Sister Sarah's Excellent Adventure

counting my blessings

2012-01-30T21:17:00.003-05:00

If I were in Boston and it were not Monday, I would be praying at Compline, "Thanksgiving for the blessings of this day." It's a phrase you hear prayed again and again at the convent, and a prayer that comes up more and more frequently in my mind and heart. My prayer is that it become permanently etched into my being.

It just doesn't get more beautiful than this.

With that thought, I would like to share a few of the things for which I am thankful this evening:

electricity all day - possibly the first time since Christmas season
extra sleep
a day of rest
my family's safe return from their travels and the chance to talk with them
encouraging notes from friends
the marvel of yesterday's beauty, which I'm appreciating again today as I look through my photos
reminders of God's love as I looked through the scriptures this morning
coffee jello for dessert at supper - no doubt making it more possible for me to write during evening hours
a lapful of sleeping puppies tonight - not sure how they all managed to fit themselves onto my legs comfortably enough to sleep, as they are growing, but they did
an ironed habit for tomorrow
hard-working sisters
a friend and a nephew who celebrate their birthday today
water that didn't run out before I got to the shower this morning
outstanding pumpkin soup at lunch
a letter written
chocolate sent by my mother - and that it didn't melt!
music
grace, peace, forgiveness, love
much more

What is your list today?

roadside-seaside stand

2012-01-30T20:56:00.000-05:00

melon and fish for sale - Haiti interior shoreline

view from a back yard picnic

2012-01-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

It's a rough life, but someone had to eat lunch back here. You know, just being a good guest and all. The sacrifices we make...

Montrouis, Haiti - mountains, sea and boats

Sunday evening

2012-01-29T22:27:00.001-05:00

It's Sunday evening, and I'm winding down after a long day. Tomorrow is my day of rest, so I'm looking forward to sleeping a little later and praying on my own time. Thinking of the sabbath time to come, I stepped outside before Evening Prayer tonight to look at the sky, feel the breeze, and be quiet with the beauty for a minute before going inside.

evening sky, Haiti

Sundays we do things a little differently, and not just at church. For example, Sunday evening usually brings a supper of cheese and crackers, fruit, and hot chocolate, especially on days like today when we travel outside the city for a patronal festival (more on that later, I hope).

With that in mind, I'd like to share with you how to make your hot chocolate packet into something that tastes much better.

In Haiti, at least among the sisters, we don't just boil water and add it to the mix - or microwave it in the mug, for that matter. There is more to it. When I first tasted it here, I thought it must be some special Haitian chocolate, as it didn't taste like any hot chocolate packet I'd ever opened.

As it turns out, making it is simple.

First step: Fill a saucepan with water.

Add some cinnamon bark, light the gas, and simmer throughout Evening Prayer.

simmering cinnamon bark to make water for hot chocolate

Add your packet of hot chocolate and proceed as usual.

hot chocolate with condensed milk

One final step: add condensed milk, as you would to coffee.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

A good end to a good day.

power program

2012-01-23T23:24:00.001-05:00

Haiti leader launches power program - Haiti - MiamiHerald.com

Good news: President Martelly is sponsoring a program to upgrade the power systems here in Haiti.

Peligre dam and power plant
We passed this on our way to Hinche.

Some of the features of the program: street lights in various places both in the Port-au-Prince area and in the provinces, micro-loans for small solar kits, and work on the Peligre dam power plant, which is where our power comes from in our area.

Here is the first part of the article:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haiti's president said Monday he hopes to double the number of rural households that receive electricity within two years by offering people small loans to buy solar kits.The announcement by President Michel Martelly is part of a $45 million-plus energy package that aims to introduce electricity to thousands of people in this impoverished nation who otherwise illuminate their homes by candlelight.The program, dubbed "Give me light, give me life," seeks to build credit for rural Haitians as they take out loans to purchase small solar kits for charging their cell phones or computers. It also aims to line streets with light posts in the countryside and repair power lines in poor neighborhoods in the capital. "If a country wants to talk about development it's imperative to talk about energy and electricity," Martelly said at a news conference at a hotel in downtown Port-au-Prince.The need for energy in Haiti is critical to the reconstruction of Haiti as the Caribbean country struggles to recover from a massive earthquake two years ago that devastated much of the southern half and initially displaced 1.5 million people.The 40-year-old state-run Electricity of Haiti can only power 200,000 homes, Martelly said, and only 30 percent of the population in this country of 10 million has access to a power supply. Even then, most parts of Haiti only have electricity for a few hours a day, forcing many businesses and some homes to rely on generators and expensive fuel imports.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/23/2604082/haiti-leader-launches-power-program.html#storylink=fbuser#storylink=cpy

solar-powered lights I count on regularly

I'm certainly interested in hearing about these small solar kits, which could really make a difference. I know I count on my solar-powered flashlights and mini-lantern, since our power goes on and off at random intervals. Cell phone chargers would be a real help, as that's the primary means of communication around here (very few land lines). People with small generators run sidewalk businesses charging cell phones, as a matter of fact.

I hope this program will work. It will certainly get something accomplished, whether or not it meets its goals, and every little bit will help improve lives.

beauty and power lines

PS - As I was editing this earlier this evening, the power went out. Just noticing... And now it's back on again. So there are you, an evening in the life here.

Newbery anticipation

2012-01-22T23:52:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the day on which the Newbery Award is announced. One of my close friends, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, has written a book that has been named among the contenders, so for the first time I am waiting with great anticipation. Jefferson's Sons tells the story of Thomas Jefferson through the eyes of three of his children, two of whom are slaves. Kim has written quite a bit of historical fiction as well as a few contemporary novels. I'm not sure whether they count as late grade school or young adult - but I've enjoyed them all despite being a bit removed from those categories.

Jefferson's Sons - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Here is her website: http://www.kimberlybrubakerbradley.com/

I like that she has posted a list of her sources, which might prove useful to some of you who are particularly interested in this subject: http://www.kimberlybrubakerbradley.com/click_here_to_go_to_the_list_of_sources_for_jefferson_s_sons_40174.htm

Here is the Amazon page with her books: http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Brubaker-Bradley/e/B001ILFOVU

Ruthie's Gift
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ruthie's Gift, her first novel, is still one of my favorites, along with Weaver's Daughter and ... well, never mind. I keep coming up with more of her books I really like. Where to stop? I would certainly recommend them to you as well.

Here are some blurbs on Kim's books that I located while looking around for more on the Newbery contenders for this year:

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - Simon and Schuster website
Loving the quote at the top!

Authors and Artists for Young Adults on Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The author of five well-received novels for juvenile readers, as well as several picture books, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has demonstrated a remarkable breadth of theme and subject matter, portraying protagonists from a lonely girl in rural Indiana in the early years of the twentieth century to a brave French teen who fights for her country in the World War II Resistance movement. With her first three titles, Ruthie's Gift, One-of-a-Kind Mallie, and Weaver's Daughter, Bradley has created tales for middle-grade readers, and with her novels Halfway to the Sky and For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy she writes for slightly older readers. All Bradley's books, however, are noted for their wealth of detail and warm human portrayals.
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/kimberly-brubaker-bradley-aya/

And here, finally, is a book of hers I haven't yet read, but which looks like fun:

Ballerino Nate
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The most important thing about Kim, however, is who she is. She is the kind of person you would want to know, the kind of person you would want for a friend. And she is raising my goddaughter to be the kind of person I also feel blessed to know. (She gets bonus points, of course, for her interest in Haiti.)

So, Kim, whether or not you win your Newbery, you're worth a cheer.

buying water

2012-01-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

I have finally learned how those musical water trucks operate. We haven't gotten any city water lately, and last week our reservoirs were emptying fast. One of our neighbors had bought a truckload of water, and we stopped to inquire about the price, then did a comparison check with another company as they were doing a delivery. A few hours later, a truck full of water pulled up. And this is how it worked:

attaching a sort of fire hose

snaking the hose across the yard

filling the reservoir

With that and a separate but similarly timed visit from the plumber, showers could be taken and clothes and dishes washed. And there was much rejoicing.

Mind you, this is not drinking water. That arrives by car daily, or nearly so. We're grateful to have a ready supply. Not everyone does. When water doesn't just arrive as if by magic in the faucet, you begin to realize just how important it really is. You can live without electricity; you can't live without water.

meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2012-01-22T21:13:00.000-05:00

I checked out my order's website today to see the latest photos of our construction there. We're in the process of building a much smaller, more energy-efficient residence for our sisters in Massachusetts. I was delighted to see the progress! Construction is always a topic for discussion here in Haiti, but it's nice to see that things are moving along back in the States as well. I thought I'd share a few photos from our website.

phase 3 - starting to look like a house!

beginning phase 4

It's really happening.

For more photos, see http://www.ssmbos.org/relocation/construction.

To read about the changes we are making there, see http://www.ssmbos.org/relocation.

Now, if you would, please pray that we sell the old convent.

avian mystery

2012-01-18T22:18:00.002-05:00

Who can help me identify this most amazing bird? I had a most birdful morning yesterday and am hoping to do an entire post, but meanwhile - wow.

yellow bird with black and red head
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Who can help me identify him?

Here is another one who might be his mate, but I'm just guessing.

yellow bird with red eyes, Port-au-Prince
possibly the mate to the bird above?

yellow bird, looking elsewhere

connections with home

2012-01-15T21:47:00.001-05:00

It's been a day of connections and reminders.

We enjoyed singing about the
water of life. I think of these two
as our "theme songs," so to speak.

At Morning Prayer, we read the story of the Samaritan woman at the well talking with Jesus. When I was at St. Luke's-San Lucas, Chelsea, I spent a lot of time with the women's group. Their name is The Women at the Well-Las Damas en la Fuente. I've also been remembering recently the retreat I did with them last fall with the theme of the water of life. This morning, then, I smiled as I listened, hearing not only the story but also so much from that wonderful group. Damas, I miss you all! Sending you my love and prayers. May the year to come be blessed.

After breakfast, we headed off to the cathedral for the Eucharist. I had heard that there would be a group from Massachusetts there, but you know it's a big state with a lot of Episcopalians (at least compared to Indiana, where I grew up). So who should I see as I got out of the car but a friend from seminary as well as another priest I know, along with some of their parishioners. What a wonderful surprise it was to see them.

photo thanks to Fr. Mark
from his blog about his Haiti mission trips:
http://www.revmark-walkthewalkaftersunday.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-8-9am-service.html

After the service, in which they also participated, the cathedral had its annual meeting. They gamely hung in there, though few of them had the language skills to follow it. I got the gist of it, but would have loved to follow more of the details. We didn't stay for the whole thing, though - left after a break, at which we were given "pate" - flaky pastry meat turnover things - and sweetened Haitian coffee. (Let me just make a quick tangent to tell you that Haitian coffee is wonderful. I even enjoy it without milk, though the condensed milk I get to put in it at breakfast makes it that much better. Close tangent.)

We had a chance to show them the spot where the convent once was, and then we all headed over to the Foyer Notre Dame, our home for elderly women with no one to care for them. It was good to show them around and tell a little bit about our work there.

from a family web-based album
I'm loving these photos!
(Thanks for sharing this, P!)

Then I got home and, lo and behold, we had electricity right in the middle of the day, and it's been on since! Yesterday there was none, so I especially appreciate it. What that meant, then, was more connections - hearing about family travels via email and online photo albums, catching up on some of my friends' Facebook posts, etc. Three friends were ordained this weekend, so there was much prayer and rejoicing, and I was so happy to see photos with their stoles and big smiles. Finally, it meant that I could call my family via the miracle of telephone-internet connections so as to pass along birthday wishes and catch up quickly on the news.

It's been a good day. I am very much here in Haiti and glad to be - and I'm also happy to have had these connections today. Definitely a "both/and" that I can appreciate.

awwwww.....

2012-01-13T20:34:00.002-05:00

Today I had my fix of little warm bundles of cuteness.

First, we paid a visit to someone, and her two-month-old granddaughter arrived while we were there. She didn't seem to mind strangers at all, and I had time to hold her for quite a while. One of the sisters asked me if I were going to stay with her instead of coming home. Hmmm...

Picture this pile of napping puppies. Add another. Put them on my lap. To quote Charlie Brown, happiness is a warm puppy.

But had I stayed, I would have missed this evening. Is there anything more peaceful and wonderful than a lapful of sleeping puppies? It was first just a lot of fun as they tumbled around, one wanting her tummy rubbed. Then came a time of real quiet with them slumbering contentedly, one flopped flat out, ears spread, the other two curled up on each other in the crook of my arm. They were not ready to get up, either, when it was finally time to come back inside.

