Airport Bloopers

Our most recent trip to visit family resulted in some of the wildest flight adventures I have experienced! As a result, here is my Very Official Airport Cheat Sheet:

Best for Killing Time: Tampa

Least-Friendly Staff: Reagan National

Most Thorough TSA: Reagan National

Longest Distance Between Gates: Miami

Most Helpful Golf Cart Drivers: Miami

Best Appearance: Nashville

Friendliest Staff: Tampa

Shortest TSA Line (read: no line): Tampa

Worst Airport Food: Miami

Worst Potential for Overnight Stays: Tampa

Best Potential for Overnight stays: Reagan National (thanks mom)

I will also add that during this trip we ran to our gates on two different occasions. While running in airports, there is no shame about running lop-sided because of bags falling off your shoulder or your dainty shoes sliding on the floor. The act alone also instantly bonds you to other runners, with whom I felt some camaraderie as we passed them on our race against the clock. I'm sure that people with overnight layovers do the same. Fortunately, the Mom & Dad of the Year saved us from almost-certain public humiliation by doing a middle of the night Shuttle & Nap Service. While I am SO grateful for that, I am still curious as to the airport shenanigans that might have been in the dreary wee hours of the morning.

Bonfire

Two weeks ago, we took 30 7th Graders on a church confirmation retreat. It was awesome and full of special moments. Here is one of my favorites:

Every student took some time alone to write out their confessions on paper.

The papers were collected in a large paper bag.

The bag was thrown in the bonfire.

While we watched it light up, a student next to me said, "Oh no - I forgot to write something down."

"That's okay," I replied.

"But I didn't get it in the fire - will it still be forgiven?"

"Anything you confess to God will be forgiven, even if you don't write it down!"

"Really!?"

"Absolutely."

The student looks back into the flames and nods to himself. "That's so cool."

Confessions

I have a confession to make. I have turned down the opportunity to participate in . . .

. . . my community's garden.

It's true! My apartment complex, which has plenty of green space, has agreed to allow residents to use some of the green space for a community garden! One very go-get-'em kind of guy appealed to the manager, who probably had to climb the Ladder of Authority before giving the all-clear on this project.

What ARE community gardens, you ask? They are gardens built in space which is specifically designated by the landowners for that use. It could be privately or commercially owned space, like mine, or it could be city-owned space (which are in major cities across the US). The space is divided up, and each participant gets to cultivate the land anyway he chooses: flowers, herbs, fruits/veggies. It can be ideal for urbanites who have no backyard to cultivate on their own. It is also great for people who want to experiment with their budding green thumbs!

A community garden in Vancouver, BC.

The plots in our new garden are about 5' square. That's not a ton of space, but after strolling through today, I see that my neighbors have squeezed veggies and herbs into every available inch. I'm excited to watch them grow!

So while I'm a HUGE fan of this community-enriching program, I also know my own weaknesses. I don't have a green thumb (no matter what you think based on the previously entry). The garden, which is just a short walk from my apartment, is also just far enough for me to forget to check on it daily, and it is too far for a watering can to be practical. As a girl I loved to visit my grandparents and help with their garden, which was large enough to grow hefty amounts of about 20 varieties of vegetables. I have a good sense of the work committment! All that to say I'm not ready yet.

But for those who embark on such a project, I wish you a healthy sense of community spirit and a green thumb!

Spring is here!

My Awesome Spring Weekend

Fire is not so photogenic, but what you see is our homey fire at a pavilion in one of the local parks. Hot dogs provided. Bring Your Own Stick.

The first grilled steak of spring. Paired with a green salad, roasted sweet potatoes, and a roll. Dinner in the fresh air by candlelight.

We lugged all of our pots, dirt and plants down to a public area where we could make a mess in peace. Lucy helped. We earned the good neighbor award by not sweeping tons of dirt onto our downstairs neighbor's balcony. I hope they appreciated the sacrifice!

Ready. Set. GROW!

Young seeds getting nestled in.

Here's to hoping my green thumb emerges this growing season!

Race to Nowhere

A local school recently hosted a free screening of the new film, Race to Nowhere.

The mother-turned-director had children who were physically and emotionally spent trying to cope with the demands of a typical American schooling. After 8 hours of school, kids go home to 2-6 more hours of homework. They are also expected to participate in daily sports practices, be accomplished artists and musicians, do community service, and still get sleep at night. The film is a call to action for teachers, parents, schools and students to pursue methods of education that are beneficial to the whole person.

For many parents, it will be an eye-opener to learn how many students abuse drugs to stay awake on a regular homework night. In a recent study of 5,000 students, only 3% had NEVER cheated. The battle for them is just to cope. The film gives a constant stream of factoids about the developmental abilities of students at different ages and how ill-fitted our education system is for the needs of those students.

The sticking point for me was when a high school teacher said, "When did schools gain the right to tell students how live after the bell rings?" And conversely, I wondered when parents gained the right to tell teachers how to teach students in their own classrooms.

