Quote For The Day - Stop the Hissy Fit, People - YOU LOST

There was a huge, okay, semi-huge march on Washington this past Saturday organized by people who want read change and fiscal responsibility brought to government. Though they lack concrete ideas about how to get it, that had all kinds of cute paranoid printed items claiming Obama is the cause of ALL the problems in this country.  How fresh, how new...really!   Some of the signage was down right sicko....but that is another story.  Here  is Andrew Sullivan's response to one such tea-bagger.  Thank you, Mr. Sullivan.

The protestors keep saying that they want their country back. Sorry, my fellow small-governmenters, but this country is a democracy, and you didn't lose your country, you just lost an election. You had your chance for eight years. You blew it, and you lost. What Obama is doing is what he was elected to do. The principled response is not a massive, extremist-riddled hissy fit a few months in, but a constructive set of proposals to build on universal care for a more market-friendly and cost-conscious system in the future. You have to win some political credibility for that; and then you have to beat the man you lost so badly to last year. That's the civil and civilized way forward for the right. It also seems, alas, to be the one they are currently refusing to take.

Quote for the Day

 Heh...found this on my own blog!  How appropriate...

Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.
                                               Mahatma Gandhi

Remember, Reflect, Serve

As I spoke to the children about today, they openly wondered why we were 'celebrating' such a sad day in our history?  My daughter's friend lost her dad in the towers and to them, it was like having a funeral over and over again. It didn't make sense to them why we would want to remember.

Ready to head out the door for school, I hardly felt like I had an appropriate answer - except to say that when we remember, we honor those whose lives were lost - and yes, it is sad but not a bad sad.

Then, I reminded them that the President wants to make 9/11 become a day of service for all.  We serve, reach out to others to help -- just as so many did on that tragic day. 

Later in the day, I read this by Ryan Sager of Neuroworld

Why do we pull the memory of 9/11 out of a box once a year, as a nation, and run our fingers over it? Not to advance the story. Not to deepen our understanding. But to keep the memory accessible. To make sure we know where it is. To remember where we were that day. To trigger little details that might be lost forever if we don’t touch them again this year.

So, as 9/11 becomes more distant, and you ask yourself why we should bother remembering at all, remember this: We don’t remember to learn; we don’t remember to stay angry; we don’t remember to keep from moving on; we remember because we’re human, and that’s how we process our world and keep from coming unmoored.

We remember because that is what humans do -- and it grounds us and reminds us of who we are, and how we want to proceed in the future. To turn the pain of the past into energy for service strikes me as just right.

 

Minister Mom Back To Work

 

I may be brief in the days to come as head back to parish ministry (on a part-time temporary basis).  Even 10-15 hours a week may feel like A LOT with all the other things on the plate.

But the call came. I can think of a thousand spiritual 'reasons' why I said yes...maybe none say it so well as the famous Lutheran theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.”  

Some food for thought and I begin again what I probably never really stopped in the first place.

--------------------

       He has showed you, O man, what is good.
       And what does the LORD require of you?
       To act justly and to love mercy
       and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8

If It Works For America's Heros...

 

We are big...HUGE Firefighter fans in this household.  With a respect bordering on reverence, the men (and some women) in this profession are a topic of conversation nearly every day.  Out of the mouth of our three year old, the praise is real and we are all in accord.

Perhaps that is why THIS opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof captured my attention today.

It is a piece about HEALTH CARE in which he recounts all the single payer government programs that WORK in our country.  The ones on which we rely daily (as in every time you get your mail...).  Among them, he reminds, is our nation's vast network of FIREFIGHTERS.

It is well worth a read.  I learned something I did not know: 

Until the mid-19th century, firefighting was left mostly to a mishmash of volunteer crews and private fire insurance companies. In New York City, according to accounts in The New York Times in the 1850s and 1860s, firefighting often descended into chaos, with drunkenness and looting.
So almost every country moved to what today’s health insurance lobbyists might label “socialized firefighting.” In effect, we have a single-payer system of public fire departments.

I dare say that if we stop listening to all the fear mongering...or Glen Becking...and begin thinking a bit more clearly about all the good government does for this country, we may well end up creating a generation of politicians as trustworthy and heroic as firefighters.

