Sometimes I just stumble on something that I take for granted and suddenly realize that the kids have never seen, heard, smelled, tasted, encountered or ever thought about it.Like a famous line from an old movie. Just the other day, one of the girls had a friend over who had to work on some Latin translation. Her assignment was a speech by Spartacus. I stood up and said, “I’m Spartacus!” “No! I’m Spartacus!” The kids all stared at me like I was nuts; they had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to explain to them the famous scene, all those guys standing up for their hero. I should have just found the clip for them, but the friend had to conjugate some verbs and I didn’t want to distract her.I don’t mind distracting you, however, so if you’ve never seen the scene, I did manage to dig it up at this website. (It loops around after a gruff, bearded little cartoon guy pops up and growls something unintelligible for about a half-second.)Anyway, the other day, I said to the kids that I was feelin’ groovy. Then I started singing “The 59th Street Bridge Song.” ”That’s nice,” they said. “What is it?”"What is it?” And I realized with a gasp, Oh my heavens, they’ve never even heard of Simon & Garfunkel!And really, no one should go through life without hearing a few Simon & Garfunkel songs.So I found some YouTube clips of Simon & Garfunkel performing that very song. I decided to share those short videos with you today. I can’t help but smile, as they remind us to slow down and relax. Now I warn you, if you haven’t heard this one for a while, it’ll stick in your head, and if you don’t want to be humming “slow down, you move too fast/got to make the morning last,” well, don’t click. It’s been dancing around in my mind ever since it came up the other day. I’ve been “dootin’ doo-dooing” now and then while driving and blogging, which doesn’t bother the kids or me, but we’re pretty silly over here. It might get old for your household.I like this version, except the intense red lighting doesn’t really fit the mood or theme of the song. But, hey, it was 1967, and everyone was so laid back, so groovy, that I suppose nobody was thinking much about the lighting.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoWF2YalYvI&feature=related]Here they are about a decade-and-a-half after that, still lookin’ and soundin’ groovy, still using just a guitar for accompaniment in this simple rendition with minimal lighting changes.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdRTI7FYqUc&feature=related]And because I’m getting a little carried away with YouTube, here they are maybe a decade after that (maybe the ’90s?), still as groovy as ever. They got a much more involved production this time around, with fun lighting and a lot more musical accompaniment, including a guy blowing into a bizarre accordian-like instrument.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya1Xx-lD-fw]Every version exudes a kind of carefree happiness, but I think I like the simpler versions best.
A Couple of Flourishing, Contemplative Moms
Check out Andrea’s interview with me over at Flourishing Mother.Andrea and I chat about life as a contemplative mom, getting kids out in nature to connect with God better, and practical ideas for communing with Jesus.And if you haven’t entered my Bloggy Giveaway for a chance at winning a copy of my book, The Contemplative Mom, why, you’d best stop by and do that first.Then head on over to Flourishing Mother for the interview.See you there!
Bloggy Giveaway and Other Fun
** IMPORTANT UPDATE **I’m so impressed with the response to my book giveaway–thank you for your interest and great comments! I’ve decided to accept entries until 4:00 p.m. this Saturday, February 2. I’ll hold the drawing shortly thereafter. How was your Monday? Was it really so miserable that nobody had anything fun to share?Of course, I understand that springing it on you late in the day like I did may have caught you off guard. And I also understand if life just isn’t very fun for you. I’m very sorry if you couldn’t even smile about something yesterday. Here–this is for you:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8jqRZHUW8]And if you just forgot to smile or laugh yesterday, or nothing was really very funny, then this card is for you.What I suspect, however, is that many of you were actually having a ton of fun exploring the many Bloggy Giveaway offerings popping up all over blogdom.And so today, because I forgot to do it yesterday while I was so busy laughing and doodling and figuring out Mr. Linky, I’m posting my own little Bloggy Giveaway. It’s a repeat of last season’s:Your very own copy of my book, The Contemplative Mom. You can enjoy it yourself or wrap it up as a gift for the weary and heavy-laden mom in your life.This is open to all readers, not just stateside, as I know that some of my Internet friends log on from overseas. I’ll probably choose media mail to ship it, because I’m not only contemplative; I’m also kind of cheap.The winner will be drawn sometime this weekend. I haven’t decided precisely when. I’ll come back and update this post when we get closer and let you know the time and day.Enter by leaving a comment (include an e-mail or some means of contacting you). Be sure to add some thought (could be fun, creative, deep, or contemplative) to your comment instead of just typing out your name and contact information; it makes the whole process so much more, well, fun.I’ll select a number randomly to determine the winner.I hope your Tuesday is a fun day, too. If it isn’t, it will be after you view some of the cute (and free) and creative items people are offering, so head on over and check it out.
