Friday Five: Healing Spaces

RevGal Deb authors today's Friday Five blog prompt. She writes: So, with the events of the violence and tragedy from the Boston Marathon fresh in our memories, I thought it would be good for us to focus on where as RevGalBlogPals, we find healing, peace and strengthening. As a chaplain, there are days where I never seem to catch my breath, and invariably, those are the days that I need it the most! So with all this in mind, share with us these healing things:

1. A piece of music -- Bobby McFerrin's "Psalm 23" (video above).  An amazing and generous church choir sang this at my ordination 20 years ago.  This version celebrates women throughout history.  

2. A place -- Nature.  Just about any nature venue. Digging in the dirt.  Beach. Mountain. River. Farm. Orchard. 

3. A favorite food (they call it "comfort food" for a reason) -- The family tradition -- enchiladas!

4. A recreational pastime (that you watch or participate in) -- Playing games with family and friends.

5. A poem, Scripture passage or other literature that speaks to comfort you -- Romans 8:38-39. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.


BONUS: People, animals, friends, family - share a picture of one or many of these who warm your heart.

What else could it be?  Here's the most recent pic of my precious grandchild:

For the love of Daniel and for all of creation: Let there be peace on earth.

Friday Five: Sneaky, Sneaky!

How did you sneak in here?

Karla, Karla, Karla.  So, the deadline for putting up the Friday Five sneaked (snuck?) up on you. It's not like you've been away on a serious (enough) study leave. And then there's that blizzard that's bearing down on you. With all of that, you have still managed to put forth a wonderful Friday Five!  And, you have enticed me to play the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five again after far too long. Thank you for some really sneaky, and great, questions.  Here goes:

1) What is sneaking up on you, and what have you been thinking about?
What is really sneaking up on me is income tax time. I know today is only February 8, but that denial of "time flies" is what makes it so sneaky. But I'm not thinking about that at all! I'm thinking about Mardi Gras and what part(s) of that I get to go to this weekend.  Mardi Gras parade: probably.  Crawfish boil: definitely!

2) What will you have for lunch today?
Well, it's after 2:00 p.m. here, and I still don't know.  I'm seriously considering checking out the Thai place across the street. Sadly, there is no sushi bar on this boat.

3)  If you were to get snowed in for two days, and you need to hunker down, what essentials and treats would you store up?

HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

OK, sorry. It's a balmy, short-sleeved 65 degrees and cloudy here in New Orleans . . . (ahem) . . .

This would be a serious question for me if I still lived in the house I still own in Pennsylvania, because I know the snow is coming. There. Not here.  For the Two-Day Snowed-In Hunker Down, treats and essentials are hard to tell apart:

• Enchiladas!
• a pot of Amy's turkey noodle soup or some chili
• coffee and half & half
• cocoa & mini-marshmallows
• movies, Netflix (if there is electricity) & books and crochet (my new hobby) 
• comforters & pillows & all kinds of flannel
• wind-up radio/flashlight
• candles and flameless light sources

4)  Tell me a story about one awesome thing you have experienced in the last couple of weeks:

Once upon a time, in the last couple of weeks, I took a 9 hour drive that took me from New Orleans to Jacksonville. My wonderful congregation sent me on a serious (enough) study leave.  So, I got on a great big boat and sailed away.  

I hugged dear friends and met new ones, now dear ones. Faces went with online names of women who had become celebrities to me, and I couldn't help being a starry-eyed fan. (I hope they understand.) 

 

We laughed. And laughed. We wrote and wrote. And wrote some more.  Sometimes we wrote less, as few as six words to tell a story of God's good news breaking through the fog.  

Alfredo flirted with us and danced for us.  

We told supper stories. And late night stories.  

And stories fueled by sushi circles, melting cake dinners, and mojito toasts.  

Then we laughed some more.  

Encouraged by sweet generosity, I picked up crochet again.  

I am still swaying to the music. I'm rolling with the waves. I'm looking for sushi.

And I'm thankful. 

So thankful.

5) What is your favorite office supply to splurge on? (now THAT is random, right?)

 Yes, that IS random, dear Karla!  Markers or pens, definitely!

Friday Five: 'Tis a Gift to Be Simple

Photo by my niece, Laura Nichols, the day I let her use my camera!

Today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five is courtesy of kathrynzj who is coming off of a week of vacation and is interested in streamlining her life. She invites us to respond to this question:

What are 5 things you do or things you have bought that have made your life simpler or easier?

