Haere haere haere kuia ma ...

My first experience of Tiger Air today, flying to and from Melbourne to pay respects and bid a final farewell to 'Aunt Jean'. My husband's only remaining aunt, she has become increasingly frail over recent months and died on Sunday after 97 very full years of life. As he is in Grand Rapids, I really wanted to represent the 'wider family'. And so pleased I went, as I was the only relative apart from the immediate family. Even if I am a relative-in-law. So for the first time, and as the first in my own immediate family, I have met my cousin-in-law and his wife, children and grandchildren. Strangely and yet too frequently it is a death that facilitates this happening. Now that I can no longer exchange seasonal greetings with 'Jean', I look to make new contacts and ensure that future generations know the heritage they share.

It makes me think of the important role of networker or family connector that is present in several branches of my family.

• When my grandfather left England to settle in NZ in the first part of the 20th century, his cousin Olive made sure that successive generations knew of the antipodean family
  
• My grandmother and father were wonderful recounters of family lore that has enriched my understanding of identity
• My mother has handed down 'heirlooms' with details of the history of each. Today I wear a brooch that first belonged to my great-grandmother. And in the china cabinet is the vase given to my grandmother by my grandfather on their first anniversary

The Friday Five this week is about forgetfulness and lateness. In my present state of contented connectedness it is easier to reflect on timeliness. A time for every purpose under heaven .... I respect the way in which many traditional cultures are able to attend to the need of the moment. Meetings get cancelled if there is a death in the community. People arrive neither punctually nor late, but when all that is needed has been done.

This has been a very timely day. The right time to open up new relationships. The right time to try a new airline and enjoy discount fares. A very measured pace (partly due to the early hour of the cheap fare). A call from work about a serious student matter came just as the afternoon tea was finishing. And returning home at just the right time to collect youngest household member from music practice. Taps seems very appropriate:

Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the skies
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.

And to Aunt Jean - Haere ra kuia ma, haere ki toku kainga tapu, ake ake ake, amine
Go beloved child of Alice and Matthew, go repected matriarch of our generations, go to your true home forever, Amen.

Hand in the fire

Brilliant and challenging Friday Five from Mary Beth this week. Excellent for a rather mild-mannered introvert with a strong need to please. Mary Beth writes:

--Robert Mapplethorpe, Hand in Fire, 1985

There is a German expression: ich würde die Hand dafür ins Feuer legen, which means: “I would put my hand in the fire for that.”

I learned it many years ago, while reading the Best Reference Letter Ever: written by a very distinguished linguistics professor for a student who went on to win a prestigious international scholarship. This student, he said, was destined for greatness; and he submitted his judgment with the certainty of the expression above.

I’ve always held the concept as a very important indicator in my mind. “Would I put my hand in the fire for that?” I sometimes think, and it helps me to make a decision or see a situation more clearly. It’s similar to “is this the battlefield I want to die on?”

These days (certainly as every day) there seems to be so much difficulty, wrong, pain, injustice, and mismanagement in our world, and I need a little revitalization. Often when I feel this way, I’ll write a list of things for which I’m grateful, but that’s certainly been done, and I need a bit of a stronger draught.

So, what are five things for which would you put your hand in the fire? Things / people / causes in which you believe passionately and completely? This might be demonstrated in that you would take extraordinary (for you) action…donations, marching, writing letters…or merely in the way you live your life. You may give as much or as little detail as you wish.

And I respond:

Not so long ago I tentatively questioned a proposal at a meeting (by saying something like "I think we need to consider whether or not this is the best option ...) and the table erupted in laughter when our convenor said "You don't usually jump up and down in such an argumentative manner Mavis." I guess the upside to that is that I can get taken seriously simply by pointing to the fire, because there is a sense that when I raise concerns I am very serious about it. The downside of course is that those not so astute think I'm "happy with the direction" when I'm burning up to the elbows. So when have I taken action/ put my hand in the fire/ been explicit about the bottom line on an issue:

1. When the integrity of a person who has earned my respect is questioned, especially publicly. A very recent incident involved questioning of the integrity and spirituality of a close colleague, one whom I admired for commitment to the values of our organisation. I was privileged and honoured to sign a letter from other staff upholding a colleague.
2. When the physical integrity of individuals is compromised. A (SADLY) recurrent theme in medical education is the conduct by students of intimate examinations on anaesthetised patients. As a student I co-led the campaign of our year for an explicit consent process. Thirty years later I find the same issue exists. At least South Australia has a definitive guideline on the issue (discovered today - thanks MB)
3. Spelling and grammar. Although far from perfect myself, I do get irritated by errors especially in formal documents. The abstract linked to above said patients were often "quiet willing" and one of the journal club article for our students talks of lung cancer being a "principle cause" of cancer mortality. Australia-wide the usage of the verb to be seems to have replaced the abbreviation you're with your as in "your welcome." Maybe not quite 'hand in the fire' stuff, but certainly an issue I take seriously in assessment and critical appraisal. And in choosing where to shop.
4. Carbon footprint. I simply refuse to buy imported fresh produce. Especially if shipped from half a world away. Kiwifruit from FRANCE! Or lemons from France for that matter. I pay the extra for Aussie Barramundi. So far resisted the urge to buy a car - and if I do the back pocket/ cheque book will have to bear the pain of the additional cost of a hybrid.
5. And back to the real serious stuff. Rights of children and young people. Our work in New Zealand to remove statutory protection for children from assault by parents under the guise of "correction" certainly caused significant 'fire' and in the end won bipartisan parliamentary support. I supported a family who withdrew participation from their local congregation because of the refusal of the leadership to even try to understand the child rights issues associated with far-right Christian Education curriculum (including teaching like "always do what adults tell you".) And including the UN Convention on children's rights in the medical curriculum. All of these matters surprisingly contentious. And worthy of hand-burning.
   