 

A Visit To The Brattleboro Fire Station, Vermont

 

TORTUOUS NEWS OF THE DAY

I had been reading rumors the somebody somewhere began to float the idea the Dick Cheney should run for president in 2012.

Well, I found the source here.  It was an opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal.

Geneva Convention be damned...Rule of Law...watch out!  President Cheney's gonna set you straight.  

OMG...that is all I can think to say.

September Song

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
These precious days I'll spend with you

****************

Well, those political approval ratings may be dropping fast -- and if I were going by the news, I could easily declare that the country was in an anxious 'change back' tailspin.   From my perspective America, as the media portrays her, is behaving like a recalcitrant teenager.

THANK GOODNESS....our summer was filled with much more...for without the energy and optimism of our children, their constant questions, demands, interests, tears and laughter I'm quite sure my approval ratings on the first of this month would also be taking a nosedive.

Instead, we've had so many precious, summer days -- I can hardly believe it is September again.

Fun With Danny

The tail end of Hurricane Danny left a multitude of opportunity for one of our favorite activities: PUDDLE JUMPING!

On a morning walk after the rain was over, we found more than our share left behind by poor drainage and ground saturation. What fun. Rain boots: optional.

These are they days, aren't they? The days I hope they remember always. I know I will.

The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. 
                                         E.E. Cummings.

The HUH?! Heard Round The World

I thought is was worth mentioning that it was a year ago TODAY that many of us FIRST heard the name Sarah Palin. It was the morning after the Dem Convention had concluded when the news broke that this mavericky maverick was chosen as John McCain's running mate.

HUH? WHO? Wwwwhat?

It will go down in history as one of the strangest political moves. Not to mention being one of the most entertaining, polarizing, and toxic additions to our current national psyche.

As I thought about it early this morning, it occurred to me that perhaps not even John McCain wanted to get in the way of an historic moment. That he knew we were so deep in the can, it would take a younger, more energetic guy to do the job. Maybe, in the end John knew just what he was doing by handing the election to Obama on a silver lip-stick platter.

My naive self can't give up the idea...but then again I'm the dummy who also thinks the country should just calm down and let the man they did elect do his job for God's sake.

What do I know?

One Year Ago Today - From Hope to Fear

On this day, last year at this time I was in Denver at the Mile High Stadium to hear Obama's acceptance speech. It was the closing night of the Democratic National Convention.

By all standards that was a memorable, even life-changing week for me...and this has been one crazy year. I have come to understand firsthand how hope and possibility can move people to make things happen.

I have also come to understand how fear can squeeze the intelligence right out of our otherwise right minds. It is toxic, as powerful a contagion as there is. And it is often in disbelief that I witness the extent to which people will be moved to do and say things out of their fear. For the life of me, however, I cannot fathom what is so frightening.

But when anxiety takes over, and the reptile brain kicks in -- there isn't much room for rational thinking, now is there? It is all about saving yourself and making sure there is enough just in case.

If I have learned anything this past year it is that I dare not try to make too much sense out of the irrational.

At times like these, perhaps all we need do is laugh. And so -- for your giggling pleasure I encourage you to think about Rush Limbaugh's penis. Yes, you read right. Mr. Limbaugh went there today and after I dried my eyes from the kooky giggles...I just had to post it for you.

Ladies and Gentlemen THIS is the politics of fear -- what will they worry about next.

My favorite quote of the year may be when Bill Maher said, "Electing an intelligent man to be our President, does not necessarily make us more intelligent."

What a long, strange year its been.

Ministermom-ing and the Creative Process

Given the creative nature of children, it is no coincidence that so many of us are led to seek a more creative life in their presence.
- Amanda Blake Soule, The Creative Family

Reading this kind of hit many nails on many heads for me! As this blog celebrates its FIRST BIRTHDAY, I am constantly thinking and re-thinking its original purpose and current function.

From Obama to babies to current events to religious life it all boils down to this: writing is a means of relief and release AND it is good for my spirit, my children, our family, and perhaps even the community at large.

Thank you for nearly 1000 hits - and for lots of love and encouragement along the way!

If it provides any kind of inspiration, happiness, balance, information or better yet, sparks you to greater things -- then I'm on the right track.

Here's to the future: whatever it may bring!