That's EASY!

1)  Kindle Touch -- Let me count the ways!

• Easier to hold than a traditional book and easier on the eyes.
• Less space to keep books. 
• Lots of free and very very inexpensive books to have and others to borrow.
• Can carry around a Bible (or more) and even simple liturgies for home Communions or hospital crises.
• For sermons, it's the best -- simple & sleek!  (Ditto about funerals and weddings)  I like the leather case that my sister gave me. 

2) Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) -- I am trying to get all of my documents into two backup places and this is one of them. (The other is an external hard drive that I back up once a week.)  In Google Drive, I get 5 GB for free and I haven't used all of that.  After that, it will be $2.50 a month, which I think will still be worth the peace of mind.

3) Zen Habits blog -- Inspiration for gentleness and simplicity. Simplify and Savor Life or 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life would be good places to find ideas for today's topic.

4) Be More With Less blog -- More good ideas and challenges for simplifying and downsizing. I think it would be great to try 50 Days with 100 Things.

5) Gluten Free (and now almost) Grain Free Eating: At first glance, this might sound more complicated and more trouble than it's worth. Aside from the health benefits (for me -- your mileage may vary), there are simplicity benefits. Think about it:  there are whole sections of the grocery store that I no longer need to mess with.  Searching a menu is easier.  I am "limited" to making choices of among things that are less processed and have fewer ingredients, which itself is probably healthier.   The Joy of Limitations may not appeal to everyone, but my INFP personality finds my life a whole lot simpler when I live within certain limitations.

BONUS: Something I wish I could manage better:  Right now I am trying to manage getting ready to move.  I am ready to downsize and I know what I want/need to get rid of. The challenge:  how to get rid of what I am ready to let go of.  Sell? (How?) Donate? (To whom?) I wish I could do it better and (please) a whole lot faster.

Friday Five: What To Take Edition

RevGal Sally writes this for today's Friday Five:  "We are packing to move, boxes are everywhere, stuff has been taken to charity shops, more needs to go to the tip. Once again I am asking myself where all this stuff has come from, once again I'm thinking that I should really reduce and simplify.

So bearing in mind you are allowed the Bible, a bed + linen, a functioning kitchen, and a comfy chair, clothes within reason ( no dragging last centuries wardrobe in case), and probably essential today a lap-top OR computer  choose one from each of the following as your luxuries:

1. A book
2. A piece of music (albums/ sets allowed)
3. Piece of electronic/ tech equipment
4. luxury item of clothing
5. One item of your choice- it can be as normal or as weird as you like"


* * * * * * * * 
Well, guess what?!  I, too, am donating and selling things in anticipation of a possible (probable?) move, and I am also asking myself where this stuff came from, and -- yes -- attempting to simplify.  You'd think simplifying would be simple, but no.  


So, from Sally's list, here's are the luxuries I would choose:


1. BOOK:  The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron


2. PIECE OF MUSIC:  Loreena McKennitt Book of Secrets


3. PIECE OF ELECTRONIC/TECH EQUIPMENT:  My Kindle Touch (which would open up #1 & #2)


4. LUXURY ITEM OF CLOTHING: Plaid Flannel Robe (hey, that, plus the rest it implies is luxury to me!)


5.  ITEM OF CHOICE:  Absolutely, it would be CANDLES!

A-HA!

Welcome 2012!  A New Year brings a new resolve to write the blog more regularly.  After spending the last few days trying to decide when and how to jump back into the blog pond, here comes inspiration from this brand new Friday Five, thanks to kathrynzj at RevGalBlogPals.

The question:  What are five (more or less) of your "A-ha" moments.  Where have you had a moment of clarity?