Perfectly happy. Very grateful.

remembrances

2012-01-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

There are a few blogs written by American missionaries who were here for the earthquake. I haven't been able to keep up with them very well, especially recently, but they are worth reading. (Fortunately one can always catch up.) I'd like to share the links for today's posts, given that it's the second anniversary of the earthquake. I'll also include excerpts. Perhaps you would like to follow their blogs too.

Ben and Katie in Haiti: Love Endures Forever: There are countless ways to look at 12 January. Many news outlets are doing the whole "Haiti is still a mess" news story (everyone of those journos needs to choke on their pen). You could be more hopeful and talk about all the progress that has been made (yes, there is REAL progress here). Some will spend the day mourning, still grieving the loss of their loved ones; to those- my heart breaks for you.

I want to take this 12 January and the ones that follow and do three things:

First, I am so thankful that I am alive. Fate, chance, sound construction, soil conditions, timing, God's will- I have no idea why I am alive when so many others are not. I want to dwell on the simple, often-taken-for-granted-fact that I am alive and everything reminds me of it: my hunger, my thirst, my sweat, my joy, my sadness. I am alive. A wise woman once began a speech by asking: what will you do with your one wild and precious life? I want to make mine count. I am thankful that my best friend and partner-in-crime- Katie is alive with me. Many people lost their spouse and I do not think I could do much without her...

That was Ben. He and his wife, both American teachers, had been in Haiti for less than two weeks when the earthquake hit. They stayed.

Here is the previous post, by Katie:
http://www.benandkatieinhaiti.com/2012/01/my-earthquake-story-for-first-time.html

On January 12, 2010, my life changed forever when one out of every 11 people living in my city died in a massive earthquake. During the first few days, I felt compelled to write down everything on scraps of paper. I re-discovered the scraps recently and will share them now for the first time.

I'm copying exactly as I wrote it, with red pen on the back of an already-used piece of notebook paper, except for notes I added in brackets to make it clearer for you. I also changed the names of the three children, for privacy.

The Earthquake
Tues Jan 12, 5 pm

Day of: taught about earthquakes in last period geography, went to Eagle [grocery store] for laundry deterg, didn't get anything else really, home, pop a can of tom. juice, thinking toward dinner/homework. starts- like a truck Ben jumps up, to stairwell. sit top step, stare @ each other. grabs me, outside w/ a few things- no pport, no US phone. I'm afraid of streets. Go next door to Bill, a family from the DR just arrived. stand outside- yelling & running then- ravine people. dead kid, bloody kid, old lady B takes off. Dorothy crying, watching like idiots. B return. Go in our house, get US phone, water, flash, lantern, hand sani., paper towels, care for little boy, family member dead, he's alone, Found "brother's friend" & some lady, treating him, head bleeding- concerned about blood (HIV). Then notice hand- bad to fatty tissue. Steve starts knocking next door, came to check. Says headed back to school, we follow, run. Walls down, Jerusalem School ok. 50 kids @ school; teachers. Still light, kids joke- studied earthquakes in class today...

Here's another blog I like:

I posted the link to the right some time ago. Ruth hasn't written much today, but she has written some, and she has linked to her post from that day. The post right below this link is also useful: it's a list of links to articles about today's anniversary.

She explains: In the six months I spent in the States after the quake, I read everything anyone in the world wrote about Haiti and posted on the internet. But now, I protect myself more; I don't read nearly as much news as I used to, whether about Haiti or elsewhere in the world.
http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2012/01/anniversary.html

And finally, http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2012/01/remembering-two-years-ago-today.html

No other time in our lives is as vividly ingrained in our memories as the day and the days following the earthquake.

We saw the very best and the very worst of humanity in those days. We felt the power of Christ in us. We saw that power exhibited in others. We witnessed crushing despair and miraculous provision.

That one minute on a Tuesday afternoon in January 2010 not only cut many lives short, but it drastically changed day to day life and the entire landscape of Haiti.

They recount a conversation with someone recently:
We talked more as Dr. Jen and Beth sewed/repaired Kerline after the birth. I asked Kerline's mother if she lost anyone she loved in the earthquake? She said, "Yes, I lost my brother and sister-in-law. They were trapped alive in a building and we could hear them calling us but we couldn't get to them." She later shared that their bodies were never recovered.

She said "We knew where they were but we couldn't reach them."

That one story is multiplied by thousands (and thousands).

a couple of Haiti links for you

2012-01-12T22:12:00.000-05:00

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/01/12/144968943/if-you-teach-a-man-to-photograph-haiti-as-seen-by-haitians
You will be interested in these photos, I think. They aren't the ones you find in the paper.

Haiti as seen by Haitian through a camera lens
NPR article front - link above

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/12/145104854/ordinary-life-resurrected-slowly-in-haiti
Here is another NPR article about life going on two years later. An excerpt:

In Port-au-Prince, a radio blares from speakers in front of a guy selling pirated CDs on Delmas, a main street in the Haitian capital. Women sitting along the side of the road hawk everything from vegetables to cigarettes to pharmaceuticals. Overloaded tap-taps, the pickup trucks that serve as the main form of public transportation here, chug up the hill.

The scene is one that's remarkable for being unremarkable: Though it occurred this week, it could just as easily have been Port-au-Prince two years ago, before a massive earthquake destroyed much of the capital.

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck on Jan. 12, 2010, and killed, by some estimates, 300,000 people and left more than 2 million homeless.

Two years later, although hundreds of thousands of Haitians are still living in makeshift camps, the country has come a long way.

When people complain that Haiti isn't rebuilt, I like to point out that the World Trade Center is not rebuilt after ten years, and New Orleans still isn't cleaned up after seven. Personally, I'd prefer to point out all the progress I see. Things really are happening here! There's a long road ahead, but that is to be expected. There is so much more to Haiti than one event, as central as that is right now. Let's remember that, too.

prayer of remembrance

2012-01-12T20:40:00.001-05:00

Dieu de grâce et de gloire, nous faisons mémoire devant toi aujourd’hui de nos frères et soeurs décédés lors du séisme du 12 janvier 2010. Leurs familles, leurs amis te rendent grâce pour le compagnon que tu leur as donné à connaître et à aimer au cours de leur pèlerinage terrestre. Dans ta compassion inépuisable, console-nous dans notre deuil. Donne-nous la foi de voir dans la mort la porte de la vie éternelle, pour que nous puissions continuer avec une confiance sereine notre marche sur la terre, jusqu’au jour où, répondant à ton appel, nous rejoindrons ceux qui nous ont précédés auprès de toi. Par Jésus le Christ notre Seigneur. Amen.(LPC p. 371)

O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brothers and sisters who perished during the earthquake on January 12, 2010. We thank you for giving them to us, their family and friends, to know and to love as companions on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP p. 493)

medicine moving forward in Haiti

2012-01-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

Though world stood still, things moving forward in Haiti

The link above is to an interview with a University of Chicago doctor who is starting a medical residency program through Partners in Health. Its launch date coincides with the second anniversary of the earthquake tomorrow. He sounds like as interesting, multi-talented man: not only does he have medical experience, but also his connection with Haiti began with a stint teaching music here in the 1990's. It's precisely that kind of breadth that helps to connect people more effectively, and he obviously has his priorities in order.

God willing, we will see this program grow along with others like it. And I hope, too, that living conditions in Haiti will become such that more good doctors will stay here rather than moving abroad.

I am also sure that the part of this which involves American doctors spending six months here will be a wonderful learning experience for those doctors, as well. I remember reading about medical students and doctors coming here after the quake and finding out quickly that they were far too reliant on technology, labs, and good equipment; they had to learn to get back to or develop basic diagnostic and treatment skills fast. And there are certainly many other things they will learn here. It will be good for everyone.

The conclusion of the article:

As he rode through the city, he said that though the main roads have been cleared of debris and makeshift tents, none of the buildings housing the ministries of health and interior or the Supreme Court have been rebuilt. The landscape has gaping holes and, for miles, bears little resemblance to the Haiti he remembers back when he first arrived in 1996 as a music teacher.

Much work remains in Haiti, including stemming a cholera epidemic that began in October 2010, and continues with about 600 new cases a day. Lyon has been working with a human rights organization that's investigating the cause of the epidemic, which, as of Dec. 25, had killed at least 7,001 Haitians, according to the Haitian Ministry of Health.

Despite all of this, there are signs of hope.

Lyon said one example is a new residency program that was launched this week at a hospital Partners In Health runs with its Haitian sister organization Zanmi Lasante in St. Marc, about 50 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

"Of all the work that needs to be done here, this is entirely optimistic," Lyon said.

He said the program will teach Haitian doctors how to be family practice physicians.

As part of the program, Lyon and other physicians will conduct classes over the Internet and travel to Haiti to teach. The University of Chicago also will start a one- to two-year fellowship in which trained doctors will work and teach in Haiti for about six months a year.

"Two years after the complete destruction of the main hospital and medical school, we're making progress, although it never feels fast enough," he said. "Within a year, a new national teaching hospital (built by Partners in Health and Haiti's Ministry of Health) will open. It's a nice way to think about the anniversary. Despite the many challenges ahead, we're moving forward."

early morning company

2012-01-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

I was woken early this morning by a large bug walking up my forearm into the sleeve of my pj's. I’m sure had I been on Candid Camera, it would have been a source of great amusement. Picture me dashing around with a can of Baygone, chasing it around the room going ew-ew-ew-ew-ew! Have I mentioned that I don’t do bugs?

the moon by morning

Not much chance of my going back to sleep after that.

sunrise clouds over the mountains

nesting turtledoves

There was a silver lining, though. Not only did I get up and set up some work for today and tidy my room, but also I had time to go outside on the porch to have some quiet time. The moon was lovely, there were two turtledoves (a late Christmas present?), and the sunrise showed clouds pooled around the top of the mountains in the distance. The bees were out in force, but they mostly left me alone after investigating my journal and BCP/Bible combo and discovering that there were better ways of finding nourishment.

turtledove guarding nesting spouse

bee joining morning quiet time

And now the power is back on. It was off all day yesterday, but came on during the night (then back off, then back on). Good thing, as not only do I have ironing to do, but also I needed the light to chase that bug around my room early this morning. It doesn't hurt to have power to the fan and the refrigerator, either! What a set of blessings to start the day.

enough sun now to see the colors

And now, on a more serious note, a request. Tomorrow is the second anniversary of the earthquake. It is going to be very difficult for many people who will be reliving the experience in powerful memories. Please keep everyone in your prayers this week.

Sr. Marjorie Raphael's paintings at Duxbury's Bumpus Gallery

2012-01-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

some of Sr. Marjorie Raphael's paintings, via Duxbury's Bumpus Gallery site

Sr. Marjorie Raphael's paintings at Duxbury's Bumpus Gallery

The Duxbury paper just did a nice article on Sr. Marjorie Raphael's paintings! The journalist says,

I stopped by the Helen Bumpus Gallery in Duxbury Saturday and was treated to a refreshing getaway in Sr. Marjorie Raphael's landscape paintings.'

The oils, most with very reasonable prices of $200, will be exhibited at Helen Bumpus Gallery through Tuesday, Feb. 28. There will be a "Meeting the Artist" reception on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhbit is titled "Under the Skies: Four Seasons."

I've always loved her work, and I've been fortunate to live with her paintings surrounding me, both at the Boston convent and here in Haiti. Several of her paintings which made it through the earthquake are now hanging in the house we are renting until such time as the convent is rebuilt. They make me feel at home.

If you are in the greater Boston area, I invite you to check out this exhibit and, better yet, to go to the reception to meet her. It will be well worth your time. She's a very interesting person as well as a fine artist.

Bonus: You can ask her about Haiti, where she spent 34 years.

the beginning of love

2012-01-09T20:04:00.001-05:00

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them." --Thomas Merton

(Thank you, JH, for this.)

day off with the puppies

2012-01-09T19:12:00.000-05:00

Mom? Dad?

Emergency! Another dog in the street!

um, down...

meanwhile, back at the ranch....

puppy napping on my shoe

Am I missing something?

Nah... back to sleep.
Mom's got it all under control.

raindrops keep falling on my head

2012-01-08T23:10:00.000-05:00

rainclouds over Port-au-Prince and mountains
with a hint of blue sky

I've been listening contentedly to the rain falling as I get ready for bed. I love the smell and the sound of the rain, and it's really starting to come down. It should cool things off tonight, and the music of the rain will lull me to sleep.

It occurred to me a few minutes ago to wonder how my laundry on the drying rack outside is doing. Should we call this the extra rinse cycle?

wrong hymn?

