When I was a young girl a favorite pastime was to walk with my mother through the old neighborhoods of town. We liked to find the older houses, many of them very run down and abandoned, and imagine how we would fix them up and make them beautiful, happy places again. There was a certain charm about them that is lost in the newer architecture, the high ceilings, porches, rooms off of rooms. There is a comfortable feel about them, stately and elegant but also peaceful and settled. The thought that they might be haunted only added to their appeal. We imagined ourselves to be the elegant ladies-of-the-house, picking bouquets of beautiful fragrant flowers from extensive gardens, serving lemonade to guests out on the front porch on a warm summer evening, cuddling with a love by a fire in the parlor on a cold winter night. All very romantic, but the truth of it is that restoring an old home is very expensive and hard work. Those that have done it sometimes wonder if it is worth it. It is quite easy for me to say, as one having never had that job, yes it is worth it. To me it is as though an old house is a living thing with a story to tell of cherished memories, the joys and heartache of life itself. Letting a house decay to ruin is almost like saying everything that happened there can be lost and forgotten.
There is a parallel to people. There is a certain charm about “antique” people, a comfortable feel about them, sometimes stately and elegant, but almost always peaceful and settled. Their very lives and histories are marvelous stories of joys and heartaches, challenges we can’t even imagine. Old people know who they are, they have learned how to do this complicated thing called “living” and how to do it well. They know how to recover from tragedy and overcome mistakes. They have much to offer, much to teach. But only to those who are willing to listen.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
To be like Him
Thirty plus years ago I was with a group of friends and someone posed the question, “What kind of carpenter was Jesus?” There were basically two schools of thought: one group thought He probably wasn’t a very good carpenter because His thoughts were on more lofty and divine things and the things of this world, wood and furniture, weren’t really that important to Him in the grand scheme of things. The others held that He would have been a very fine carpenter, with an intimate knowledge and understanding of each individual piece of wood, having created it, and that His desire for the raw materials would be to make it into the most beautiful and functional piece, thus helping it fulfill the measure of its creation. It was interesting to see which of my friends were in which group. The musicians and philosophers were in the first, the artists and craftsmen in the second. I noticed that each group projected their own values onto Jesus Christ.
That discussion gave me an interesting insight into the way we, individually, view the Savior. We tend to want Him to be like we are rather than wanting us to be like He is; sometimes we can even make Him too familiar, speaking of Him casually and personally, bringing Him to our level rather than keeping Him elevated with Godly status and humbly seeking to elevate ourselves closer to Him. We each desire a personal relationship with the Savior; let's make it on His terms, not our own.
Have a happy Sabbath and enjoy your worship today!
That discussion gave me an interesting insight into the way we, individually, view the Savior. We tend to want Him to be like we are rather than wanting us to be like He is; sometimes we can even make Him too familiar, speaking of Him casually and personally, bringing Him to our level rather than keeping Him elevated with Godly status and humbly seeking to elevate ourselves closer to Him. We each desire a personal relationship with the Savior; let's make it on His terms, not our own.
Have a happy Sabbath and enjoy your worship today!
Friday, March 13, 2009
values
My job with the school district provides quite a variety of new experiences for me as I am available to any school, elementary through high school (including a few charter schools), in several areas from the office and library to the classroom, kindergarten to special ed.
Recently I was called in to the ISS (in-school suspension) class at a middle school. I supervised six students who were assigned there for the day (some of them several days) for various infractions from truancy to fighting. One 7th-grader I’ll call “Pete” was there for stealing a bike. He didn’t want to walk home from school one day so swiped a bike from the bike rack and rode home.
I was astonished that he hadn’t thought through the inevitable consequences of his actions before he chose to do what he did. He is a sweet kid and seemed to need to talk, totally against ISS rules, but I could imagine how that last hour of 5 days of suspension would drag, so I entertained his questions.
“Have you ever murdered anybody?”
“No; I would be in prison, certainly not here in school with you!”
“Have you ever witnessed a murder?”
“No.”
“Have you ever been in juvie hall?”
“No.”
“Have you ever been in ISS?”
“When I was in school it was called detention, and no, I was never in detention.”
“Have you ever been on a jury?”
“Yes.” And I shared with him my experience on a jury for an aggravated assault case.
This seemed like an unusual line of questioning from a 7th-grader, even one with a “record” of sorts. He explained, “When my mom was a teenager she was sentenced to 12 years in prison for being an accessory to murder—her boyfriend murdered someone.”
And now I saw the bigger picture. In my somewhat sheltered life I have taken for granted the values I’ve been taught; I assume others have similar values, or at least some basic values. The sad thing is I don’t know if “Pete” really learned anything from his experience. If he did, I hope it was more than just, “I’ll be more careful not to get caught next time.”
Recently I was called in to the ISS (in-school suspension) class at a middle school. I supervised six students who were assigned there for the day (some of them several days) for various infractions from truancy to fighting. One 7th-grader I’ll call “Pete” was there for stealing a bike. He didn’t want to walk home from school one day so swiped a bike from the bike rack and rode home.
I was astonished that he hadn’t thought through the inevitable consequences of his actions before he chose to do what he did. He is a sweet kid and seemed to need to talk, totally against ISS rules, but I could imagine how that last hour of 5 days of suspension would drag, so I entertained his questions.
“Have you ever murdered anybody?”
“No; I would be in prison, certainly not here in school with you!”
“Have you ever witnessed a murder?”
“No.”
“Have you ever been in juvie hall?”
“No.”
“Have you ever been in ISS?”
“When I was in school it was called detention, and no, I was never in detention.”
“Have you ever been on a jury?”
“Yes.” And I shared with him my experience on a jury for an aggravated assault case.