How religious is my spirituality ...

or how spiritual is my religious practice? Interesting questions raised by MomPriest at RevGalBlogPals in the Friday Five this week. She writes:

Yesterday I attended a led conference by Diana Butler Bass. She is presenting new ideas on the state of the church and why there is hope for Christianity. One of her premises is a Newsweek/Washington Post poll from 2005 that states that 55% of the people in this country describe themselves as religious AND spiritual.

Without going into detail about her understandings of religious and spiritual (you may want to attend one of her conferences, if you can) share with us five thoughts ideas or practices that you consider to be "religious." Then share with us five thoughts, ideas, or practices that you consider to be "spiritual."

For example one thought about religion might be that it is "salvation" Or an idea about religion might be that it it is an "institution" and a religious practice might be "going to church." An example of spiritual thought might be a phrase from a poem, a spiritual idea might be the inspiration for a piece of art and a spiritual practice might be meditation.

So, five thoughts, ideas, or practices that are religious....and then five thoughts, ideas or practices that are spiritual. OR are they the same thing to you?

I certainly think of these concepts as being intertwined if not exactly the same. Maybe the best statement of my thinking is that religion is an expression of spirituality. So for example I read the holy scriptures of the Christian tradition as a part of my spiritual development. So for me it's not so much compare and contrast as identifying the broader spiritual domain within which my religious practices fit. I have focused on practice - as I cannot begin to work out where the dividing line is for thoughts and ideas.

Religion	Spirituality
‘Going without’ in Lent	Exercising discipline
Liturgical practice	Articulating faith
Reading scripture	Entering into tradition
Receiving sacraments	Participating in community
Contributing to mission	Engaging in social justice

I must admit this was one week where I wanted to see what others had written before I ventured to put finger to keyboard myself. Glad I didn't though. Now I'll post and go see where this interesting task took other revgal readers.

Afterthought: Interesting that I haven't listed prayer anywhere. Just an observation. I think it is also part of participating in community.

A brilliant Friday Five from Jan

Friday Five: Where on the Stairs?

Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up,
And isn't down.
it isn't in the nursery,
it isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"

— A. A. Milne
“Halfway Down,” When We Were Very Young

Thinking of your childhood as a stairway, when did you feel (and how did you feel then)

1. at the bottom?
The bottoms related a lot to my introverted tendency to internalise and concretise the religious messages I heard - so that when I got home from school and my mother was not in the house (of course she was usually out the back in garden or whatever) my immediate gut reaction was that the stories were true and Jesus had come again and I was not good enough and had been left behind. The real bottom was one particular day when a sibling was being subjected to an undeserved punishment and I was torn between lying and saying that I committed the misdemeanour (which I hadn't but it would have spared the pain of someone younger than me) and acting like Jesus who took the punishment (but he never had to lie and say he had done something wrong when he hadn't).

2. at the top?
That total security of being loved and part of a world and universe much bigger than myself that also comes from a conservative evangelical background. Stories of faith were lived out in our immediate and extended family with aunts and parents' cousins coming back from their exotic 'overseas' (see below) missionary endeavours with ivory tusked elephant statues and eloborate carpets, songs in strange tongues and faces that seemed to reflect a joy and passion that was inspiring and contagious.
3. halfway?
Those moments of realising that my parents were not indeed 'all-knowing' Two occasions that come to mind are asking my father how the colour of my dress came out the same colour in the photograph he took and he tried spinning me a line about a little man inside the camera who painted the colours onto the film. And asking why New Zealand was only one place but 'overseas' was lots of places. Again poor Dad bore the brunt of this as he explained that there were a lot of places in New Zealand. I just knew that the difference between Hamilton and Auckland was NOT THE SAME the difference between France and Scotland. But I couldn't work out how to ask my question. It felt kind of frustrating. Looking back I just love my perception that there were two constitutional entities "New Zealand" and "overseas". Links to my bemusement at reading an English children's illustrated dictionary where the definition of 'abroad' (a term we didn't use in the antipodes) showed a man in a suit with a case and the explanatory sentence was something like 'Uncle went abroad'.

