Everybody Loves Gumbo

Yes...everybody loves gumbo the soup. But the truth is everybody loves our new dog Gumbo! We adopted him on Saturday, May 24 from a shelter west of Chicago. We saw many dogs that day and had planned to get a bigger dog. But as soon as we met "Sparks" (now named Gumbo), we knew he was the one for us. We almost named him Tumbleweed because every time you pet him, he rolls over for a belly rub!



Gumbo is a Corgi/Shelti mix who is 8 months old, but he probably has more breeds than just the two. Much like the New Orleans favorite, our Gumbo is a good mix of lots of flavors...sometimes calm, sometimes hyper...but he's always a sweetie! He doesn't really know how to play, but he found the toys right away and took a couple of them right into his crate! He's still got quite a bit of puppy in him, but we like that.



Gumbo loves other dogs, loves our cats (they do not return the favor), and is good with kids.


He's also pretty curious...always sniffing around finding a discarded chicken bone or some other snack. He also has learned to squeeze between the bars on the fence and has ended up in our neighbor's yard. Our "favorite" (read sarcastically) thing about Gumbo is his penchant for waking up at 5am! I know I'm a morning person, but that's ridiculous!



Here's Gumbo with the chocolate lab, Lucy, who lives downstairs. She's huge compared to him, but he loves to play with her all the same.



Gumbo loves everyone he meets...



But he's a complete mama's boy! Wherever I go, he goes. He's always got to be near me. I often sing "Me and My Shadow" when he's following me around. He is getting to know his name pretty well, and we couldn't be more happy about having him as a part of our family.



And just so you don't think we are partial to Mr. Gumbo, here is the beautiful Pandora...lounging in a sunspot.



Is she a glamour puss or what?!



And for those who never believed that we have two cats, here's the ever-elusive Luna.



Those mesmerizing eyes!

Songs for the Journey: Season after Pentecost

As I mentioned briefly the other day, we have now entered into Ordinary Time in the Church year. This time exists outside of the special seasons and consists of counted Sundays during which we read through the bulk of the year's gospel. Of course, at times, having long periods of Ordinary Time can begin to feel rather "ordinary." Some Protestant churches in particular decided to create some seasons to break up what they saw as the monotony of the Ordinary.

The period between the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday became know as Sundays after Epiphany and sometimes the season of Epiphany. This whole period was given over to the showing forth or revelation of Jesus to the world. The period from Pentecost Sunday until late august was know as the Sundays after Pentecost or sometimes the season of Pentecost. This period focuses on the ministry of the Church empowered by the Holy Spirit. The period from the last Sunday of August until Advent begins was know as Kingdomtide. This time during the Church year focused on the principles of the Kingdom of God here on earth and our social responsibility. For the most part, these separate "seasons" fell out of practice after Vatican II and the adoption of the Revised Common Lectionary (though there has been some reclamation of Kingdomtide in recent years).

Since I was looking for an easy way to break up Ordinary Time to continue my Songs for the Journey series, I decided to use the alternate calendar, which I was able to find in a 1964 Methodist Book of Worship. However, unlike my list for Lent, I did not match the songs for Pentecost to specific Sundays. Instead, I came up with a number of songs that speak to the theme for the season that gradually move towards the themes of Kingdomtide.

Trinity Sunday
Ben Harper - Blessed to Be a Witness
Dar Williams - I Had No Right
Sweet Honey in the Rock - We Are the Ones
Stereo MCs - Connected
Depeche Mode - People Are People
Bob Marley - Redemption Song
Collective Soul - Shine
Tracy Chapman - Change
U2 - Grace
Indigo Girls - Hammer and Nail
Ben Harper - With My Own Two Hands
Tears for Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love
Jack Johnson - The Sharing Song
Vienna Tang - Soon Love Soon

I'll run through these with you in the coming weeks. Until then, Peace.

Welcome Gumbo and Samuel!

Yesterday was a big day! Vince and I drove out to the country to adopt a new dog. His name is Gumbo, and he's a shelti/corgi mix. He's super cute and very sweet. We will be adding a picture soon. We thought we were looking for a bigger dog, and then we met this guy! He cuddled with us immediately and we feel in love!

We are also excited to announce that our good friends Jeff and Bridget had their baby last night. Mr. Samuel Aaron was born at a whopping 11lbs 13 oz! God bless Bridget. The family is doing well, and thank God he came three weeks early. Otherwise, he could have been a 15 pounder!

Hurray for new additions to our family!

Songs for the Journey: Trinity Sunday

I decided to do my best to return to the Songs for the Journey series I began during Lent. Unfortunately, I was unable to prepare anything for the Easter season, but now that we have returned to Ordinary Time, I feel like I can again talk about the songs that speak to me along the way.

While the Church year is divided into several special seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter), the bulk of the year is given over to Ordinary Time. Now this does not mean "ordinary" the way we typically understand it. Rather, the word ordinary comes from the word ordinal, meaning numbered or counted. (Ironically our current understanding of the word "ordinary" comes from peoples' experience of Ordinary Time in the Church.) So Ordinary Time begins with the first Sunday following the Epiphany until the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, then the counting picks up again the Sunday after Pentecost going through the Sunday before Advent begins. Included in this time of the year are numerous feasts and holy days. In particular, the Sundays immediately following and preceding the other seasons are Baptism of Christ (First Sunday of Ordinary Time), Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday before Ash Wednesday), Trinity Sunday (First Sunday after Pentecost), and Reign of Christ Sunday (Final Sunday of Ordinary Time).

