place

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?

Sure, why not?

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

Chartreuse (flip flops)

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

It’s the morning, so, muesli

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

The vent fan at work, it’s right over my desk and is an amazing white-noise machine.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

“cornflower”

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

Rain, the ocean, the woods in the Wissahickon park (pretty much any woods, actually), Dreft, garlic cooking slowly in oil, pumpkin pie (pretty much all baked goods around the holidays), Chanel 19, Wright’s Coal Tar Soap, really fresh fruit salad, a good cuppa tea, my husband’s shirts, old fashioned garden variety bearded iris, fresh tar on the street, farms (“good, healthy smells”), citrus and herb combinations (like lime-basil soap) this list can go on and on….

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

My sister

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

She’s the best.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

any track and field and/or running event - especially cross-country, Tour de France, Men’s Soccer, esp. the World Cup, Swimming, Water Polo, Biathlon (skis and target practice)

27. Hair Color?

brown

28. EYE COLOR?

hazel

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

nope

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

This is too hard.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy Endings. Don’t do scary movies, except by accident.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

Hulk

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Multi-colored

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summer (though I’ve gained an appreciation for winter and don’t loathe it the way I used to)

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

Hugs and kisses

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?

These are sooooooo hard, I’d say pudding, but then there’s pies and cakes and ice cream too……

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

Hmmmmmm no idea

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND

My sister

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

David Sedaris' new book When You Are Engulfed In Flames (for my book group)

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

Daybreak, by Maxfield Parrish

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?

Nothing much, a teensy bit of the horrendously over-hyped and emotionally-twisted US Women’s gymnastics team trials. [women’s gymnastics in the US HAS to be the most dysfunctional sport/mind-feel EVER!]

2. FAVORITE SOUND?

Chocolate chips being poured into cookie dough

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME???

China

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

I can read Tarot cards

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Hartford, CT

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?

Anybody’s