Its In The Air: Maine

Just caught wind of this new commercial put out by the state of Maine.

Beautiful scenes of that beautiful state are shown as the voice over proclaims:
In Maine, no one tells anyone else how to live. We all share Maine values: fairness, respect for each other, strong and healthy families. Everyone should be able to marry the person they love. ...

Check it out, it is worth seeing...and possibly signifies something in the air!

Wonders Never Cease...

I've been so quiet lately, you'd hardly think I was here. But today's news caused my mouth to open with the words: "Well, I'll be..."

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted yesterday to allow openly gay clergy to be openly gay! All God's creatures have a place in the choir, indeed!

The ELCA now keeps company with the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ. A nice nod toward progressive Christianity.

And Garrison Keillor calls them God's frozen people.

Maybe Gary is going to have to rethink that one...

Full Disclosure

Just thought it was worth mentioning that the story about the hair salon is COMPLETELY TRUE. Hubby actually thought I made part of it up 'for dramatic effect.'

I wish. No, really...I WISH!

Also...the author of the book I was reading, Phillip S. Washburn, was my colleague for 16 years. Now retired, the book of sermons is a retrospective of his ministry. I highly recommend it.

Again, the title is The Mystery at the Heart of Things, available at Amazon.

"Pentecost, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile, is that day on which a people of faith receive a gift from heaven that makes it clear --- God has to do with who we are and everything we do. It is a gift, in other words, that redirects our lives, more gladly in the present, that makes it clear that this is it and it (as it says in the beginning, in Genesis) is good. Amen." p.109

Notes From the Salon

One never knows where wisdom will be divined. In the (very small) hair salon today I overheard another customer tell the hairdresser:

"Did you hear that Obama wants us to report our neighbors to the government if we see they are doing something wrong. Boy that just put a red flag up for me...a Red Flag as in COMMUNISM. And...did you hear that he wants to mandate that we all get vaccinated against swine flu. The government can't mandate vaccinations! Communism!"

Ministermom kept her lips shut...locked even. I was so proud of myself, though inside I had a thousand quips, responses and admonitions going through my brain. I continued the book I was reading where not moments later I read the following...

But of, of course, fear courses through our veins. It affects and afflicts much of life, ESPECIALLY OUR POLITICAL LIFE. So the question becomes: "How shall we live out from under the rule of fear? What about faith makes this possible?"
Phillip S. Washburn, Mystery at the Heart of Things; p.119

The answer, of course is...EVERYTHING.

Making A Mess

I have never fully understood why the very things that occupy children most happily, quietly and creatively are a) never toys you have purchased for said purpose and b) always make the hugest indescribable mess.

And so it was on this fine summer day that this little dude 'helped mommy by washing the dishes', while also using a half bottle of dish soap and an entire bottle of hand soap. Call me crazy, but I just could not bring myself to stop him. He was having way too much fun.

It is very difficult to allow such a free for all when I know it is just making more work for me later on...and yet, I have always taken the process-oriented approach.

Creativity! He is learning about cause and effect. He feels happy that he is 'helping' me. I got my kitchen floor washed free of charge.

I may never know what is gained from such messy adventures -- but I can say that allowing children to just be and create, within reason, makes a certain kind of sense. When I am able to resist the temptation to cringe at what it is costing me and just stand back and let it be, I often discover that it what they have gained is far more valuable than what I may have lost.

Taking this theory to its public arena: I'm having a hard time standing back and watching this health care debate get UGLY. One or two minutes of those town hall meetings has me cringing far more than when I see water and suds spilling over onto the floor! I have read so many theories about what in God's name is going on. Everything from the GOP payback for the Dems killing Social Security reform to this fight being the GOP's anxiety driven death rattle as they watch themselves fall from power in America.

I've lost a night sleep or two at how Obama is being vilified and oddly compared to The Joker from Batman (huh?)

It certainly appears to me a major mess.

But I've decided to trust that it is just an ugly form of democracy in action. I have decided to believe that what America will gain will be far more than what we seem to be losing in the process. I hope the clean up won't take too long or be too tiresome.

I have to KNOW HOPE. At this point it seems like the only choice.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWITZERLAND

If it’s true that you can judge a country’s image of itself by its National Day, then Switzerland definitely offers a relaxing sight. No military parades and no grandiose speeches.

