The Birthday Party was a success!

Greg mesmerized by Richard's IPhone. We had to check his pockets before he left the house.

I just love to use the silver and the black dishes!

Alicia teaching me how to make Arroz a la Rivera

Smoke getting in my eyes

The birthday honoree - Richard, USC and the masks. What more could we ask for in life?

Lots of meat. This dinner was not for the fainthearted.

The feast begins with Greg, Peggy, Jesus, Alicia, Elsa and Marta

Dessert downed and half the table retired to the couch. Jesus, Alicia, Elsa and Marta stay to chat.

Test Post with Photo

Yes, the captions seem to work!

It's a birthday!

We're having a birthday party! Richard's birthday is coming up, so we're having family over for BBQ on Saturday. The menu is (Ivan will be jealous) barbequed steak, rice, beans, peach pie, lemon meringue pie, and whatever else we dream up between then and now. I'm looking forward to it. I don't think Marta and Alicia have ever eaten at our house before!

Coco and my walk this morning

Prayer is such a difficult concept for me. Since my idea of God doesn’t include a being up in the sky who influences our lives and chooses to act or not to act, what is the purpose of prayer anyway? So most of the time I don’t admit, even to myself, that I am praying – I think of it as meditating. Or I don’t name it at all.
But then, every once in a while, there comes a moment of insight. Prayer as an activity putting me in a mindset which enables me to connect to something beyond myself, leaving myself behind. Then the light comes on, ever so briefly. This morning, walking with Coco, was that kind of moment. So I prayed – Christ over me, Christ under me, Christ beside me, on my left and on my right. Christ within me and without. Christ in heart, Christ in mouth. Christ beside me, on my left and my right. Christ as light.
May the deep desire expressed over and over in those words be realized today in my relationship with others. Wish me luck.

Friends and Samaritans

It’s funny how sometimes the one thing you’re thinking about comes back to you in several ways all at once. Yesterday I posted a comment about wealth and consumption. Then last night on the news I was amazed by a story about a millionaire who gives away almost all he earns. This person has a very successful business which earns him millions, but he lives very simply and gives away the rest. He gave away his last car in the 70’s, and now goes everywhere by bicycle. He owns one pair of shoes. Ever since his children were young, his wife and he would live on as little as they could, and each month they would give the rest of their earnings away. This person has helped thousands of people by giving to causes that help poor people.
Then this morning, the gospel reading in church was the Good Samaritan story. The message this time was not so much about giving away all you have, but rather encountering other human beings in the guise of friendship. Hebrews considered Samaritans to be the bad guys. Samaritans probably didn’t even like Hebrews. Yet, the story shows that strangers should be treated like friends. Hum…..

Wealth and consumption

I just bought a new pair of pants from LLBean. Those of you who know me know that I don't often buy clothes; it's not my most favorite thing to do. But I do like to be comfortable. Then I began looking at blogs and I got to a link called the Global Rich List http://www.globalrichlist.com/, and I put in just my income, not even counting Richard's. I'm in the top 0.85% richest people in the world. And I'm asking myself, what does that mean to me? I buy fair trade coffee, I give to charities, etc. But it all seems like just a drop in the bucket.
Was it just luck that I ended up in a place and time that put me in such a privileged position?
That must be, because I don't hold much faith in the view of life that depends on an all controlling God who has a plan for each of us and can intervene at will in the messy details of life.

Encountering God

Today's Celtic reading (see my earlier post for the reference) pointed out that in the story of the Magi, they came, they saw Christ and they gave him gifts. Important to note, however, was the problem that their encounter caused. They went away troubled, not happy, because Herod wanted to use them and they had to go back a different way. That made me think about why I seek encounters with the divine - not to feel good, not in a vain hope that God will do something for me. Encounters with God are meant to challenge, to inspire change in life, so that I can let God be known through me. Boy, is that difficult! Wish me well on this journey.

Richard is officially retired!

It has been a roller coaster of emotions, but Richard is finally officially retired from the U of A. I have come to realize that this is a major milestone in life, and I guess I haven't fully absorbed the impact since I've still got 10 years to go! Congratulations are in order... Happy retirement to my dear husband!

Acoma Pueblo

What a treat to visit the Acoma Pueblo! It was interesting to hear about the Acoma people and their traditions and to visit the site of their homes on top of a 365 ft. sandstone mesa near Albuquerque. For more info, read the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoma_Pueblo. See pictures.
The most interesting part was that in their culture women own property and men govern. They have a clan system with over 12 clans, one of which is almost extinct because membership in a clan is passed from mother to children and one of the clans had all boys born into it, so when the last living member dies, that clan will cease to exist because that member is a male. It reminds me of my own family because my brother has no children, so he is the last Scott.
Names are so important to our identity, aren't they?

Hospitality and welcoming

The idea of hospitality and welcoming are ingrained in many spiritual traditions, and I can see why. It is through relationships and human interaction that one grows. I could meditate all day long but if that action did not affect the living beings with whom I interact, what good would come of it? I love visiting my brother's house. It is full of books in every room! Here are some pictures from the trip.

Winged Migration. This is a wonderful film. The photography is amazing. Jim, Heidi, Kathy and I were mesmerized throughout the movie. The film showed all kinds of fowl as they migrated thousands of miles. The scenery was spectacular, and of course there were moments of anguish as well as elation. There isn't much of a plot, but it isn't needed. Some beautiful images of flying geese, ducks and swans will continue in my mind for a while. They aren't the most graceful of flyers, but the incredible effort they devote to migration, and those little webbed feet sticking out behind them, are imprinted in my brain for now. Glorious nature! Enjoy...

Back to a place full of memories

Summer is for many a time of pilgrimage and visiting other places. Today’s reading, from Celtic Daily Prayer, Prayers and Readings from the Northumbria Community (which I am finding a wonderful source of inspiration for my humble attempts at a daily spiritual practice) provided an interesting twist on that idea – going back to a place full of memories can be a kind of pilgrimage. That fits in well with my longing to incorporate reverence for people and place into my daily interactions, because it is easy to experience a kind of awe when one visits those places where one lived a long time. I remember particularly the time when Isa and Ivan took my Mom and me on a surprise visit to the house I grew up in. I wish now that I had concentrated more on reverence for the place during that visit, and not focused so much on the dilapidated condition of the house, or the people then living there. Perhaps when we scattered Mom’s ashes on that mountain place in Colorado where she played as a child, that is a more meaningful example of how reverence and memories can intertwine. Anyway, these are thoughts for a hot, hot summer day in the Old Pueblo.

BHAG Big Hairy Audacious Goal

BHAG – Big HairyAudacious Goal. This was a new acronym to me when I heard it this morning. In case like me you’re unfamiliar with the term, Wikipedia tells the history of the phrase at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BHAG_(Goal) and gives some examples of well known corporations’ BHAGs. In short, a BHAG is a long term goal (10-30 years out) which represents a vision of the future. What is my BHAG? Pursue a monastic life. I’m still not sure what my rule of life will be like, and how long this will take, but I’m glad that I finally put it down on paper. Both the desire and the intention have been in my heart a long time.