4. At this point in your life, where would you place yourself on your own stairway?
This can only be answered by Doug Savage

5. Identify a place for you that "isn't really anywhere" but "somewhere else instead."
The train (or bus) - the daily commute. It's not in the household, it's not in the town; it's not at the desktop, it's not at the sink; it's not with my family, it's not with my students. One of the reasons I resist getting a laptop to start work en route. And why the train is probably where more than 80% of my iPod listening and my knitting occurs. It is somewhere else instead!

Exercise

Sophia posted the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five after an 8 mile bike ride down the beach boardwalk near her home, where she "was struck with the number of people out enjoying physical activity. Runners, other cyclists, surfers, swimmers, dogwalkers, little kids on scooters....

"It's easy to lose track of my physical self-care in the midst of flurried preparation for a final on-campus interview Monday for a college teaching position in the Midwest (prayers welcome!) and the family move that would accompany it. But each day that I do make time to walk or ride my bike it is such a stress reliever that it is well worth the time invested!"

So how about you and your beautiful temple of the Holy Spirit?

1. What was your favorite sport or outdoor activity as a child?
Netball in winter. Looking back at the photo I was clearly in the bottom team. But I never had an inkling of that at the time and I don't think my peers did either. We must have had amazing teachers and parents to encourage us and build our confidence.

2. P.E. class--heaven or the other place?
In between really. At High School we had these tunics with box pleated skirts over rompers (all royal blue) that I quite liked. Never much good on the skills side, but I did enjoy the classes.

3. What is your favorite form of exercise now?
Walking - along the riverbank especially or through Hyde Park, but anywhere really. With or without iPod. Preferably in walking shoes but I can manage with heels (more stroll than exercise).

4. Do you like to work out solo or with a partner?
Solo solo solo. It's my time.

5. Inside or outside?
Outside whenever possible

Bonus: Post a poem, scripture passage, quotation, song, etc. regarding the body or exercise.
No inspiration for this one tonight

Life is a Verb

Friday rolls around again and this week Jan posts some intriguing questions in the Friday Five

Digh, Patti. Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful,
and Live Intentionally. Guilford, CT: Skirt!, 2008.

Jan writes that Jennifer recommended this book which covers these these topics concerning life as a verb:

• Say yes.
• Be generous.
• Speak up.
• Love more.
• Trust yourself.
• Slow down.

This book has been the jumping off point for this Friday.

1. What awakens you to the present moment?
All senses - it may be a view, or a sound, or the feeling of wind or rain. The strong smell of tobacco as I stand blankly waiting for the pedestrian crossing light to change. A warm greeting from a friend or colleague in the midst of a hectic day.

2. What are 5 things you see out your window right now?
Well the blinds are down and we are snuggled in for the night so I see nothing out the window right now.

3. Which verbs describe your experience of God?
Love

4. From the book on p. 197:
Who were you when you were 13? Where did that kid go?
At 13 I was a chubby kid in my second year at High School somewhat bewildered by what went on around me. Diligently doing my work but never really experiencing that 'aha' moment. Conscientious and committed to living a Christian life, teaching kids not much younger than myself at Sunday School, wanting so much to be confirmed and accepting of my minister's view that I was not yet mature enough.
That kid is still there ~ but now has a strong alter ego that will stand up for her, that gently and without rancour told the aforementioned minister that his decision had been wrong when he raised the matter some 30 years later, who is perhaps a little more astute about the dynamics and politics of situations and who has 'aha' moments all the time.

5. From the book on p. 88:
If your work were the answer to a question, what would the question be?
How do we make sure we do it right?

Food shopping

Food shopping was the topic of my second ever post and returns in this weeks Friday Five from Sophia who is delighted by the opening of a Trader Joe's store directly across the road from her apartment. Unknown to me (as yet) this outlet is apparrently "a quirky, well-stocked, well priced semi-gourmet store that attains near cult status among some ...

So in honor of the new Trader Joe's, this week's Friday Five is all about food shopping."

1. Grocery shopping--love it or hate it?
I really don't like it and procrastinate like crazy. With two adult children now at home I'm more likely to hand over some cash and get them to do it.

2. Who is the primary food shopper in your household?

The adult children probably. And my dearly beloved. And me for things they don't think of like vegetables and flour and toilet paper.

3. Do you have a beloved store like TJ's which is unique to your location or family?

Not for desserts but I do love a visit to the tea shop and the David Jones food hall is a delight when I can afford a visit,

4. How about a farmer's market, or CSA share, as we move into summer? Or do you grow your own fruits/veggies/herbs?
The vege garden will be getting some attention today, neighbours tree is dropping mandarins on our drive and their oranges are almost beginning to ripen. Our kumquats are getting close to harvest as well. And I do enjoy the markets - in winter as well as summer.

5. What's the favorite thing you buy at the grocery store?

Now this is a hard one for a shopper of necessity. Probably the deli items - olives, sundried tomatoes, feta, figs etc. And I do enjoy browsing the cheese aisle for new varieties.

Time out

Sally posted the Friday Five this week with this wonderful graphic of Mary and Martha. She writes:

Holy Week is almost upon us, I suspect that ordained or not, other revgal/pals calendars look a bit like mine, FULL, FULL, FULL........