2012-01-08T17:25:00.000-05:00

This is going around Facebook and email this weekend. Although I can't give the appropriate credit, I can't resist sharing it with you.

I'm especially amused since at the funeral I celebrated this weekend they changed the first hymn without warning me, so there I was staring at the words in great puzzlement. I wasn't precisely a sub; however, it was my first time presiding at the cathedral, and none of the regular cathedral priests were on hand (another was, fortunately). Close enough!

It's also the first anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood today, so a little church humor is just the thing along with the prayer and celebration. I would have enjoyed some of that humor during the sermon today, but unfortunately, all the lines that got the most laughs in the middle of a serious sermon about baptism and being a godparent were said in Kreyol so quickly they went right over my head. Ah, well, it will come. I was just glad to be there and glad to be able to join them at the altar on such a day.

Quake hits Dominican Republic, no reported damage

2012-01-05T22:41:00.000-05:00

Quake hits Dominican Republic, no reported damage

"A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has struck the southern coast of the Dominican Republic without causing any reported damage or loss of life."

I know at least one person felt it here, but I was still asleep.

Someone from home just reminded me to be careful to prepare in case there is another one. Not sure what that would involve, but we still have a tent. Other than that, I'm not worrying about it.

Here's hoping this smaller one lets off a little stress on the fault instead of exacerbating it.

of kerosene and kouran

2012-01-04T21:17:00.001-05:00

Gen kouran! The power's back on!

And there was much rejoicing.

Kerosene lamps are very useful!

We said Evening Prayer by flashlight and candle light - and the power came on before the end. Then it went out again. Then it came back on. Then it went out. We said Compline early around the table by the light of a kerosene lamp, and I headed off to shower and bed. Shower by kerosene lamp and flashlight. Then, as I came out, I saw that the stairwell light was on. Gen kouran? Wi!

Wi, by the way, is Oui (Kreyol and French, respectively), pronounced "we." And it means "yes," not "wii" or "wi-fi" - while we have the latter, I don't yet know the word for it. More vocabulary to learn...

Important phrases in my life now include:

Gen kouran? - Do we have power? (question asked every time we come home at night as we peer around the neighborhood on our way in)

Pa gen dlo. - We don't have water. (i.e. the water in the chateau d'eau - water tank - on top of the house has run out. One hopes that this happens at a time when more water can be pumped up. Sometimes it happens while you're trying to shower - but since we're prepared with buckets of treated water, it's not quite the comedy it has the potential to be. I wonder if I should say that out loud...)

Ann nou prie. - Let's pray. (Let us pray? At some point perhaps I should also learn "May the Force be with you.")

Thanks be to God for power, water, and prayer, not necessarily in that order.

quiet holiday morning

2012-01-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

a morning nap for one of the puppies

I've been sitting out on the porch this morning enjoying the quiet. January 2 is a holiday here, and Monday is also our usual day off, so it's been lovely and relaxing. I got to sleep late, then have a quiet breakfast before heading out on the porch to pray.

The lessons for the Daily Office today are some of my favorites for a variety of reasons:

-- "Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who trust in him!" (Psalm 34)

-- Elijah under the broom tree, fed by the angel and strengthened for his journey (1 Kings 19:1-8)

-- baptismal words: "There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." There is a variety in gifts and ministries given us "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:1-16 )

I looked this one up in Kreyol, too:
4:4 Gen yon sèl kò ak yon sèl Sentespri, konsa tou se yon sèl Bondye a ki rele nou pou nou gen yon sèl espwa.
4:5 Gen yon sèl Seyè, yon sèl konfyans, yon sèl batèm.
4:6 Gen yon sèl Bondye, ki papa nou tout, k'ap dominen sou nou tout, k'ap aji nan nou tout, ki nan nou tout.
(http://www.kreyol.com/creole-bible/bib-la.html)

-- the feeding of the 5000, especially the part where it is the child's offered lunch that becomes enough for all when the adults are too overly reasonable to see any hope in the situation (John 6:1-14)

It reminds me of the lines from Madeleine L'Engle:

This is the irrational season when love blooms bright and wild. Had Mary been full of reason there'd have been no room for the child.

-- via Love Blooms Bright, an Advent blog I love (and highly recommend - still worth reading this time of year!) http://lovebloomsbright.wordpress.com/

I've also been watching the puppies and the birds this morning. The puppies, of course, are always entertaining. The birds have been especially wonderful, though, especially the moments when four hummingbirds were playing tag. What a gift.

Perhaps for your entertainment, I should also mention my moment of surreal humor during breakfast. There is power again this morning (I think the electric company has been extra generous during this holiday season - I wonder what will happen later this week!). Our television, when there is power, has the disconcerting tendency to turn itself on. This morning, during the quiet of my breakfast, it went on, and soon it was apparent that it was not one of the sisters. I poked my head around the corner to see, dubbed in French, an episode of Tom and Jerry with a car race. Quicksand, swinging bridges over ravines, and a tiny flying car, all in short order. I haven't seen that for decades. What a hoot. I had to watch a moment or two before turning it off and returning to my quiet.

My year is beginning on a good note. I hope yours is happy, too.

festive almonds

2012-01-02T10:49:00.001-05:00

We have an almond tree in the front yard. I've enjoyed the way there is a little bit of fall all year round: individual leaves turn bright red before they fall, while the rest of the tree stays green. This morning I noticed for the first time that some of the almonds are turning red, too. Do you suppose this means we will have ripe almonds falling of the tree sometime this month? In any case, it's both pretty and festive, red and green in keeping with the Christmas season which is still upon us for a few more days.

red and green almonds on the tree

jungle puppy

2012-01-02T10:42:00.003-05:00

soup joumou, part 2

2012-01-01T20:22:00.004-05:00

Well, a sister told me today that despite one of the remarks in the previous post, you can actually eat too much soup joumou. And then I came upon this article on soup joumou on NPR which says the same thing - remember that this soup gets eaten all day as people bring it to each other!

I hear that this is the night when no one, no one at all, should go to bed hungry: soup goes to all.

Would that no one were hungry anywhere tonight, or indeed any night.

Part of the article on NPR:

She eats the soup four times on New Year's Day, but that's not as often as some. She thinks that overeating may have caused the GI outbreak at the clinic nine years ago. "You have to space yourself, not to eat everything at once, you know?" she says.

"Whenever I eat it, I always think about my great-grandfather," she says. "They used to be in slavery. So I feel like I am free. And when you have the soup, you really feel full."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/01/144450291/haitians-mark-the-new-year-with-a-belly-full-of-soup

soup joumou
via NPR, courtesy of Whole Foods

So I take it back - don't eat too much! But do have some. (Well, maybe just a little extra...)

independence day pumpkin soup for January 1

2012-01-01T17:16:00.001-05:00

Today: soup joumou - soupe au giraumon – independence day soup - a tradition not to be missed!

January 1 is a day of multiple feasts: New Year’s Day, Feast of the Holy Name, and Haitian Independence Day. Soupe joumou (or soupe au giromond) is a pumpkin soup served regularly, but it has a special importance for January 1.

Here is a short explanation found in a Facebook discussion (I have included more comments at the bottom of this post for those interested):

• La soupe au giraumont a une grande signification pour tous les Haïtiens, elle represente pour nous le fait de vivre librement, d'avoir un drapeau, d'avoir une patrie et d'etre une nation. Autre difference qu'il y a avec la soupe est que, quel que soit la quantité consommée, on ne peut pas avoir d'indigestion et elle est tres conservable. ( http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=112451918853&topic=9688)

A rough translation: Pumpkin soup is very significant for all Haitians. It represents for us the fact of living freely, of having a flag, of having a country and of being a nation. Another difference is that with the soup, no matter how much you eat, you can’t have indigestion, and it keeps well.

How does it relate to independence, you might ask?

An explanation from the same discussion:

Marie-Claire Heureuse Bonheur Félicité Dessalines en avait demandé la distribution aux nouveaux libres sans exception, étant donné que ce mets leur avait été refusé quand ils étaient esclaves

That is, Mme Dessalines (wife of the main general during the revolution, if I remember my history – feel free to correct me if you know otherwise!) asked for this soup to be distributed to every one of the newly freed slaves because this particular dish had been refused them when they were slaves.

So this soup isn’t just a nice tradition, like my family’s practice of making homemade sweet rolls for Christmas breakfast. It’s a national dish of historical significance. As well as being a reminder of the freedoms won and now to be cherished, I would imagine it might also be a hopeful reminder of Haitians’ ability to make a change in the life of their nation.

making soup joumou

We had our soup for breakfast, as is traditional (surprisingly good for breakfast, especially on limited sleep – lots of nutrients!). Also traditional: sharing it. You invite people over to have a bit of soup and cremas (a drink - more on that later), and you send soup to your friends and neighbors, though in Port-au-Prince it is less common than outside the capital. I hear sometimes you have quite a number of containers of different versions of soupe joumou on the table during the course of the day. Yes, you want to taste all of them! And then you always have some ready for your guests.

In the sermon this morning at the Cathédrale Sainte Trinité, I heard that it is also an old tradition to greet your neighbors with a handshake that leaves all the little disputes of the past year behind. Neighbors need each other and need to be ready to work together.

I also learned that in times past, it was traditional for children to ask their father’s or grandfather’s blessing on this day. It sounds as though it were half their blessing, but really a prayer for God’s blessing, rather in the way Isaac blessed Jacob – except with a blessing for everyone, not just the eldest.

One more think: I have heard from various sisters over time that it is also traditional to clean and repaint (spring cleaning on steroids) before the new year, and I have certainly seen evidence of this. For example, we repainted the railing on the staircase.

If you would like to make this yourself, I have the ingredients here. I asked about the recipe, and they just looked at me. Recipe? You just make it. And everyone does it a little differently. I am including the ingredients of the soup we had, but I understand some add rice and others add different spices. We were sent a very good, rather spicy version for Christmas Eve, and I would love to know whether they added tabasco or something else to the mix.

Soup Joumou as prepared and eaten here

1 Pumpkin (you could try this with squash, too, I’d bet)
Carrots
Potatoes
Turnips
Malanga (another root vegetable; I don't believe it's essential)
Celery
Salt
If desired, beef or goat (chicken works, too, but is not traditional for the new year)
Vermicelli
Macaroni

Cut pumpkin into pieces. Put it in a pot with water and cook till soft. When it is soft, put it through a food mill. (Since I had never seen a food mill before, maybe you haven’t either. Think mechanical food processor. So you could try yours or some other way of mashing it.) It will not be in pieces when you finish, but will rather provide the base for your soup.

preparing the pumpkin

While it’s cooking, chop your vegetables and meat into more or less bite-sized chunks, as you would for a stew.

Put it all together in a pot (with water, I assume! I didn’t see that part) and simmer extensively.

soup joumou simmering

You’ll want to add your pasta, I think, not all that long before serving so it doesn’t get too mushy. However, this is a soup that some start drinking/eating as early as 2AM if it’s ready, and it can stand simmering for long periods of time. It can also be reheated.

Enjoy and share!
_________

From the Facebook discussion on which is the dish most representative of Haiti (link above):

--a mon avis je pense que la soupe de giraumont devrait etre notre plat nationle parce que cette soupe a une signification particuliere a nous et aussi elle est originale a l'haitien.

je n'ai jamais rencontre quelqu'un d'une autre culture qui en mange pour commemorer un evenement special de leur histoire. si j'ai bien compris, nous les haitiens, on en mange parce qu'on nous l'avait interdit durant l'esclavage alors c'etait l'une des demonstrations significatives pour prouver aux colons qu'on est libere de tous les matyrs inflictes et ceci physiquement, emotionellement et "gastronomiquement" :)

--Je penses que la soupe giraumon est le plat nationale, malgre, depuis notre enfance on nous dit que que c'est le riz et le pois mais si nous entrons dans les details de notre passer la soupe giraumon est mieux placer et a des valeurs nutritifs pour notre corps. si ou jwen youn moune ki konnin prepare soup saa pitit se koupe dwet

--Mon pere a confirme que le plat national haitien le plus representatif c'est la Soupe de Giraumont! He was born in Haiti so therefore he knows more about it than i do! :) Il ajoute aussi ces mots en disant que la Soupe de Giraumont represente une tradition national celebrant le jour de la fete de l'independence! ( Im learning from the old boy)!

--je me prépare à voter plusieurs fois pour "Soup Joumou" comme plat national à cause de la signification historique (Marie-Claire Heureuse Bonheur Félicité Dessalines en avait demandé la distribution aux nouveaux libres sans exception, étant donné que ce mets leur avait été refusé quand ils étaient esclaves

--certes la soupe au giromon est plus représentative car en lien direct avec le 1ier janvier!!!!