Monday FunDay
Not long ago, I generated a list of ways to feel young again. Today, I got to thinking about another list of simple little ways to inject some fun into the day–for families and anyone else who feels winter-dreary.And then, I thought, Hey, what better day than Monday–when people feel a little blue–to try to have some fun? So today, I would like to introduce:[Insert cute button designed and offered for free by a creative, generous (and fun!) reader to replace the following:]
Monday FunDay
Oh, yes, people. In an unexpected and uncharacteristic move, Ann Kroeker will celebrate the first-ever Monday FunDay by implementing, also for the first time ever, text color and even…{gasp}….multiple exclamation points!Here’s how it works.It’s Monday. Everybody’s back to work and feeling a little droopy. To snap out of it, think about how you can make Monday a Fun Day–and then share with us what you are going to do (or already did).Because it’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how.Let’s encourage each other with some good, clean, simple, everyday fun. If it’s inexpensive, that’s bonus. Write it up in a post at your blog, then link back (using Mr. Linky), and we’ll collect some great fun ideas in one place.On Sunday nights, you’ll go to bed having something to look forward to!Here are a few general ideas I came up with, just to get us started. But you can be super-specific.
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Laugh! They say that it’s good for your health in many ways such as relieving stress and pain, and strengthening your immune system. But it’s also just plain fun. Think through the last few days–has the household felt a bit serious or negative? Try to get everybody laughing. Knock-knock…
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Smile! Okay, so you can’t manage to muster up a big belly laugh? How about just a smile? It’s almost as good as laughter for reducing stress and boosting the immune system, according to this doctor. When you smile, people smile back. That’s fun. (Bonus: It makes you more attractive and look younger!)
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Draw! Or doodle. Or scribble. One way or another, create some silly pictures for a few minutes. My dad used to draw little stick people in precarious situations–they made me giggle. My grandma used to draw squiggly smiley faces with swirly hair long before the smiley face was standardized. They added fun to her notes. Create a little visual fun, and then post your favorites in your blog.
What are specific ways you like to have fun? Share something you’ve done (or will do) to make Monday a Fun Day!Instructions for Mr. Linky:1. After you’ve typed up your Monday FunDay addition and posted it at your blog, come back here and click on Mr. Linky to add your link.2. A window will prompt you to type in your name. Type in your name or blog name, and in parenthesis, include a two- or three-word “teaser” for your idea. Something like this:Ann K (sugar cube mania)3. Below that is a spot for you to paste in the url of your post. Copy the url for your own Monday FunDay idea and paste it in (including the http:// part of it).That’s it! It should be saved by Mr. Linky and appear back at this post.Next time your coworker or neighbor complains about how depressing Mondays are, send them here, to discover ways that they can make their Mondays…funner.