Jesus was great at teaching us to take time out, even in that last week, right up to Maundy Thursday he withdrew, John's gospel tells us he hid! He hid not because he was afraid, but because he knew that he needed physical, mental and spiritual strength to get through...

So faced with a busy week:


1. What restores you physically?
A walk by the river or a spell at the gym
2. What strengthens you emotionally/ mentally?
Beauty - in nature or in art
3. What encourages you spiritually?
Liturgy (I am almost familiar with the Mass now and loving it) scripture, personal prayer
4. Share a favourite poem or piece of music from the coming week.
I found this the other day at Jan's place and it is accompanying me along this part of the Lenten journey

Salvation

By what are you saved? And how?
Saved like a bit of string,
tucked away in a drawer?
Saved like a child rushed from
a burning building, already
singed and coughing smoke?
Or are you salvaged
like a car part -- the one good door
when the rest is wrecked?

Do you believe me when I say
you are neither salvaged nor saved,
but salved, anointed by gentle hands
where you are most tender?
Haven't you seen
the way snow curls down
like a fresh sheet, how it
covers everything,
makes everything
beautiful, without exception?

by Lynn Ungar

5.There may be many services for you to attend/ lead over the next week, which one are you most looking forward to and why? If there aren't do you have a favourite day in Holy week if so which one is it?
This is quite a hard question as I realise that I view the week as a whole and don't really pick out any specific days. I am most looking forward to 'doing' (I don't know the right verb) the Stations of the Cross in the campus church - not sure which day I will manage it but probably Wed or Thurs. And for Easter itself we are flying to Fiji for the weekend so it will be really interesting to first find a church and then to discover how Easter is celebrated in a different culture. Watch this space!

Signs of hope

A Northern Hemisphere Friday Five from Songbird this week, quoting one of my all time favourite scripture passages with a geographically inclusive invitation to reflect. Thanks Songbird.
¹¹¹²¹³My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10-13

In the late, late winter, as the snow begins to recede here in Maine, we begin to look almost desperately for signs of spring, signs of hope that the weather has turned and a new day is on the horizon. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Easter and Spring twine inextricably, the crocuses and daffodils peeking through the Earth as we await the risen Christ.

Share with us five signs of hope that you can see today or have experienced in the past.

1. Gentle rain refreshing the parched earth
2. Brilliant purple flowers on our 'Lent tree' (a eucalypt but I don't know it's name)
3. Niece and partner planning their marriage next month
4. Whitney's blog of daily grace
   
5. Cheryl's blog of raw reality and signs of hope
   

Bonus: And in relation to that scripture - since reading this in Maurice Andrew's commentary they have a special place in my heart. He writes "Marvin Pope writes that the sound of the cooing of the turtledoves, which returned to Palestine in early April, was a sure sign of spring." (italics mine). In the midst of the devastation that so many in our local, national and international communities face today, I do hope and pray that there will be not only signs of hope but sure signs of hope. Sacramental somehow.

It feels like Spring

A seasonal Friday Five from Sophia this week. She writes:

The pastor of my grad school parish once gave a fascinating reflection, at about this mid-point in the season, called "How to Survive the Mid-Lent Crisis"! As I recall, his main point was that by halfway through the season we have often found it very challenging to live up to our original plans....But, he suggested--on the analogy of the healing and reframing of our life plans that can happen during a mid-*life* crisis--that that can be even more fruitful.

So here's an invitation to check in on the state of your spirit midway through "this joyful season where we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed" (Roman Missal). Hopefully there's a good deal of grace, and not too much crisis, in your mid-Lenten experience!

1. Did you give up, or take on, anything special for Lent this year?
UCA has this great spiritual discipline called Lent Event that involves prayer, Bible Study, connection with partner church projects beyond Australia and forgoing an item of discretionary spending and contributing the money not spent to aid and development. I've 'given up' alcohol and buying magazines and 'took on' the Lent Event daily prayer and weekly Bible Study.

2. Have you been able to stay with your original plans, or has life gotten in the way?
Yes pretty much. I have missed a few days of the prayer cycle - but made them up as it were by reading two or three at the next opportunity. I had a glass of wine last night with two colleagues - building the relationship seemed more important that declining the offer.

3. Has God had any surprising blessings for you during this Lent?
Including the story of Noah in the lection for the first week has opened my eyes to the importance of creation and 'green' living as a Lenten - and lifelong discipline. The Lent Event byline is Lent for Life and that is especially relevant to living lightly on the earth.

4. What is on your inner and/or outer agenda for the remainder of Lent and Holy Week?
Seeing Sally's recent post on the Imposter Syndrome I'm plan to bite back any self-deprecatory statements and inwardly and outwardly project the confident competent professional and see what happens.

5. Where do you most long to see resurrection, in your life and/or in the world, this Easter?
The impact of the global economic crisis on poverty is going to be massive. I long to see a change in our mentality when this crisis is as urgent as rescuing our developed economies.

