In my last post, I made light of the 3-day fast I participated in. I focused on the misery of being denied a cup of tea. If that is truly the message I got, then it is evident I failed in learning anything, nor was I drawn closer to God.
Today, I'd like to take a moment to recognize a few points that fasting brought into view. One of the things I learned personally, is that I still spend a lot of time focused inwardly, on what I want, rather than on what I need. The weather was dismal. That much is true. It certainly influenced my mood. I had a headache for 2 days. That didn't help things, either. My husband is traveling right now. Combine those 3 things and you have the makings for self-pity. But the reality is that all of those things combined are still pretty superficial!
Hunger is a reality for many people, both in America and in Third World Countries. For them, my complaints wouldn't have registered on their radar screens even as a blip, let alone as something to avoid.
I volunteer at a local food pantry. Food is distributed once a month with the goal of providing an additional 15 meals (5 days) worth of food to families. "Beggars can't be choosers" may be a common expression, but it is a callous one. Humans, no matter the circumstances, still have preferences. Even in their needs, they have 'wants'. They, like me, want variety in their diet. Poverty does not change that. One woman who comes to our pantry complained one time that we always give her applesauce. "I have cans of applesauce! Why can't I have fruit cocktail?" she moaned. The reality is that food is distributed using the age old method of supply vs. demand. I had to explain to her that the fruit cocktail (which was limited in quantity) was for the large families who would receive one applesauce and one fruit cocktail. I tried to gently remind her that our food was just to extend her budget. Perhaps she could buy the fruit cocktail. I also tried to give her a new use for the applesauce. I told her that she could replace the applesauce for the oil called for in the muffin mix using up the applesauce and making it a healthier version. But the point is, no matter what our circumstance, we still desire variety and choice.
Take this thought one step further. If you were a refugee in an African camp and you received your daily ration of gruel don't you think at one point you would wish for just a minute you could have the meal you used to fix at home? I'm sure every refugee thinks that sometime, if not every day! The one thing I didn't struggle with, during my fast, was variety! I had lots of recipes to choose from, some that I prepare on a regular basis! I may have denied myself some foods, but I didn't suffer hunger pangs. And that's ok, because the Daniel Fast isn't about hunger, but about a healthy diet and allowing time to reflect on God's goodness and direction in my life.
I can't say fasting is a spiritual event for me. There are many other ways in which I draw closer to God. As I said, fasting just seems to turn me inward. But one thing I do think about, is how difficult it must be for so many of the world's people, whether they live in my town, or across the world in a dusty village. Even the deer in my neighborhood start to go after my holly and my neighbor's arborvitae mid-way through winter. After awhile, bark just doesn't cut it any more. (FYI--deer don't even like holly or arborvitae, according to the nursery tag on the bush).
Beggars can't be choosers. Maybe that's true. But it doesn't mean they don't have desires, longings, cravings.... simple wants. Beggars are humans after all, and we all have those. So perhaps, what my little fast did, was just to help me empathize more with those at the food pantry, and remind me once again, how truly blessed I really am.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
My Cup of Tea
This has been a dreary week. The sky has been gray. It started out with snow on the ground, but then the rains came and now the ground is soggy. I haven't seen the sun in days. To cap it off, I haven't had a cup of REAL tea in 3 days! Until this morning!
"Why?" you ask. Our church participates in a spiritual fast for several weeks in January. This is the first year I've tried it. Instead of doing it for the whole time, I settled on a 3-day fast. The kind of fast they do is called the Daniel Fast after the prophet Daniel. (The basis for it is told in Daniel 1) It is basically a strict vegan diet with some added restrictions, such as no processed foods, no sugar (honey is ok), no caffeine, herbal tea is ok. Except I really don't like herbal tea. I'm fine with de-caf tea, but I want my black, orange pekoe mix; the kind Tetley or Lipton specialize in. I'll have a couple of cups in the morning. And in the afternoon I treat myself to a good cup of Ty*phoo; a good British blend with all the caffeine I need for the day. When I'm on the road, there is always a large ice-tea in the cupholder.