On August the first, the whole country gathers in public places around bonfires and listens to speeches about the independence of the country from the Austrian rulers, which started with the Grütli Pact of 1291.

With the beautiful land still fresh in our minds...we wish A happy 718th birthday to Switzerland!

Also On The Agenda

In addition to the myriad things I do as minister MOM, political wonk has become another 'hat' foisted upon me by my well, you know.

Often while in the playground, at playgroup or just hangin' in the hood and people ask me...
"So, how do YOU think YOUR GUY is doing? (In case you just signed on, they're talking about the President of these, OUR United States.

In sum, I think he is doing a fantastic job. And yet, I also find myself confused by some of the important details. Health care is a big one.

So...this opinion piece by Paul Krugman brought to my attention by an old friend was quite helpful. I realize Krugman is the liberal's liberal...but so what?!

He explains the health care issue in a way that I find very helpful. In a way that makes sense. It is a start anyway!

Next time I'm in the playground I'll be ready.

The Mother Core

The enlightened leader of my book group selected Ann Morrow Lindburgh's classic A Gift From the Sea for a light August read.

Within the first few pages, I found the answer to why I have been so quiet on this blog -- why the posts have been so sparse:

"To be a woman is to have interests and duties, raying out in all directions from the central MOTHER-CORE, like spokes from the hub of a wheel. The pattern of our lives is essentially circular. We must be open to all points of the compass; husband, children, friends, home, community; stretched out, exposed, sensitive like a spider's web to each breeze that blows, to each call that comes.

How difficult for us, then, to achieve a balance in the midst of these contradictory tensions, and yet how necessary for the proper functioning of our lives.

How much we need, and how arduous of attainment is that steadiness preached in all rules for holy living. How desirable and how distant is the ideal of the contemplative, artist or saint - inner inviolable core, the single eye."

Hmmm...maybe this 1955 piece of wisdom will offer me just what I need to begin again.

The Victim's Victim

Well, we're back home safe and sound...and what a news cycle we missed!

Michael gone, Farah gone, Sarah gone...culture of personal responsibility gone?

One of the most stark differences I noted while traveling through Switzerland (aside from the cows, of course) is that Switzerland is a country of personal responsibility. Virtually every adventure we took from cable car rides to dizzying heights to Alpine Slide runs and crazy fast water slides into warm pools of natural hot springs was done AT OUR OWN RISK. No waivers to sign, no guards on duty, just clear signage explaining what steps to take to make each adventure safe and enjoyable and then poof...we were on our own.

In the country that birthed what is now known at The Red Cross, safety is certainly a high priority. But staying safe and healthy is not a matter for lawyers and liability suits...it is a citizen's right and privilege to take care. In many respects, everybody is on his own honor to follow the rules and it seems that most folks do. Maybe the sheer fact that there will be no compensation to be had or larger entity to blame paves the way for personal guardianship.

But here, it seems, we might have too much to gain by being a victim. Is it possible that with everything to gain by blaming others, we have become a culture of big, fat babies?

Well, maybe not...but as I began to round up all the news I missed, This article
strikes me as right on the money about the whole Palin as Victim debacle. It gave me pause and made me glad to be home again.

Nowhere else but America can we have such drama, creativity and fun with the NEWS!

As John McCain said this morning...Palin didn't quit, she just changed her priorities.

Exactly.

Local Color, con't

Hubby joked with the children that we would likely meet grazing cows on some of our hiking excursions.

NO WAY, they insisted.

Way.

The girls were out for a morning graze and met us when we reached the summit of Le Dent de Vaulion.

NEWSFLASH: The grass is apparently greener on the other side of the mountain.

They were having no part of us though...hard to imagine that they actually seemed afraid...or perhaps bothered by our shouts of glee and insistence that they eat grass offered by little human hands.

As a child I often thought that it seemed boring to be a cow. They didn't seem to do much but sit around, relax, eat, and relax some more.

Hmmm...I may have to rethink that whole boring thing...

Local Color

The traditional Alpine Horn as seen in many a Riccola Commercials is now played only for fun and enjoyment. The owner of the home we are renting is seen here practicing his horn...affectionately known by our children as Mr. Alpenhorn he comes to his 'country house' to practice. The sound resonates in the valley and you can easily see why the horn was originally used as a method of communication across the valleys.