Bonus: Share a favorite scripture, prayer, poem, artwork, or musical selection that speaks Lenten spring to your heart.
Referring back to the title of this post - I was just thinking during the week that it feels Spring rather than autumn. Our Lent Tree (I have no idea of it's actual name) began flowering on Ash Wednesday and is now a mass of purple blossoms. The weather is warm and we are having regular showers of rain (I remember my grandparent used to say April showers bring May flowers which I assume was a northern hemisphere expression). The recurring hymn in my heart is one we sang last Sunday:

A few of my favourite things

Inspired by Singing Owl's contribution, I'm putting in a late play in the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five posted yesterday by Songbird who wrote:

In a week of wondering how various things in our family life will unfold, I found myself thinking of the way Maria comforted the Von Trapp children in one of my favorite movies. Frightened by a thunder storm, the children descend upon her, and she sings to them about her favorite things, taking their minds off the storm.

So, let's encourage ourselves. Share with us five of your favorite things. Use words or pictures, whatever expresses it best.

1. Water. I love water. Streams, rivers, sea. Font, pool, fountain. This could take up my whole five favourite things. I like to be beside water, be in water, see water, hear water, drink water, feel water. I guess water is one of my favourite things. I like the catholic tradition of having the full font at the entrance to the worship space. For me a visible font (or other sign of baptism) is important in every Christian worship event. And water is such a precious commodity in our world. I hope I treasure and respect water in all its forms.
   
2. The feel of getting into bed made with freshly washed and sun-dried sheets. I remember the childhood combination of being rubbed down with a fresh towel, into clean pyjamas and then into fresh sheets. I guess it must have been on 'wash day'. Now the days I change the bed linen I look forward to bedtime!
3. Flowers. I'm not too good at growing them, but I do enjoy receiving and displaying them. Joining the flower roster at church has been fun (I notice I'm only on twice a year though and freely admit my efforts are not of a professional standard). But heading early to the flower market, finding the colours I'm after, having access to the empty church building and spending time preparing the space for worship: it all lightens my heart! And I did love this Advent wreath.
4. Ice cold lemonade. The traditional way. Place 2 cups sugar in a bowl. Add one cup of boiling water and stir until dissolved (even better if thinly peeled rind of lemon is steeped in the boiling water first) . Add juice of 2-3 lemons, 1 teaspoon tartaric acid and 1 teaspoon of Epsom salts and a second cup of boiling water. Pour into bottles (strain if you wish) and serve diluted with water to taste (about 1:5 or 1:6 seems good). For special treat serve with soda water, squeeze of lime and dash of angostura bitters.
5. Earrings. Those who know me would insist this is on the list. I have so many favourites. A new pair is always high on my retail therapy wish list. Most holidays I come back with some. My loved ones know that I will always appreciate a new pair as a gift. Most have some significance. Several are just randomly fun. But beware the person who ever jokes about my earrings! It may just be the wrong day to do so :-)

And there is more - movies, music, al fresco dining, camping (nothing like a tent in summertime), cool places on hot days, warm places on cool days, sensible shoes, linen jackets. I have lots and lots of favourite things but my top five are pretty indicative of my being.

Interior decorating

Up early while it's still Friday in Oklahoma (and other places). Laundry in the machine and breakfast eaten slowly and with pleasure. So time to play! With the Friday Five from Will Smama that I suspect more than any other will reveal cultural differences in 'what we call things'. What fun! I hope the context will make it clear what I'm talking about. She writes of the joys of a new-build (now there's an expression for you - I would say 'because we are building') home:

Greetings all!

As some of you may know I am in the midst of my first home purchase. It is a new-build and so some of the fun was picking out upgrades and major decor items to my taste rather than walking into a previously owned home that needed to be upgraded room by room (pink and teal tiles in the bathroom, anyone?). As much as decorating is not my thing, I did try to embrace the moment because just how many times do you get to have a do-over on kitchen cabinets/floors/countertops?

And so, my questions to you this fine Friday involve your home past, present or future...

1) If you could, what room in the place you are currently living would you redo first?

Bathrooms, bathrooms, bathrooms! We live in a church house which was generously and tastefully overhauled inside prior to our arrival. Except the bathrooms. Where they fitted new tap sets into old chipboard vanities that are falling apart inside. We are replacing the furniture, but it would be wonderful to refit the whole room, especially downstairs which could be made fully accessible and allow guests of all levels of mobility to stay.

2) What is the most hideous feature/color/decor item you have ever seen in a home?

Friends lived with a bright purple and orange and green wall patterned with huge flowers and leaves between their kitchen and eating area. Again - a church house and because no structural or other defect they had to live with this 'feature' chosen by a previous minister. A reason that I support the bland neutral decor in our current home.

3) What feature do you most covet? Do you have it? If not, is it within reach?

This is an interesting question. Not a feature so much as a personality change. To deliver a tidy house. I don't have it and it doesn't seem within reach. Yet all I need to do is put each thing away properly when I've used it.

4) Your kitchen - love it or hate it? Why?

Hmmmmmm. Blessed with some great appliances, modern stovetop, lots of bench space, large window with good light. Design a bit odd - inaccessible cupboards, fridge opening to wrong side (against wall so cannot fully open), small oven, tiny freezer. I don't hate it. I do quite like it and do some great things in it. But love? No I don't think so.