I picked a really good time to deprive myself. Rain is such a mood killer and then add dietary restricions to it.... Well, it's not pretty! But the food wasn't the problem. There are plenty of good vegetarian recipes. What I really missed was my tea. As I write this I am sipping my first cup of the morning and its soo good.
I have never been one to fast. Let's put it this way. I have never been one to deprive myself of food. I'll control it, moderate it, but rarely forbid it. To do a real fast--the water-for-a-day type--is out of the question. In fact, when I read stories where people go for hours or days without food it really bothers me. The author might not mention food, but I'll be thinking about it! How did they cope?
Well, I didn't go without food. I was well nourished with healthy, good tasting food. But I did miss my tea. Right now, my kids are glad they weren't here to witness it. There are family stories about Mom without her tea. The 3 days are over. I'm going to go have my second cup. This afternoon I'll have my Ty*phoo. And I'm pretty sure I'll be swinging through McDonald's for a "large, unsweetened ice tea, please" when I run errands later today.
I did figure out one thing through this experience. I know one thing I won't be giving up for Lent! TEA!
"Why?" you ask. Our church participates in a spiritual fast for several weeks in January. This is the first year I've tried it. Instead of doing it for the whole time, I settled on a 3-day fast. The kind of fast they do is called the Daniel Fast after the prophet Daniel. (The basis for it is told in Daniel 1) It is basically a strict vegan diet with some added restrictions, such as no processed foods, no sugar (honey is ok), no caffeine, herbal tea is ok. Except I really don't like herbal tea. I'm fine with de-caf tea, but I want my black, orange pekoe mix; the kind Tetley or Lipton specialize in. I'll have a couple of cups in the morning. And in the afternoon I treat myself to a good cup of Ty*phoo; a good British blend with all the caffeine I need for the day. When I'm on the road, there is always a large ice-tea in the cupholder.
I picked a really good time to deprive myself. Rain is such a mood killer and then add dietary restricions to it.... Well, it's not pretty! But the food wasn't the problem. There are plenty of good vegetarian recipes. What I really missed was my tea. As I write this I am sipping my first cup of the morning and its soo good.
I have never been one to fast. Let's put it this way. I have never been one to deprive myself of food. I'll control it, moderate it, but rarely forbid it. To do a real fast--the water-for-a-day type--is out of the question. In fact, when I read stories where people go for hours or days without food it really bothers me. The author might not mention food, but I'll be thinking about it! How did they cope?
Well, I didn't go without food. I was well nourished with healthy, good tasting food. But I did miss my tea. Right now, my kids are glad they weren't here to witness it. There are family stories about Mom without her tea. The 3 days are over. I'm going to go have my second cup. This afternoon I'll have my Ty*phoo. And I'm pretty sure I'll be swinging through McDonald's for a "large, unsweetened ice tea, please" when I run errands later today.
I did figure out one thing through this experience. I know one thing I won't be giving up for Lent! TEA!
Friday, January 20, 2012
RV Hunting
This past weekend Larry and I went to the Pittsburgh RV show. I've discovered even after 40 years of marriage, you can learn a lot about someone when retirement nears. Talk to anyone who has experienced the life changes that come with retirement and they will have lots of tales to share with you!
We are no different. I'm not worried about retirement. One thing I think makes the transition easier is if you both make a big change. As for us, we plan on moving to North Carolina which means that we will both be developing new daily routines and making new friends. HE won't be 'invading' MY territory, which seems to happen a lot. In fact, when my brother-in-law retired, my sister, who had been a housewife most of their married life made a conscious decision to retire as well. For her, that meant throwing out the To-Do list that said, "if it's Monday, it must be laundry day". Instead, each day was a new day to plan out and some days, they planned together. Other days they did their own thing. It was a smart plan.
North Carolina appeals to us because of the mountains, the seasons, but AND the short winter! Besides buying a mountain home, Larry also would like to buy a large 'home-away-from-home' style RV. I think I would like it as well. I've always imagined this as a possibility because Larry's favorite form of travel is driving.
