Listening & Hearing
Oct 29th, 2006 by Sonja

We’re in Raleigh this weekend.  LightGirl has a couple of hockey games down here.  We spent Friday night with LightHusband’s brother and his family.

The first hockey game was Saturday night.  It was in an old rink that had wooden seats and a low ceiling.  This was simultaneously delightful and disturbing.  The wooden seats were wonderful.  If you’ve ever been to an ice rink and sat on the metal bleachers … well … just imagine how much more comfortable wood might be in an environment devoted to keeping a large sheet of ice frozen.  The low ceiling did two things.  Well … perhaps three.  It made for fantastic lighting for LightHusband’s photography!  It kept the cold air near to the ice.  It kept the cold air near to the spectators.  Ahhh … it’s that last that was discomfiting.

Due to a series of strange events, CoachWonderWoman could not be with her team this weekend.  She is having a much deserved weekend with her husband.  So the girls are being lead by the very capable coach of the U19 team.  I met him briefly before the game last night.  He seems very nice and has the girls’ best interests at heart.  He also seemed to be coaching with the same philosophy that CoachWonderWoman has.  They did well.  But it was obvious that something was awry.  They weren’t quite playing as a team.  They weren’t looking for each other in the manner that they often do.

It struck me as I sat in the stands.  Most of the other teams we face have male coaches.  Their coach is a woman.  They know how to sort out her voice from all the other voices easily.  It comes naturally.  And, they are used to her voice calling to them.  They practice with the U19 team and usually they filter CoachU19’s voice out and Coach WonderWoman’s in.  Their norm is to NOT listen to him.  Not because his advice is bad, wrong or misleading, but because normally it’s not meant for them.  Now, in the heat of a game they were having to re-filter which voice to listen to.

Later on, I thought more about that.  I thought about how that analogy effects all of us.  How do we filter the voices we listen to?  Do we know when to change the filter?  How do we know when to re-filter in the heat of a moment?  What voices are we listening to?  Do they have our best interests at heart?  More importantly (for those of us who believe in God) how do we filter out the loud voices to hear His still small voice?  Do we recognize it when we hear it?  Or have we changed coaches so often we no longer know who or what we’re listening to?

Still Looking
Oct 28th, 2006 by Sonja

I’m not certain why, but lately this song is really resonating with me. Usually when a song speaks to me I know the reason right away. But this is elusive. Sometimes it’s just out of my grasp. So I listen. Then I listen again. But I still don’t really have any clear notion of what I’m hearing. Or what it’s saying to me. But I like it … a lot.

You get to feel so guilty, got so much for so little
Then you find that feeling just won’t go away
You’re holding on to every little thing so tightly
‘Til there’s nothing left for you anyway

Goodbye…
You can keep this suit of lights
I’ll be up with the sun
I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down

You wanted to get somewhere so badly
You had to lose yourself along the way
You change your name, well that’s okay, it’s necessary
And what you leave behind you don’t miss anyway

Goodbye…
You can keep this suit of lights
I’ll be up with the sun
I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down

‘Cause I’m already gone
Felt that way all along
Closer to you every day
I didn’t want it that much anyway

You’re taking steps that make you feel dizzy / (Gone)
Then you learn to like the way it feels / (Gone)
You hurt yourself you hurt your lover / (Gone)
Then you discover
What you thought was freedom just was greed / (Gone)

Goodbye…
And it’s emotional
Good night…
I’ll be up with the sun
You’re still holding on
I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down

Gone… sun… time… sun…
Gone… sun…. gone… sun…

Serendipity
Oct 26th, 2006 by Sonja

Today has been somewhat unexpected.  Earlier in the week I had been reminded by BiologyTeacher that there was a fieldtrip planned for the zoo today.  I really wanted to go.  But I was travelling uphill in waist-high water to get us ready for a much-anticipated trip to Raleigh for some hockey games.  This trip also involves seeing some family in Greensboro and taking some friends with us.  It’s complicated.  Yesterday I cried, “Uncle!” and declared that the LightChildren would go in the company of FlamingEwe and BiologyTeacher, but I would stay home and attend to details.
This morning even those plans went somewhat awry when (how shall I put this delicately?) a combination of potroast and cider that I ate for dinner last night revealed that it was a chemistry experiment gone bad in my digestive system.  I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.  Suffice it to say that I was not as productive this morning as I had anticipated.  Now I was also a bit frustrated.  If I wasn’t going to get to see the zoo, I’d like to have something to show for the day.