5) Here is $10,000 and you HAVE to spend it on the place you are living now. What do you do?

Despite the state of the bathrooms, I would invest in original Aboriginal art bought direct from the artist. And an outdoor awning to extend the barbecue capacity.

BONUS: Why do you think there was such a surplus of ugly bathroom tile colors showcased in all homes built from the 1950's right through the early 80's?

Not just tiles. I highlighted in orange in memory of a bathroom bench in our second home. It was a shock stumbling in in the mornings and being confronted by a bright orange mass. Same house had purple wallpaper in one toilet, and bright yellow in the other. But why? I have no idea. I guess if people bought them the manufacturers made them.

Counting down

Songbird is up early (or late - I'm not sure) and posted a Friday Five on a Christmas theme. Very simple. After a day spent writing and posting cards to family and family friends I feel ready for this one. Songbird writes:

It's true.

There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.

So let's make this easy, if we can: tell us five things you need to accomplish before Christmas Eve.

1. Write prayer-for-others and prepare reflective powerpoint for Sunday morning worship
2. Complete the final drafts of Year 1 and Year 2 tutor handbooks for 2009
3. Read The Christmas Mystery (an annual tradition)
4. Send working-away-from-home-all-summer family member a special package
5. Check the tent, cook the chicken, prepare the picnic and anticipate the holiday
   

Eye Spy

Sophia posted the Friday Five: Windows of the Soul over at RevGalBlogPals this week, and as I believe it is still Friday in several places I'm in for a play!

Inspired by her husband's Lasik surgery yesterday, Sophia asks us to say a little prayer for his safe recovery and share our thoughts on eyes and vision.

1. What color are your beautiful eyes? Did you inherit them from or pass them on to anyone in your family?
I was always so proud to have brown eyes like my Dad. Technically more on the hazel side. I've passed them on.

2. What color eyes would you choose if you could change them?
No desire for change.

3. Do you wear glasses or contacts? What kind? Like 'em or hate 'em?
As a 'woman of a certain age' I need my reading glasses. I love them. Diamantes on the side!

4. Ever had, or contemplated, laser surgery? Happy with the results?
No

5. Do you like to look people in the eye, or are you more eye-shy?
More eye shy.

Bonus question: Share a poem, song, or prayer that relates to eyes and seeing.
I'm in love with a green-eyed man (his eyes are the most gorgeous I've ever seen) of Irish ancestry so those smiling Irish eyes are the ones humming in my brain. Thanks Sophia for the angel song and the bright gay Saturday I'm dancing into. Happy weekend!

Advent longings

A wonderfilled seasonal Friday Five from Sally this week:

"Imagine a complex, multi-cultural society that annually holds an elaborate winter festival, one that lasts not simply a few days, but several weeks. This great festival celebrates the birth of the Lord and Saviour of the world, the prince of peace, a man who is divine. People mark the festival with great abundance- feasting, drinking and gift giving....." (Richard Horsley- The Liberation of Christmas)

The passage goes on, recounting the decorations that are hung, and the songs and dances that accompany the festival, how the economy booms and philanthropic acts abound....

But this is not Christmas- this is a Roman festival in celebration of the Emperor....This is the world that Jesus was born into! The world where the early Christians would ask "Who is your Saviour the Emperor or Christ?"

And yet our shops and stores and often our lives are caught up in a world that looks very much like the one of ancient Rome, where we worship at the shrine of consumerism....

Advent on the other hand calls us into the darkness, a time of quiet preparation, a time of waiting, and re-discovering the wonder of the knowledge that God is with us. Advent's call is to simplicity and not abundance, a time when we wait for glorious light of God to come again...

Christ is with us at this time of advent, in the darkness, and Christ is coming with his light- not the light of the shopping centre, but the light of love and truth and beauty.

What do you long for this advent? What are your hopes and dreams for the future? What is your prayer today?

In the vein of simplicity I ask you to list five advent longings....

In this time of waiting
for the coming of the Saviour
For what do I long?

• For a world where justice and peace are rampant
• For every child to be born in a context of love and concern
• For meaningful connections with family and friends across seas and continents
• To be in touch with nature; to feel the sand between my toes and the wind on my face
• To eat well and share abundantly; and know this experience is universal
  

Mix and stir

Songbird posted this week's Friday Five over at RevGalBlogPals. She writes:
In a minor domestic crisis, my food processor, or more precisely the part you use for almost everything for which I use a food processor, picked the eve of the festive season of the year to give up the ghost. A crack in the lid expanded such that a batch of squash soup had to be liberated via that column shaped thing that sticks up on top.

Can you tell this is not my area of strength?

Next week, I'm hosting Thanksgiving. I need your help. Please answer the following kitchen-related questions:

1) Do you have a food processor? Can you recommend it? Which is to say, do you actually use it? Just a few weeks ago I picked up a second-hand very inexpensive Moulinex at the market. My Bamix is wonderful but unfortunately all the little bits got thrown out by visitors (who probably thought they were off cans or something.

