September 2013 Readings

Posted on October 1, 2013 by kimberly

There were some great reads in my cue this month. I also read a lot of magazines. Overall, though, may page count is way lower than normal. I am starting to worry that my husband will beat me this year. I have out read him every year since we got married. I cannot let this tragedy happen. (Competitive much? It is the quality of the pages, not the number that counts, right? So being competitive in page count is not necessarily a good thing).

Breaking Chains: Slavery on Trial in the Oregon Territory by R. Gregory Nokes

An interesting read about slavery in Oregon. The history is not quite as rosy as we would like to believe. This book was well researched and very interesting, but I liked his first book better (Massacred for Gold).

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

Oh, this book was torturous to read! Not because of how it was written, and I’m not trying to discredit the author in anyway. It tells the story of the author’s experience in the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. She lost her parents, husband, and two young boys in the tsunami, and somehow survived herself. The experience must have been horrific, and just thinking about it makes me cringe. I feel guilty for even writing this because the author herself states that it made her feel horrible when someone told her that her story was unimaginable…she didn’t want to be the person who had to live the unimaginable life.

Unfinished by Richard Stearns

I received this book as a gift from Richard Stearns himself…well….from World Vision anyway….as a thank you for being a child ambassador. The book is inspiring and thought provoking. It gave me an “itch” and made me think about how I spend my time, and what more I can do in order to live out my calling.

Magazines

National Geographic – August and September 2013

Sojourners – Sept/Oct 2013

Archaeology – July/Aug. 2013

Christianity Today – September 2013

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August Readings

Posted on September 17, 2013 by kimberly

I didn’t get quite to all of the summer reading that I wanted to, but I still read a lot!

boys adrift by Leonard Sax

This book was recommended to me by a coworker from my summer school who is also raising a young boy. I picked it up at Powell’s in Beaverton with a gift card. The book was very interesting food for thought. The author presents five reasons why he believes that young men are not doing as well as they could in today’s world. The chapter on the way schools are run was especially interesting to me since I am a teacher. I made my husband read it for our annual “choose what the other reads” month so that we could talk about it. There are definitely some interesting ideas we may put into practice regarding video games and other parts of daily life. For instance, I have tried to get Elias outside more and more since reading this book. I would recommend it for parents of boys.

Telling God’s Story: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching the Bible

I picked up this book at the library because Elias was asking questions I was not sure how to answer. As we read his children’s Bible, he would point out all the characters such as Jesus or Zacchaeus or Mary, etc. One day he asked me, “Where’s God?” I tried to explain to him that God wasn’t in the picture, but that doesn’t mean he is not there. Try that on a two year old! So anyway….I asked around for advice and also checked out this book. The book is geared mostly toward older children (children who are at least in elementary school). But one thing I did take away is that for the youngest children, focusing on the life of Jesus is the most important….not telling Bible stories as most people do. It has been interesting to think about, and the argument made sense. I would recommend this book for parents of older children.

Periodicals

Sojourners July and August 2013

World Vision Magazine Autumn 2013

National Geographic July 2013

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In Church We…..

Posted on September 15, 2013 by kimberly

This morning my 2 year old asked what we were going to do today. My husband responded that we were getting ready to go to church. Then my two year old said, “In church we be quiet.”

My heart just stopped.

If that is the first thing he thinks of when we mention going to church then we have utterly failed.

A few months ago, he started showing a lot of resistance to the nursery. He kept saying he wanted to come up to church with us. So rather than let him have a negative association with going, we decided to try having him come up with us in the sanctuary. “You can come with Mommy and Daddy but you have to be quiet,” I’ll admit I said those words to him on a few occasions.

And he has been very well behaved. He follows along with most of the service. He responds at the appropriate times. He sings the Lord’s Prayer in his loud toddler voice. I thought we were doing really well.

But then he said, “In church we be quiet.” And my heart broke.

I rushed out to him and I tried to explain that sometimes in church we have to be quiet but it’s only because in order to listen we need to be quiet. We need to listen to Father Jeff and to Mother Pippa. We need to listen to the gospel story and listen for God. And I tried to explain to him that sometimes we’re loud in church, too. Sometimes we sing loud because we’re so excited to be there and praise God.

We got into the sanctuary and sat in the pew. The prelude began, and Elias yelled out, “Listen, Mommy! It’s the elbow!” (oboe) Then I explained to him that last time it was an oboe, but this time it was an organ.

Then later when the priest was reading the Collect of the day, he again said in a loud voice, “We listen to Mother Pippa!”

So maybe my little talk in the morning got through to him after all. Only time will tell.

A child’s faith is so strong and yet so fragile at the same time. The last thing I want to do is squash it by making him think that church is all about being quiet. Yes, sometimes we need quiet at church. Time to pray or listen or reflect. But sometimes we need loud at church too. And I hope I can teach my son that balance.