Do you have a hero?  Someone that you’d like to be like when you grow up?  I have a couple of heros.  One of my heros is a guy named Kaffe Fassett.  He’s a quilter.  But he’s more than that.  He has a way of looking at and using color that is musical, lyrical.  It’s like setting color to music.  He designs fabrics and makes quilts.  He uses traditional patterns in new, fabulous ways.   If there were any quilt teacher in the world that I would pick to study under, it would be him.

Several months ago my favorite quilt store announced that he would be coming and they offered 3 workshops and a lecture by Kaffe.  By the time FlamingEwe and I found out about it, the workshops were full and the waiting lists were yards long.  But we put ourselves on the waiting lists anyway.

The phone rang at about 2 this afternoon.  It was the store calling to say that there had been cancellations, would I be interested in one of the workshops?  “Um, what date again?”  Monday, Nov. 6 and Tuesday, Nov. 7  “How many spaces are in the Monday workshop?”  Three.  So …. in between reminding myself to breath because I kind of forgot, I signed up to take a class …. with OMIGOSH!!! Kaffe Fassett.  I can’t believe it.

I signed FlamingEwe up as well.  We’ll figure childcare out another time.  But right now I can’t believe my good fortune and I’m grinning from ear to ear.

(Red)one
Oct 26th, 2006 by Sonja

A somewhat different perspective on the Project (RED) Campaign … very funny … and thoughtful too.

(Red) is the color …
Oct 24th, 2006 by Sonja

And if I were more skilled with this rattin’ frattin’ blog I’d know how to change the color of my title and the fonts in the post and be all cool and all of that. But, ummm … I’m not up to speed yet. So like my AwakeFriend (who is colorblind) you’ll have to imagine the colors.

Have you heard of the Product (RED) Campaign? I’m having problems with it. When I first heard of it, I thought, “Brilliant!” Then, I thought, “Gross over-commercialism at it’s finest … blech.” Then my brainiac pendulum swung back and I thought, “You know … not everyone can be as puritanical and as philanthropic as you are. Most people need an extra boost.” See me … I want the swords beaten into plowshares … like NOW! I’m tired of waiting. I want these companies to give, not just a portion of the profits on their specific products, but the entirety of the profits. Because, come on! How much would it hurt Apple to give up the profit on one single line of iPods? How many iPods do they have? They are only giving up $10 on this particular iPod that they are selling for $199. But then, that is the brilliance of Bono. He is patient. I am not.

Then I heard about a guy in Canada. I follow his blog occasionally. It’s called Waving or Drowning (which I find highly amusing and thought provoking; both the name and the blog). It turns out that he’s had some of the same thoughts that I had about the whole Product (RED) Campaign, with one large exception. He had a great idea to do something about it. His idea is that there are a lot of people out there in the big wide world who would give just $10 to help with getting AIDS medications to Africa and he has set up a system to do that. You can go to his blog and read his challenge here, then give $10 via Paypal to him. He is promising to pass it all (100%) along to the Stephen Lewis Foundation (a non-religious foundation based in Canada which assists children who have lost parents to AIDS). So check him out. If you feel it’s worthy, give him $10 (Canadian) to help with this cause. I did it and he even sent me an e-mail to say thankyou. Somehow it feels better than buying more stuff to clog the arteries of my house just to make myself feel as tho I did good.

UPDATE: Mike Todd (the guy in Canada) has written a post dealing with some of the concerns that people might have. You can read it here. Also I thought I’d post the text of his original challenge in the body of this post … so these are Mike’s words below:

I’ve come to the conclusion that I love this program. And I hate it. Let me try to explain why.

The love part is easy. I love it because it will provide funds for saving lives. What’s not to love about that?