Other recipes may be found here:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/233/Haitian_Pumpkin_Soup42401.shtml
and here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/haitian-pumpkin-soup-soup-joumou-soupe-giraumon-117705

happy new year!

2012-01-01T00:57:00.001-05:00

It's 12:40AM, and it's quieting down. I gave up my attempt to sleep and went back upstairs after midnight to watch the fireworks. They've been going on all week, but of course tonight they are really going off, and on all sides of the house, near and far. There are the firecrackers, of course, but there are also real fireworks - some of them quite close by. I can only imagine what it must be like downtown.

Here are a few pictures - not spectacular photography, but I share them anyway! Might as well join the celebration in the way I can.

several sets of fireworks going off

I enjoyed the big, colorful ones, of course.

And here are some sparkles to end the evening.

And now, let's try again for some sleep, hoping for no more firecrackers. I'll be up dark and early. Good thing I really love Haitian coffee, since I have a feeling I'll need a few gallons. Then it will be off to the cathedral and a very full day.

Blessings to you all in the new year. May 2012 bring you joy and a sense of the loving, abiding presence of God with you in all you do.

the planting of the Lord

2011-12-31T21:07:00.001-05:00

I've been praying for Haiti with Isaiah today. Join me? There are quite a number of passages that strike me in this context, but for today I'd like to share Isaiah 61:1-4 as a prayer for the new year.

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

raising up the former devastations and
reparing the ruined cities
Port-au-Prince

three weeks of puppies

2011-12-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

Is there anything better than a lapful of warm puppies?

Maybe having more than a couple of minutes with them, but right at the moment. I'll take that moment of bliss. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me, but I was just taking the trash out between dishes and Compline, so I wasn't planning ahead.

In honor of the puppies (whom I can still hear squealing and doing their little puppy yips outside), I'm posting a puppy progress report.

Here are a few photos from my first real one-on-one encounter with a puppy on December 12.

Could anything make anyone happier? Yes, I was a little blissed out.

Here are a few from December 20. You can see how they've grown in just a week! They had just started venturing out from their little nook in the backyard.

I think I can, I think I can!

nuzzling mama

The Three Musketeers

What's over there?

The Three Musketeers heading off for adventure

Last, but not least, a few more puppy bath pictures from Wednesday (12/28). Surely you're not tired of puppies yet, are you?

shampooed puppy

I'm sooooo outta here!

Mom, he got me all wet!

puppy #3 pushes his way in and puts his head in my sleeve

puppies in the sun warming up and drying off together

pile of puppies

As Charlie Brown would say, happiness is a warm puppy. Or three.

all before lunch

2011-12-28T20:15:00.003-05:00

Shape of my day:

Morning Prayer

breakfast
get ready to go downtown

hear squealing and investigate: the puppies are being bathed

newly-bathed puppy eyeing the dirt

move wet puppy to sunny spot far from mud

moving a dripping puppy

go back inside and clean off habit; puppy had already found the mud

once at the cathedral, offer to help

end up reading the gospel and concelebrating

hear my first children's sermon on the Holy Innocents - that's what I call a challenge
my own challenge: with a two-part chalice (2/3 for wafers, 1/3 for wine), take wafers, dip them in, remember the French words, don't drip wine into wafers - and when you do, figure out what to do next...
anoint and bless dozens of children

walk over to the old convent grounds, where the Sisters have set up a party for the children
enjoy their singing and dancing
take lots of pictures

Look what I got!

eat the first bright orange cheese puff things I've had in years and remember someone during a high school religion class party trying to stuff as many of them in his mouth as possible, keeping count; wonder why they stick to my teeth

take more pictures while gifts are distributed

as requested, bless a stuffed pink bunny named Sabrina

Sabrina, the blessed bunny

start getting picture requests
pick up trash
head home
be welcomed by jumping dogs
have a mango for dessert at lunch

And I wonder how I got my habit into this state today? (-:

uncensored prayer

2011-12-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

I've just read the most amazing article. It's not easy to read - very painful, in fact - but it's powerful. It's a story of wrestling with God following years of abuse and ensuing hell - and the most real relationship with Jesus I've heard described.

Some of the most powerful lines:

The day came when my years of compressed pain and anger erupted all over Jesus. I screamed at him, wanting to hurt him as badly as I hurt, and to my complete shock, he screamed back – his love. And that’s how I learned to pray.

And that is real prayer.

Hesed - steadfast, covenant love. It's not a delicate thing. In fact, it's stronger and more durable than anything else. It's the kind of love that does not leave our side when the worst happens or when we are at our worst.

You see, he wouldn’t give up on me.... Why? Because he loved me just as I was. In fact, he made me just like I was, knowing how I’d turn out, which is totally insane.

I feel like that some days.

I'll be rereading this.

Here it is: http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/what-if-jesus-didnt-die-for-me/

And here is a book she has written which I intend to get at some point:

Uncensored Prayer by Joy Wilson

I hope they remember

2011-12-26T14:41:00.000-05:00

I've just read a wonderful blog post and was taken back to last year's pageant at St. Luke's-San Lucas. I've recently shared in it again oh-so-peripherally by a youth group member asking about a costume possibility I'd mentioned last year. Impressive memory, that one. And she did a great job last year; I'm sure she will again this year. It's not often you can count on your youth group to run a pageant, but ours did and was fabulous. I mostly worked on costumes with the youth, which was loads of fun.

shepherds and animals at the manger

The blog post that reminded me of this starts as follows:

We had the pageant rehearsal today. I hope they remember. So went the Tweet from a fellow priest who apparently spent the day not, as much of America did, doing last-minute shopping, but going through the annual ritual of reading the elegant, weighty words of the birth of Jesus according to Luke as interpreted by those under the legal drinking age.

I responded to her Tweet: I suspect God looks as us and says, "Gee, I hope they remember."

Indeed.

I recommend the post for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the description will make you laugh. Here is the link for those of you who are interested:
http://dirtysexyministry.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-hope-they-remember.html

It ends as follows:

In the witness of those who are under the legal drinking age, dressed in tinsel and fuzzy sheep ears and bathrobes and whatever else seemed appropriate (or whatever didn't result in a temper tantrum), the children will ask us to remember. Remember feeling your life, freely. Remember crying when you needed to cry and laughing when you needed to laugh. Remember when make-believe was real. Remember when a snowflake or a crown of tinsel or box of new crayons could make your soul sing. Remember that you are loved, just as you are, no matter if you get the lines right or not. Remember that we are part of a bigger cast, that God isn't really that into solo artists.

After the nativity story is told through their little incarnate selves, they will bow and the congregation will clap. I think applause after the story of God's incarnation is quite appropriate. If it takes children to get us that exuberant about God With Us, so be it. I hope in that moment they know the feeling of God's message of, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

And I hope we will all remember.

a child is born

2011-12-26T13:09:00.000-05:00

detail, Christmas picture hanging in the Foyer Notre Dame

En ce temps-là parut un édit de César Auguste, ordonnant un recensement de toute la terre. Ce premier recensement eut lieu pendant que Quirinius était gouverneur de Syrie. Tous allaient se faire inscrire, chacun dans sa ville. Joseph aussi monta de la Galilée, de la ville de Nazareth, pour se rendre en Judée, dans la ville de David, appelée Bethléhem, parce qu'il était de la maison et de la famille de David, afin de se faire inscrire avec Marie, sa fiancée, qui était enceinte. Pendant qu'ils étaient là, le temps où Marie devait accoucher arriva, et elle enfanta son fils premier-né. Elle l'emmaillota, et le coucha dans une crèche, parce qu'il n'y avait pas de place pour eux dans l'hôtellerie.
-- Luc 2:1-7

Joyeux Noël!

2011-12-26T12:28:00.000-05:00

Christmas altar candle and flowers

The Eucharist at the cathedral was lovely. It was at 9AM Christmas morning, so we were up bright and early for Morning Prayer and a special breakfast before heading downtown. It was my first time concelebrating here, too, which was lovely for me and astonishing (as I later heard) for the acolytes. It's a new concept most anywhere, an ordained sister at the altar with the other priests. I was glad one of them came up to me later on to ask me about it; the priest in charge also made a welcoming and explanatory announcement at the end of the service. The bishop said he would put his sermon on the diocesan website, so I may post a link for those interested.

communion

We then proceeded to the Foyer Notre Dame to serve Christmas dinner. The Foyer ladies and employees were there along with friends and neighbors, including a number of entertaining children. I enjoyed rice and beans, fried plaintain, mixed vegetable salad, cake, and Coke. That fine turkey was also there, cooked first on the stove and the pieces then roasted further in the oven, and the people who had brought us the Christmas cake mix had also given us a large canned ham, so it was quite a feast. We served cremasse to the guests, a traditional festive drink that tastes rather like a cross between eggnog and hard sauce. I've been promised the recipe, as it is usually homemade - it sounds rather like one of those recipes for which everyone has their own special twist. This particular kind had raisins at the bottom of the bottle, for example.

Christmas candle wreath with reflection

Back at home, we cleaned up the kitchen and lit the candles for vespers along with the little Christmas tree and the electric candle in my beautiful traditional paper house (more on that later, perhaps).

After such a dinner, we didn't need much, so the perfect Christmas supper was cheese and crackers, hot chocolate, and grapes.

Christmas supper
Somebody remind me to tell you how they make hot chocolate here
- even when you use a packet, it's really good!

There were not so many dishes this time, as you might imagine, so I had time to talk to my family. They were all still at the dinner table, three generations in one place, so they put me on speaker phone, and we had a great conversation with much laughter. That, too, made it seem like Christmas to me - not quite like being there, but as close as possible.

Italian tenor singing Jingle Bells
with Kermit, Miss Piggy, and other Muppets
on television in Haiti

And then a final humorous moment. I sat down after Compline to look at my Christmas pictures, astonished that we could possibly have had electricity all weekend (and here it is back again midday today!). One of the sisters had turned on the television, where they were broadcasting Christmas programs. And what should I behold after a while, but an Italian tenor singing Jingle Bells with the Muppets. It was very funny in its unexpectedness.

So I went to bed with a light heart, far too late but knowing that today would be a day off, time to rest and enjoy, to relax in prayer, to do a little hand wash, and now to play on the computer since the power has come back on again. Life is good.

OPST Christmas concert

2011-12-24T16:53:00.002-05:00

OPST Christmas concert 2011

Friday, December 23, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Orchestre Philharmonique Sainte Trinité's Christmas concert. The OPST, associated with the Holy Trinity Music School and cathedral, is the only philharmonic orchestra in Haiti. Since the concert was held in a conference hall, (the Salle Ste Cécile having been destroyed during the earthquake), I was able to sit right up front and watch the musicians. They had a guest conductor for part of it who led us all in the final verse of a Christmas carol, which was much fun, but I especially enjoyed watching Père David César, the priest in charge of the music school, as he was clearly enjoying himself as he directed.

Between this and the Christmas cookies I made today, I am finally feeling as though it is really Christmas Eve.

* * *
I wrote this much earlier and had hoped to post it along with a very short video clip (complete with music), but I've given up on that. The bandwidth here isn't up to such things. Maybe next summer I will publish a series of OPST video music clips. Meanwhile, use your imagination to hear their Christmas music.

Wishing you all a blessed and holy Christmas season. Joyeux Noël!

kodenn

2011-12-24T15:40:00.001-05:00

I was admiring this fine fellow yesterday as I saw him wandering around the old convent grounds, where we had parked on our way to a wedding. He had fluffed himself up and looked, more than any other turkey I had ever seen, for all the world like one of those cut-outs my grade school teachers used to put on the bulletin board. So of course I had to take a picture. Isn't he impressive?

kodenn - dinde - turkey

A little while ago, I heard a sister saying something about kodenn (turkey in Kreyol). Sure enough, we are having turkey for Christmas dinner at the Foyer Notre Dame, our home for elderly, indigent women with no one to care for them. I should have guessed: turkeys are being sold on sidewalks around town, and I haven't seen so many before.

Then I put two and two together.

Well, at least he has been relatively free range.

holy birth

2011-12-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Ruth at http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/ (a Haiti blog which I recommend to you), I have just read a moving post about the Incarnation. Here is an excerpt.

The divinity of God is on display at Christmas in beautiful creche scenes. We sing songs of babies who don’t cry. We mistake quiet for peace. A properly antiseptic and church-y view of birth, arranged as high art to convey the seriousness and sacredness of the incarnation. It is as though the truth of birth is too secular for Emmanuel, it doesn’t look too holy in its real state. So the first days of the God-with-us requires the dignity afforded by our editing.