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In Which God Looks Like A Baby’s Wonder

Posted on August 25, 2013 by kimberly

A few months ago I took a “spiritual profile” survey at a continuing education meeting for Stephen Ministry. The survey asked me some multiple choice questions (which I answered) and then had me score them according to a certain numbering scheme. Basically, the author of the survey believes that the spiritual path of finding and expressing relationship with God is not the same for every person. She identified three major paths: The path of selfless action, the path of complete devotion, and the path of wisdom and reflection.

I scored 8 in the path of selfless action, 2 in the path of complete devotion, and 0 in the path of wisdom and reflection. I was one of only a few in the room who identified so strongly in one area, and the only one who was so strongly in the path of selfless action except for the person who was administering the continuing education.

What I am completely and utterly embarrassed to admit (but am going to do so anyway) is that before going through this exercise, it did not even occur to me that anything could be as important as serving God through my actions. After all it says,

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you did no supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?

-James 2:14

It’s why I sponsor children and serve as a child ambassador. It’s one of the reasons I teach and why I volunteer at other outreach events. Isn’t that how we relate to God? Through obedience and through loving our neighbor?

It did not even occur to me that someone else may believe anything is more important.

But this survey and the following discussion rocked my brain a bit. Praise and worship. Adoration of God. Devotion. Study. Silence. Contemplation. Prayer. These things are important too. And for some, it is how they relate best to God.

I’m sure most of you already knew this. But I was so strongly associated with the path of selfless action, that I literally felt disoriented for a bit. It really helped me understand my fellow Christians better, I think.

And then a few months went by. I had a baby. I taught summer school. I got caught up in daily life. And I forgot some of the revelations I had that evening.

But it was like the Holy Spirit came knocking on my door again this morning. To remind me of the understandings that had moved to the back of my brain, gathering dust.

I was sitting in the beautiful wood and stone sanctuary of my church at home. The prayers and incense were wafting up. The ceiling is very tall, making a large open space. Lanterns hang midway between floor and ceiling. A large cross is suspended over the altar. But I did not notice any of this. At least not at first.

My six month old was on my lap. Eyes, wide. He looked up in wonder at his surroundings. He looked up and stared, eyes sparkling, mouth open. Over and over again. At times he even bent over almost backward in order to see all that surrounded him. The sanctuary is beautiful, like God. It is big, like God. It it holds us in awe if we really take the time to look (like God).

I saw God in the look of wonder on my baby’s face. And I wasn’t doing anything. We can be in relationship with Him through serving our community. Or we can be in relationship with Him by sitting in a worship service and watching our children.

So I was reminded, again, by my six month old….that God is just waiting for us to notice him. There are many ways to be in relationship with Him other than obedience and good works. We can find him anywhere. All we have to do is open our eyes in wonder, and look.

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I Feel Like a Dinosaur

Posted on August 19, 2013 by kimberly

I’ve had a phone “adventure” the last few days. The moral of the story? Don’t try to take a picture of your 6 month old and then run off, leaving the phone on the floor. He will army crawl over to it, pick it up, and proceed to saturate the thing with so much drool that it drips….(ok that last part was a bit of an exaggeration). I left because I heard Elias waking up. I went to get him changed and dressed. When I came back a couple minutes later, my phone was in the mouth of my 6 month old…with a bunch of drool. I immediately took it apart and tried to dry everything off….but it started acting up immediately. By the evening…it was dead.

But all this is a preface to my real story.

Today I had to go to the Verizon store to replace my phone. My phone is a regular old joe phone. I talk and text on it. No data. No smart phone. Just a phone. It wasn’t that long ago that everyone had those kinds of phones….but apparently “just a phones” are becoming obsolete. You’d think I was asking the lady for a gramophone or something with the look she gave me.

I realize smartphones are most definitely the way of the future, and resistance is probably futile. But I do not want a smart phone. They are expensive and I don’t need one. When I am home I have a computer. When I am out and about I don’t want to be staring at a phone screen.

It bothers me how much everyone is looking at their phones these days. Not just for safety reasons such as in the car. I see Moms looking at their phones instead of playing with their kids at the park. I see families at restaurants all looking at separate devices instead of interacting with each other. I feel like faster and easier isn’t always better.

I reached the peak of my annoyance with smart phones when my family was camping at the beach last weekend. We were all sitting around the campfire. The smart phones were out. The children were more interested in looking at pictures and videos on the smart phones than anything else. They missed the whole experience in my opinion because their eyes were glued to a screen.

So I got a new phone today, and no…it was not a smart phone. It may be the last time that I am even able to do so (or so says the lady at Verizon). I feel like a dinosaur. But I guess I’m ok with that for now.