Some of the many "A-HA!" moments that have brought light and hope to my world:

• Don't take anything personally.  Receiving someone seriously (respectfully, attentively) is more helpful.  Whether it's a cut-to-the-heart criticism or a glowing compliment, it says much more about the one who delivers it than the one to whom it is delivered.  This "a-ha" was courtesy of Don Miguel Ruiz' book The Four Agreements.  Each is simple (not necessarily easy) and "a-ha"-inducing: 

Be Impeccable With Your Words

Don't Take Anything Personally

Don't Make Assumptions

Always Do Your Best

• I am still standing.  The title of one of my favorite Elton John songs, "I'm Still Standing" could be the title of the "a-ha" moment I had during one particularly dark moment as I was living through the aftermath of the end of my 23-year marriage. I couldn't see even as far as the next moment. No way could I figure out what I would do or how I could make it financially, emotionally, physically, professionally -- you name it. It all seemed hopeless and empty.  And then I took an honest, more objective, inventory of what was really there.  I had food in the house; I had a house to live in; I had children who loved me and who hadn't rejected me; I could count on some friends to be friends; I had a job (two jobs actually!) and income capability . . . the list probably went on, but it didn't need to.  It wasn't even about "counting your blessings" but rather seeing all that is there rather than what isn't there.

•  I'm just not that into . . . Christianity.  The "a-ha" was finding out that neither was Jesus.  Jesus was a Jewish rabbi and carpenter who predated Christianity.  Jesus showed us what God is like, not what religion should be about.  Jesus embodied life and love, not law and rules.  Jesus welcomed and included and invited and turned things upside-down, all the while pissing off the powers-that-be and the religious apologists and traditionalists.  A-ha!  Maybe it's OK to be a Jesus-called, Christ-devoted pastor serving the institutional church and appreciating church history, and still not be (too much) into the religion of Christianity. 

• I'm more suited for interim ministry than settled pastorates.  It turns out that it is possible to be successful by certain standards, and still be unfaithful to the real me.  So, now I am through measuring "ministry success" by particular accomplishments or by how well-received I am in congregations I serve. I have been very blessed in each setting in different ways.  But in interim ministry, I am more ME, more authentic and free, and I have more fun and get to play games.  A-ha!  Maybe those I serve will be more free, too!

• I'm older than I thought I was!  I know very well that I'm 58 years old, but when I got an invitation to the denomination's retirement planning seminar -- two years ago! -- and realized that invitation wasn't extended at all prematurely, it was a real, and not-altogether-unpleasant, "a-ha" moment. You mean I get to be this age and still feel this good and enjoy life this much?!  WOW!

Friday Five: The Things We Do For Love

Songbird's invitation to today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five:


I have a friend who, when she has to be away from her child, goes to the trouble of planning a present for each of the days they will be apart. (This is not one of those stories where "a friend" means the person who is telling the story.) I'm impressed by her organizational skills and her creativity and her thoughtfulness.

She does these things for love.

And although love looks different depending on how we best express it, there are definitely things we do for love. So for today's Friday Five, please share the following five things:

1) Something you did for love that was a hit
Probably because of the story above, the first thing that came to mind is ancient history now:  When they were little, I used to make faces out of the finger food on the kids' plates.


2) Something you did for love that was more of a miss
In ways big and small, I have been trying to show love and support and respect to some beloved loved ones at a special and critical time and it's made things worse it seems.


3) Something someone did for love of you
A biggie:  For my 50th birthday, my daughter helped the congregation arrange a really wonderful surprise party and gift me with a liturgical robe that I had been wanting.  Her unexpected presence there was a big part of the delightful surprise!
A nice thing:  I have gotten some very sweet emails lately, unexpected ones, thanking me for what we've shared &/or for being in each other's lives.


4) Something you *wish* someone would do for love of you
Someone recently planned a fun and relaxed, bordering on zany, time of just goofing off together. I love when that happens. I feel loved and understood when that happens. I *wish* it happened more often.


5) Something you've done for love of God
The United Church of Christ has embraced a thing that Gracie Allen said to George Burns way back: "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."  Very often, I'm tempted to place a period and orchestrate completion and resolution.  Sometimes I can't do it for myself, or even for someone else, but loving God, I let there be a comma and stay open and ready.

Friday Five: Home Sweet Home

Bird bath at my Mom's house

Songbird is thinking of home today and offers this RevGalBlogPals Friday Five:

1)  Where was your first home?
I was brought home from the hospital to a little ranch house on Corozal Road in El Paso, Texas.

2) Do you ever dream about places you used to live?
Yes.

3) If you could bring back one person from your past to sit at your dinner table, who would you choose?
My maternal grandmother.  Many a good time was spent around many tables with her.

4) What's your favorite room in your current living space?
That's a tough one.  Right now, it would probably be the kitchen. It's where the coffee is!

5) Is there an object or item in your home that represents home to you?
Anything flannel. The robe, the sheets, the back of a cozy throw -- these represent comfort and, for me, home is all about comfort and rest.