The RV show was interesting, but we've found we don't need to go for long. We have narrowed our interests enough that we quickly identify the pros and cons of each one we look at. He looks at the bed size, the placement of the TV, the couch, the kitchen table, the construction, the driveability, and the size of the shower. I look at the kitchen, the storage, the size of the bathroom, the floor space, and the convenience or usability of the space.
I can tell Larry is really ready for retirement. He talks about it all the time. He spends most of his spare time searching on-line for the perfect house or the best RV layout. However, it seems that the closer to retirement he gets, the bigger the RVs that we are looking at. The houses in North Carolina that he eyes on the internet, seem to be getting bigger too. As for the RV, as long as it has the specifications that I want (workable kitchen, decent storage, bathroom big enough to shut the door when I'm in there) I don't care how big it is. I will learn how to drive it, but he will do most of the driving. I'm going to have to rein him in when it comes to the house! After all, even after he retires I'm pretty sure I know WHO will be cleaning it.
All this talk about retirement means it must be just around the corner, right? Not exactly. He still has 3 years to go. Could be the hardest part about retirement just may be waiting for it to arrive.
We are no different. I'm not worried about retirement. One thing I think makes the transition easier is if you both make a big change. As for us, we plan on moving to North Carolina which means that we will both be developing new daily routines and making new friends. HE won't be 'invading' MY territory, which seems to happen a lot. In fact, when my brother-in-law retired, my sister, who had been a housewife most of their married life made a conscious decision to retire as well. For her, that meant throwing out the To-Do list that said, "if it's Monday, it must be laundry day". Instead, each day was a new day to plan out and some days, they planned together. Other days they did their own thing. It was a smart plan.
North Carolina appeals to us because of the mountains, the seasons, but AND the short winter! Besides buying a mountain home, Larry also would like to buy a large 'home-away-from-home' style RV. I think I would like it as well. I've always imagined this as a possibility because Larry's favorite form of travel is driving.
The RV show was interesting, but we've found we don't need to go for long. We have narrowed our interests enough that we quickly identify the pros and cons of each one we look at. He looks at the bed size, the placement of the TV, the couch, the kitchen table, the construction, the driveability, and the size of the shower. I look at the kitchen, the storage, the size of the bathroom, the floor space, and the convenience or usability of the space.
I can tell Larry is really ready for retirement. He talks about it all the time. He spends most of his spare time searching on-line for the perfect house or the best RV layout. However, it seems that the closer to retirement he gets, the bigger the RVs that we are looking at. The houses in North Carolina that he eyes on the internet, seem to be getting bigger too. As for the RV, as long as it has the specifications that I want (workable kitchen, decent storage, bathroom big enough to shut the door when I'm in there) I don't care how big it is. I will learn how to drive it, but he will do most of the driving. I'm going to have to rein him in when it comes to the house! After all, even after he retires I'm pretty sure I know WHO will be cleaning it.
All this talk about retirement means it must be just around the corner, right? Not exactly. He still has 3 years to go. Could be the hardest part about retirement just may be waiting for it to arrive.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
From "A Snowy Day" to a Colorado Pueblo
As a Children's Librarian, Ezra Jack Keats "A Snowy Day" was always one of my favorite winter books. It describes the delight and adventure of a snowfall from a child's point of view. It is as peaceful and quiet and sweet as the snow falling outside right now. Yesterday the neighborhood kids were outside sledding down snow covered hills and coming inside for hot chocolate.
Of course, as an adult, there is another side to a snowy day; driving on slick roads, walking through slushy parking lots, and of course, clearing the snow from the steps, driveway and sidewalk. Today, I'm the adult. And I was outside with other adults, all busy clearing snow. I'm not complaining. We've had a relatively light snowfall and it is a dry snow so clearing it isn't all that hard. However, underneath that light, dry snow it is slick. Somehow we managed to go from pouring rain to snow in a matter of an hour and the quickfreeze left the sidewalks icy under a cover of powder.
