I've had a kind of growing sense that my thoughts don't quite fit with the Slow Travel blog theme. Slow Travellers are obviously a diverse lot with varied interests, but the Slow Travel focus and philosphy is (duh!) travel. And, as you will have noticed, my entries are rarely travel related! At this point in my life, my journeying is of a different kind...walking my faith path. The direction I have chosen is following a call to ministry, rather than following a call to far off places. Mind you, I am utterly determined to return to la bella Italia one of these days :), but future trips will be few and far between.

So I've decided to let this particular blog lie fallow for the time being, and have created a new blog on Blogger. I do have another reason for the switch, which is that it will be easier for me to share my photos and share things like videos (must confess I find it rather tedious uploading photos on this blog and had already been thinking of switching to Blogger.)

I expect the new site will have much the same content as this one...reflections on how I try to live out my faith, music, photos, etc...as well as silly memes and quizzes and other such nerdiness that I enjoy! I hope you will come and join me over on my new blog!!!

Ciao!
Anne :-)

Edited to add the link to my new blog...I am now posting HERE.

I was browsing through the United Church's Wonder Cafe site and came across the link to the following image. I find it very thought provoking...

I don't know about you, but I find it much easier to donate a few bucks to charity than to make an effort to get involved, than to stand up and speak out against injustice and poverty, than to change myself or be an agent of change in others. Statements like the one in this image help to shake me out of my complacency, and move me into a place of action. Art...tis a powerful tool.

Also came across this link for 366 Community Service Ideas. What a fantastic list of ways to get involved in our communities and share our time and talents with others. I sometimes find it hard to know where to start when I think about taking action...this will be a great starting place!

I cut and pasted these questions from somewhere...but now I can't remember where. Oh well...

[A is for age] 46

[B is for booze of choice] Wine or beer

[C is for career] Ministry (yeah, I know, I'm jumping the gun...first I have to finish my discernment period, go back to school for four years to obtain my MDiv, and then get some unsuspecting church somewhere to open their arms to my amazing self...)

[D is for your most dreaded] Paralysis

[E is for essential item you use everyday] Glasses (eye glasses, that is...not shot glasses!)

[F is for favourite song at the moment] Right now I am loving The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti & Spearhead...and On a Wing and a Prayer by Paul Rumbolt

[G is for favourite games] Auction 45s (card game), Cranium, Scattergories

[H is for hometown] Nova Scotia (I realize that's a province not a town, but it's the place I am attached to in that hometown sense.)

[I is for indulgence] Chocolate (duh...)

[J is for favourite flavor of juice] Welch's 100% Grape Juice (the purple kind, not the white...)

[K is for kids] I have two...they are really cool...think I'll keep them!

[L is for last hug] Moira or Kaleigh, or maybe Dave...don't recall the order of hugging this morning!

[M is for years of marriage] 23

[N is for name of your crush] Me! :-)

[O is for overnight hospital stays] Twice, when I had my babies.

[P is for phobias] Maggots...shudder...

[Q is for quote] ‎"May you reach out your hand in service and be blessed with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, to go out and do what others claim cannot be done." (From the Fast for Change website)

[R is for regret] I have none...every step taken, every choice made, has led me to where I am now, has shaped me into who I am now.

[S is for status, single or married] Married...and very happily so!

[T is for time you wake up] Reluctantly at 6:00 AM on weekdays...an hour or two later on days off.

[U is for underwear] Yup, wear it everyday...real underwear, that is, not butt-floss...

[V is for vegetables you love] Way too many to list them all...peas, corn-on-the-cob, asparagus, and on and on...

[W is for worst habit] Wasting time online! lol

[X is for x-rays] Do mammograms count? Oh wait, I did have an x-ray around age 13 when I sprained my elbow (in a spectacularly embarrassing bicycle accident!)

[Y is for yummy food you make] Lasagna, among other things

[Z is for zodiac sign] Aries

Prayer of Wonder

To wonder at the sweep of a whale
breaching the air from concealed depths;
Or gaze at the ripples and curves formed above
by a cloud of wings on the move,
Is to be breathless with praise for the radiance of life.

from Keri Wehlander's "Circles of Grace: Worship and Prayer in the Everyday." Toronto: United Church Publishing House, 1998
(Thanks to Valerie for posting the first verse of this prayer on Facebook. It was so beautiful, I had to look for more!)

Following is a small scattering of the wonders that leave me "breathless with praise for the radiance of life"...

This might help...

♫ "And that's the sound of sunshine
Coming down..." ♫

♫ "They say that miracles are never ceasing
and every little soul needs a little releasing" ♫

♫ "And that's the sound of sunshine
Coming down...
And that's the sound of sunshine
Coming down..." ♫

What a great message to hold in our hearts on International Day of Peace.

