Weave and Sew Dust

"The Help"--a must see movie

Chris and I went to North Hills Cinema last night to see The Help and it was sold out so we went to the Raleigh Grande instead and ended up in the front row! Great movie, really captured the essence of the book. I won't spoil it for anyone but be prepared to laugh!

The art director is the son of a friend of mine and I am going to get to meet him at the beginning of September. Can't wait.

My favorite line from the book, that they couldn't put in the movie because it was in Aibileen's thoughts, is from a non-conversation between Miss Leefolt and her maid, Aibileen. Aibileen is thinking, "My face goes hot, my tongue twitchy. I don't know what to say to her. All I know is, I ain't saying it. And I know she ain't saying what she want a say either and it's a strange thing happening here cause nobody saying nothing and we still managing to have us a conversation"(29). Thanks, Kathryn Stockett, for the gift of your book that is so poignant and depicted women of great courage, like so many women of the Civil Rights era.

 

See

See--I have been captivated by this word lately.This morning I am noticing the light on the window screen. Where there is an obstruction, the gentle light is completely blocked; it does not impose itself.

Light:how so like God; Blockage: how so like us.--musings of an anam cara (soul friend)

A little bit of sunshine

 A budding jewelry designer! Visit www.greenheartstudios.com

New look for one of my favs

Greenheart Studios is refreshing its look and, of course, the jewelry is always refreshing. One has to respond quickly to buy a piece of Cara's jewelry collection 'cuz they are, for the most part, one of a kind! All are meticulously hand-wired and only personally selected gemstones are used. Check it out at  http://www.greenheartstudios.com/ She does custom orders too!

When you visit Greenheart, you can also see one of the sweetest jewels, my granddaughter, Lila, who loves to model her own necklaces.    

Seeking Wisdom? JBB

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest—Matthew 11:28

It is easy to get a visual image of a day laborer in this passage and not the more erudite meaning of a Jewish scholar struggling to master the laws of the Torah while failing to seek wisdom. All ancient Hebrew thought is expressed through the senses, what can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted, or heard. In this way, because of Hebrew’s concrete language, the Lord reaches both the day laborer and the scholar with these reassuring words.

In our Door Ministry, many day laborers come seeking financial help. Our “day laborers” consist of construction workers, nurse’s aides, bus drivers, moms with kids in tow, restaurant workers, landscape gardeners, young people trying to finish college or trade schools, and the elderly, to name a few. Thanks to the wonderful contributions from the parishioners at Sacred Heart, the Door Fund is able to give them a little bit of financial rest.

But, something else happens here at The Door. Wisdom happens. For it is here that we encounter our sisters and brothers who have the same hopes and dreams like our own. Paul describes it in this way: “There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and freeman, male and female; for you are all one person in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). Or, as Anne Werdel so often says, “We are all beloved sons and daughters of God.” We learn the wisdom of inclusivity.

I am also thoroughly convinced that the Lord gives us the poor, not so much for us to change them but so that we can be changed, transformed in our minds and hearts--to begin to love as God loves. We learn the wisdom of selfless love.

Finally, on the road to everyday holiness, God often sends people to us so that we may continue on our way toward God. However, because most of us are so insulated from the poor, we need to put our feet on the ground in their neighborhood if we wish to grow in holiness. Remember, Jesus spent a good portion of his life among the poor making their lives better. As we hear in Joan Chittister: In My Own Words: “Sanctity consists in making life good for everyone whose life we touch.”  We learn the wisdom of walking with the poor.

The Rage of Dementia

Many of you may be having to deal with a loved one who is starting to exhibit dementia/Alzheimers. There is a side effect of this disease that may catch you unaware, especially in the early stages. Unusual anger and rage is a sign of decreased brain function. Your loved one will exhibit an inability to let go of the perceived source of their rage, which can be accompanied by paranoia. If your relative had a volatile personality already, you may miss the change occurring. You are thinking that you are talking to someone who is rational, but in fact, they are not. The rage is usually focused at the caregiver, but not always. If your family had interpersonal problems when you were growing up, everything gets magnified. This disease can destroy families caught up in taking sides, instead of uniting to face the caregiving problems. Nobody wants to talk about this part of the disease. Commercials on TV show warm, loving moments with docile relatives or conversations with celebrities who have shuffled their parent off to expensive assisted living facilities.

I am writing to say that you have to hang on to love for each other and loving memories (and that means everyone in the family). You must let go of habits/prejudices formed when you were children/teens--this disease needs mature adult caregivers in order for all of you to survive.

Which wolf will win? JBB

Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.—2 Corinthians 13:11

I am struck by how much this scripture depends on my willingness as a follower of the Lord to bend my own will to the good of the group—mend my ways, encourage others, be agreeable, live peacefully. It reminds me of a native American Indian story. An elder tells her grandchild that there are two wolves inside her fighting for control. One wolf is the wolf of love; the other wolf is a wolf of hate. The grandchild asks, “Which wolf will win?”The elder replies, “Whichever wolf I feed.” Belonging to a community is not always easy, even among fairly like-minded people. Disagreements arise about how best to handle different issues. Which wolf emerges depends on my willingness to be open or closed to other’s opinions and/or knowledge. Do I act out of my own interests or am I open to the greater good that I might otherwise miss?

In the Vatican II document, The Church and the Modern World (1965), the Church prophetically recognized the importance of, and responsibilities for, the common good: “Every day, human interdependence grows more tightly drawn and spreads by degrees over the whole world. As a result the common good, that is, the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment, today takes on an increasingly universal complexion and consequently involves rights and duties with respect to the whole human race. Every social group must take account of the needs and legitimate aspirations of other groups, and even of the general welfare of the entire human family” #26.

We must consciously feed the wolf of love—in our family life, in our parish community, in our workplace, in our civic life, and in the greater world. . . . and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Butte to Butte

Here we are at Skinner Butte Park (4/21) overlooking Eugene--who's that baby with the blue eyes?

 

We had just finished playing in the park. . .

 

when Mommy wears sunglasses, you know who has to wear them too!

A happy whirlwind named Lila

Ten wonderful days in Eugene, Oregon with this cutie-patootie and her mommy and daddy!

Life's been a bit of a whirl lately (part 2)

The tornado caused much sorrow for some of the Hispanic families that attend Sacred Heart. Four children died having sought shelter in a bathtub only to have a tree fall on their mobile home. Their mobile home park is a mess of damaged trailers. One of Chris's Vietnamese families had a tree fall on their home in a nearby subdivision. Luckily, he had arranged a good insurance policy for them. Catholic Parish Outreach lost power and had just received the month's delivery of meat. They quickly put everything on dry ice.Their old distribution center lost part of its roof. I think tornados are much worse than hurricanes--so little time to prepare and the whole thing is so random. Believe me when I say that I counted my blessings, that Chris and I were able to  proceed with our planned visit to see our daughter and her family in Oregon only a few days later.