This seemed like an unusual line of questioning from a 7th-grader, even one with a “record” of sorts. He explained, “When my mom was a teenager she was sentenced to 12 years in prison for being an accessory to murder—her boyfriend murdered someone.”
And now I saw the bigger picture. In my somewhat sheltered life I have taken for granted the values I’ve been taught; I assume others have similar values, or at least some basic values. The sad thing is I don’t know if “Pete” really learned anything from his experience. If he did, I hope it was more than just, “I’ll be more careful not to get caught next time.”
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
hero of the day
Isaac participated in his first swim meet yesterday. He is a new freshman on the high school swim team. Season practice started 3 weeks ago and after the first day he wasn’t sure he could handle it. It didn’t help being out sick three days the following week. But he persevered and got stronger every day. Just a week ago he decided to train to dive. The team hasn’t had a diver for several years so everyone was thrilled he was willing to give it a shot. The coach worked with him all week, teaching him the six dives he’d need for competition. He’s been on the trampoline since he could crawl, so he learned the dives quickly, amazing his team mates and the coaches.
At the meets, divers compete in the middle of the swim events, giving the swimmers a break to rest. They lowered the board, moved aside the lane markers, and the announcer boomed over the loud speaker for everyone to turn their cell phones completely off. They announced Isaac’s name and his school. He was the only diver. As he approached the board for each of the six dives the entire room grew still and quiet, all eyes on him. He took his position and stopped a moment to play it out in his mind. Then his arms poised as he gently bounced; the “thwup” of the board broke the silence and he was airborne. Each dive was characterized by a prescribed series of twists, turns, and somersaults before his sleek and agile body slid into the water with an ever-so-slight splash. The crowd broke into cheers and applause and then four judges revealed their decisions. When it was all over his team-mates rallied around him with high-fives and pats on the back. And I could finally breathe again. I for one was terribly impressed and in awe of him. That was MY son!
PS He also swam in two events and his school won the meet!
At the meets, divers compete in the middle of the swim events, giving the swimmers a break to rest. They lowered the board, moved aside the lane markers, and the announcer boomed over the loud speaker for everyone to turn their cell phones completely off. They announced Isaac’s name and his school. He was the only diver. As he approached the board for each of the six dives the entire room grew still and quiet, all eyes on him. He took his position and stopped a moment to play it out in his mind. Then his arms poised as he gently bounced; the “thwup” of the board broke the silence and he was airborne. Each dive was characterized by a prescribed series of twists, turns, and somersaults before his sleek and agile body slid into the water with an ever-so-slight splash. The crowd broke into cheers and applause and then four judges revealed their decisions. When it was all over his team-mates rallied around him with high-fives and pats on the back. And I could finally breathe again. I for one was terribly impressed and in awe of him. That was MY son!
PS He also swam in two events and his school won the meet!
Monday, March 9, 2009
possum and sweet taters
You may remember the state project we began last July in honor of Independence Day. We choose one state a week, drawing randomly from a jar, and each Monday cook foods typical of, or originating from, that state. It has been a fun project and we have tried many new and interesting dishes from all over our great nation. The internet is a valuable resource for recipes as is a cookbook from the Culinary Arts Institute “The FIFTY STATES Cookbook” published in 1977. It contains this recipe from Tennessee:
Possum and Sweet Taters
1 opossum
salt
1 quart water
4 slices bacon
bread stuffing
8 small sweet potatoes
1) Scald opossum in lye water and scrape off the hair, taking care not to break skin. Dress whole, leaving head and tail. Rinse thoroughly. Rub inside and out with salt; let stand in cool place overnight.
2) Place breast up in a roaster and add water. Place bacon across breast; cover roaster.
3) Bake at 350F 45 minutes.
4) Fill opossum with bread stuffing moistened with juices from roaster; surround with sweet potatoes.
5) Bake uncovered until opossum is very tender and well browned (about 1 hour). Allow 1/3 pound per person.
Bread Stuffing: soak 4 slices white bread in cold water and squeeze dry. Using fork, lightly toss with a mixture of 1 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and ¼ tsp poultry seasoning. Mix in 1 tsp chopped parsley and 1 tsp grated onion. Add 2 tsp melted butter and 1 slightly beaten egg and toss until thoroughly mixed.
As we always do, I reviewed some possible recipes with my children a week before our Tennessee meal. They seemed relieved that opossum isn’t “indigenous to these parts”; we chose “Chicken Pie with Sweet Potato Crust” instead. But I am curious to know how the opossum dish would taste, so if any of you are up to giving it a try, let me know!
Possum and Sweet Taters
1 opossum
salt
1 quart water
4 slices bacon
bread stuffing
8 small sweet potatoes
1) Scald opossum in lye water and scrape off the hair, taking care not to break skin. Dress whole, leaving head and tail. Rinse thoroughly. Rub inside and out with salt; let stand in cool place overnight.
2) Place breast up in a roaster and add water. Place bacon across breast; cover roaster.
3) Bake at 350F 45 minutes.
4) Fill opossum with bread stuffing moistened with juices from roaster; surround with sweet potatoes.
5) Bake uncovered until opossum is very tender and well browned (about 1 hour). Allow 1/3 pound per person.
Bread Stuffing: soak 4 slices white bread in cold water and squeeze dry. Using fork, lightly toss with a mixture of 1 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and ¼ tsp poultry seasoning. Mix in 1 tsp chopped parsley and 1 tsp grated onion. Add 2 tsp melted butter and 1 slightly beaten egg and toss until thoroughly mixed.
As we always do, I reviewed some possible recipes with my children a week before our Tennessee meal. They seemed relieved that opossum isn’t “indigenous to these parts”; we chose “Chicken Pie with Sweet Potato Crust” instead. But I am curious to know how the opossum dish would taste, so if any of you are up to giving it a try, let me know!
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