Sunday Salon ~ three generations

Book just finished

The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God ~ by Steve McSwain, 2010, religion, 9/10

Best quote:  "Is attending your church, synagogue, mosque, or temple helping you be a better and more compassionate person, spouse, neighbor, employee, and employer?  Is it leading you to understand yourself, to know what ego has done and is doing in you, your thinking, your relationships, and so forth, to experience a transformational shift in consciousness, 'to over come the world,' as Jesus put it?  If not, then my advice is this:  Stop going!  Go somewhere else or find another religion altogether.  Better yet, give up on reeligion entirely" (p. 191).

Currently reading

Writing a Woman's Life ~ by Carolyn G. Heilbrun, 1988, women's studies

Description:  "In this modern classic, Carolyn G. Heilbrun builds an eloquent argument demonstrating that writers conform all too often to society's expectations of what women should be like at the expense of the truth of the female experience.  Drawing on the careers of celebrated authors including Virginia Woolf, George Sand, and Dorothy Sayers, Heilbrun illustrates the struggle these writers undertook in both work and life to break away from traditional 'male' scripts for women's roles."

Up next?

Revelations: Diaries of Women ~ edited by Mary Jane Moffat and Charlotte Painter, 1974, women's studies

After typing the information about Writing a Woman's Life (above), I slipped it back onto the shelf with my books on women's studies.  That's when I noticed I had shelved it beside a book about women's diaries.  Synchronicity, since I don't have a particular order within my broader categories:  theology, scriptures of the world's religions, women's studies, etc.  It would make sense to read it next, but it's over 400 pages long — so not likely one I'll want to read right away.  I may choose a novel, for lighter reading, or maybe.......

More likely up next

The Great Transformation ~ by Karen Armstrong, 2006

--- or ---

The Case for God ~ by Karen Armstrong, 2009

Since I'm studying Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong (2010) with my Book Buddies group, I'll probably read one of these two books by Karen Armstrong which are on my bookshelves.  If I can find them after the move, that is.

GENERATIONS

When asked where he was going to put his new baseball trophy, my 3-year-old great-grandson Jaxon said, "Next to my soccer trophy."  He loves playing sports.

This one speaks for itself, except to add that she's my granddaughter.

One of my daughters and her husband have been married 34 years, as of yesterday.

Bloggers gather in the Sunday Salon — at separate computers in different time zones — to talk about our lives and our reading.

Friday Five ~ Church Olympians

Deb @ RevGalBlogPals brings us today's Friday Five:

"With the Olympic Games in Sochi just around the corner, I started thinking about all the athletes who attend the Games and never win a medal.  The hours of practicing, sacrifice and dedication don’t get noticed by the media.  Yet, for the love of their sport, they persevere.  Then I began to reminisce about the 'Olympians' in the Church.  Perhaps you can think of faithful ones who never get up to preach, sing or read, but faithfully come, week after week, to serve.  It seems to me they deserve a medal of sorts.  So, for this week’s Friday Five, share stories or memories of those 'medalists' of the Church who have encouraged you in their faithfulness."

"The Olympic symbol, better known as the Olympic rings, consists of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five inhabited continents (Africa, America, Asia, Oceania, Europe), according to Wikipedia.  "The colored version of the rings — blue, yellow, black, green, and red — over a white field forms the Olympic flag.  These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag."  My five church Olympians are all from one country (and one town, where I met each of them), but they are from five different churches in Chattanooga and three denominations.  hese five win gold medals for the categories beside their names.

Chuck in Nicaragua with a child he befriended

1.  Chuck Cardwell ~ driving the church bus, collecting supplies for Nicaragua all year long, and going on mission trips to Nicaragua at least once a year.

2.  Donna Carey ~ agreeing to be church treasurer, even though both her degrees are in the humanities, not numbers-related.

3.  Michael Moss ~ doing audio-visual work, such as manning the camera (as shown here) and running the sound systems.

4.  Jane Yelliott ~ beautifying the church with tile mosaics filling opposite walls of the front entrance and a painting of the church in her Sunday school class.

5.  Charles Dunlap ~ mowing the lawn, repairing whatever is broken, and generally doing whatever odd jobs are needed around the church — and the community.

Sunday Salon ~ fortune cookie edition

BOOKS

Last week I wrote about buying a book I already had, and Helen @  Helen's Book Blog commented:

"That's really funny that you have bought the same book twice (and from the same store!). Even better is that you haven't read it yet, right? Maybe it's a sign that it should be your next read."