Here’s the part with which I’m having trouble. I hate it because it’s a sad commentary, a mirror if you will, reflecting the reality of our culture back to us. The currency of the Kingdom is love. The currency of this material, self-centered culture is “stuff.” Bono is brilliant as he has realized this, and knows we will not give out of love. HIV/AIDS is killing people in numbers too horrible to give voice to. And while this troubles us, it apparently doesn’t trouble us enough to give out of love. The brilliance of Product (Red) is that it will get the money out of us anyway. No love? Fine, then we’ll appeal to your need for the other currency, for stuff. Want a new Gap shirt, and a trendy one at that? Great. Here you go, and by the way, a couple of bucks will go to life-saving drugs.

In short, I long for a world that operates on Kingdom currency. It’s coming… just not fast enough. In the meantime, I will grit my teeth, smile, and promote the Product (RED) campaign. Heck, I’ll probably end up wearing a red t-shirt. Hypocritical? Maybe. Paradoxical? Definitely.

Red_ipod Now for the challenge. Robert and I have been discussing for some time the need for us to start another campaign to raise some funds here at WorD.

We’ve been looking at the (RED) iPod specifically. When you spend $200 US on the iPod, Apple will contribute $10 to the Global Fund. (Robert has changed his mind about Christmas, BTW, so don’t bother emailing his wife.)

I don’t have a clue what the profit margins are like on the iPod, but $10 doesn’t strike me as a lot of money. Let’s be realistic. It’s not. Here’s the choice: You can lay out $200, get a new iPod, and contribute $10 to a good cause. Or, you can just contribute the $10. We believe we can get 1000 people to donate $10 each. We’d like $10 from everyone in the developed world, but we’ll settle for you, and everyone you know. And when we’re done, we’ll pass the money–all of it–along to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

First, we need your $10. Just as importantly, we then need you to reach out to all your contacts. Post a link on your blog, send out an email to your friends, hang a banner from your window… whatever it takes. We’ll keep you posted on how we’re doing.

Together, we can do this. Help prove us right. Thank you.

Cead Mile Failte
Oct 24th, 2006 by Sonja

I’d be remiss if I didn’t welcome another friend to the blogging world. So, step back one step to make the circle bigger and welcome Phreaq77. He’s blogging from his view of the world where he’s got a little bit o’land … enough to call a farm, some thoughts on church and God, music (excellent taste in music) and even vegetables (terrible taste in vegetables 😉 ). I’ve called him, and his wife, “friend” irl since their daughter was tiny, so I’m very glad to see his brilliant thoughts in the outloud world.

Hockey Moms
Oct 23rd, 2006 by Sonja

I’ve entered a new phase in my life. This one came as a surprise. Unanticipated. Out of the blue. It all began sometime last winter and I’m still not sure how. But the first omens of it came during the Olympics last winter. LightGirl announced that she wanted to watch the hockey games. As the first game began, she ran to the schoolroom, grabbed the “H” WorldBook Encyclopedia, opened it to “Hockey” and proceeded to watch the game with book open on her lap to the page with the pictures of a referee on it with all of his hand signals. She watched all the games in like manner until she had memorized the ref’s calls and knew what they were before they were announced.

She wanted to take skating lessons. Simple. A neighbor was taking her son who was at the same level. So, off she went to skating lessons. She needed skates. Sometime in the spring she needed a stick for stickhandling lessons. Early in the summer she went to a day camp for hockey skills. Then she needed ….. e quip ment.

This fall we found a team for her to play on. It’s a good team. She loves it. And I’ve become …

… a

hockey mom.

Hockey Moms

What? How did this happen? One day I was just a mom and now I’m a hockey mom.

I went to a game on Saturday. I sat in the stands with about 4 other moms watching our girls do something we could never do. We weren’t allowed. So it never crossed our minds when we were their age. Most of us never even dreamed of it. We just stomped on those dreams before they even saw the light of day. We don’t speak of that of course. But there’s a light in these women’s eyes and I know I have it too. My girl isn’t going to have her dreams stomped on. She’s going to grow up stronger than I was. She isn’t going to have to be twice as good as a man to be considered half as bad. So I sit in the stands, work on my quilts and cheer these girls about to become women. They are learning how to skate hard. How to fall down and get up while their legs are still moving. How to make mistakes, but learn from them, and to not stop. How to get their heads in a man’s game and keep up.

Maybe, just maybe, all things being equal, things will be equal when she grows up. At the very least, she and her generation may be more prepared for it than their mothers were.