Look Me in the Eyes
Usually it’s the mom who insists, “Look me in the eyes.”But sometimes it’s the other way around. You see, at our house, it’s one of my children who insists on eye contact.When The Boy was younger and asked me a question, I would sometimes respond without looking at him if I were busy in the kitchen or working at my computer. No matter how mundane the request (“Mama? Can I get a drink of water?”), he wanted me looking straight at him.So he would say, “Mama?”And I would answer, “Yes?” And if I wasn’t looking at him, he would repeat Mama? as if I never answered. He would get louder, in case I didn’t hear him, but his tone wasn’t angry–just determined to get my full attention.In fact, this could go back and forth quite a bit until I actually pulled away from browning the ground beef or staring at the computer screen and finally looked at him.”Mama?”"Mm hm?”"Mama?”"Yes?”"Mama?”"Yes?”"Look at me, Mama.”When I finally turned to him, looked straight into his big, brown eyes, and said Yes?, he would finally pose his question.”Mama, what are we having for dinner?”Sometimes he would go so far as to gently take hold of my face and turn it toward him. He wanted to be sure we connected. He wanted to eliminate distractions. He wanted my full attention.And why shouldn’t he have it? Why shouldn’t I give it? To him, or anyone else?My son instinctively understood from an early age how important it is to connect, and he figured out how to train his mother to do what his mother should have been modeling to him. I used to be very good at making eye contact, but by the time I was the multi-tasking mother of four, I’d gotten used to folding laundry, listening for a sleepy infant to wake from a nap, tying somebody’s shoes and talking on the phone all at the same time. Eye contact wasn’t necessary to accomplish all the tasks at hand.But what a loss.Thankfully, my boy has retrained me to make eye contact with people. I think I’m pretty good at it again, thanks to his gentle, daily reminders. In fact, his natural skills and expertise in this area have prompted me to organize an Emotional Intelligence conference later this year, where he will be leading several breakout sessions. You can reserve space in advance–leave me a note in the comments, and I’ll be sure to save you a spot.Seriously, though, I was thinking about how simple this is–to stop whatever I’m doing, turn to the person, and look him or her in the eyes.It’s so simple, but makes such a huge difference in how we relate. And how very sad that my son had to resort to turning me to him in order to secure my full attention.He reminded me of this tangible act of love and respect that I can easily practice with everybody in my life. By simply turning to a person, looking him or her in the eye and giving my full attention, I can encourage the kind of human connection that makes anybody and everybody feel heard and understood.As if that weren’t enough to ponder, I made a leap today when I was thinking about it…a leap to how the distraction of the day affects my relationship with the Lord in much the same way.When I attempt to connect in prayer, do I truly turn to Him, or do I keep half an eye on the computer screen? Does my mind wander? How often do I give Him my full attention? Have I gotten distracted or allowed multi-tasking to keep me only half-connected to the Lord?”Ann?”"Mm hm?”"Ann?”"Yes?”“Ann?”Do I give Him my full attention? Or does He need to gently take hold of my face and turn me to Him?”Look at me, Ann.”Because Jesus was really good at making eye contact. Here, here, here, and here are just a few stories that capture a moment when Jesus made direct eye contact with somebody.Where are my eyes? Where’s my attention? Where’s my focus? What will it take for me to fully engage with the Lord?Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR0LiRiz4l4]“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” (Michael W. Smith)
Small Changes, Big Impact
One of my many magazines came in the mail the other day, and as I flipped through, I stopped on a small report on how airlines are trying to do small things to lessen their impact.American Airlines added some kind of wingtip extensions to its 737s that should save a lot of fuel–up to 290,000 gallons per plane annually, according to this little article (from Body+Soul magazine). That sounds like an interesting engineering and design innovation–somebody started thinking outside the box.Delta Airlines started an onboard recycling program on domestic flights to all hubs, and in the first four months, collected 4.1 million aluminum cans, 8.2 tons of newspapers, and 12.9 tons of plastics. My only thought on that was, “You’re kidding me…you mean to tell me they only just started doing this?”Please, airlines, think of how huge of an impact you can make! Could you all please follow Delta’s lead and start recycling? Maybe all of that aluminum from Delta’s recycling program can be reformed to make more winglets for American Airlines’ 747s?Finally, I had seen this elsewhere, but the article also reported that Virgin Atlantic will test sustainable fuel sources on one of its Boeing jets. That’s great, because we’ve all heard that airlines are consuming startling amounts of fuel to zip us all around the globe.But get this little gem: Virgin also came up with an immediate way to reduce fuel consumption and cut aircraft emissions on the ground by more than 50 percent. Want to know how? By towing planes closer to the runway.I love this.It’s so simple. So obvious. No winglets to design, fabricate and attach to the 737s. No new fuels to invent, test and process.Just tow the whole plane on over to the runway, Joe. Brilliant.Sometimes small changes really do make a huge difference. Sometimes they barely affect the way we operate.And sometimes, effective solutions to big problems are right in front of us the whole time.You’ve probably seen the lists of small changes we can all make that will have a big impact. I think we’re closer to the tipping point than anybody imagined we’d be a few years ago in terms of making a difference in the environment. So go get another compact fluorescent bulb or something.The statistics are really amazing for those bulbs. They say that if every American home replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than three million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.Just screw in the lightbulb, Joe.Brilliant. It’s so simple.