2) And if so, do you use the fancy things on it? (Mine came with a mini-blender (used a lot and long ago broken) and these scary disks you used to julienne things (used once).)
Basically I use it for soup and some baking. I have never used most of the parts. The lemon squeezer thing looks good for lemonade though - which I must start making as the weather warms up.

3) Do you use a standing mixer? Or one of the hand-held varieties?
Neither. I mix by hand (or food processor for carrot cakes etc)

(And isn't that color delightfully retro?) I love it!

4) How about a blender? Do you have one? Use it much?
My children wish I did. But no. I have an old 'shaker' that my Mum used to make milkshakes (large metal tumbler thing with a lid that fits on - then hold in your hand and shake madly) I figure it is exercise!

5) Finally, what old-fashioned, non-electric kitchen tool do you enjoy using the most?
The spurtle. Mine are made by my Dad and the flat (not round) kind. Kind of like this

Bonus: Is there a kitchen appliance or utensil you ONLY use at Thanksgiving or some other holiday? If so, what is it?
No.

Remembrance

Remembrance Friday Five from Sophia. I thought I was too tired to play but seeing this topic I was instantly engaged and energised.

1. Did your church have any special celebrations for All Saints/All Soul's Day?
No - UCA is not exactly liturgical, at least in our part of Australia. I did attend a 'Blessing of the Hands' mass for our students on All Souls' Day. Homily was about purgatory.

2. How about Veterans' Day?
Definitely NOT in church. We have clear views about separation of church and State and even flags seem to be not allowed. Again though a yes for work - I used McCrae's poem In Flanders' Field as a reflection in our curriculum meeting. And I have worn a poppy all week.

3. Did you and your family have a holiday for Veterans' Day/Remembrance Day? If so, how did you take advantage of the break?
Not a public holiday here. I actually like making the 2 minutes silence in the midst of a 'normal' routine.

4. Is there a veteran in your life, living or dead, whose dedication you remember and celebrate? Or perhaps a loved one presently serving in the armed forces?
My nephew is currently serving in Afghanistan, my uncle served in World War II in Scotland. I recently blogged about my great-uncle who was killed at Gallipoli (serving with the Scots forces). I also have great respect for those who chose the hard path of conscientious objection and who bore the ridicule of their peers and the harsh punishment of their nations.
5. Do you have any personal rituals which help you remember and connect with loved ones who have passed on?
Memory isn't exactly a ritual but I do hold memories and family history very close to my heart. As the next generation of our family begins my sisters and I are more conscious of passing this knowledge on to our children and their grandchildren. Our family is good at attending funerals, which is a very direct way that younger generations learn about their forebears and meet members of their wider family and clan networks.

Weeks End

Friday Five with 5 quick hit questions... and a bonus posted by Will Smama this week:

1) Your work day is done and the brain is fried, what do you do?
Grab a Red Earth beer from the fridge and sit outside under the Camphor Laurel enjoying it. Then off to the gym for a bit of cycling and weights. Home/shower/into Peter Alexander jamies and read til bedtime.

2) Your work week is done and the brain is fried (for some Friday, others Sunday afternoon), what do you do?
Well tonight I attended the first Open Space at our church. Couple of pews turned around to face each other over a coffee table covered with contemplative writing. Table and seat in the foyer with opportunity to journal or to write a greeting card to someone. Lesson from the techy guys on how to dim the lights. Plenty of candles. Quiet (recorded) music and DVD of nature scenes playing on loop. Tea light candles to light and watch. A blessed hour with no words, women and men together yet each in silence. Minimal set up and pack down. Welcome space.

3) Like most of us, I often keep myself busy even while programs are on the tv. I stop to watch The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday nights. Do you have 'stop everything' tv programming or books or events or projects that are totally 'for you' moments?
TV is one of our shared family times. When I got home tonight, for example, watched end of 'Sweet Home Alabama' with daughter. 'Me' time is when I am driving alone. Can listen to ABC National radio or CD of my choice. IPod while walking is another way to stop and detach from 'troubles and needless anxieties'

4) When was the last time you laughed, really laughed? What was so funny?
I fell about laughing when I realised just what I had said one recent Saturday afternoon. "I'd rather spend time with you than do the vacuuming" So does that mean that I love his company just a little more than one of my most disliked chores? It wasn't meant to come out like that. I won't be allowed to forget it.

5) What is a fairly common item that some people are willing to go cheap on, but you are not.
Soap. I love handcrafted oil based soaps. Buy one or two every time I go to a market. (Modified overnight to add pyjamas and wine)

Bonus: It's become trite but is also true that we often benefit the most when we give. Go ahead, toot your own horn. When was the last time you gave until it felt good?
It felt like a lot of giving last Sunday leading all three worship services - I was exhausted at the end of the day but it felt good. The good feeling continues! Tonight one of the youth group said she had got the DVD of the sermon and was going to watch it with her boyfriend over the weekend (just in case you wondered what young people do with their time these days). And the 8 am people were just so thrilled that I chose four hymns (the Minister usually has only 3). It seemed like all the preparation was worthwhile.