What If?
Oct 23rd, 2006 by Sonja

So, I’m still embroiled in the discussion over on Brother Maynard’s blog about Muslims and Christians and a proper response to terrorism.

It’s gotten me thinking, though.  Some of you probably smelled the smoke 😉 .

How might the world today be different if, after the 9/11 attacks, our Christ-professing President, and Christian leaders (Franklin Graham, James Dobson, Jimmy Swaggart, et al) had forgiven those who had attacked us?  What if they had lead this country in an example of forgiveness, grace and mercy following the example of the God they profess to follow?  Close your eyes for a minute or two and try to imagine the myriad of ways in which the world today might be a different place.

I’m not suggesting that this could have actually happened.  I’m just suggesting that it never will, until we begin to imagine how it might.

I wonder how many fewer terrorists there might be, because there would be less evil for Al Qaeda to point to.  Al Jazeera would be reporting on Christian good will, rather than Christian ill will.  I wonder what the ripple effects might have been.  Here, as well as abroad.  What are some of the effects that you can imagine?  Tell me about them in the comments … I’d love to know.

On Dryer Vents and Fear
Oct 22nd, 2006 by Sonja

I just came back to my computer after an engagement with my dryer. I fear the dryer won. To be precise, the dryer vent won. Last week I noticed that it was taking an inordinate amount of time for a load of laundry to dry. I checked all the regular vents and cleaned them to no avail. This left the tubing that comes out of the bottom of the dryer and goes into the wall … all in the back of my dryer in the teeny-tiny space in my laundry room. Checking and cleaning this requires pulling the dryer away from the wall and reminding my mid-life body that it was at one time a gymnast and it can, in fact, bend, jump and climb into that tiny space. This time my body required this reminder several times as the dryer vent tube stubbornly refused to stay put once I had cleaned it out and replaced it.

I had the chance as I jumped and climbed to think about a post I’ve been reading (and commenting on) this morning. Brother Maynard’s been writing about the culture of fear that has taken over in the United States and (to a lesser extent) in Canada. He’s also been writing about what a Christian response to that might be and what the major Christian mouthpieces have been saying. I wrote a couple of comments, and started to loose my temper. It’s a sore subject for me. You see, despite the fact that there has been no further attacks on our soil since 2001, I believe the terrorists won. I should actually rephrase that, we have lost. We have given up. Retreated when we ought to have stood firm. Handed our inalienable rights over to them on a silver platter. Christians stood first in line to do this.

I have to wonder about that. I can’t make any claims to have read the entire Bible. But I have read quite a bit of it. Enough to know that one of the primary themes that runs throughout the whole of Scripture is “do not fear, for I, your God, am with you.” So when I turn on the Christian radio stations and hear the talking heads there with their messages of fear, I have to wonder just which god they believe in. The God I read about in my Bible tells me not to fear, that even when all things seem arrayed against me and those I love, I am to remember that He is for me. That all things cannot be measured by what happens in this life. I was especially reminded of this as I read in Job 38 the other day:

1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:

2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?

3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-

7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,

9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,

11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,

13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?

14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.

15 The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?

20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,

23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?

24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,

26 to water a land where no man lives,
a desert with no one in it,

27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?

28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?

29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31 “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades?
Can you loose the cords of Orion?

32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
or lead out the Bear with its cubs?

33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36 Who endowed the heart with wisdom
or gave understanding to the mind?

37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?

39″Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions

40when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in a thicket

41 Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?

I was quite simply reminded that civilizations come and go. I can choose to fear those who would do evil or I can trust in good. I will not repay evil for evil, I will (with God at my back) overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19)

High Finance …
Oct 15th, 2006 by Sonja

… it’s not just for bankers anymore!

Thanks to Justin (via a ht from Brother Maynard) at Radical Congruency I found that financing the needs of small businesses in third world countries can be done by people like me … and you. Take a look at my sidebar, click through and find out how you can do that too.

It turns out that microfinance loans have a 98% repayment rate.  This is astonishing.  They help actual people put real food on their tables, clothes on their children, provide healthcare, and education, etc.  This is a real helping hand.  This is teaching people to fish and lending them the money to get a fishing pole and a boat.  Not just giving them a fish here and there and teaching them to be dependent upon us for the fish.

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