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Readings – A Catch Up

Posted on August 6, 2013 by kimberly

I’ve been seriously neglecting this blog for the last couple months. I’ve had things to write about….but haven’t made time to sit down and write them. I’m going to recommit myself…again….to try to write more consistently. We’ll see how it goes. I’m going to start with a readings catch up. The last time I posted my readings was March…even farther back than I thought. So here goes….my readings from April through July:

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I had never read this book, and decided that it was no longer acceptable. Anne is such a wonderful character. I’m glad I took the time to read it.

Bad Religion by Ross Douthat

A good read, although at times I felt that I needed to read it with a dictionary next to me. It definitely stretched my vocabulary! The author points out many sad but important truths about Christianity in today’s world. I wish more people would read the book.

Black Boy by Richard Wright

When I was teaching third grade, I acquired a book called Richard Wright and the Library Card. At the time, I didn’t know that Richard Wright was a real person. When I found out that he was, I picked up one of his books (Native Son) when I had a gift card to a local book store. I liked it so well, that I checked out Black Boy from the library. It is the author’s own life story. It is sad because so many things he writes about happening to him are just unbelievable. I definitely recommend the book!

Run Like a Mother and Train Like a Mother by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea

These were great reads. Definitely on the lighter side. I mostly picked them up because I started running for exercise myself. A few things I discovered while reading….serious runners do disgusting things! Also…I have no interest in ever training for a marathon or half marathon, but I definitely have a goal to be able to run a 5K without stopping or walking.

Running For My Life by Lopez Lomong

This book was recommended to me from multiple different sources so I checked it out from the library. This guy is amazing! It is always sad, but inspiring to read stories about people who have had such horrific experiences in their life, and then come through them with a faith stronger than ever.

Inferno by Dan Brown

A thriller. What else can I say? It was not really quality literature, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A real page turner.

Magazines:

Sojourners: May, and June 2013

National Geographic: April, May, and June 2013

World Vision Magazine: Summer 2013

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Time Is Running Out

Posted on June 21, 2013 by kimberly

In a couple of weeks I’ll be turning 29. Yes, actually 29 (I’m not using that as a cover up for a higher age). And at the risk of sounding completely ridiculous, I’d like to say that coming to the realization that I’ll be 29 soon has really thrown me for a loop. It’s made me feel like I’m running out of time.

You see, 29 is only one year away from 30. And it’s not that I consider 30 old (because I don’t). It’s just that 30 is definitely adult. Being in my twenties means I’m still in my youth. 30 means I’m entering the middle years. You’d think getting married or having two children or getting a job or buying a house or any adulty thing like those would make me feel like an adult. But they haven’t. So turning 29 means I have one year left of “being young”.  That’s it. One year.

And it’s really gotten me thinking about what I’ve done with my life. What have I done that has real meaning? What have I done to live out the gospel? To make a difference in this world? What have I done in my youth that is worth anything?  You see, this is my greatest fear too:

Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”
― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

I feel an urgency that I didn’t feel before. An urgency to get out of my comfort zone. An urgency to make my thirties even better than my twenties…and the forties even better than that…and so on and so on. I want to reframe my way of thinking. I want to prepare myself for this coming decade and beyond so that I don’t have to look back and wonder where my life went.

So I’ll spend this last year of my twenties changing diapers and smelling like spit up (and loving every minute of it). And I’ll spend it thinking and planning for the future. But I’ll also spend it just living. The last year of my youth will not just pass me by.

(Ok. You can tell me I’m ridiculous now.)

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Fair Treasure

Posted on June 7, 2013 by kimberly

A couple of months ago, one of my friends from high school mentioned a start up business on his facebook page. Fair Treasure was getting ready to launch. I clicked on the link because it seemed right up my alley, and usually everything this friend recommends is truly good. I was impressed, and since then have become more and more excited about it….so I just want to help get the word out and share something cool!

Fair Treasure is a monthly subscription which provides hand made treasures from around the world. They are “ethically sourced” , the artists are paid a fair price. Each month is a surprise…you don’t know what you’ll be getting beforehand….so it’s like opening a gift. The package comes with two or three items, and information about the people who made them. I decided to try it out for three months to support something that I think is an awesome idea.

In the beginning of May, my first fair treasure box came. I was super excited, and was not disappointed. I received a beautiful bracelet, and an equally wonderful shell dish. It was most interesting to read about the people who made them. Today my June box arrived. I wanted to get my kids down for a nap, but I had to check it out first. Here is what I found (I’m not very good at taking pictures so I’m sorry if I didn’t do the beautiful items justice!):

The outside of the box

One of the info cards

Earrings

Necklace

I am using my candle right now! (Candles have really been helping me relax lately…so this was perfect!)