On Trinity Sunday, we celebrate the fullness of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This understanding of God is meant to be relational and not prescriptive. In other words, the reference to the Father and the Son is about their relationship to one another and not a reference to gender or inherent maleness. In the Revised Common Lectionary this year the gospel reading is of the "Great Commission" from Matthew. In this text, we hear again about Jesus final appearance to the disciples before the Ascension, his return to heaven. He tells them to "go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28.19-20b).

Now, this text has been horribly misused in the past to justify everything from holy war to forced baptism. But if we ourselves are truly following all that Jesus has taught and commanded us, how can we show others anything but love? We have been blessed by our relationship with Christ. If we want others to become followers of all that Christ taught, we must meet them where they are with the same open arms that Jesus greeted others, not by grabbing them but by loving them. Teaching them to love others the way that Christ loves others is the key. This is what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

The first song that came to mind when I read this passage was Blessed to Be a Witness by Ben Harper. Over and over in this song, Ben repeats how blessed he is. He ends with how he is blessed to be a witness(to the things he has seen and experienced). And I realize that I, too, have been blessed. I don't always think about all the ways in which I have been blessed in my life, but this song makes me slow down and think of that. When I think about the ways that I am blessed in my relationships with others, when I think about the ways love changes the world around me, I know that I am also blessed to be a witness - a witness to the love and grace that God in Christ has offered to me.

Glory to the holy and blessed Trinity, one God, now and forever!

"I" Statements

My friend Traci had this her blog, and I (April) found it interesting and thought I would give it a shot. I would encourage you to do the same...


I am: ready to ride my "new" recycled bike.

I think: I could be a full time volunteer.

I know: what it feels like to be loved.

I want: to eat more locally grown produce.

I wish: I had time to read all day long.

I hate: that my family lives so far away.

I miss: Duchess.

I fear: being irrelevant.

I feel: ready for some "people time".

I hear: the leaf blower.

I smell: nothing...dang you, allergies!

I crave: a bubbly drink, like my flavored waters.

I search: my past for mistakes that need mending.

I regret: nothing at this time.

I love: Vince.

I ache: after Pilates.

I care: about the environment.

I always: listen to This American Life.

I am not: good at relaxing.

I believe: in the life transformed.

I dance: in the kitchen while I cook.

I sing: constantly...even, Vince will tell you, when I don't know I'm singing out loud.

I cry: at sappy commercials.

I fight: injustice.

I write: thank you notes. I think they are important.

I win: at cards.

I lose: myself in cookbooks.

I never: say never.

I confuse: Vince when I start a conversation out loud that has been going on in my head for a long time.

I listen: to my sponsor.

I can usually be found: reading the comics. "Cow and Boy" is my favorite!

I am scared: that I will miss my plane when I fly.

I need: a dog.

I am happy about: my brother marrying a great woman.

I hope: to be a mom someday.

I tag: all of the bloggers who read this.

Our Trip to New Orleans

Almost two weeks ago, my baby brother Jake got married in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) to a wonderful woman named Robin. We LOVE Robin and are so glad that she married Jake. They met in Armenia when they were Peace Corps members in the same town. They have quite a story, and they are a great match. Vince and I were able to spend 6 days in my hometown celebrating with them. There are more to come, but here are a few pictures:

This is my cousin Heidi and her new husband Jeff. Vince and I stayed with them for the first night of our trip. Thanks, Jeff & Heidi!

Me and my grandmother Oma. She's 86! Gotta love those genes!

Silliness runs in the family!

Can't go to NOLA without seeing the white alligators!

Bodily Resurrection update

A week ago Sunday, my baby brother got married in New Orleans. So Vince and I made the trek south for almost a week. During that week I didn't get to do my regular exercise, but we did walk like crazy. Then when we got back, my allergies went nuts, and I spent the remainder of the week not doing much more than showering each day.

I was feeling discouraged about not meeting the weekly goals I had set. The sabotager in my head said, "Well slacker...you tried, but you may as well give up now. You haven't been perfect." There was a time when that voice would have gotten the best of me. Lately, one of my favorite phrases has been "Progress...not perfection." I took a look at my calendar and realized that I had three weeks left of Easter. 21 more days to celebrate the Resurrection, and I couldn't let that time go to waste!

So yesterday, I got up and took my multivitamin and turned on my Pilates dvd. To my great pleasure, I was able to do one of the exercises without the usual modifications that 30 or so days ago I had to make. Mari Winsor (my dvd host) was right...I was feeling taller, stronger, and more sculpted! I even did pilates again today...much to the displeasure of my sore abs!

The resurrection of the body is something we can continue to celebrate and work for. So, if you are still on track...great job. And if your sabotager is saying, "what's the use?"...tell it to take a hike...and then maybe you'll want to get out and take a walk too.

And by the weekend, I promise to have wedding pictures up!

Peace,
April