A reflection from the United Church of Canada website:

"Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not…do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble." Romans 14:19, 21

This Tuesday is the United Nations’ International Day of Peace—a day when people around the world celebrate and support local, national, and international efforts to end conflict and promote peace. When we think about people who are part of these efforts, we come up with the “big names”—the Nobel Peace Prize–winners, heads of state, treaty negotiators. It’s wonderful to celebrate their work, but we should also look closer to home.

What about the union leader and the management head who sit down before a crisis to figure out how to help each other? What about the woman who has just made her 100th Kiva loan, supporting educational and economic development in struggling communities? What about the mothers who stand together to say that the killing of all children must stop? What about the tween who overhears classmates making heterosexist jibes and says “Stop! Listen! Be!” How can we celebrate these peacemakers?

Can we push ourselves a little further—to find ways to work together and to help bring peace into the world?

Prayer
God of Love, Prince of Peace, Ever-Moving Spirit, thank you for this day of celebration and challenge. Thank you for your peace-bearers, your peacemakers, your peace-lovers. Help us listen. Help us act. Help us be your peace in a world that needs it. Amen.

My fellow blogger Barb posted a link on Facebook to a youtube video for Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen.

I've loved this song for many years, and was delighted to see the video link on FB. One of the comments left on this youtube video was: "You awaken my soul Mr.Cohen..." I echo that thought...Mr. Cohen does awaken the soul. I read that Cohen had this to say about about the song:

'Dance Me To The End Of Love' ... it's curious how songs begin because the origin of the song, every song, has a kind of grain or seed that somebody hands you or the world hands you and that's why the process is so mysterious about writing a song. But that came from just hearing or reading or knowing that in the death camps, beside the crematoria, in certain of the death camps, a string quartet was pressed into performance while this horror was going on, those were the people whose fate was this horror also. And they would be playing classical music while their fellow prisoners were being killed and burnt. So, that music, "Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin," meaning the beauty there of being the consummation of life, the end of this existence and of the passionate element in that consummation. But, it is the same language that we use for surrender to the beloved, so that the song -- it's not important that anybody knows the genesis of it, because if the language comes from that passionate resource, it will be able to embrace all passionate activity.

What a thought provoking statement: "it's not important that anybody knows the genesis of it, because if the language comes from that passionate resource, it will be able to embrace all passionate activity." I often feel that way about the language of the Bible. There have been times in the Cafe Soul gatherings at my church when other participants have been so tenaciously focussed on the historical accuracy of place and people that I have tuned out of the discussion. For me, it is not the literal facts of the stories, but the metaphors within, that inform my faith, shape my life, and lead me into deeper relationship with God and my community. I realize having a sense of the historical accuracy and background is often necessary in order to set the stories in a meaningful context...and to gain a sense of what is the universal grain of truth in the story. I acknowledge that history is a very important layer of our sacred story and yes, I am keen to explore it in my studies as a way of adding depth to my knowledge. But when in the presence of those who are intent on establishing literal *fact* to the exclusion of all else, I want to nudge them toward finding meaning in the myths in addition to simply pinning place names on a map or dates on a timeline.

After I wrote the above, I picked up the bible that was sitting on the table by my elbow, flipped a few pages and right away my eye caught this passage (Romans 12:2):

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Do I need to know the genesis of this language, know precisely when it was written and what was going on in Rome at the time in order for Paul's message to hold meaning? No. Instead I ask myself what do these words say to me...right now, in my world, in my lifetime? And, to me, it speaks about not conforming to the social structures, the divisions, the materiality of the world...but instead trying to live in right relationship with each other and with God. What is "good and acceptable and perfect" surely cannot be the current status quo of our broken world...massive accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of the few, while far too many others live in extreme poverty. Which imbalance drives pretty much all of the violence and injustice in the world, in my opinion. I don't have the solution to resetting our status quo...but the first step for me is to open myself to change. I think one of the biggest hurdles is that feeling of being helpless...that feeling of what can I possibly do that would make a difference? I keep reminding myself that every small act counts. So instead of being paralyzed into inaction, I offer what I can of my time, my money, my talents. I answer God's call to ministry (although I realize a path involving church is not for everyone...especially the atheists in our midst, like my husband!) But there are innumerable ways to make a difference in our world...we just need to move ourselves to action of some kind.