Over the years I've discovered there are different shoveling patterns for myself and my neighbors. Chuck is an early riser. I will never be able to wake up before he has his driveway, sidewalk, and steps shoveled and the salt sprinkled. While the rest of us play catch up all day, his place will remain clear of snow. Mike has been known to pull out the snowblower at night before going to bed in hopes that in the morning it will still be clear or at least he won't have as much to shovel. I, on the other hand, am usually the last one out. I don't have to go to work and I don't have to get kids off to school. So I generally make an appearance somewhere around 9:00AM as long as it looks like it has stopped snowing.
Today I was surprised to see I was the first one out. It is Saturday so it was obvious why the others weren't out yet, (although, it is rare that Chuck doesn't have his driveway done by 6:00AM). I was right on time; 9:00AM. I could have pulled the snowblower out, but if there isn't that much I prefer to do it by hand. I don't often get to walk on days like this because it is too slick underfoot, so the shoveling becomes my exercise. Mike and Chuck appeared shortly after.
As we worked I couldn't help notice that as the others worked, their lines looked so much neater than mine. The snow always spills out over the edge of my shovel leaving a nice little snow wall behind. Then I have to go back and clean up the little wall. I've tried different techniques, but I still get the line of snow edging where I just went, meaning each lane of snow I clear takes two swipes, not one. That doesn't seem to happen to them. Today there is one reason for this. Yesterday they were both out clearing the first covering that came along, so they were working with less to begin with. But just as the 'grass always seems greener'... to me, their snow always looks neater. It brought to mind those old Pueblo villages where each family built their own house. (Can you see how my mind rolls in circles as I do mindless tasks?)
If you go to visit Mesa Verde outside Durango, Colorado you can visit an old Pueblo village built in the Colorado cliffs. It is a fascinating place, but you will learn that they didn't have master builders. Each family built their own house. You can clearly see how some houses are beautifully built, and others clumsily put together. I'm pretty sure, if we were living in those times, Chuck's house would be perfectly put together before most of us began, and as the sun set I would be mixing the mud to hold my bricks together trying to copy his craftsmanship. I also know if we were to be transported back to that time that Mike and Chuck would come to my aid straightening my leaning walls. They do that now when we have a heavy snowfall. Come to my aid, that is. Good neighbors in any age are good to have. (An aside here: The pattern since we moved here was that if we got a good snowfall, Larry was always in Minneapolis. It has become my mantra. He is home now, but I see a heavy snow coming around the end of January.)
A postscript before I close. When I finished the top of the drive I noticed the bottom was covered in white. My hat was wet when I took it off. The snow had begun to fall again. But that's how we do it in Pittsburgh. A litttle snowfall each day. It might not keep the doctor away, but it does provide the exercise, and an optimum chance for the mind to roam.
Of course, as an adult, there is another side to a snowy day; driving on slick roads, walking through slushy parking lots, and of course, clearing the snow from the steps, driveway and sidewalk. Today, I'm the adult. And I was outside with other adults, all busy clearing snow. I'm not complaining. We've had a relatively light snowfall and it is a dry snow so clearing it isn't all that hard. However, underneath that light, dry snow it is slick. Somehow we managed to go from pouring rain to snow in a matter of an hour and the quickfreeze left the sidewalks icy under a cover of powder.
Over the years I've discovered there are different shoveling patterns for myself and my neighbors. Chuck is an early riser. I will never be able to wake up before he has his driveway, sidewalk, and steps shoveled and the salt sprinkled. While the rest of us play catch up all day, his place will remain clear of snow. Mike has been known to pull out the snowblower at night before going to bed in hopes that in the morning it will still be clear or at least he won't have as much to shovel. I, on the other hand, am usually the last one out. I don't have to go to work and I don't have to get kids off to school. So I generally make an appearance somewhere around 9:00AM as long as it looks like it has stopped snowing.