What do you think?  Is it a sign?  Should that book be at the top of my TBR (to be read) stack?  How do you choose what comes next?

And more BOOKS

Three books found their way home with me this past week:  one bought, one found, one a repeat.  I'm at different stages of writing a couple of books, one on Women Unbound and one on prayer (which is not, in my opinion, what most people think it is).  That may explain these titles, and the teasers I've pulled from each one:

The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much? ~ by Leslie Bennetts, 2007, women's studies

"And I'll freely confess that some of my contributions to school bake sales were store-bought.  So what?" (p. 171).

"It has become inescapably clear that choosing economic dependency as a lifestyle is the classic feminine mistake.  No matter what the reasons, justifications, or circumstances, it's simply too risky to count on anyone else to support you over the long haul.  In an era of disappearing pensions, threats to Social Security, high divorce rates, a volatile labor market, and attenuating life spans, the social safety net continues to erode even as the needs grow -- particularly for women, who are twice as likely as men to slide below the poverty line in their later years" (pp. xxiii-xxiv).

I've Got to Talk to Somebody, God: A Woman's Conversations with God ~ by Marjorie Holmes, 1969, prayer

"Oh, God, how I dread cleaning the refrigerator.  And I mean that not as an oath, but a prayer.  There it stands, singing away so faithfully, keeping our foods fresh for us.  Reluctantly I open it, and instead of being grateful for its overflowing plenty, I want to back away and slam the door."

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew — Three Women Search for Understanding, by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner, 2006, religions

In 2009, I used a quote from Priscilla (the Jew) as a teaser, so this time I'll let Ranya (the Muslim) speak about her children:

"I hadn't thought much about their religious identity.  To me, one's religion is primarily an accident of birth.  Yet, after 9/11, I becane concerned that our Muslim religion meant more than that.  I felt that being Muslim and American might be more of a challenge than a privilege that my children were inheriting" (p. 91).

FORTUNE COOKIE : a story

I had lunch with my friend Emily at a Chinese buffet this week, and we got fortune cookies with the bill.  She opened one and said, "I think I got yours."  That's a funny reaction, so I reached for it, but she said, "No, open that other one first."  It was pretty non-descript, since I can't even remember what it said, so she swapped with me.  Here's the one Emily said was mine:

"You have a friendly heart and are well admired."

How nice!  Emily says she's shy, and it's true that she is less likely to become instant friends with anybody within the sound of my voice.  Last week, for example, my other friend, Donna, went to the ladies' room before we left a restaurant and I had made friends with our waitress and the manager while waiting for her.  I'd already learned the manager had to reprimand his own mother once — for insubordination, no less — when he hired her to work for him in a restaurant in another state.  I asked him, "What did you get for Christmas (or your birthday) that year?"  The question surprised him, and he got a look on his face, saying, "Good question!  Hmm, I don't remember."

Anyway, as we walked out to the car, Donna shook her head and said,

"I leave you alone for just one minute...."

Maybe Emily's right, that it was my fortune cookie that said, "You have a friendly heart."

FAMILY

My granddaughter wrote about her daughter playing with her daddy, "Cheetos!  I guess I should get on to them for playing with their food."  One of my daughters commented, "I would tell you that they will out-grow that, but probably not."

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Sunday Salon ~ I've been busy

Perfectly fried okra is my favorite comfort food.  Slice fresh okra, bread it with yellow corn meal, salt it lightly, and fry it in vegetable oil until crispy.  Would you like to know why I wanted comfort food this week?

For starters, there's my car, named Maxine because she's a Maxima.  This shows her on Saturday, September 1st, when I was ready to trade her in for a newer car.  Maxine is a 1983 Datsun Maxima, because Nissan Maximas didn't come out until the following year.  Yes, Maxine is 30 years old, since dealers around town already have 2013 models on their lots.  I decided to keep Maxine when I got really annoyed by the used car salesman's refusal to pin down actual numbers.  Using his figures, my overall cost for the 2006 used car, counting principle and interest, was about double the original asking price I was quoted.  Nope, sorry, I'm not willing to pay that much — or continue to play those used-car-salesman games.  Maxine and I came home together.