But this? This creating out of passion and love, the carrying, the seemingly-never-ending-waiting, the knitting-together-of-wonder-in-secret-places, the pain, the labour, the blurred line between joy and “someone please make it stop,” the “I can’t do it” even while you’re in the doing of it, the delivery of new life in blood and hope and humanity?

This is the stuff of God.

There is something Godly in the waiting, in the mystery, in the fact that we are a part of it, a partner with it but we are not the author of it. How you know that there is life coming and the anticipation is sometimes exciting and other times exhausting, never-ending. How there is a price that you pay for the love love love.

I was fortunate to give birth to three of my tinies without complications. I find myself thinking of those experiences often during Advent; they are still very fresh for me...

There wasn’t anything very dignified about giving birth.

And yet it was the moment when I felt the line between the sacred and the secular of my life shatter once and for all. The sacred and holy moments of life are somehow the most raw, the most human moments, aren’t they?

I am reflecting this afternoon on Mary and her experience as we wait with awe and wonder for that birth which we celebrate tonight - and which we celebrate, too, as Jesus is born in our own hearts in no less a messy, holy way.

Thanks be to God, who reaches us in the most human of ways and brings that presence into each moment, in love, making the ordinary holy.

If you would like to read the whole post, here it is:
http://deeperstory.com/incarnation/

Christmas candle

2011-12-24T12:22:00.000-05:00

How do you decorate a candle for Christmas?

I thought of ribbon - but it's flammable, even if we had some around.

I tried coloring on a white candle with a crayon. No luck. Colored pencil, no. But - aha! - the colored pencil can cut a pattern in it. White on white, I thought?

And then inspiration struck.

Here is what works really well: use your nice, sharp colored pencil to dig out the shape you want. Then melt your crayon, drop by drop, with a candle and drip it into the holes you just made. Trim with your fingernail while still soft. For holly berries, you can make nice round drops and not trim them at all if all goes well. Melt together a couple of pieces of red and green rosary cord for trim at the bottom.

Voilà!

decorating a Christmas candle with melted crayon

I do suggest putting a piece of newspaper under all this before you begin, as little pieces of candle wax go in all directions. Not that I did so.

Enjoy!

star light, star bright

2011-12-21T21:53:00.000-05:00

How do you know the sky is clear and the stars are bright?

When you can take a photo of your favorite constellation with your little point-and-shoot camera.

Orion (center) and other stars of the Eastern sky over Haiti

Does anyone know what the bright one on the lower right is? It's definitely a star, since it twinkles, but it's as bright as a planet. I need Sr. Esther!

Rigolo Thérapie

2011-12-21T20:10:00.000-05:00

This evening, I was doing the supper dishes with another sister as usual and listening to the radio. And, also as usual, she was listening to a comedy hour and laughing in such a way that my spirits were lifted just listening. It was contagious. I rarely understand a word of the program, as the Creole is much too fast for me, but the funny voices they use cross the language barrier and make me laugh anyway. Tonight she explained to me that the radio show is called Rigolo Thérapie - along the lines of laughter being the best medicine - and that it's one of the most popular programs in Haiti.

I looked it up just now and found an article on it. Here is a blurb from it for those of you who read French:

Rigolo Thérapie, plus populaire que jamais
26 août 2010

Avant tout de chose, rappelons qu’en Haïti la radio est le média le plus suivi, loin devant la presse écrite et plus encore, de la télévision. A Port-au-Prince, il y a une émission de radio que tout le monde connait. Sa particularité : elle fait rire, beaucoup rire! Et elle permet ainsi d’oublier les difficultés quotidiennes et les catastrophes qui se succèdent dans le pays. Et c’est un grand succès!

“Rigolo Thérapie” est une émission quotidienne diffusée en direct, entre 18h et 19h, sur Caraïbes FM. Très populaire avant le tremblement de terre, elle est devenue l’émission incontournable après. Pourquoi ? Parce que les gens avaient besoin d’oublier, de penser à autre chose et surtout, de rire!

...L’émission est née en 2004 en réponse au climat qui régnait alors. Ce fut au moment où Aristide et son gouvernement furent renversés. Le pays vivait une période insurrectionnelle où la population, par peur, restait calfeutrée à la maison. C’est dans ce contexte que Marc Anderson Brégard et Peterson François Junior ont eu l’idée de créer une émission qui avait comme seul objectif de détendre les auditeurs enfermés chez eux.
(http://solidar-it.net/2010/08/rigolo-therapie-plus-populaire-que-jamais/)

It says, among other things, that radio is the media most used in Haiti, and that such a comedy program helps in forgetting the daily difficulties and the catastrophes that keep happening again and again. The article goes on to explain that the comedy program mentioned began during the difficult time in 2004 when people were afraid to go out due to the violence surrounding the political insurrection. There was a clear need to give people something to relax while stuck at home, and so Rigolo Thérapie was born. Following the earthquake, its popularity skyrocketed. If ever there were a need...

Rigolo Thérapie comedians

It makes sense to me. In fact, I wonder if perhaps that is why we laugh so much here. I noted not long after my arrival that I had laughed more in a week than I had in quite some time at home. It helps to live with a sister who laughs a lot, of course, but I notice more laughter here in general. Given the disasters that have happened in the past few years and the ongoing misery, one might expect things here to be done with a heavy heart - and of course they often are. However, sometimes you either have to laugh or cry, and the choice is to laugh. It seems to me one more sign of Haitians' resilience that laughter is so often the choice.

I believe, too, that laughter is a gift of God to us, one more sign of God's love and grace.

I'm looking forward to laughing even more as my Creole improves.
- - -
The radio station website, for those of you interested, is http://radiotelevisioncaraibes.com/

yammy

2011-12-20T18:31:00.039-05:00

I've learned something new today, which makes it a good day.

Another new food!

Apparently this is a yam. It looked to me like a piece of wood, but it's in the potato family. When cooked and chopped, it looks like potato and it tastes rather like potato crossed with a turnip. Turns out I've been eating it for weeks in soup, as a matter of fact - I suppose I just thought it was a potato with a slightly different consistency.

I decided to do a web search, and I found that they grow up to 450 pounds - that's not a typo - in Jamaica. (http://www.sweetplantains-stjohn.com/St.JohnNews/CaribbeanCuisine/WestIndianProvisions/Provisions.htm) Good grief. I wonder if they grow anywhere near that big in Darbonne, where this grew... I always thought a yam was a sweet potato, but apparently there are quite a number of kinds.

So I turn to the easily available information from Wikipedia (though I do realize its accuracy is questionable). Allow me to share:

Yam tubers can grow up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length and weigh up to 70 kg (154 lb) and 3 to 6 inches high. The vegetable has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating. The skins vary in color from dark brown to light pink. The majority of the vegetable is composed of a much softer substance known as the "meat". This substance ranges in color from white or yellow to purple or pink in mature yams.

This maximum yam size is much smaller than the other article indicated, but never mind. I have no idea which is the more accurate version.

Furthermore, apparently I have reason for my confusion as to yams and sweet potatoes:

In the United States, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), especially those with orange flesh, are often referred to as "yams." In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the soft sweet potatoes "yams" because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, soft sweet potatoes were referred to as yams to distinguish them from the firm varieties. Sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" are widely available in markets that serve Asian or Caribbean communities. Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires sweet potatoes labeled with the term "yam" to be accompanied by the term "sweet potato."

Anyone have any good recipes to share?

Advent in the hill country

2011-12-19T21:34:00.001-05:00

mountain goat in the hills north of Port-au-Prince

"The high hills are a refuge for the mountain goats,

and the stony cliffs for the rock badgers."

-- Psalm 104:19 (or 18, depending on your translation)

hill country to the north of Port-au-Prince

"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth."

-- Luke 1:39-40

Where do we find refuge?

What will we find if we take time this week to go to the hill country as we, too, prepare for that birth?

What will our greeting be?

wings

2011-12-14T11:38:00.001-05:00

dragonfly

Your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
- Ps. 139:13b

stone soup

2011-12-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

Stone Soup 12/3/11 - pet tarantula?

No, I will NOT bring one back for you.

weather report

2011-12-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

So I'm guessing we won't have a white Christmas, then? It doesn't give the chances of snow in the next few weeks, though, so who knows...

of theodicy and pumpkin

2011-12-09T09:55:00.001-05:00

I've had questions of theodicy coming at me right and left. How not? They seem unavoidable in a situation such as the one here in Haiti. Why? Why? Why, God? I've started a book called When Suffering Persists. So cheerful. I don't expect it to give me answers, but at least it gives me another base from which to think so as to spend less time going around in circles. I think in the long run it all boils down to trust - including the trust needed to take the next step, to do the work before me without needing to fix it all or to have the answers first.

It reminds me of a quote I copied earlier this year from a novel. The protagonist has been puzzling over something:

preparing to make soupe joumou

"She stopped. It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin."
-- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, p. 95 (Alexander McCall Smith)

neighborhood morning song of praise

2011-12-08T07:20:00.000-05:00

Through north and south and east and west
All roosters, let God’s name be blessed.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Cows mooing, I don’t know quite where,
Praise God and cast on him your care.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

You dogs and goats I now can hear,
Join our song, for our God is near.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Sing well before the rising sun,
In sunlight, till the day is done.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

hungry puppy

2011-12-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

I have many serious and interesting topics about which to write. Tonight, I'm writing to you about puppies anyway. They don't have a thing to do with Haiti except insofar as they are Haitian puppies, but they are adorable and very much a part of my life here: I hear them whenever they are awake and squealing, and mama and papa often lie under my window and bark at who knows what at any possible hour. Watchdogs, after all. So here are the watchpuppies, for your enjoyment. I tried to post one of the videos I made, too, but no luck, so I'm including one screen capture below among the photos.

As the puppies start to wake up, mama arrives to check on them. They promptly go back to sleep.

They seem to be fine and, deciding they will be all right despite my presence, she leaves again. They wake back up.

The puppies tumble over each other as they emerge from their napping pile, wander in their den and engage in a bit of wrestling accompanied by much squealing.

One hungry puppy, crying for mama, spots her as she sticks her nose through a decorative hole in the concrete barrier from the other side. Just checking up again.

I try to coax one out with limited success. Eventually one gets brave and comes all the way out of the little den. Then another investigates, while the third one hangs back.

Mama sticks her head back through the hole, and nuzzling commences; then she lies back down, comforting her puppies having been checked off her to-do list.

One puppy, however, isn't just crying for mama; he's crying for dinner. And that hole through which mama was looking is just the perfect size for a puppy door. So through the hole, over the edge, then plonk, on the ground. Mama looks rather surprised as this determined puppy picks himself up and finds his dinner.

Tummy's full, all's right with the world.

Saturday night in the city

2011-12-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

It's not too hot this evening,the sky is mostly clear, and the stars are beautiful. People are out and about - the sidewalks are busy, and the traffic is heavy. It's Saturday night in the city.

Saturday night in Port-au-Prince

You can also tell it's December here even though it's probably 80 degrees out.

Apparently Christmas comes during Advent in Haiti, too.

Benedicite, omnia opera Domini

2011-12-03T21:06:00.002-05:00

on the road to Hinche

Let the earth glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that grows upon the earth, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams, *
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

- Book of Common Prayer p. 89

puppies!

2011-11-30T20:08:00.000-05:00

We have puppies! Tiny little signs of life.

wimpiness

2011-11-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

I’ve been having interior fits tonight because there is a large spider on the ceiling in the dining room. Charlotte isn’t moving, but she is not small. The sisters assure me that she is not poisonous, but if she comes anywhere near my room… And then I was concerned that the spider in residence in the shower has moved elsewhere – where? – and wincing at the cold water. Which isn’t ice cold, mind you, any more than Charlotte is a tarantula (maybe there aren’t any of those in this neighborhood – we can always hope).

I was also remembering all the people I’ve seen today and throughout the last week who don’t have a shower. Here I am with a nice one. A clean one. With clear water. And I have access to plenty of treated drinking water, too. The people in those tent camps don’t have this. Nor do they have shelter against spiders and mosquitos and who knows what else. And I get worried?

I get annoyed to discover I’ve fallen asleep with the light on – and then I give thanks that tonight we have electricity.

One of the hardest things this past week is not the cold water or the multi-legged creatures with which I do not deal well. It’s the sense of helplessness at the sheer magnitude of the misery I am seeing. It was bad in 2009; since the earthquake it is much, much worse. People are living in places I wouldn’t let our Boston convent dog go. I can’t take pictures of the worst of it; people would be offended. To say it’s not right is so understated that it makes me laugh. And there is so little that I can do.