The sound really carries.

I'm not sure the color can get more local than this...someone get me a Ricola, I'm getting all choked up.

On Going Home Again

What a rare treat for hubby to take the children back to the home where he lived when he was their age. And, just one day before he and his sisters would sign papers officially selling it to someone outside the family for the first time in three generations.

We toured the primary school where he went, the church where he was baptized, the restaurant where his parents met all within a short walk from his home. Small town life is seems to be something that people everywhere still value. Even here in the Jura Mountains where small towns abound.

The highway runs near by enough now that people who work in the city can live here and still commute to work. Many Swiss are looking for that option. Hence the sale to a real estate developer.

Funny, that even in a place where the countryside is as plentiful as you can imagine, folks are looking for a simpler life.

As hard as it may be to give up a place that formed such strong ideas of what home and family is, it is good to know that this place will be refurbished for others to enjoy and call home.

And finally, it is good to remember that a strong foundation always remains and can give you the perfect springboard to jump happily into your future...

And there came to him a vision of man's true home, beyond the ominous and cloud-engulfed horizon of the here and now, in the green and hopeful and still-virgin meadows of the future. Thomas Wolfe

You, Only Better

Not a few readers have written with concern that Minister Mom was getting too religious. Friends, lest we forget...I AM minister mom, am I not? Heh.

The beauty of taking time away is that it reminds you there is much to discover. Travel opens the mind's eye to new and different experiences. A new language, new food, a new culture. I find that when I am plucked out of my comfort zone, I see once again what makes me tick and what is important to me.

For example, I now know with certainty that I do not transition well. Anticipating a journey, while exciting, makes me nuts. Once I reach my destination and unpack my toothbrush. Voilà all is well. Phew.

Here, in this ancient place where history seems more alive, I also find myself awestruck as I walk ancient cobblestone streets, and climb cathedral steps that have been there since 1400. It puts one's little life in quite a bit of perspective. It reminds me that my journey, however nerve-wracking, has been made possible by those who have walked before me.

Here in the birthplace of the Protestant Church, the true spirit of those who were inspired to protest for the love of God is quite alive and well. And, as I take in the beauty of a country that takes beauty quite seriously I am reminded that traveling always brings you back home again.

Back home where you discover you're still you, only better.

There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world
that is not intended to make us rejoice. John Calvin

Praise Be The Pilot

Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness. John Calvin

Ah, yes...I guess I would have been far less fearful of our journey over here had I been mindful of the above quote.

How much easier would life be if we took care of what was in our control, and let go of what was not. And instead, opened ourselves up to receive the love and care that is there for us always.

Somehow, being in this beautiful place and watching the children discover, observe and marvel over every little thing makes it much easier to remember. No time for weariness...only Glory! AMEN!

Exceeding Expectations

However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts. John Calvin

It is truly a good and gracious thing to be surrounded by the spirit of a man who sincerely believed that life, granted us by God, was a full-disclosed gift.

Today, walking through several small villages to the Jardin Botanique with the children was a gift. That they enjoyed all the newness, observed the beauty, language, cultural differences, the flowers and the animals with nary a complaint...wow.

Yes, however many blessings we may expect, God does ALWAYS exceed our wishes.

Praise The One from whom all blessings flow, I think it is going to be a wonderful vacation.

Gone Fishin' - A Chance To RE-FORM

Well, maybe not fishin'...but I'll be blogging live from the Land of Calvin. And, to be sure, I will be knee deep in thoughts of RE-FORMATION. Three weeks in Switzerland should be good for the body, the family and the soul.

Even more, we're here in time to celebrate Calvin's 500 birthday! Yipeee.

I'll leave you with thoughts to ponder from the man himself.

"Therefore the godly heart feels in itself a division because it is partly imbued with sweetness from its recognition of divine goodness, partly grieves in bitterness from an awareness of its calamity; partly rests upon the promise of the gospel, partly trembles at the evidence of its own iniquity; partly rejoices at the expectation of life, partly shudders at death. This variation arises from imperfection of faith, since in the course of the present life it never goes so well with us that we are wholly cured of the disease of unbelief and entirely filled and possessed by faith," -- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, III.ii.18