Location Location Location

Friday Five from Singing Owl who says:

My daughter, her husband, and their toddler, Trinity Ann, are moving from Minneapolis, Minnesota to our place. It's a long story, but the short version is that they will be loading a Ryder truck on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon we will unload it into a storage unit in our town. They will move themselves, their two cats and their BIG dog into our place. Yes, there will be issues, but this Friday Five isn't really about that. (Prayers for jobs for them and patience for all of us are most welcome, however.) This post is about locations. My husband has lived at 64 addresses in his life so far (16 with me) and he suggested the topic since we have moving trucks on our minds.

Therefore, tell us about the five favorite places you have lived in your lifetime. What did you like? What kind of place was it? Anything special happen there?

If you have lived in less than five places, you can tell us a about fantasy location.
I'm up to 16 dwelling places as well. Each has memories and a special place in my heart. So the selection is somewhat random but here goes.

1. Te Pahu. This was my first home. I left before I turned four so I don't really remember much about it. My parents were farmers and there are heaps of pictures showing that I spent time out with Dad in teh paddocks and Mum in the garden. I do remember having a babysitter one afternoon. We were out in the garden and she accidentally cut a worm in half. I got very upset and angry with her for harming one of God's creatures. And she patiently explained to me that the worm would be able to grow a new tail and live happily in the soil. It worked as a calming technique.

2. Dunedin. University city. It's hard to believe I moved so far from home at the same age as my youngest now. Lived in a hostel for a year, then boarding with a woman from the church I attended, then flatting with four other 'girls'. Lots happened there. Good and bad. Growing up!
3. My first home purchase. In a provincial city. I've had a mortgage of one kind or another ever since. I just loved this little Hardyplank house. Decorated in pink and blue. With a garden full of indigenous trees and exotic flowers. Scene of many a pot luck tea with the 'sisterhood' and of a surprise party for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. And I was completely smitten by a lovely guest who mowed my lawns. I've lived with him ever since as well.
no pic sorry - it was before the digital age :-)

4. Wanganui. Manse. Scene of 'courtship' and the first home we shared in our marriage. Bushwalks and drives up the River Road. The place where our children were born and brought home. A city of big-hearted and generous people. I was delighted when a work commitment took me back to speak on children's rights many years later. Those people are worth knowing.

5. Sydney. I started with the first and will end with the most recent. This involved an international move. We brought our cat! The climate is generally very pleasant. We're back in a church house with the frustration of maintenance by committee. But they also paid for the landscaping which has provided an amazing back yard retreat. Last year was one of the most challenging I have had. Now settling into new workplace and routine it is beginning to feel like home.

Coin toss

Songbird posted the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five this week. And she's a great early bird so thankfully I can complete it before I go to bed - thanks! Lectionary based, this is what she says:

Well, Gals and Pals, this weekend we'll be rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and that has me thinking about coinage.

1) When was the last time you flipped a coin or even saw one flipped in person?
It must be a while ago! I can't remember.
2) Do you have any foreign coins in your house? If so, where are they from?
We have a 'funny money' jar where we stash the coinage we bring back from other places. Of course now living in Aussie our familiar NZ currency is in the jar, along with coins from several Pacific nations, Italy, UK and even some US pennies and dimes. My sister has been much more creative with her jar. It formed an endless stream of rainy day activities when her children were small. They could find all the coins with a 20, or a 5 or whatever on them. Or sort them into the country they came from. Or sort them by size or colour. Or year. Then look up information about the countries, write stories, make rubbings of the coins. Mine just sit in the jar.

3) A penny saved is a penny earned, they say. But let's get serious. Is there a special place in heaven for pennies, or do you think they'll find a special place in, well, the other place?
I'm not sure about heaven but these coins have a special place in my memory, and in our faith tradition. The countries I have lived in abandoned the 1c piece long ago (NZ has also abandoned the 5c piece). But the memory lives on. I would have a penny for the Sunday School offering. And heartily sang 'Hear the pennies dropping, listen while they fall, every one for Jesus, He shall have them all' or sometimes my favourite 'Give said the little stream...as it hurried down the hill'. For the rest of the week, with a penny you could buy 6 aniseed balls, 4 of most other lollies, but only one gobstopper. My grandmother has a brooch made out of the tui on the penny. Not quite as elaborate as this one but still a classic cut coin piece. And pennies certainly feature in the traditional Christian stories - one can buy two sparrows, and a widow was commended for giving two of them - all that she had.

4) How much did you get from the tooth fairy when you were a child? and if you have children of your own, do they get coins, or paper money? (I hear there may be some inflation.)
I think we got threepence or sixpence. My children got 50c for the first ones - then started to become aware of market value which was a $1 coin for 'small' ones and $2 coin for molars.

5) Did anyone in your household collect the state quarters? And did anyone in your household manage to sustain the interest required to stick with it?
Suspect this is a geocentric question. Just looked up what it is all about. I would not have the patience to collect 50 quarters over 10 years! Even as a J.