On Sunday the 2nd, I led our Sunday school discussion on Matthew, using three chapters from this book:  Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World ~ by John Shelby Spong, 2011.

Raegan with her new puppy toy

After Sunday school, I took Raegan and her parents to lunch at Red Lobster.  Her mother, Kenzie, is my granddaughter; her father, Michael, took offense at something I posted on Facebook back in May and spent the summer trying to convince me (on Facebook) that I was wrong.  When I finally un-friended him, it caused a ruckus in my family, so I tried to improve the situation by inviting Michael and family to lunch.  I also invited my friend Donna, who — in defending my stance — also offended them.  So here we are, smiling.

Donna and Kenzie

Michael and Bonnie

I'm not sure it made any difference, since we didn't discuss the "problem" in front of Raegan, but I did try to ease tensions by having us get to know each other a bit better.  On to the next event, which got complicated.

Bea and Sharon, with Jaxon in his great-grandmother's lap at his first birthday party in December.

On Monday the 3rd, which was Labor Day in the United States, my daughter-in-law Sharon learned that her mother (Bea) had died in her sleep.  Sharon asked me to do her mother's funeral, and I offered to go with the family to make arrangements, since that's what pastors do.  On Wednesday the 5th, Maxine wouldn't start when I needed to go to the funeral home, so I borrowed Donna's Saturn.

After we spent hours making funeral arrangements, my son followed me home and jump-started my car.  Maxine ran okay and even started after being turned off — but not the next time I tried.  On Friday the 7th, Donna drove me to the service in her car, since Maxine obviously needs a new battery.  After two hours of visitation, I officiated at the graveside service, inviting those who were present to share their memories.  Friday was a sunny day, with temperatures in the mid-90s, very hot to be outside, even for those of us under a canopy.  I came home hot and tired.

Saturday cooled off considerably, but can you see why I wanted comfort food this week?

P.S.  Jaxon and Raegan are my great-grandchildren.  And here's the book I've been trying (off and on) to read this week:

With or Without God: Why the Way We Live Is More Important than What We Believe ~ by Gretta Vosper, 2008

Envisioning a future in which the Christian church plays a viable and transformative role in shaping society, Gretta Vosper argues that if the church is to survive at all, the heart of faith must undergo a radical change.  Vosper, a minister in Toronto, believes that what will save the church is an emphasis on just and compassionate living — a new and wholly humanistic approach to religion.  Without this reform, the church as we know it faces extinction.

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Celebrating at my house ~ with books, of course

Jaxon, my 1-year-old great-grandson, with his grandpa (my son) holding him and First 100 Animals, a board book.  Jaxon kissed that big tiger picture.

Raegan, my 2-year-old great-granddaughter, reading Blackboard Bear by Martha Alexander.

My daughter Barbara, on the right, with her three children:  Chase, Cady, and Cali.  Barbara is holding her copy of the family stories book I gave my children.

My daughter Sandra, trying to figure out why I gave her an old pink doll blanket.  Ask me, and I'll tell you the reason.  Her husband, Pat, managed to stay out of all my photos.  Behind her are her granddaughter Raegan, her son-in-law Michael (whose head seems to be missing), and her twin sister Barbara.

My grandson Jamey with his other grandmother (Patti) and his girlfriend, Amanda.

My granddaughter Kenzie, mother of Raegan.  Kenzie's husband, Michael, didn't get in any of my photos that turned out.

Jaxon, with his parents Whitney and Kendall, David, and my brother Jim behind them.  Jim's wife, Carol, avoided being in any of my photos.

My granddaughters Cady and Brandy, with Sharon, my favorite (and only) daughter-in-law.  I am blessed.

My son-in-law Greg, who is Cady's daddy.

Raegan, playing the piano for us, one note at a time.

David, wearing Jaxon's Cookie Monster backpack on one shoulder.

Our salon discussion today takes place here, in my living room.  Although temps have dropped below freezing a few times, it hasn't really been cool enough to light a fire, which is why I could line gifts up on the hearth in front of the fireplace before the family arrived.  Hey, Bookfool, that carefully assembled pile of books in the corner is the book tree that never reached the heights I imagined for it.  At the rate it was NOT tapering in, it would have had to reach the ceiling before it looked like a pointed fir, so I simply topped it with a steepled church (which has a light inside to show stained glass windows) and put the lights around it.  The red thing?  That's a wide ribbon hanging from the mistletoe on the ceiling fan.

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