Today I was surprised to see I was the first one out. It is Saturday so it was obvious why the others weren't out yet, (although, it is rare that Chuck doesn't have his driveway done by 6:00AM). I was right on time; 9:00AM. I could have pulled the snowblower out, but if there isn't that much I prefer to do it by hand. I don't often get to walk on days like this because it is too slick underfoot, so the shoveling becomes my exercise. Mike and Chuck appeared shortly after.
As we worked I couldn't help notice that as the others worked, their lines looked so much neater than mine. The snow always spills out over the edge of my shovel leaving a nice little snow wall behind. Then I have to go back and clean up the little wall. I've tried different techniques, but I still get the line of snow edging where I just went, meaning each lane of snow I clear takes two swipes, not one. That doesn't seem to happen to them. Today there is one reason for this. Yesterday they were both out clearing the first covering that came along, so they were working with less to begin with. But just as the 'grass always seems greener'... to me, their snow always looks neater. It brought to mind those old Pueblo villages where each family built their own house. (Can you see how my mind rolls in circles as I do mindless tasks?)
If you go to visit Mesa Verde outside Durango, Colorado you can visit an old Pueblo village built in the Colorado cliffs. It is a fascinating place, but you will learn that they didn't have master builders. Each family built their own house. You can clearly see how some houses are beautifully built, and others clumsily put together. I'm pretty sure, if we were living in those times, Chuck's house would be perfectly put together before most of us began, and as the sun set I would be mixing the mud to hold my bricks together trying to copy his craftsmanship. I also know if we were to be transported back to that time that Mike and Chuck would come to my aid straightening my leaning walls. They do that now when we have a heavy snowfall. Come to my aid, that is. Good neighbors in any age are good to have. (An aside here: The pattern since we moved here was that if we got a good snowfall, Larry was always in Minneapolis. It has become my mantra. He is home now, but I see a heavy snow coming around the end of January.)
A postscript before I close. When I finished the top of the drive I noticed the bottom was covered in white. My hat was wet when I took it off. The snow had begun to fall again. But that's how we do it in Pittsburgh. A litttle snowfall each day. It might not keep the doctor away, but it does provide the exercise, and an optimum chance for the mind to roam.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A New Year
Welcome to the New Year! I know we are into the second week of it already and I may seem a little late, but my husband will happily assure you I am always late. I guess for me, that means I am right on time. So again, Happy New Year!
I have done little in the way of making resolutions, (I can hear you breathing a sigh of relief) but reflecting back I did learn a few things about myself last year. One is that when I am busy I don't blog. When I feel like I have a to catch up on other obligations, I don't blog. And that even when I'm not blogging I am thinking about it.
As an idea crops up it rolls around in my head fermenting. Each day something might happen to it to add or change the thought and by the time I get around to putting it on the screen, it has been kneaded and punched down and what may once have been a loaf of bread is now pizza dough or vice versa. What this means, is quite simply, I may not have been writing, but stay tuned. The company has gone home. The guest rooms are cleaned. The laundry is caught up. And all the toys I borrowed to keep my grandkids busy have been returned. I am no longer secretary of the Corvette Club, and the club records have been transferred to the next lucky person.
I am ready to see what 2012 brings and to share my view of it with you. Happy New Year...a little late.
I have done little in the way of making resolutions, (I can hear you breathing a sigh of relief) but reflecting back I did learn a few things about myself last year. One is that when I am busy I don't blog. When I feel like I have a to catch up on other obligations, I don't blog. And that even when I'm not blogging I am thinking about it.
As an idea crops up it rolls around in my head fermenting. Each day something might happen to it to add or change the thought and by the time I get around to putting it on the screen, it has been kneaded and punched down and what may once have been a loaf of bread is now pizza dough or vice versa. What this means, is quite simply, I may not have been writing, but stay tuned. The company has gone home. The guest rooms are cleaned. The laundry is caught up. And all the toys I borrowed to keep my grandkids busy have been returned. I am no longer secretary of the Corvette Club, and the club records have been transferred to the next lucky person.
I am ready to see what 2012 brings and to share my view of it with you. Happy New Year...a little late.
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