Friday Five: Endings and Beginnings

Sally at RevGalBlogPals is finishing up her Master's thesis for a programme that began in 2006.  Her Friday Five for us:

How about you as you look back over the last few years:

1.  Have you completed something? What was it, and how did you celebrate?
This is very timely as I just completed a 3 year pastorate.  It was a mismatch from the get-go, but we all attempted to make the best of it and there was palpable relief for all that it was coming to an end. The celebration at the church was a very nice reception with a gift after the final worship service last weekend.  My own celebration is happening now as I spend a week of vacation in Baton Rouge with family and enjoy the things around my niece's wedding tomorrow.

2. Is there something that you are waiting to begin?
I get to begin a new ministry at a church next week.

3. Is there a project you keep putting off and why?
I want to get rid of almost all of my books. I am putting it off because I would love it if those books could be of use to someone else, especially the ones related to ministry and faith.  I am thinking of having a party and inviting my pastor friends to come over and just take what they want.

4.  What would be your dream project/job?
I am doing my dream job, but more and more I wonder if part of the dream might be a different location. I am getting tired of trying to hide my southern roots and trying to fit in to a culturally strange part of the country that might not fit me anymore.

5.  Be creative, you are going to publish a book/song/poem, what is the title?
Lately, the book I'd like to write, dedicated to parishioners and colleagues that just don't get it:
I'm Not Your Friend.

Friday Five: Workspaces

Today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five is about workspaces and what's in them.  Today, revkjarla invites us to name five things in our workspaces that are special. Some of mine are:

A Jack Sparrow puzzle -- pictured here, it was a gift from a friend and lives on my home desk.

A crystal jar -- a gift from the first church I served, it was given -- and has remained -- full of M&Ms and usually resides on the desk of my pastor's study. I'm moving out in the next two weeks so the pastor study stuff is in transition, too.

A magnetic puzzle -- the kind with little men (or women?) you can stick together.  Turns out those pocket crosses are magnetic, too, as are paper clips. It's also usually on my pastor study desk. Kids play around with it when they come in to eat M&Ms.

An "EASY" button -- as in "That Was Easy" -- pushed mostly in irony lately, or would that be sarcasm?

A "To Do list" -- I make them because I should; I ignore them because I can.

Friday Five: September Blessings

I had a Flintstones lunch box a lot like this one

Today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five as posted by kathrynzj:

Headquarters for me is the northeast of the United States. Here school is getting back in session, the tease of autumn is in the air (or the hope for the tease of autumn is in the air) and church life is gearing up to full throttle.

One thing I've learned with blogging and social media is that the where I live is not necessarily where you live. And so I want to know what September means to you, in your place of the world and time in your life.

This week's Friday Five is:

What are 5 things that the beginning of September mean to you?

Bonus: What's one thing you could do without?

Thanks, Kathryn, for posting this one!  

September is my favorite month and here are a few reasons why:

• September starts with a holiday weekend.  Yea, Labor Day!
• September is my birthday month.  My birthday sometimes falls on a national holiday, as it does this year.  Sweet!
• Back to school clothes and school supplies.  Still love 'em.
• The color red.  Tinged leaves, school house icons, apples -- all in my signature color.
• A mini-New Year-type season of new beginning.  A good time to reassess and regroup and start anew.

Bonus: I could most definitely do without the October, November, and/or December holiday "buy me" displays and ads making their initial appearance in my favorite month.

Friday Five: Road Trip!

We found star fish in a place like this in Big Sur

RevGal Jan has just returned from a great road trip! She invites us to share five road trips of our own, including best and worst. Here goes:

EARLIEST: Fairly regular road trips from El Paso, TX to Cloudcroft, NM. Some of my earliest memories of vacations are of this trek from the desert to the mountains, from hot to cool, from dry sand dunes to lakes and streams and fragrant trees. We stayed in a little motel court, fished in a nearby lake, and learned my dad's rule of fishing: "You catch 'em, you clean 'em, you cook 'em, you eat 'em!"

LONGEST: My family of origin took several summer trips from El Paso to California. The longest of these lasted two weeks and we went to San Clemente, Pismo Beach, and Big Sur. Miscellaneous highlights: the first time I saw blue jays and redwinged blackbirds, eating a halibut my mom caught, the redwood trees, day trip to Monterey and eating shrimp, camping in the pop-up camper, my sister finding a $5 bill (in the early 60's!) in the parking lot of a fancy restaurant where we ate dressed in very casual vacation clothes because my dad said that it didn't matter if you could pay!