Maybe *this* is where the kids are?
As you know, I’d love to see kids playing outside more.But if the reason young people aren’t out building snowmen is because they’re in their garages working on these, or these, I’m okay with that.I’m impressed.
Love Those Lentils
Years ago, my sister-in-law told me about a cookbook called
More-with-Less Cookbooksuggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world’s limited food resourcesby Doris Janzen LongacreThe copyright dates back to 1976 and has been renewed, renewed and renewed. Mine leads up to the 43rd printing in 1996.”There is a way of wasting less, eating less, and spending less which gives not less but more,” the author says. She offers a fascinating analysis of North American habits related to food consumption. And then she compiled recipes submitted from all around the world, including personal cooking notes, inspirational thoughts, and helpful tips on substitutions.The recipes offer clear instructions for making simple dishes that use basic, unprocessed ingredients. I’m not the most talented or intuitive cook, so I appreciate the layout–it’s easy to understand and follow. I’ve turned to it many times for soups, breads, main dishes, side dishes, and ideas for leftovers. Sometimes I don’t know how to make really basic dishes, so I often start with this and see if they’ve explained it for me. The food isn’t fancy, but it’s tasty, filling, healthy, and down-to-earth. I recommend tracking this down at the library and checking it out. Try a few of the recipes and see what you think.To whet your appetite, I’m going to include the best introduction to lentils ever. If you ever wanted to try lentils, but you weren’t really sure what to do with them, give this one a try. You’ll learn to love those lentils!Honey Baked LentilsServes 8350 degrees, 1 hrCombine in a dutch oven of saucepan:1 lb (2 1/3 C) lentils1 small bay leaf5 C water2 t saltBring to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes. Do not drain. Discard bay leaf.Preheat oven to 350.Combine separately and add to lentils:1 t dry mustard1/4 t powdered ginger1 T soy sauce1/2 C chopped onions (I sauteed them with the bacon instead of mixing them here to shave a little off the cooking time)1 C waterCut in 1″ pieces:4 slices bacon (I cooked this with the onions in a skillet to crisp it up a bit)Stir most of the bacon into lentils and sprinkle remainder on top.Pour over all:1/3 C honeyCover tightly. Bake 1 hour. Uncover last 10 minutes to brown bacon.Options:Bacon may be partially precooked if desired (I desired). Substitute 1/2 lb browned ground beef or sausage (never did this, so I can’t vouch for other meats), or omit meat completely (I like the bacon flavor, but I’ve made it without).Delicious served with hot baked rice. Pass soy sauce. (This is true.)For more amazing solutions for just about anything imaginable, visit today’s Works For Me Wednesday.Or, tour my own ragtag list of ideas that work for me. You’ll find everything from ideas for organizing the kids’ laundry, to innovative uses for an MP3 that records.