I need to remember that I am not doing this alone. The Sisters are not doing it alone. The church is not doing it alone. None of us is doing anything alone. We have each other and we have God. And we can do something.

I will, with God’s help.

tent camp on the Champs de Mars in front of the ruined Palais National
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

a story for Advent

2011-11-26T19:59:00.002-05:00

"'Thank God!' he cried. The Angels jumped in alarm. He didn’t usually ask to be thanked like that — not straight out. But still, they covered their faces, bowed, and sang a tricky Sanctus that Jophiel had been teaching them.

God looked distracted. For days, he’d been hovering over Galilee, watching the girl."

I love this. And this is from an Advent blog I've enjoyed in the past. I commend it to you. If you want to read the rest of the story, here is the link:

http://lovebloomsbright.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/now-is-the-acceptable-time/

confidence

2011-11-25T16:27:00.002-05:00

self-confidence = carrying a large load of china in a basket on your head without holding on

giving thanks

2011-11-24T22:04:00.005-05:00

There is so much for which to be thankful this Thanksgiving: for family and friends, for my community, for food and clothing and shelter and health. I'm thankful today that we have running water back, as it was out overnight - not a major problem, but it makes me realize once again just how important it is. I'm grateful to have a supply of clean, treated drinking water as well. It's those little things. And I am thankful finally to be in Haiti. God is so gracious to allow me to be here.

Merci Seigneur - Thank you, Lord
taptap

Giving thanks in Haiti certainly has a different perspective to it. I had forgotten how many taptaps (little colorful buses, privately owned but running as a main form of transportation) say "Merci Jesus." If you add the related slogans, you have quite an impressive amount of thanks happening in a place where praise and thanksgiving might be harder to come by. I was also cheered to see today a taptap that said, "Merci Manman" (Thank you, Mom)! But there is perspective here about what is really important. My prayer is that I learn to trust and give thanks to God with my whole heart in the midst of difficulty; this is a good place to learn how that is lived.

In God we trust
taptap

Grace de Dieu - Grace of God
taptap
Port-au-Prince

“Thou that hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more–a grateful heart:

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose Pulse may be
... Thy Praise.”

~~George Herbert

1593-1633

(Thanksgiving for JH, who passed this quote along.)

of paper monsters and duffel decisions

2011-11-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things:
Of paper monsters, duffel bags, of weights and measuring.

I look around and stare aghast at what is left to do:
More files to sort, more calls to make, my final laundry, too.

Recycling, recycling, recycling and more
recycling, or else I never will get out the door.

Blue Cross has balked; the pharmacy says, “Sorry, only eight
weeks’ worth of drugs against the bugs.” Please don’t let more be late!

The duffel’s packed, but stuff is left. Decisions still remain.
What must come out to add the rest? It’s too much for my brain.

I’m leaving soon: I count the days on only one hand now.
I dance with glee, then panic, see, but God will show me how.

consider the squirrels

2011-11-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

The Philosopher Squirrel of Roxbury Crossing

Multiple Choice

Is this squirrel

a) Contemplating the beauty of the fall leaves?

b) Considering the train tracks below and the glories of travel?

c) Wondering where he should store his acorns?

d) Wondering where he put all the acorns he already stored?

e) Meditating on autumn, the passage of time, and the fleeting nature of life?

f) Preparing to jump in the leaves just for the fun of it?

g) Looking for an afternoon snack?

h) Posing for the camera?

i) Wondering when this strange nun will stop taking his picture?

j) All of the above

creative advertising

2011-11-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

I actually enjoyed watching this ad. It leaves you wondering till the end. It would be fun to make up your own version of this. What music would your soundtrack have?

happy dance

2011-11-02T14:44:00.000-04:00

Two weeks and counting!

cholera in Haiti, one year later - via PIH

2011-10-26T21:18:00.000-04:00

via Partners in Health video

My last post shared the news about the cholera vaccine, thanks to NPR. Now I have an article and video from Partners in Health for you. The article has some rather sobering statistics. One thing is sure: it was never in Haiti before last year. Now it is. And it's in Haiti for good. Vaccination and access to clean water could make it much less threatening and widespread. So simple. We just need to do it.

article: http://www.pih.org/news/entry/cholera-one-year-later/

cholera vaccine heading to Haiti

2011-10-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

A Haitian protester in Port-au-Prince
last month spray-paints a wall,
equating the UN mission in Haiti
(abbreviated here as MINISTA) with cholera.
via NPR

Woo-hoo! After so very many deaths, there has finally been a go-ahead given for a cholera vaccination program in Haiti. Thanks be to God! I can't imagine anything more needed, more logical, or more cost effective.

And yet apparently they are having trouble finding donors to support it.

What???!!!

NPR's article on this (link below) says,

You'd think a few hundred thousand dollars to launch a vaccination campaign against a big and growing disease threat wouldn't be a problem. After all, donor nations pledged $4.6 billion to help Haiti recover from the calamitous earthquake of January 12, 2010 – the biggest international relief effort ever.

Donna Barry of Partners in Health says nearly 60 percent of those funds, or $2.6 billion, remains to be disbursed.

But yesterday the group's founder Dr. Paul Farmer was in California beating the bushes to raise money for the vaccination campaign, "which I regard as somewhat ridiculous," he says. "We're not entirely pleased that we're going out on a limb, looking for funding that should have been made available very quickly."

Go figure.

Well, here is a step in the right direction, and we can help make further strides: call your senator or member of congress, donate yourself, start a campaign, talk about it!

(And in case you have not yet noticed, there is a Partners in Health badge on the right which links to their donation page. Just a suggestion.)

Cholera is in Haiti for the long term. Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done yesterday.

Here is the link to the article and the source for the photo:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/10/20/141546570/after-a-half-million-cholera-cases-vaccination-will-begin-in-haiti

fighting malaria

2011-10-19T11:31:00.000-04:00

Gates Foundation mosquito nets -
Zabibu Athumani and her son rest under a bed net
at their home in Pande Village in Bagamoyo district, Tanzania.

So many organizations now are givng us the opportunity to help with this. Ntes for Life comes to mind, for example. It's amazing what a simple mosquito net can do. Furthermore, there was a recent breakthrough in an experimental vaccination that now seems promising.

Malaria Vaccine Trial Shows Promise - WSJ

I would like to share with you an article and a video from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

Can Social Media End Malaria? Can You? - by Melinda French Gates

I have my mosquito net ready to go. Perhaps you can help others obtain one as well.

Myers-Briggs Prayers

2011-10-14T21:02:00.001-04:00

Myers-Briggs Prayers

Sorry, I have no idea where this originated - but it was too good not to share (thank you to my friend J who posted it on Facebook!). The type is a bit small as seen on the blog page, but if you click on the photo, the original is larger and much more legible. Have fun!

Let me know if you want me to find and post links to the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) websites.

Where do you go when two-thirds of your country is under water?

2011-10-12T17:10:00.002-04:00

Two-thirds of Thailand flooded — including 108 temples - msn.com article

"Parts of the temple at Thailand's Wat Chaiwatthanaram,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are flooded Wednesday"
October 12, 2011
Thai government, Reuters, via msn

Another prayer request...

What an incredible couple of years it has been.

I hear Japan had more flooding not long ago, too.

What are people to do and where are they to go - never mind what they are to eat and where they are to find clean water?!

city sidewalks

2011-10-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

Busy sidewalks...

I took a walk over to the Museum of Fine Arts yesterday. Free admission! It was a treat. But there was something I enjoyed just as much or more: stopping to look, really to look around as I went. I took photos of the little things that I noticed. It seems I am noticing more and wanting to notice more the closer I get to leaving. Once I have left for Haiti, you see, I won't be coming back to the Roxbury convent. Assuming we get a buyer, there will be someplace new to call home when I am on this side of the water. And so I look around more. And I pay attention.

It reminds me, too, that much of the joy and the adventure is in the journey itself if we just take the time to be truly present. This may not be news to any of us, but I find I need to hear it over and over. Better yet, I need to experience it and to make the time for it.

And Monday was like that. It's hard to compare a city sidewalk to a Degas exhibit, but they each have their own interesting angles, their own beauty.

In honor of the journey, I'd like to share photos of the sidewalks themselves. I hope you enjoy some of these images as much as I do.

hopscotch on Highland Park Ave

save the fish

pavement patterns

shadows advancing

perched postally

your pumps should always match your pumpkin

cross-country commuting

garden between the paving stones

This is an unusual piece of yarn...

Tag, you're it!

sunrise

2011-10-11T10:49:00.000-04:00

The heavens declare the glory of God

and the firmament shows his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

sunrise through the stairwell window
St. Margaret's Convent, Roxbury, MA

You have shown us

2011-10-06T17:14:00.000-04:00

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

You have shown us, oh God, what is good
You have shown us, oh Lord, what You require
You have heard all our songs
How we long to worship You
Yeah, You've told us the offering You desire

To do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God
You said, to do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God

You have shown us the riches of Your love
And You have shown us Your heart for those in need
Lord, You're opening our ears to the cries of the poor
You have called us to be Your hand and feet

To do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God
You said, to do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God

To the oppressed and the broken
To the widow and the orphan
Let the river of Your justice flow through us
To the oppressed and the broken
To the widow and the orphan
Let the river of Your justice flow through us

Let Your river flow, let Your river flow
Let the river of Your justice flow through us, oh

To do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God
You said, to do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God

To do justice and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with You, God

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/paul_baloche/you_have_shown_us.html ]

Thanks to the following bloggers in Haiti for sharing this with us: http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2011/10/to-oppressed-broken-to-widow-orphan.html.

a winning kick and a crown

2011-10-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

From the New York Times, something to make us all smile. I've written about princesses and keep getting more hits from one of the princess pictures than anything else, so perhaps it's high time I post something about a queen. Homecoming queen, that is. But that's the least of her accomplishments - 4.0 student, student government treasurer, soccer player and now, first girl on the football team. I wonder what she'll do as an adult!

winning kicker and homecoming queen, all in one

From the article:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In his 18 years at Pinckney Community High School, Jim Darga, the principal, said, the homecoming queen had always been crowned at halftime of the school’s football game. Never before, though, had she had to be summoned from the team’s locker room.

And that was just the beginning of Brianna Amat’s big night.

If being named homecoming queen is a lifetime memory for a high school student, so, too, is kicking a winning field goal. For Amat, 18, they happened within an hour of each other.

You can find the rest of the article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/sports/homecoming-queen-and-winning-field-goal-on-same-night.html?_r=2&src=tp

PIH hospital under construction in Mirebalais

2011-10-04T10:35:00.001-04:00

This new hospital will have six operating rooms, digital equipment, and classrooms for Haitian medical students where they will be able to see Harvard Medical School classes online. It is desperately needed as they face the ongoing cholera epidemic.

PIH hospital plans - Mirebalais

If you are interested in reading more about Partners in Health and Paul Farmer, Tracy Kidder's book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, is a must-read. It tells the story of its beginnings and paints a vivid picture of life in rural Haiti.

The photo below I found on PIH's Facebook page. It's of the aforementioned book floating in the space station where one of the astronauts had brought it to read.

"Beyond mountains! Tracy Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains floats aboard the International Space Station. Astronaut Ron Garan brought the copy up with him on his last mission. The book tells the story of PIH co-founder Paul Farmer, and the founding of PIH" (photo and caption via PIH Facebook page)

driving rain

2011-09-29T16:36:00.001-04:00

Stopped traffic leaves time for reflections of tail lights and reflections on beauty. Much more restful than driving in it, too.

splashes of red

raindrops keep falling on my windshield

yellow and red taillights

looking discombobulated

swirled sign

abstract art?

high, but not dry on a bike

Heath Street misty trees - loving the colors here

mums through a wet windshield
home again, home again, jiggity jig

drum roll, please

2011-09-27T21:23:00.000-04:00

shipping drum
almost packed for Haiti!

Or maybe we should sing "Roll Out the Barrel."

Call it a drum, call it a barrel - whatever it is, it's almost packed. Almost ready to be shipped to Haiti. Here's hoping it arrives before Christmas! The barrels we sent in July are still sitting in customs in Port-au-Prince, so we hear, so I'm not going to look for it before Thanksgiving, anyway. Still, the reality of my upcoming move is brought home by the impending departure of this giant turquoise soup can.

I, on the other hand, still have quite a number of other things to take care of before I can get myself off and running. Make dentist appointment - check. Inoculations - one left. Medical check-ups - this week. Stare at my room and say, "How the heck am I going to decide what to keep and what to give away?" - check. Start another "to do" list - check. Begin sorting things - check. Look at four-drawer file cabinet full of eleven years of file folders and close eyes - check.