WORST: (Let's hide this one in the middle of the pack.)  A summer road trip from Dayton to Maine. I had always wanted to go to Maine, and it is still one of the favorite places I've ever been. The trip itself, a year before the marriage ended, was awful. Words have not yet been invented to describe the pain of that trip.

BEST: Always, kids in the car on trips near and far!  When the kids were 2, 8, and 9 we moved from Dallas to Philadelphia.  One leg of that move involved me driving with just the kids from Richmond VA to Philadelphia in our family van. One of the older kids was "riding shotgun" and trying to read a map while we all sang along to a cassette tape of "Camp Song Sing-A-Long" the songs they had learned at camp or VBS.  At one point, I needed to have a look at the map, so we exited the highway somewhere near Washington DC.  Immediately we found ourselves at a security gate outside of some kind of unmarked compound with armed guards coming out to ask us what we were doing there and making it very clear that we needed to be gone sooner rather than later.  These are the kinds of things that happened before GPS and cellphone support for road trips!  It was not as stressful as it was funny!  And it was typical of the fun I remember having with the kids in the car.

FANTASY: The stereotypical RV fantasy: take the house on the road!  There might be some fun people along (or not). There might be an agenda -- visit all the minor league ball parks or state parks or all the relatives or all 49 land states -- or not. It would be fun to just go and see and be out there, exploring.

Friday Five: Counting Blessings

Newest family member: Daniel

Terri gives us a short and sweet Friday Five at RevGalBlogPals:

Offer five gratitudes you recognize in your life.

OK, then, in no particular order:

• Very good health.  I was blessed with great genetics and have continued to be blessed by health care that's been accessible enough and affordable enough. I'm approaching another birthday and I am grateful for how it's going.
• Meaningful work. At this moment, I am grateful that my work life is alive and well and going in some good new directions. Recently, when I thought it might very well be over with, I was called yet again. 
• Gluten Free Pizza.  I made this recipe for GF pizza crust today for a pizza lunch that I've been wanting. It was easy and it's really really good!  Toppings:  fresh basil, home grown tomatoes, onion and red pepper.
• Cooler weather.  I can feel autumn in the air. And it feels really really good.
• Family, family everywhere.  I am really grateful for a scattered family. It's the fact, so let's celebrate the joys of it! They are scattered all the way from Portland, OR to the deep South to NYC and Vermont.  I'm grateful for the experience of anticipating trips to visit them and looking forward to their visits with me.  In the next six weeks, I get to go to Portland, OR and Baton Rouge, LA.  So grateful!  

BONUS: An unexpected blessing today was being touched by  "The Place I Want to Get Back To," the Mary Oliver poem posted by Terri.  Thank you, Terri, for the many ways you speak to our spirits.

Friday Five: Decisions, Decisions (deja vu edition)

Today I am the guest host of the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five! 
The inspiration for today's Friday Five:  I have been in a long discernment process specific to place and kind of pastoral call.  In the past month, I have let my current congregation know that I am ending my ministry with them in September. I have accepted a call to serve as an interim for a nearby congregation.

I remembered a fun Friday Five from awhile back that I enjoyed playing, so I started thinking up pairs so we could play it again.  When I looked back, I saw that Songbird had come up with that post when she had been in heavy-duty discerning mode herself.  The post was almost exactly a year ago!  It felt like deja vu!

So, after making sure that I hadn't repeated anything from last time, I came up with these pairs and here are my own choices:

1) Sunrise or Sunset:  SUNRISE
2) To the Mountains or To the Beach: MOUNTAINS

3) Coffee or Tea: COFFEE

4) Advent or Lent: LENT

5) "Raindrops on Roses" or "Whiskers on Kittens": RAINDROPS ON ROSES

BONUS -- RAINDROPS ON ROSES:  I grew up in the desert of El Paso, Texas, so raindrops events were special occasions.  When it would rain, we would go outside and stand in it and let it splash on our faces and make our hair wet and stomp in the fleeting puddles.  El Paso got most of its rain in August, as I recall.  I didn't own an umbrella until we moved to Baton Rouge when I was 13. 