Pause before making that next "want to have" purchase, and think about what that amount of money could do for a village in a developing country or for those who have lost everything to disaster...instead of spending an evening at the movies, go serve at a soup kitchen...get involved in a charity drive at work...join Kiva and make small loans that transform lives...join Amnesty International and work to protect human rights...support any number of organizations that provide aid and support to people close to home and around the world...offer to paint a local shelter...lead a youth group and find yourself transformed by their enthusiasm, generosity and passion for making our world a better place. The steps we can take toward changing the status quo are endless and varied.

Let your soul be awakened. Let your light shine.
Go make a difference in the world!

I sometimes share here the Thursday Thoughts my friend sends out to our congregation each week. Her thoughts are sometimes funny, sometimes serious...and almost always move me in one way or another, either leading me into reflection or into action...or both!

Her email this week contains particularly powerful and profound message:

Good morning,

As I sat in the living room this morning with my cup of coffee and listened to the news I felt a certain sense of shame. The main story was about the Christian community in the United States who have been planning a burn the Qu’ran event for this Saturday, the anniversary of 9/11. At that moment I could not help but wonder what this says to the world about Christianity and I felt like yelling that is not what Christ would want. Yet this is the picture of Christianity that gets front line news over and over again. While many of the world leaders, including Stephen Harper, have denounced this action I have yet to hear the voice of the many Christian communities who would find this appalling. An action such as the burning of the Qu’ran flies in the face of everything that we believe as followers of Christ. Such actions demean our faith and are not true to the gospel. Our sacred story is filled with images of acceptance, inclusion, love, compassion, justice and that is what we are to be about. It is our responsibility, as those who follow the Christ, to speak out against such acts of violence and until we do the only thing that is presented to the world is a very warped view of our faith. That anyone could use Christianity as a tool for hatred should cause us outrage! The Qu’ran is the sacred scripture of the Muslim people and within its pages there can be found amazing and wonderful teachings, not unlike what we read each week from our own. We are closely connected, although many do not want to admit it, through our shared story and the Power that makes us one. We are brothers and sisters.

My prayer this day is that the God who clothes creation in love might mend each rift and strengthen each seam, that threads of hope and strands of healing may be woven through our communities.

Blessings
Valerie

We are all brothers and sisters, regardless of religious or other beliefs...let us actively weave those "threads of hope and strands of healing" into our communities, and remember always to care for and support one another, and actively speak out against the actions of those who spew hate in the name of Christ and create deep rifts in the fabric of our world.

On a related note...I came across a UCCan document called "Mending the World: An Ecumenical Vision for Healing and Reconciliation" (there's a link to it on this page). The Prelude goes thus:

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel used to tell the story that when God, the Holy One, gets up in the morning, God gathers the angels of heaven around and asks this simple question: “Where does my creation need mending today?” And then Rabbi Heschel would continue, “Theology consists of worrying about what God worries about when God gets up in the morning.”

Margaret Atwood writes, “The facts of this world seen clearly are seen through tears; why tell me then there is something wrong with my eyes?”

“As [Jesus] came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!’” (Luke 19)

We hold the conviction that the world is at the centre of God’s concern. In the words of the Psalmist, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it, the world and they who dwell therein.” (24:1) The world is at risk because there are those who, refusing to see through tears, seek dominion and use the instruments of military, economic, political and cultural power to that end. God, who sees clearly through tears, is grieved by the estrangement of God’s children from one another and from the created order. God works, at the beginning of the day as at the end, for the mending of creation.

Life in the “whole inhabited earth” (oikoumene) is life in relationship. We are bound up with one another and with the world of nature—not just our kinfolk, or our kind.

We are thus led to speak of “whole world ecumenism,” naming the search for justice for God’s creatures and healing for God’s creation as the church’s first priority, and joining with other persons of good will in the search for justice, wholeness and love.

Our passion for the transformation of the world is rooted in our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. God, who is absolute love, mercy and justice, yearns for mending of creation, calling us to see the world through God’s tears, and to bend ourselves as church to the task of “worrying about what God worries about when God gets up in the morning.”

Today I am deeply grateful for those who speak out with love and compassion, who promote peace and justice and wholeness, who shine a blazing light amidst the darkness of those who use Christianity as a weapon.

Way back when...my Sara had given me the promise of a watercolour painting for my birthday. All I needed to do was tell her what I wanted her to paint for me. Seems simple enough, except I couldn't think of just the right subject for a long time! But then one day I found the perfect scene. I posted the following entry in June called Old friends :

I sent Sara the above photo and said this is the one!! But then I got thinking about the last time I had been reminded of that S&G song. It was during our daytrip to Twillingate last year when we were in Newfoundland with Valerie and her family:

So I asked Sara if she would paint the scene with the draping trees in the Public Gardens, but instead of two men, could she paint me and Valerie sitting on the bench. And so she did, adding her own little touches, like painting us both in our purple jeans (why yes...yes, we do have matching purple jeans...apparently all the other matching things I wrote about here weren't enough! lol)

Isn't it a beautiful work of art? I just love it. How blessed I am to have such a generous and talented daughter to create such amazing gifts for me. ♥

Another tasty tip from my department's Wellness Committee...

