Thanksgiving traditions

As I am working on preparations for our Thanksgiving meal memories flood my head of family and friends. Growing up we had the “traditional” food - at least, what my family felt was traditional. Over the years we gathered in different homes with different groups of people, but we always had the same sweet potato casserole. After Scott and I were married I tried to replicate the memory from my childhood with little success. I had moved 3000 miles away from the Pacific Northwest and the variety of sweet potatoes I was accustomed to. It seems like a tiny thing, but I so wanted to continue the tradition I knew. In the early years of our marriage I tried different combinations, and varieties, until I worked out ingredients for our sweet potato casserole. I do not recall what the potatoes of my youth tasted like anymore, but the memory opened an opportunity to try new things, until finally a new recipe emerged. Finding a new thing took time and risk, but where the recipe has evolved fits where we are, and who we are today.

May your holiday be a time of connection.

Peace and blessings,
Amy

Last Sunday we reached the pinnacle of our stewardship program with a brunch after worship. The “It’s Coming” signs have come down but the spirit of unity and fellowship continue. This coming Saturday we have another occasion for which to gather, it will be “Apple Pie Day” hosted by the women’s fellowship. So many groups and gatherings: today I will gather with family to mark my daughter’s birthday, last week I was privileged to join others in study of the Bible at a parishoners home, and yesterday I gathered with other parents as we waited to pick up our kids from school. We gather as a community on Sunday morning for worship but there are so many other communities of which we are a part. I am left wondering about the expanse of groups/communities that we are integrated into. How many communities are you a part of? How can we help others feel welcome in this community of faith? May we know and share the welcome that says you can come as you are. We are welcome when we feel strong and when we feel weak.

Rocky Roads

This morning as I headed up to church I first noticed the brisk morning air and the thick frost on the grass. Not long after that I was struck by the dramatic lack of leaves on the trees about a mile north of my home. The drive continued to be marked by moments with trees full of colorful leaves while others were barren. The thought of leaves and changes of seasons suddenly shifted as traffic slowed to a snail’s pace. With lights flashing ahead the vehicles inched along closer to the reason for our slow speed. All at once it became clear what the reason was, as my car began to feel like I was driving down the road to Camp Wightman; I saw and felt the rocks scattered all over the highway. The road was bumpy with rocks. The rocks on the surface that were forcing us to slow down contrasted with the rocks interwoven into the composite pavement that only a few minutes ago provided a smooth surface to drive on. One might suggest that the rocks, our rough places, can be made smooth when we work together to fill the gaps and support one another through their bumpy places. May God continue to help us fill the gaps even when the rough places still exist.

You are special today!

Earlier this week I was out and about and came across something I had not seen since I was a child. It was a red plate with the words "you are special today" written on it. Maybe you have seen plates like this, maybe you have one, or maybe you have another ritual which accomplishes the same thing. As a child the red "special" plate came out not at set times, but whenever someone in the family determined that was the day a family member should receive it. The person with the task of setting the table would replace the standard plate with the "special" red plate. It seems like such a simple thing and simple message, but the message spoke to me once again that day. I wondered how I could share with others and let them know that they deserve to feel "special" and valued. Today I wish each of us could find the message "you are special today" and really know it. May you know that you are special not just today, but always.

Sacred pace and rest

As I look out the window and see the water droplets falling amid the red and yellow leaves I am reminded of a song I learned when I was small. It was Miriam Therese Winter’s song “Joy is like the Rain” which speaks to the presence of God - even in Jesus who took time in the boat to rest. As Jesus was resting during the storm, the Rev. Kirk Jones (author of “Rest in the Storm” and other books) suggests that we all need to follow that example and take time to recharge, rest, pray, and play. May we find that “sacred pace” and “sacred space” today.

Do you have a favorite place?

One of my favorite places is beside tall waterfalls. Multnomah Falls, where the water tumbles down 620 feet, is fed (at least in part) from Mount Hood (which stands at over eleven thousand feet), is one of my favorite places. One is able to hike to a bridge about halfway up. The pathway is steep, but the beauty one finds along the way is transforming, and once one steps unto the bridge one encounters a view unique to that moment, for the flow of water is dependent on so many variables. In winter one may even encounter the falls frozen, yet people still come to witness the continuing transformation.

What are your favorite places?

May we know God present in the beauty, and also in the rough patches. We can find God on the steep path and the smooth. May we walk with one another, supporting one another as we journey together.

Peace and blessings,
Amy

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/millennium2/welcome.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood

“ ‘Lo, the butter is in the milk, yea, the butter is in the milk.’ ”

“ ‘Thou hast to churn the milk, O, Disciple, if thou desirest the taste of butter.’ ”
From an Old Hindu Poem quoted by
Howard Thurman in Deep is the Hunger page 27

God is in us,
faith is in us,
we need to move,
work,
and play
knowing that God is in us.

Have you ever churned butter?
How do we keep working on our faith?
Have you ever thought about faith like cream and butter?

Making butter is a straightforward process and it involves work.
1. Start with a clean container with a tight lid. (one which you will be able to reach a knife into to remove the butter).
2. pour in heavy cream or whipping cream anywhere up to the midpoint of the container.
3. cap container tightly.
4. shake.
5. keep shaking.
6. share the work.
7. when you can feel there is a solid chunk of butter separated, pour contents into a bowl through cheesecloth to strain the butter.
8. place butter in a bowl or plate and salt if desired.
9. enjoy. Share.

What about the other stages of cream

(like when it is whipped to seemingly perfect peaks and then falls)

May we know that what we hunger for is present in us.
The more we work the more we may know that which is at work in us.