My paternal grandmother had roses! Because they were west Texas roses, they rarely got raindrops on them.  Her rose garden had about 40 different varieties and they were all close to the road.  People would stop their cars and take pictures of her amazing roses.  The secret to her roses, she told me, was daily watering to soak the roots and fertilizing with manure.  There's a profound metaphor in there somewhere!

Friday Five (plus): My Name Spells Gratitude

H + O = An odd home in Albuquerque

Jan is a RevGal pal who came up with a fun Friday Five today: She invites us to make an ABC Gratitude list.  "Use your name or nickname of about five letters and express your gratitude about something that starts with each letter."  My first name has six letters, so I'm stretching the Friday Five to this "Friday Six" objects of my gratitude today:

S -- Singing.  I have been struggling with laryngitis for the past week.  I kind of like the break from talking, but I miss singing. Singing is a sign of good worship, overflowing joy, or a playful time.

H -- Home.  I am grateful when I feel at home.  I'm especially grateful for the ways I can feel at home when I'm away from my own house -- with family or friends, and especially when I feel at home in a totally new place.

A -- Ancestors.  Think of all the DNA combos that came together over eons to create each person!  I also wonder about what movements of their lives are playing out again in mine.

R -- Reunion.  Coming back together with family or friends is sweet!

O -- Oddities.  I am grateful for the out-of-the-ordinary things that get my attention and change me -- things like thinking outside the box, doing something new, stretching outside the comfort zone, or a unique piece of art or something amazing in nature.

N -- Naps.  Yeah, naps.  The Sunday ones, especially.

Friday Five: Discovery

On today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five, Dorcas shares a beautiful experience of taking her four year old granddaughter to the symphony and wondering if young Trinity would enjoy the experience.  An avid Mozart fan, (in Dorcas' words): "[Trinity] was hopping with excitement, but we gave her lots of coaching, and when we arrived she gazed about with wonder at the lovely venue, and when the orchestra began to tune up she sat up straight and gazed, enraptured, with her mouth literally open. It was pure delight to watch her enjoying brand-new sights, sounds and surroundings."  A discovery moment for both generations!

Here is a Friday Five of my own moments of insight, discovery or awareness from childhood and later:

"Do what Daddy says."  Recorded in the baby book of my sister who is 19 months younger than I am is this precocious advice to me, uttered when she was probably two and a half:  "Sharon, if you would just do what Daddy says, you wouldn't get spanked so much."  I tried.  I tried to learn the "behave" lesson.  I'm not there yet.  Hence the pic above.  My hope: Maybe I'm making history!

Love is Awareness.  A fifth grade writing assignment was to complete the phrase "Love is . . ." with one, and only one, word.  My conclusion:  Love is Awareness

I am not a feminist!  Another assigment, this time in a seminary theology class:  Choose a non-traditional theologian's book to read and compare/contrast with more traditional theology. For those of us who had no clue where to begin with the long list the prof had given us, she suggested choosing a theologian that we thought we would not like. That was easy; this native Texan stay-at-home mom chose a feminist theologian.  I was about one and a half pages into Rosemary Radford Reuther's Sexism and God Talk and, to my incredible shock, I found that she was she was speaking my language about God things.  She made sense.  I had not even realized how much "translation" work I had been doing in order to make the gospel message real in my life. 

Please understand me!  I began to understand myself much better when I was introduced to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in seminary. I knew that people had different personalities, but I had never had the differences explained in categories that made sense. I began to see that there are many different ways that people approach life and process information, and that we need all kinds in order reflect God's image more authentically in community. Through further testing at the end of seminary, I discovered that I had learned to function a certain way (as an ESFJ) when I had to be "on" and in front of people.  When I am relaxed and safe and "off duty" or too tired to keep up the pretense, I go about life in a far different way (INFP).  Good to know!

Grandmother world.  Because we lived in the same city until I was 13, I was blessed to spend time with my grandmothers during my growing up years.  At their houses, I discovered the world of feeding chickens, gathering eggs, flower gardening, making jam, learning to sew, eating "ladies lunch" at the department store restaurant or at the lunch counter at the drugstore.  With them, I was someone I couldn't be anywhere else: a granddaughter.  And they got to be the grandmother.  Now I'm the grandmother to a grandson.  I wonder what we will discover with each other?

Friday Five: Summer Reruns

"The cousins" on the family cruise

Today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five is an invitation by Songbird to be inspired by this season of summer TV reruns and list five things that are worth a repeat.  Coincidentally, today is also National Repeat Day!