Where Are All the Children?
After school a couple of days ago, the kids and I walked to a nearby pond. A layer of ice coated most of the pond. Near the edges, the ice was thinner, and the kids discovered that with a stick, they could chip at the edges and break off ice chunks.They piled the chunks behind them for later use. They also speared leaves, pretending they were hunting for food in the deep, wintry wilderness. They piled those up, too. “It’s fresh kill,” they said. Handy. Before long, they abandoned their hunting and returned to the edge of the pond. Ice chunks became the main draw, and they return to chipping and piling up a stash.I walked with the dog around a manmade asphalt path while they worked.When I looped back around, they were hurling the chunks and watching them pop and skid across the hard, frozen surface of the pond. Some of the chunks would shatter. Some would slide into the melted section near a drain. Some would swoosh across to the other side of the pond.The kids used their sticks to shove some chunks forward, like a game of shuffleboard or curling, watching their polygon pucks slide toward the middle of the pond.We were by ourselves the entire time, chipping, tossing, shoving, and cracking ice on a winter afternoon after school. We never saw another child exploring the area. A man walking a black lab passed by on the road, but that was it.No one was around to imagine with us. No one else was with us to create a game out of nothing but sticks, dried leaves, and chunks of ice. Nobody was breathing in the crisp, fresh air or listening to the Shagbark hickory branches creak and sway.Where are all the children?I know it’s cold, and right now it’s very cold where I live. But I’m just curious, in general, does anybody go outside? Or do we all make a mad dash from the bus or the car to our homes, slam the door behind us, and make a mug of hot chocolate?Not that I’d blame anybody for that decision. Because it really is cold.I just wondered…as I sat inside sipping my own hot chocolate.
The Huguenot Cross
This morning I wore a necklace with a Huguenot Cross pendant, and a friend noticed and asked about it. I told her that it was a Huguenot Cross and is often worn by Protestant believers in Europe. It’s full of symbolism, but all I could think of at the moment–the opening song had just started up–was the most obvious: a dove dangling at the bottom is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Here’s a shot of mine:
When I got home, I decided to refresh my memory on the symbolism, as it’s quite detailed.
- The shape of this cross was modeled after the Maltese Cross; and the cross is, of course, to remind us of the cross on which our Savior died for our sins. The cross is empty, further symbolizing His victory over death–He is risen and alive!
- Eight points around the edges add up to represent the eight Beatitudes.
- Between the arms of the cross, the fancier pendants have the image of a flower of French origins, the fleur-de-lys (mine doesn’t have them, but you can see it here)–and the three petals of the fleur-de-lys are supposed to represent the Trinity.
- The fleur-de-lys also suggests purity.
- There are four fleur-de-lys, one for each of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
- Do a little math, and you’ll discover that the three petals multiplied by four fleur-de-lys adds up to….twelve. The number of Jesus’ disciples (after subtracting Judas and adding in Matthias).
- The inner ring formed by the string of fleur-de-lys form the crown of thorns that the soldiers twisted together and set onto Jesus’ head.
- The fleur-de-lys, when set next to each arm of the cross, end up forming an open-spaced heart. Considering Christ’s heart reminds us of His sufferings.
- And then, as I already mentioned, the dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit. During times of persecution, the dove would be replaced by a pearl, symbolizing a teardrop.
My friend was particularly struck by my pendant, because she had just finished a book (from this series ) depicting in historical fiction the persecution of the Huguenots. This site offers an overview of the persecution endured by these French Calvinists, or Protestant Reformers. It’s not a happy history.My dad tells me that my family lineage includes some Huguenots. I don’t know the details of their part in the bigger story. I wonder what they endured?I wonder if they ever wore one of these crosses?I wonder if they wore it with a dove…or a teardrop?I’m grateful that for now, today, in the United States of America, we are free from persecution. Today I could wear mine with joy while worshiping in a Protestant Reformed church…with a dove.Peace.
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