This is an issue for everyone - not just parents. It is worth your time to find a public screening and help your community change schools for the better. www.racetonowhere.com

Unique Books for Unique Readers

Hungry readers like me are constantly in search of another powerful story to read. I always have about 20 books patiently waiting my attention and then am disappointed when a book proves less-worthy than it could have been. So I thought I would share a few different kinds of novels that I have come across - novels not written in the traditional form. If you know of others, please share!

EDIBLE STORIES by Mark Kurlansky

"In these linked stories, Mark Kurlansky reveals the bond that can hold people together, tear them apart, or make them become vegan: food. Through muffins or hot dogs, an indigenous Alaskan fish soup, a bean curd Thanksgiving turkey or potentially toxic crème brulee, a rotating cast of characters learns how to honor the past, how to realize you're not in love with someone any more, and how to forgive. These women and men meet and eat and love, leave and drink and in the end, come together in Seattle as they are as inextricably linked with each other as they are with the food they eat and the wine they drink."

I am not a short-story reader, but I was fascinated by this colelction of 16 stories that I stumbled across in the library last week. The author carefully crafts 16 entirely unique stories, but each one has a character or prop or location that is somehow connected to each other story. You have to pay very close attention to catch some of the connections. The individual stories are beautifully written considering they span such a wide range of topics and settings and the entire collection is pieced together perfectly. What a nice surprise!

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

"As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a

spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all."

LIFE ON THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR by Alice Kuipers

"Heartfelt, touching, and unforgettable, Life on the Refrigerator Door is a glimpse into the lives of mothers and daughters everywhere. In this deeply to

uching novel told through a series of notes written from a loving mother and her devoted fifteen-year-old daughter, debut author Alice Kuipers deftly captures the impenetrable fabric that connects mothers and daughters throughout the world. Moving and rich with emotion, Life on the Refrigerator Door delivers universal lessons about love in a wonderfully simple and poignant narrative."

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by Laura Esquivel

"Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, "Like Water For Chocolate" is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes. "

There is an endless stream of novels which include recipes in each chapter in the last few years. However, Like Water for Chocolate actually crafts the recipe language to reflect upon the content in the chapter, and this is an element I think most food-related novels lack. The usual tendency is to write about seafood (for example) and then leave the reader with a seafood recipe at the end of the chapter. I think that's fine. It's not neat, moving, exciting, or thought-provoking; it's just fine. But if colorful food narratives pique your interest, then you will enjoy this novel.

Learning from Hasidim

About 2 years ago, I had the opportunity to hear author Lauren Winner speak (Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath). During her talk, she recommended a book called Holy Days by Lis Harris to give those of us on the outside a more complete picture of life inside Hasidic Judaism. That book has been sitting on my bookshelf since then, just waiting for me to dive in.

The reader quickly learns that Lis Harris contacts and befriends a particular Hasidic family, learning firsthand about their day-to-day lives which are so different from ours. Part of the book was devoted to the history of the different sects of Hasidim, and I'll admit I completely glazed over those pages! I was far more interested in the lives and the spiritual perspectives of the people she met. I want to share some quotes and thoughts from the text I had that I felt were particularly insightful:

There is a celebration on the Jewish holiday "called Rejoicing of the Torah, a day when the final portion of the year's reading of the Torah is completed...with spirited singing, dancing, and merrymaking that frequently last all night." (Do people in my own church even know when we complete the reading of the Bible? Do they even care? Yet in this community, it is a thing to be outwardly celebrated!)

The author has a conversation with the mother of the Hasidic family (who is a convert and used to have a life much like yours or mine), in which she is asked how she feels having her activities restricted so much on the Sabbath. (During the Sabbath, they must refrain from any activity that creates something new in the world - from my limited understanding, this is to better reflect on God as the ultimate creator. This includes cooking, writing, repairing, playing an instrument, turning on an electrical appliance, traveling, handling money, etc.) In response to the question, the mother of the family says, "I feel that I'm getting a break . . . Wouldn't you feel pleased if you were permitted, even obliged, to put aside your everyday burdens and chores? . . . Being a Jew and fulfilling the commandments is my life . . . It takes up all our time."

Again, regarding the Sabbath: "What happens when we stop working and controlling nature? . . . When we cease interfering with the world we are acknowledging that it is God's world."

On the liveliness of the Torah: "Throughout the day, I was struck by the familiar even intimate way in which Moshe, Sheina, and the others spoke of Biblical people and places. . . none of the Biblical heroes had lost their luster."

Regarding the separation of the sexes at worship: "We are not striving for togetherness in shul. My relationship to God is private. It's not where I sit that counts but the spirit of my prayer."

My inspiration from this book comes from learning about people who are completely immersed in life as a child of God. Quite literally, nothing they do is without greater purpose. They do not shop for food if it is not the kind of food that pleases God for them to eat. They do not leave the house if it pleases God for them to stay home and sing and pray with family. If only the lives of modern Christians could be so full of intent and meaning.