Papers. Too many pieces of paper. I'd consider using a blowtorch to clear them out if I weren't quite sure that amidst sermon prep materials and old seminary papers a winning lottery ticket is hiding. Of course, having never bought one, I might be wrong about that.

But I'm moving right along here. I'm not quite sure whether to dance with excitement, have a panic attack, or acknowledge I have too much to do to manage more than a little of each! Fortunately I have the Daily Office and our daily Eucharist each morning to keep me grounded, as well as the regular round of work in the sacristy and in the house. One step closer.

Who thinks I can finish all this before the end of the month?

With mortals (at least this one), it is impossible, but for God, all things are possible.

Now, to learn to cooperate with the One who brought order out of chaos and who will surely do the same again.

consider the lilies

2011-09-26T09:12:00.000-04:00

hummingbird and flowering bush, Darbonne, Leogane, Haiti 2009

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."
-- Matthew 6:25-34

requiem for 9/11

2011-09-19T23:02:00.001-04:00

Remembering especially Deora Bodley.

diapering the cat with giggles

2011-09-17T10:17:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, this has nothing to do with anything. Certainly nothing related to Haiti. But the giggles are infectious, and I marvel at the relaxed patience of this cat. If you want something to make you smile, this is your video. If these little girls and their laughter don't produce a lift in your day, run-do-not-walk to the nearest vacation day. Or at least an ice cream parlor.

Link:
http://thebubble.msn.com/video/?id=180da74c-c5c7-4728-8031-3ed1ce4799e4

giggles while diapering the cat

patient cat accepts not only being diapered,
but also being wheeled in a stroller
totally making these little girls' day
and mine, too

typhoon

2011-09-05T14:21:00.002-04:00

typhoon photo via website above

Killer typhoon brings new misery to beleaguered Japan - article on msn.com

In the category of "enough already..."

Haiti and Japan, I'm telling you... It's really been too much for both of them the past couple of years. What is left to say? The parish where I worked for the past year prays weekly for an end to the suffering of both countries. May those prayers be answered affirmatively.

I know there are parts of the US that are reeling, too - be it drought or flood, tornado or hurricane. I just heard at church yesterday about a little Episcopal church in Vermont that was already struggling and now has lost its buildings. Buildings are not people, of course, but they are still a loss to be reckoned with both financially and emotionally.

In American literature class sophomore year of high school, we read a number of things with the theme of Man vs. Nature (we didn't talk about humanity back then, just man...). Short stories by Jack London come to mind. A century or two ago, we were much more aware of nature as a force to be reckoned with. Things have gotten to the point in many places where it is easy, at least in the city, to forget that. I think it's time we began taking it more seriously again in order to plan appropriately. Who knows, perhaps new literature will grow out of this and fifty years from now children will be reading fiction and reflecting on the lessons we are trying to learn from all this.

I would also like to see no more news about various people attributing natural disasters to the behavior of those with whom they disagree. I wonder what they do when they themselves are faced with such things.

If we learn nothing else, I hope we will at least learn to take care of each other better.
Hospitality. Shelter.

Love one another. Feed my sheep.

movin' right along

2011-09-01T21:17:00.001-04:00

Today has been all about moving in one way or another. I returned from Michigan to Boston toting the large duffle bag I will use to move to Haiti; ticket stubs are still lying here, reminding me of that travel and travel yet to come.

I arrived home, sweet home. To my delight, one of my friends was here, one who is in transition and dealing with moving and storing just as we are. Two sisters went back to Haiti this morning. I've been gone a few weeks, and so there has been plenty of time for the community moving process to move ahead: I can see furniture missing and other furniture moved around. Sold? Stored? Who knows. More changes.

But late afternoon was the pinnacle. Once home, I headed right back out to the Travel Clinic to get some of my vaccinations for the upcoming move. Of course, the vaccinations themselves remind me of changes ahead, but it turns out that it is also moving in day for thousands - hundreds of thousands - of college students. On the very short trip to and from the clinic, I counted forty-three U-Hauls or the equivalent and ten vehicles with mattresses strapped to them. Imagine if I had started counting SUVs full of stuff or piles of boxes and junk on the sidewalk! Forty-three. In that short space. And that's not even in Cambridge or next door to BU.

I found an article on the Boston area's annual rent-a-moving-truck madness. This year's twist demonstrates how swiftly plans and moves change shape: Irene has been causing trouble not just for homeowners, but for students between homes.

“They said all of the trucks were delayed 10 to 12 hours because of the hurricane,” he said.

“I’m sure we’ll try to scramble and get something, but I’m not sure what we’ll really be able to do,” he added by phone Wednesday afternoon, as roommates remained on hold with the rental company.

The delays added to the controlled chaos that is known as move-in day in Boston, when so many apartments change hands at the end of August."
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/allston_brighton/2011/08/sundays_storm_causes_truck_ren.html

Controlled chaos, indeed.

Not all moving are students, of course. Several of my friends are beginning new jobs, some making cross-country journeys to do so. Some are expecting a child. Some are looking at upcoming retirement. One of my nephews just began high school and started playing for the freshman football team, a time of transition for him and most likely for his family as well.

Change keeps the blood moving. It keeps life fresh. It keeps us from getting stuck in the mud. And we all know that the Holy Spirit will blow where the Holy Spirit wills, and nothing will ever be the same. Sometimes it is chaotic, sometimes exciting; sometimes it can seem impossible or overwhelming.

But you know what? All these U-Hauls will eventually carry their loads forward, and the students will begin a new year. It will all happen: their moves, my move, and your moves, too, be they the moving of homes or the moving of lives. So let's keep moving, and soon we will find ourselves approaching the new adventure right around the corner - not the one we were planning on, perhaps, but one God has in store for us.

Moving right along. Yes, we are.

a real turkey

2011-08-30T13:20:00.001-04:00

You just never know.

You never know who will show up at the bird feeder in your parents' back yard.

turkeys at the bird feeder

You never know who God will use, either.

Peter, for example, was a real turkey. Not in a bad way! He was just a doofus. And that is why I love him. He was so impulsive. He was always sticking his foot in his mouth and doing rash things. He was the first to blurt out that Jesus was the Messiah. He also argued with Jesus and told him not to go getting himself killed; needless to say, that didn't go over as well. He declared that he would never betray Jesus; then on that dark Thursday night when he had the nerve to follow Jesus and his guards all the way to the high priest's house and into the courtyard, he ended up swearing and denying that he knew him. And breaking down in tears.

But it doesn't end there.

Today's Daily Office readings include Mark 14:66-72, the story of that scene in the courtyard. As I was reflecting on it, I remembered another scene, one I prayed with during my recent retreat. It's from John 21, a scene following the resurrection. Peter and some others have gone fishing, and they haven't caught a thing all night. Jesus, from the shore, unrecognized, calls out to them to throw out the net on one side of the boat - and then, suddenly, what a catch! The part I love is when Peter hears his friend say, "It is the Lord!" Peter puts on his clothes, jumps into the water, and heads for shore. He can't even wait for the boat. That's impulsive. That's also love.

John 21 - Peter wading to Jesus
(Not great art, but you get the idea!)

I just love Peter. And I want to love Jesus as ardently as he did. I want always to have the nerve to keep running back to Jesus when I fall on my face, as he did, knowing that I am loved first, no matter what.

After breakfast, Jesus asks him, "Do you love me?" He asks three times. And Peter answers, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He gets his feelings hurt because Jesus asks him three times - but he is able to answer three times that he does, just as in that courtyard he had declared three times that he did not know him.

I don't have my interlinear Bible with me right now, so I can't check the Greek myself, but I have heard that Jesus asks him twice using the verb agape for love - and Peter responds using the verb for brotherly love - something related to filio (my apologies for my lack of Greek detail here; all my things are at home). The third time, Jesus uses the verb Peter uses. Peter doesn't get it - and Jesus is so gentle with him, coming to where he is instead of rolling his eyes at Peter's lack of of understanding and walking off.

Jesus gives Peter another chance. He gives us another chance. Over and over. And then he uses us - uses us as we are. Jesus doesn't just leave Peter there, making up for his lack. He moves him further on and uses him. "Feed my sheep," he also says. Tend my sheep. Feed my lambs. Just as Peter is fed, so is he to feed others.

We are fed physically, emotionally and spiritually, and then we go out to do the work God has given us to do, sharing that care with all those whose lives touch ours. We have been given an abundance, and so despite ourselves we really do have what we are called to give.

God uses us, even when we are complete turkeys. If God can call Peter, such a doofus, to be an apostle and to become a leader in the early church, then God can use us. If Peter can become a minister to others, feeding sheep as well as being fed, then so can we.

As I get ready to head to Haiti, where I will be rather unprepared for whatever it is that lies ahead, I am thankful to know that God will use me. I need to remind myself of this regularly, I think, whenever I get frustrated with myself or feel completely inadequate to the tasks at hand. It's not up to me in the end. I just need to be available and responsive, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through me despite my flaws - and even through them.

Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

I prefer cats and ducks to hurricanes

2011-08-27T00:15:00.002-04:00

Fluffy is not quite sure what she thinks of Hannah Montana.

Greetings from Indiana! I'm visiting my family. The weather is beautiful. I've seen old friends. I've spent time with two of three goddaughters today and may be able to see the third - or at least her mother - tomorrow. I have been able to attend one nephew's soccer game and another's first game playing for his high school freshman football team (They both won, too!). I have learned to brush Barbie hair, consulted in the selection of dollhouse furniture, arranged plastic horses, ridden on a backyard zip line, made pancakes with my niece, and had some good kitty time with Mia and Fluffy.

This afternoon, my sister and I had a picnic at the park and brought our cameras in order to do some nature photography. It was a lovely, peaceful time with its moments of amusement at chipmunks, frogs, and a duck who was clearly hoping to be fed. My sister took some fantastic photos of the frogs, but apparently I have no talent at sneaking up on them. They always see me first, screech like a bird (the most bizarre thing!) and hop into the pond before I can take a photo; often all I got was that strange noise they made and the ripples they left in the pond. I tried, too, to get photos of the little birds bathing in the inlet by the pipe draining to the pond from the splash pad in the park. Equal (non-) success. It was fun trying, in any case, and the dragonflies and the duck at least were suitably placid for photos.

All this and ice cream at Atz's with my goddaughter tonight, too! Life is good.

Part of my mind has been back home in Boston all day, however. I keep seeing the satellite photos of Hurricane Irene as it approaches Maryland, where I have family; New York and Massachusetts, where the sisters live; and all those other locations up and down the east coast where my friends live. I don't like it. One of my Haitian sisters reminds me that God has it under control... and I also remember that there are no promises of absolute safety. I'm not overly worried, but I am concerned. Not all of my friends take such warnings seriously!

Gracious God, we ask your protection for all those in the path of the storm. Give them wisdom as they make their preparations and make decisions about evacuation. Make it possible for everyone who needs to lay up supplies to do so. Keep travellers safe and heading smoothly in the right direction. Guard those who must stay and work to keep others safe. Keep those navy ships riding it out on open sea far from danger.

And Lord, we wouldn't mind a bit if you would send that storm east, the sooner the better.

as a mother...

2011-08-22T14:04:00.000-04:00

...cares for her children, so does the Lord care for us.

mama sparrow feeding baby
Manresa Retreat House, Bloomfield MI

current hurricane maps and a blog link

2011-08-22T11:40:00.005-04:00

Hurricane and Tropical Storm Warnings as of Monday 8-22-11

Still praying it heads east, east, east! ... missing all the islands and Florida, too. Thinking of you, all my friends dealing with stormy weather in these places, hurricane strength or not. May it bring just as much rain as needed, but may the winds stay out to sea.

Projected Path of Hurricane Irene as of Monday 8-22-11, 11AM

I also have a link to share with you. It's a blog post from someone in Haiti involving funny moments and sad, including a rat, a new mother, antics and quite a variety of text messages in church, and a patient arriving at this home. This is someone to pray for, a person who had had surgery on the naval medical mission ship but then had to be put onshore so the ship could leave. I can't imagine being moved like that so soon after surgery... Prayers for a swift recovery as well as the prayers around the hurricane, please. Here is the link:

http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2011/08/today-plan-was-simple.html

you keep asking where to stay in Port-au-Prince.. here's an option!

2011-08-22T01:05:00.000-04:00

Well, good news. Over and over people ask me where to stay in Port-au-Prince. Well, the convent fell down. Most of the Foyer Notre Dame fell down. Holy Trinity School, which had a room or two, I think, fell down. Lots of hotels fell down. I don't know anymore what to say. When I get there, I'll have more answers, but meanwhile, I have finally found this via a blog I have been following. Of course, I really know nothing about it, other than it seems to come reasonably well recommended. However, the prices are great, the photos look beautiful, and they have free wi-fi and phone calls to the US! I'm thinking it looks great. Transportation will cost you, of course, as it is a few miles from downtown and a few from the airport, but it would anyway unless you have access to a friend with a car.