>>> SNSMRWELLNESS 8/19/2010 11:18 AM >>>
Gardeners know that growing garlic is easy and fun and that when the tops begin to die down, its ready to harvest. Research suggests that foods belonging to garlics allium family of vegetables--including onions, scallions, leeks and chives--may protect against stomach cancer; garlic in particular may decrease ones chances of developing colorectal cancer.

Whether you grow garlic in your yard or in a pot on the window sill, try this recipe when it's ready to harvest and see which is more outstanding - the benefits or the taste!

Creamy Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup

You can prepare the roasted garlic up to 1 day before you cook this soup.

1 medium head garlic, cloves unpeeled but papery outer skin removed
½ tsp. plus 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium leeks (about 1 1/3 cups), white part only, washed and sliced
½ to 1 tsp. dried thyme (1 ½ to 3 tsp. fresh)
Salt, to taste
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 lb. (about 3 ½ cups) coarsely chopped, fresh cauliflower
3 cups low fat, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (12 oz.) fat-free evaporated milk or 12 oz. of rice or soy milk
4 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off ½-inch slice from top of head of garlic. Place on sheet of foil. Drizzle ½ tsp. oil on top of garlic. Roast 45 to 55 minutes, or until cloves are soft. Let cool 5 minutes. Squeeze garlic from skin directly into small bowl. Mash with fork and set aside. In large saucepan, heat 2 tsp. oil over medium heat. Add leeks, thyme, salt, and white pepper. Cook, stirring, 6 to 8 minutes, or until leeks are translucent but not browned. Stir in roasted garlic. Cook 30 seconds. Add cauliflower, broth, and milk. Over medium-high heat, bring to gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender. Let cook 5 to 10 minutes.

Using blender or food processor, purée half of cauliflower and 1 cup cooking liquid until smooth. Pour into medium bowl. Repeat process with remaining cauliflower and 1 cup liquid. Stir purée back into saucepan. Reheat if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese. Serves 6

Per serving: 114 calories, 3 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat), 15 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, 2 g dietary fibre, 432 mg sodium.

The Wellness Committee
http://snsmrwellness.ednet.ns.ca/

I was just browsing the threads on SlowTalk, and a post by LisaF in the Blogging Talk section caught my eye. Lisa has a new blog called Life is Good. I clicked over and the first entry I saw was one called It's the Little Things, about the little things she loves about Rome. Well - be still my heart - ROME!!! Many of the things she loves strike a chord in me...the shrines, late night walks, watching the Vespas, wondering what's behind those doorways...sigh, I wish I was returning to Rome in November, like Lisa! What also caught my eye was her photo...as soon as I saw it, I thought hey, I've seen that shrine!! So I had a look through my albums and voilà, there it was, with a caption indicating that it is in the Lateran area...

I have finally gotten around to reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It's been sitting on my dresser for...I don't know, probably a year or so. Each time I am browsing through my stack, deciding what to read next, I pick it up, read the blurb on the back and think meh, not right now. Then the movie came out and I discovered that I really wanted to see it (which was strange given my lukewarm feelings for the book and my being not-so-much a fan of Julia Roberts.) Valerie and I went last weekend, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. We laughed, we cried...it is a movie we will both watch again. And after this experience, I was inspired to read the book. I haven't finished it yet, but much of Liz's personal journey is resonating with me. Not her depression because I've never experienced that myself...but her scattered thoughts and insecurities and searching for inner peace and stillness...those things I know!

In the first part of the book, Liz goes to Rome. I adore reading anything that is in any way related to Italy, so my heart sung along with the rhythm of this section...the descriptions of place, culture, language...relationships. Of friendship, Liz writes:

"we just learned the other day that un'amica stretta means "a close friend." But stretta literally means tight, as in clothing, like a tight skirt. So a close friend, in Italian, is one that you can wear tightly, snug against your skin and that is what my little Swedish friend Sofie is becoming to me."

Oh what a beautiful and perfect expression to describe the intertwining of two souls in friendship...I am blessed to have un'amica stretta in my life, and for this, I am deeply and profoundly grateful!

Here is a "self-portrait" that Valerie snapped of us on one of our friend dates...sitting by the fire, talking for hours, indulging in much laughter and silliness...weaving yet another thread into our shared tapestry:

And one of my favourite photos of my beautiful friend, one I took of her playing her guitar one evening at the camper (before our campground neighbours drifted over to join our singalong!)