1. Family vacations:  My extended family is spread all over the country from east coast to west coast to gulf coast and beyond.  We do attempt to gather for special occasions, the next one being my niece's wedding in September in Baton Rouge.  A few years ago, we took a family cruise -- my first cruise -- and all of us were there -- my mom, all of her children and their spouses, and all of their children and the newest family member at the time, my son-in-law.  We have also taken some beach vacations in Florida and met in Gatlinburg, TN one year.  We don't do it every year, but a family reunion-type gathering is always worth a repeat.

B.E. 4.0 new friends
at church together, sorta!

2.  A cruise:  Last year's RevGal B.E. 4.0 was my first repeat cruise after the family cruise.  I had an ever-lovin' blast!  B.E. is definitely an experience worth repeating, so I'm getting my application ready for next year's B.E. 5.0.  Since we sail from New Orleans, that week of Continuing Ed will definitely be combined with a vacation to the Louisiana relatives (see #1).

3.  Planting a garden:  I repeat the "dig in the dirt" ritual every year.  My main "crop" is herbs and this year's star is basil I grew from seed.  Some oregano apparently didn't make it from the plant, but did reseed itself.  The others are cilantro, parsley, sage, chives, mint, and dill.  I tucked in there somewhere an orange pepper plant.  I also sprinkled some extra color by planting few marigolds and impatiens among the perennials that are already looking great.  

GranGran and Daniel:
an "I love you" moment
between my mom and my grandson

4.  "I love you":  Always worth a repeat, as often as possible.  

5.  "Damages" TV show:  I had never heard of this show but ran across it on instant Netflix and was hooked on the reruns after watching the first episode.  Glenn Close stars as a lawyer, and it is dark and very suspenseful.  According to its Wikipedia entry: "The show is noted for its plot twists, nonlinear narrative, technical merit, season-long storylines and the acting ability of its cast."  I also have enjoyed reruns of "Deadliest Catch" and "Modern Family" and "Desperate Housewives."  I didn't get hooked on "Glee" or "Pushing Daisies," for what it's worth. 

Thanks, Songbird, for the rewind through some things worth rerunning!

Friday Five: All About Allergies



My nose started feeling sneezy as soon as I saw the picture of the ligustrum bush on this week's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five.  Mary Beth is highly allergic to them and I am too.  We had ligustrum bushes all around our house in El Paso because they grew so easily there.  That was the first thing I discovered I was allergic to.  So, here's my Friday Five about allergies:

1. Do you experience any season allergies?

Yes, I'm allergic to spring things, especially white flowering trees and bushes. 



Not allergic to chocolate!  (this cake is flourless)



Do you have any other allergies?  Yes, sadly -- aspirin, sulfa, keflex and penicillin as well as adhesive tape. It's not technically an allergy but wheat and gluten are not my friend.

2.  What kinds of symptoms do you experience during your allergic reactions? 

Let's just say it's not pretty.

3.  How do you manage your allergies? 

In my dreams, I'm on a cruise for May and June every year. In reality, I take Singulair daily, keep an inhaler for possible asthma emergencies, avoid all of those drugs as well as wheat and gluten.  I don't avoid going outside, but I would not knowingly go anywhere near a blooming ligustrum!

4.  What is the strangest allergy you ever heard of? 
Aren't some spouses allergic to each other? I think I've heard that, and that would be strange. (Had to google it to see; edited to add link)

5.  How do you feel about school policies banning peanuts and other allergens? 
I'm out of the school child loop, so I don't know about those policies.  In general, it would be challenging to ban everything that might be potentially harmful to someone else.  

Friday Five: Favorite Words

Today's RevGalBlogPals Friday Five is inspired by the Spiritual Formation hour at Jan's church where they have been sharing special words with each other and the stories they inspire.  Jan has invited us to write about 5 words we really like and tell why you have chosen each word. These came to me today, in this order, when I was writing my 750 words to start the day.

Lagniappe -- (LAN-yap) a French word that means (my translation) "delightful extra things you didn't deserve"; it's the idea behind the baker's dozen of paying for a 12 donuts and getting 13.  Lagniappe represents the generosity and party atmosphere that characterizes both Cajun Country's "let the good times roll" and what I have known of God's grace.