Livesay [Haiti] Weblog: Port au Prince Guesthouse: "Need a place to stay in Port au Prince? Know someone that does? A perfect location, open to the public, please check this out:"

http://heartlineministries.org/ourministries/theheartlineguesthouse.php

Key information via their page:

Fees:

$50/person/night includes:

Wifi Internet access

Free calls to the US

Breakfast and Dinner each day

(Lunch available at an additional fee)

Transportation available upon request: $20/person/round trip ($40 minimum)

Address:
Village Theodat
Rue 2 #3
Tabarre

Phone Numbers:

3894 5426 (from Haiti)
3490 5993 (from Haiti)
772-617-1727 (outside of Haiti)

even the naval medical mission is fleeing Irene...

2011-08-21T21:48:00.000-04:00

The ship only just got there Thursday, and it already had to leave today. Last stop planned. And now, only a few days in, fini. Aaaaaaargh. I'd like to think they were coming back, but the past tense used in the article about that port of call seems to indicate otherwise. I'm just sad. I bet they are too, unless they are just so anxious to be home after five months out that they are ready to go, period.

Tropical Storm Irene Approaches Haiti - via BBC website Sunday evening

Looking for news updates, I noticed that once again the UK sites have more information on Haiti than the US websites do even though we're nearer at hand. I don't know if it's just that we are more concerned with Puerto Rico and Florida, or if the UK is just more interested in Haiti than we are. In any case, the BBC and Yahoo News UK both are covering it with decent mention of Haiti. The article I just read on Yahoo, excerpted below, is called "Irene swirls toward Haiti, Dominican Republic" (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/tropical-storm-harvey-become-hurricane-133316084.html ).

For that matter, le Nouvelliste didn't even have anything front and center on their website; I had to go to Haiti News for that. If you are interested, by the way, they gather news from around the web.
Link: http://www.haitinews.net/
Maybe I should be putting this on my links to the side...
Does anyone know if Le Nouvelliste has a weather page I just haven't found or if that's not part of their regular website?

Pertinent excerpt from the UK Yahoo article on the storm:

Tropical Storm Irene roared into the Caribbean Sunday with forecasters warning it could reach hurricane strength as it bore down on the Dominican Republic and quake-ravaged Haiti.

The US National Hurricane Center said the storm, the ninth of the Atlantic season, was centered some 25 miles (40 kilometers) east-southeast of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, with sustained winds of 50 miles per hour at 2100 GMT.

Irene was tracking a path toward the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

With the storm expected to strengthen, hurricane warnings were in effect for the Dominican Republic's entire coastline, and for the island of Puerto Rico.

"Some strengthening is forecast during the next day or so, and Irene could become a hurricane on Monday," the center said.

Forecasters said the storm could weaken as it moves over the Dominican Republic, and that the storm could later track toward the Bahamas and Florida coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Haiti.

Haiti dodged a weather disaster earlier this month when it was brushed by Tropical Storm Emily, but Irene revived fears in a country where some 300,000 people still live in makeshift camps after a catastrophic 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 225,000 people.

In the Haitian capital, the US embassy announced that the naval hospital ship USNS Comfort, which only arrived in Port-au-Prince on Thursday, would be forced to cease operations Sunday and seek safe haven due to the forecast.

Haiti was the ship's final port of call at the end of a five-month humanitarian aid mission in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Irene was expected to pass near or over Puerto Rico later Sunday and approach the Dominican Republic on Monday, the NHC said.

It was expected to dump as much as 10 inches of rain (25 centimeters) on Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and four to seven inches of rain on the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

yet another storm headed towards Haiti

2011-08-20T22:52:00.003-04:00

Tropical Storm Irene could become hurricane, hit Florida (msn.com article link)

No, please, no.

I see the path of this storm is predicted to be, once again, directly over Haiti.

I feel vaguely guilty as I notice my concern for Haiti and the fact that I am not responding in like concern to Harvey, a storm over Central America. However, my heart is most definitely in Haiti - and I will soon follow! Can't be much over a month now, though I don't yet have a ticket.

In any case, pray for all in the path of storms, and especially for those in Haiti who may be affected by Tropical Storm Irene. As for the storm itself, pray that it weakens and heads to open sea. They don't need another storm. Rainwater is good to have. In such quantity, not so much.

Here's the path currently predicted:

* * * * *
Sunday afternoon update, also via msn.com:

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua — Tropical Storm Irene barreled toward Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sunday, packing heavy rains and winds that closed airports and flooded low-lying areas in the Leeward Islands.

The fast-moving storm, tracking west-northwest at roughly 18 mph (30 kph), was taking an unpredictable path that left people in the islands of the U.S. Caribbean anxious about the winds and rain to come.

On its current forecast track, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irene was expected to pass near or over the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later in the day. It's expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Monday as it approaches Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. More than 600,000 people in Haiti still live without shelter after last year's earthquake.

just thinking about Emily and my upcoming move

2011-08-04T23:38:00.041-04:00

I've just heard that Emily has been downgraded. She's not even a tropical storm now, just a depression. And we all give great thanks!

weather.com on Tropical Depression Emily as of Thursday evening 8-4-11

Emily drenches the DR

It appears she is still dropping heavy rains in various places in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. See video here:

http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/emily-drenches-dominican-republic-21495#loc=62/436/21495

I wonder how Darbonne has fared?

Checking one of the blogs I follow, I hear Port-au-Prince hasn't had any real storm activity at all. You can read the short report here: http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2011/08/thankful.html. And one of my friends posted on Facebook from Port-au-Prince saying that Emily was no more.

Such good news. Such relief. The last thing people need right now is more flooding. Never mind the winds; a regular heavy rain is enough to cause trouble. Imagine having not only flooded roads, but for those still without sturdy homes, a floor of mud or muddy water in your dwelling. All this and cholera too.

Up north, Le Nouvelliste reports that some 300 families have been victims of flooding and that several cholera treatment centers have been swept away. Here is the link [ http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=95699&PubDate=2011-08-04] and some of the article for those of you who read French:

Emily se dissipe mais les fortes pluies restent menaçantes

Haïti: La tempête tropicale Emily qui balayait Haïti jeudi s'est dissipée, mais les autorités restaient vigilantes en raison de la subsistance de fortes pluies qui menacent les camps de toile abritant des milliers de familles poussées à la rue par le séisme de janvier 2010.

Dans son dernier bulletin, le Centre national américain des ouragans (NHC) a indiqué qu'Emily s'est transformée en zone de basse pression, mais que de "fortes" précipitations tombaient toujours sur Hispaniola --l'île que se partagent Haïti et la République dominicaine--, avec des vents soufflant à 55 kmh...

Dans le nord d'Haïti, plus de 300 familles ont été victimes d'inondations et des structures de traitement du choléra, qui sévit toujours dans le pays, ont été emportées, ont annoncé les autorités...

Même dissipée, Emily devrait entraîner des précipitations allant jusqu'à 50 cm par endroits et provoquer des inondations subites et des glissements de terrain dangereux, a averti le NHC.

Prayers continue.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the US, I think about my upcoming move, and I wonder what it will be like to see Port-au-Prince again. Everything I remember there been pretty much leveled. Hard enough to see in photos and even to imagine. Seeing in person not only that much damage but also that many people living in misery is going to be rough. As if seeing the poverty wasn't hard enough two years ago. I hate that my friends have been living with this (and millions of others, too). It's going to be so hard... And I have never been so sure that I am supposed to be there. I don't know what I'll be doing, but it doesn't matter. I still don't have a date, but I am assuming it's less than two months now. Mentally, my countdown has begun.

Emily

2011-08-04T01:47:00.000-04:00

It appears that Emily has been falling apart a bit. Normally saying this about someone isn't a good thing, but when the Emily in question is a hurricane/tropical storm, that's good!

The latest from Le Nouvellliste, a Haitian newspaper, is that they are expecting 4-6 inches of rain and, if I understand correctly, more in the mountains. Here is the link to the article dated Wednesday 8/3/11 :

http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=95690&PubDate=2011-08-03

the most recent satellite imagery of Emily via weather.com

The Weather Channel, however, predicts much more rain. Up to a foot. And, as they point out, there are well over a million people still living in tents.

projected path for Emily over Haiti 8-3-11

Prayer, then, would be appreciated.

so the day dawn for me

2011-07-24T18:51:00.000-04:00

so the day dawn for me
St. Margaret's Convent, Roxbury MA

So the day dawn for me,

so the day break,

Christ watching over me,

Christ as I wake.

Be the day shine for me,

be the day bright,

Christ my companion be,

Christ be my light.

Wonder, Love and Praise #750

Timothy Dudley Smith

sunrise from the roof of St. Margaret's Convent, Boston

practice

2011-07-22T21:58:00.004-04:00

I was going to blog about Mary Magdalene, whose day it is today.

Or maybe Margaret of Antioch, our patron saint, whose feast was Wednesday.

However...

Consider this:

and this:

Boston isn't quite there yet, but we're catching up!

We get closer when considering the heat index.

Wonder what that is for Port-au-Prince!

So...

Despite my current resemblance to the Wicked Witch of the West as she melts, I give great thanks for water.

Cold water.

Cold, potable water.

A real blessing.

song at nightfall

2011-07-15T22:30:00.000-04:00

Compline bells are ringing at the convent...

As night falls tonight, I am thankful for a retreat day resting in God. I went out on the roof a while ago to watch the sun set and was reminded again that for some reason I feel God's presence very closely when I do so. There is something about the sky that reminds me that God loves me, and I am at peace.

sunset over Boston from the SSM convent roof

And so very quietly I sang my prayer on the roof in gratitude and praise.

The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended:
The darkness falls at thy behest.
To thee our morning hymns ascended;
thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

evening sky over Boston from St. Margaret's Convent roof

nightfall over Boston from the SSM convent roof

I have found a recording of this hymn on YouTube if you would like to sing your own prayer tonight along with the choir of the Abbey School, Tewkesbury.

rainy morning, pre-dawn

2011-07-09T05:16:00.000-04:00

SSM Boston chapel roof and sky, rainy morning, pre-dawn

red, white and blueberry

2011-07-04T18:57:00.000-04:00

Sr. Claire Marie's fabulous blueberry cake

Just for the record, I want to make sure you all know that Sr. Claire Marie makes the best blueberry cake ever.

And then there were grilled cheeseburgers. And corn on the cob. And watermelon. And later tonight, the Boston Pops on TV along with the fireworks seen from our rooftop. It doesn't get better than this.

Much to be thankful for today. And many people for whom to be thankful as well. We consider the big picture on Independence Day, from whatever angle we are coming, but we also can give thanks for the people who do the little things that make life good.

Sr. Claire Marie, here's a fourth of July "hooray!" for you!

on the stories of others

2011-07-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

The post linked below is worth your time to read. It is two posts, actually, one embedded in another. They're about writing about Haiti. How much can one say? understand? When does the listening help to heal? When does it become better to listen and not tell? When must the story be told - and how must it be told when it is not yours? These writers find their own lives entwined with these stories, and yet they must always be separating the threads of their own lives, their own perspectives and biases, their own pain, from that of others whose story needs to be shared. When do we choose, and how?

So now I'm wondering what will it be like for me to try to blog from Haiti again. Will I want to make my entries completely separate - my story and the stories around me? I can't see how that is possible. I can only tell a story through my own eyes. But then, I have it easy: I'm not a journalist. I'm not a semi-professional blogger. I can only share what I live or what I have heard - and much of what I hear there will not be mine to share. So much pain. As this blogger points out, there is a responsibility that comes with writing, especially stories such as these. I will need to pray for the grace to respond wisely.

I am grateful for this blog entry, and I hope you will find it thought-provoking as well. Here it is: http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2011/07/telling-stories.html

squirrel recess

2011-07-03T18:58:00.000-04:00

three squirrels chasing each other around the front yard of the convent
(the third one is in those tall leaves to the right)

Well, the kids are out of class - or something! There were at least five squirrels chasing each other around the front yard of the convent this morning. We got a couple of shots and a short video of a few of them. Too bad we couldn't get all the action at once! It was very funny. Just the thing as I was leaving with a sister in tow, a little sad to be heading out for my last monthly bilingual youth service at St. Luke's-San Lucas. God is good. So hard to believe it's been almost a year there.

I thought I'd share this so as to brighten your day as well.

Is it safe to come down yet?