Fall Musings

Every autumn for the last couple of years I find myself in a creative time warp - I'm so exhausted from doing fun things all spring and summer, cooking creatively with in-season veggies that demand to be eaten, and trying to find interesting and new things to entertain us, that I get completely worn out. Lately I haven't had the energy to do anything at home - cook, clean, exercise, be interesting....blah blah blah.

Luckily, this season offers tons of enjoyment all on its own! I'm looking toward some of my favorite things of fall:

• apple cider warming on the stove
• pumpkins
• pumpkin flavored anything
• soups
• the crunch of fallen leaves
• cool evenings
• bare tree limbs
• fall picnics
• campfires
• cool-weather hiking

Just thinking about this things recharges my batteries! I cannot wait until fall is really in full-swing!

Summer Recap, Part 2: Honduras

Our Little Roses is the first home for girls in Honduras. It was founded and is supported by the Episcopal Church nationally and throughout the world. Our church makes two trips each year. Chris and I went at the last minute as youth leaders to fill an unexpected gap. Like many mission trips, you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes, I was disappointed because I wasn't sure that my presence there made much difference. And then sometimes, I was sweating, working hard, and building relationships that hopefully will grow over time. It was a great experience overall, and I am hopefull that it was meaningful to the girls at OLR, too.

This is from an article I wrote for the church about the trip:

One special moment from my recent trip to Our Little Roses was an afternoon with Heidy, a fair-skinned, bright-eyed young girl. She speaks no English, and I speak very little Spanish,but her big smile lets you know she doesn’t mind. One afternoon about halfway through our trip, Heidy came up to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me over to another part of the courtyard.

“Come on,” she told me in her young voice. “Where?” I asked. “School,” she said. She was pretending to take me to her favorite places! So she picked up my bag and pulled me over to where her “school” was. We packed and unpacked my bag for school, traveled to the pool, went back to school, and even took a nap! Our pretend day took us all over the courtyard and to even bigger places in Heidy’s imagination. Other than a few words from my early high school Spanish vocabulary, we didn’t communicate verbally. Our friendship and love was created in laughter and hand-holding, pretending and imaginary games.

Children all over the world share the same desire for love and attention, and any person can make a difference. I am blessed to have been able to share that afternoon of pretending with one special girl.

Heidy is the girl with crazy-curly hair.

Maryuri was paired up with Chris during the trip. She was awesome and outgoing once we really got to see her personality.

This barrio (neighborhood) is on the river. Most of the people who live here don't work or have any income, get no public support from the government, and pretty much spend their whole lives in this slum. The water they drink from is also used by animals, so it's fraught with disease, and of course they don't have access to good medical care. Many of the OLR girls come from places like this.

Summer Recap, Part I: Alaska

This summer we were lucky enough to take a trip to Alaska. We had perfect weather (truly!) and had a really interesting time. It's the kind of place that would be interesting to live in for a year or two. Of course, the inviting notion of 4 regular seasons would win me back over, eventually!

Near the Chilkoot Pass.

A gorgeous day in teeny town of Skagway (year-round population of about 900).

Sea kayaking in Ketchikan.

We saw tons of bald eagles and got to spend the morning out in the quiet of nature.

Yes, you've been hiking, but have you hiked on a glacier? We spent an amazing 50 degree day climbing and hiking on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.

One of many wildlife sightings in Glacier Bay National Park. I heard many people say they saw more wildlife that day than they had on other trips combined! We saw humpback whales, a moose (swimming!), puffins, otters, and seals.

Before the cruise, we had to be a little touristy in Vancouver and check out the Olympic torch.

The flowers in Vancouver and Alaska were huge and beautiful. They often used lettuces and herbs in flower beds through the cities - especially in Vancouver and Anchorage. Foliage really goes crazy during the short summer because the days are so long that far north.

The other thing you may not know is that Vancouver intentionally helps the bee population by installing bee hives on skyscrapers throughout the city. Our hotel even keeps a full-time bee keeper on staff!

New Discovery - JJ Sneed

I'm working on a small project for a local art show, and as usual, I googled the artist to see what he was all about. I'm really enjoying some of his pieces, especially this one, called, "Together." (We won't talk about the fact that I am past my deadline - yikes!)

My favorite, which I could not show here, is called "Reunion." Check it out on his website at www.jjsneed.com. I love discovering the work of artists who are currently creating new pieces all the time!

Thankful Thursdays

This week, I'm thankful for:

• an exciting opportunity to work with a different group of youth at church.

• rain that doesn't make the power go out at work.

• helpful customer support people.

• "marriage therapy" chats with my awesome hubby.

• an unusual amount of oboe gigs.

• kind compliments from church members.

• a puppy who brings me smiles and stress relief.

• hiking and playing outside in the cooler weather.

The wheels are turning in the meat industry

Thank you, NYT for this article, "U.S. Meat Farmers Brace for Limits on Antibiotics." 'nuff said. Read up, people.

It's time for healthier and safer practices in the American food industry.

Seeking Rest

I am a doer by nature. I am not satisfied with myself or my day unless I can somehow see the fruits of my labor. This often leads me to be exhausted, overworked, and irritable at the end of the day. Over the past few weeks, I have tried to intentionally allow myself to rest more - and to enjoy it!

Two summers ago, I had the privilege of hearing Lauren Winner, author of Girl Meets God and Mudhouse Sabbath, speak at my church. Her great articulation on the traditional Jewish concept of rest has stuck with me since that day. The extreme application of this is that some Jews avoid working or creating anything on the Sabbath. In other words, there would be no scribbling down a phone number on a post-it because that note didn't exist before. There would be no lighting candles or turning on a lamp if that light was not already glowing.

It is hard for me to learn the discipline of sitting still, but I often think of the day I first learned to think about rest this way. Resting is not simply the lack of productive work. Rest in itself can be productive - it is a time for our minds to rejuvenate, a time to meditate and pray, and a time that reinforces the value of doing important work when the time comes.