I can see myself giving some of these as gifts, and keeping some (such as the candle) for myself. I’m glad to be supporting artists from around the world. Check out Fair Treasure! You won’t be disappointed.

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Summer Evenings

Posted on June 4, 2013 by kimberly

It’s not technically summer yet. But it sure feels like a summer evening.

Simon (3 months) woke up about 8 times in the first hour after I put him to bed. After coming out of the room….again….I gave my husband a hug, and decided to head outside to get the mail. Anything to get some fresh air. It may seem ridiculous, but after bedtime is supposed to be my time. My time to sew or blog or catch up on chores or read….or whatever. So when it isn’t my time I get frustrated.

I step carefully out the door so that I do not accidentally wake any sleeping children. I head down the stairs, and step out into the cool evening air. It’s beautiful. It’s one of those evenings when I just spread my arms wide, close my eyes, and tilt my chin up to the sky just taking it all in. The air feels good on my skin, but even better in my lungs as I breathe it in deep. I open my eyes and see the blue sky turning grey as dusk settles in. As I walk to the mailbox I feel that it just can’t get any better than this. I wish I could just lay down in some grass and stare up at the sky until the stars show their faces. But I get the mail, breathe in the air a few more times on my walk back in, and try to capture that good feeling so that it stays with me the rest of the night…no matter how many times my son wakes up from now on.

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It Was One Of Those Days

Posted on May 22, 2013 by kimberly

I’ve been facing a bit of the doldrums the last couple days. I don’t know if it’s this rainy weather or the fact that I’ve been alone with the boys so much lately. Maybe it’s because I’ve been so tired or because I stopped running because of knee pain….or maybe it’s just for no reason. But no matter what the cause…I’ve been a bit down.

Every time I start to feel down, though, I try to think of this post from simplemom.net which gives me comfort. Here’s an excerpt of the most important part:

And when things are hard this week—and there will be hard times this week—may you remember the good parts of your day, too, so that you resist labeling the whole day “horrible.” And if your day truly is a train wreck, may you find solid sleep, so that you can wake up again, ready to roll up your sleeves and start over.

Every new day is a gift. Remember that this week.

When I think about it like that, my days aren’t anywhere near horrible. Here’s my take on the last couple days:

– It was one of those days when my eyes sparkled with tears as my husband kissed me goodbye on his way to work. I was not looking forward to more than 12 hours without him. But then I looked down at my son nursing, and the other on the couch next to me and I was so thankful that these long days are the exception, not the rule, and that my husband gets the chance to pursue a subject of interest to him through a class in the evenings.

– It was one of those days when I just needed some diet coke and chocolate, and I really questioned if I wanted to stick with Weight Watchers and lose the baby weight. (Confession: I ate a couple M&M’s and didn’t count them on my points tracker) But then my son broke me out of my inner dialogue by saying, “I’m thinking about the government” out of the blue in the middle of an art project, and I was immediately thankful that my husband taught him that Bob Dylan lyric a few days ago.

– It was one of those days when the rain kept us inside. When it’s too cold to open the windows…and we may have even needed a bit of heat…but it’s too suffocating to stay inside the whole day. So we threw open the windows and listened to the pitter patter of the rain and breathed in the fresh air and smiled at the glistening drops of water on leaves outside our window.

– It was one those days when I said a little prayer that my two year old would just take a nap for goodness sakes so I could have a few minutes to take a breather. It was one of those days when he didn’t nap (I think he may never nap again) and I closed him in his room for quiet time so I could have a few minutes of space. But when I went to get him out of quiet time he was playing with Woody and Chewbaca behind the rocking chair, and his pretend dialogue was so cute my tensions of the day melted away instantly.

– It was one of those days when my patience wore thin because he wouldn’t stop climbing on me when I was trying to use a screw driver to connect two pieces of a globe toy. But then once it was assembled, he took it immediately to show his baby brother, and they looked at it together.

– It was one of those days when I cried in the card aisle at Target as I read some of the Father’s Day cards. And then an old lady said to me in the check out line, “I remember those days like they were yesterday.” (referring to my two young boys…one sleeping in the cart, and the other trying to convince me to buy him M&M’s.) She had glistening eyes and a wistful smile. And I realized that my boys are growing up right now, and someday I’ll wish I had more than 12 long hours with them to myself.

– And then I ran out of things to feel sorry for myself about. But the good just kept coming. My sister-in-law came over just before bedtime to help me bathe and put the boys to bed. She came out on this stormy evening just to help me out, and so that Elias didn’t have to be by himself when I put Simon to bed.

And when the boys were in bed I turned on some good tunes, and felt like falling asleep on the couch, but decided to work on an art project of my own. I felt my muscles relax at the end of a long day as my hands weaved the threads, and as I thought about it, I realized that today was a good day.

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