I am grateful to share a corner of the world with deer. They are very common in Nova Scotia, but I still get a thrill whenever I see them, on the side of the road, or a field across the way, or especially in my very own backyard. They are such lovely and peaceful creatures, with their big liquid eyes and aura of stillness.

Deer

like you the valley
grows gentle around them

~ Elizabeth Reninger

I just got this recipe by email from our departmental Wellness Committee, and it sounds so delicious, I thought I'd share it with y'all...

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, dark green and orange fruits such as cantaloupe, kiwi, mango, and oranges are particularly rich in phytochemicals such as lutein and beta-carotene; red fruits such as pomegranate contain phytochemicals like lycopene and anthocyanins. These phytochemicals provide a protective benefit from cancer.

Whether or not they’re beneficial, the ingredients in the recipe below combine to make a light and refreshing salad for hot summer days.

Pomegranate Salad
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
2 medium bunches arugula, rinsed well and thick stems removed
2 firm but ripe pears, halved, cored and each cut into 6 wedges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)
½ cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 medium pomegranate)
18 rinsed and dried leaves of Bostan, Bibb, or green-leaf lettuce (optional)

In small bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil and mustard. In salad bowl, place arugula and pears. Toss with just enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta, pecans (if using), and pomegranate seeds, and serve. Serves 6.

Per serving: 92 calories, 5 g. total diet fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 14 g. carbohydrate, less than 1 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fibre, 9 mg. sodium.

For more information on cancer prevention, visit Nova Scotia’s page at www.cancer.ca and click on Prevention (at the top of the page).

I'm singing a solo in church this coming Sunday...a song I've never heard before. I'm not really sure when the word "no" vanished from my vocabulary...I seem to be agreeing to just about anything these days! Although it's funny how differently I feel from the first time I sang a solo...it seemed like such a big deal...now, not so much. Solo? New (to me) song? Yeah sure, no problem!

My choir director invited me to swing by her place tomorrow on my way home from work, but I figured I'd get the book this evening and see if I could get a handle on the melody first. So I stopped into my church on the way home today to pick up a copy of More Voices (the song is #169 "When Hands Reach Out Beyond Divides" if anyone is familiar with MV). As I expected, there was nobody at the church when I arrived, but I have a key so I let myself in. I signed out my choir book (first things first because I am easily distracted!) and then went into the sanctuary. Part of the reason I stopped by the church in the first place was because I wanted to sit in the sanctuary...I love being alone in that space, and I just felt like I needed to be there today.

The ceiling fans were whispering, the building creaked from time to time, but otherwise the place was utterly silent and still. I walked up and sat in the front pew...and started to cry. (Not to worry, I'm ok, just have some things laying very heavily on my heart these days and tears are a good release for me.) Eventually I had to get up and go look for a kleenex...to no avail. Sigh...maybe it's just me but it seems like a church should have an ample supply of tissues on hand. I suppose nobody thinks of it, unless in need of one themselves...at which time, one is not necessarily in the right emotional state to run to the store. Maybe we need a kleenex committee! Perhaps I'll just go buy a bunch of boxes and donate them. Oh well...between sleeves and toilet paper, my tears were wiped away and I returned to the sanctuary. One of the things I discovered today is that the sound of sniffling and sobbing is really loud in the empty sanctuary...I mean really loud. So loud that I felt self-conscious about my noise even though I was the only one in the building!

But the really interesting and neat thing I discovered is that after lying on your back in the front pew and looking straight up for a long time, the vaulted ceiling takes on a whole different perspective...an Escher-esque feel, in fact. Hard to describe, but when I finally roused myself and turned my head, the big window at the front of the sanctuary seemed out of kilter with my *reality*. It was very disorienting and gave me the weirdest feeling for a couple seconds until things realigned in my brain.

I took this photo with my cell phone to try to capture the strange impression:

The part of the ceiling along the top of the photo had felt like a regular flat ceiling while I was looking up from the pew...and I was looking up long enough that by the time I turned my head, my brain expected the window to be perpendicular to that surface. As I say, it was a strangely disorienting feeling when it was, of course, aligned with the spine of the vaulted ceiling and not with the surface that seemed flat from my perspective.

This is what the window looks like this from the standard upright perspective:

I suppose this is not unlike life in general...often a new perspective makes a huge difference. Sometimes I think I need to look at things straight on more often...but then again, looking from a slanted angle can reveal something new, that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. Besides, if I suddenly became straightforward, how would my family and friends recognize me? ;)