Vocation -- from the Latin vocare meaning "to call" and  I know that because of a seminary paper I wrote at least 20 years ago!  I love this word because it inspires me and reminds me of why I do what I do when I don't remember.  It is also the antidote to un-church-like words like "hire" "job" and "volunteer."

Picnic -- I have always loved this word!  "Picnic" sounds like the party it is!  To declare "picnic!" is to set aside regular schedules and table manners, pack a basket, go outside, play games, eat finger food, take naps in the sun ... the list could go on and on.  And you have to add a crazy "K" before you add "-ed" or "-ing"!

Careful -- Word that inspires trust and comfort and sometimes slows me down in a good way.

Y'all -- The English language is bereft of a plural "you" and so we have made up our own.  My greatest linguistic prejudice (blush -- there are many!) is that I cringe every time I hear the northern plural slang of you -- "youse" or "you's" and sometimes "youse guys" -- my skin is crawling to even write those.  When I hear "y'all" I know I am close to people who get me.

Thanks, Jan, for the Friday Fun!

Friday Five: Word Associations

Songbird, who blogs at Reflectionary, just got back from a most excellent vacation. Today, as host of RevGalBlogPals Friday Five, she foldly remembers five words from that vacation and invites us to play "Word Association"!  Great idea!  Here are those words, with the first word that came to my mind: 

1) Airport - adventure

2) Baseball - Rangers

3) Art - children

4) Chocolate - heaven

5) Grill - party

Bonus: Tell us a story that comes to mind based on one of the word pairs.

ART - CHILDREN:  In my family of origin, there was not much emphasis on art.  We were all about the academics (dad was a high school principal, mom an English teacher) and I graduated from college as a science major, to become a med tech not a pastor, and thinking of "art" as an exotic thing for people who are not like me.

And then there were children!  I was blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home mom of three.  A most excellent thing about these children were that they were very responsive to play of all kinds.  Because it seemed like a fun thing to do, I kept an abundance of art supplies in the house, and on any given day, we were playing with play dough or finger painting or decorating the patio with sidewalk chalk.  My role was mostly the boundary-setter, encourager / art appreciator and cleaner-upper leader.

One day, I found the older two (at about ages 6 and 5) underneath the dining room table, painting the underside, Sistine Chapel style, with two bottles of White-Out liquid paper and the little brushes that come with it.

They are all grown up now, and all three are uniquely gifted artists and art savvy beyond what I ever could have imagined.  All are gifted writers.  All are culturally literate beyond my leading.  One is a beautiful dancer and draws; one is a writer by vocation (and does things that combine math and art!); and one has a great blog, crochets, and creates in the kitchen. 

I still keep art supplies handy, for any children who happen along and also for me.  Sometimes a girl just needs to get out the crayons or the water colors and have some fun!

Friday Five: Resurrection Preview

RevGal Dorcas extends the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five invitation today by asking us to anticipate resurrection:  "List five ways that your life is moving toward light, joy, hope -- new things:  new ideas, new people, new hobbies ... and so on."  Thanks, Dorcas, for a glimpse of resurrection as Lent becomes ever more arduous.

I once was a towel and now look at me!

1.  New Food: Curry -- I'm looking forward to experimenting with curry recipes.  I think I was sort of promised some delicious recipes by a few RevGals on Twitter the other day, that may be wishful thinking talking.  Something called "red curry" sounded fascinating.  If I get lucky, some curry recipes or links will be left in the comments.

2.  New Idea:  Blog -- I am still working up a new blog inspired by B.E.4.0.  Lent has demanded pretty much all of my creative time and energy.  I'm hoping the season of Resurrection gives me some time to pursue that further.

3. New People: Hispanic friends -- Our Penn Northeast Conference UCC has several things going relating to the Hispanic community that is growing in and around Allentown.  It's a whole new set of people to enjoy!

4. New Activity: Writing Online -- I haven't written "the book" yet, but I am writing regularly at 750words.com.  It's been more regurgitation therapy than anything else so far.  I'm a total sucker for the rewards and stickers and such that you get by doing the work.  

5. New Ministries: Lots! -- We have a ton -- I mean a ton -- of kids and youth in, and orbiting around, our church.  I am looking diligently for the needed lay leadership emerging that could give us a real youth group.  We have building challenges that could lead us to rethink the way we do Sunday School, or perhaps a new building program may be in the works.  And some of the complaints that have been swirling may be answered with technology rather than trying to patch old wineskins like the church newsletter.