where do i begin?
well i saw hotel rwanda.
it was awful-
but you should see it.

it should be seen b/c it's good to know history.
it should be seen b/c it is not simply an account of history pass-
it is a reflection of similar things happening around our world today.

it was so terrible to watch the terror unfold.
it was terrible to know that it really happened.
it was embarrassing to know that we were complicit
in the genocide by not intervening on behalf of the helpless.
it was even more embarrassing to realize
that for all the progress we've made;
we are a severely impaired society.
fears and out and out dislike for people who are not white
has poisoned out foreign policy and allowed for us to rationalize
standing by and watching thousands and in this case hundreds of thousands of people die.

"i prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs."

this is a quote i posted as a chewable in late febraury. it's from a man who knew what it meant. a leader in the movement to abolish slavery in america. it really resonates w/ me in a new way after watching this movie. i mean- don't get me wrong- i believe in prayer! but i think it is an insufficient response for me to walk out this new knowledge and understanding through prayer (solely).

so i'm posting some things on here for your consideration. my knowledge base is so limited. and honestly, this seems like a lame response. but i'm hoping that some of you- can share your knowledge base here as well. and if you're doing something about an injustice in the world that is largely under-reported, forgotten or ignored- please share that too.

zimbabwe
(east africa)
nicholas kristof a conservative editorialist for the times recently snuck into zimbabwe. he is writing about his experience here. there are important "elections" happening today. the average life expectancy in this country is 33. the only bright spot is that there dictator (who is one of the worst in modern history- in part for his keen hand to destroy the economy and in part b/c of the inequities in dealing w/ AIDS drugs) is now eighty years old and will die soon.

hrw
amnesty

aids in india
have you seen born into brothels? if you haven?t- i vote you see it. it's really good in an awful kinda way. while it did not deal w/ aids in india specifically; it got me thinking about the aids pandemic in india. india and south africa pull back and forth for the highest aids population. i can?t help but think that the pandemic is quite different than what is going on in africa. for one- the economics are different (india has one of the fastest growing economies in the world). but i am scared to see how the caste system influences how the pandemic is managed?.

the democratic republic of congo
(central africa)
i have good friends who spent a month in the congo three summers ago. i knew that there are atrocities that happen there- but i am only now realizing that they are largely a hold over of what happened in rwanda.

bbc cliff notes
bbc country history
hrw
amnesty


darfur sudan
(western sudan which borders chad)
our church just completed a letter writing campaign over one weekend where 4600 letters were submitted to federal legislatures. the hope is that our government would force more involvement and intervention in the region. if you don't know about what?s going on in the sudan here are a couple of good sites.

activism
info/overview
hrw
amnesty
amnesty 2
christian relief work

there are so many others- the battle over diamonds throughout africa, the slaughter over oil in different parts of nigeria, or child trafficking to fuel the sex industry in east asia and around the world.

+++

lobby senate
lobby congress

what can else can we do?

+++

i've heard a lot of good sermons. i can only remember what a handful of them were about. one that seems relevant is a re-frame of the parable of the 'persistent widow'. the preacher outlined one of the missing keys of the text was not simply that the widow kept praying but rather the content of her prayer.

today's chewable vitamin
1 then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: 'in a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 and there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'grant me justice against my adversary.'

4 for some time he refused. but finally he said to himself, 'even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, i will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'
6 and the Lord said, 'listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? will he keep putting them off? 8 i tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. however, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? ~lk. 18.1-8

today is a special day...
it's my mom's birthday!
it is also my neices birthday!

i love them awful.

i want to just take a sec and tell you had rad my mom is...
many examples come to mind-
my mom teaches second grade in the public schools.
she prays for kids in her class.
she prays with them when their feelings are hurt
she prays over them when they get their knees bruised.

and she intervenes in their physical situations too.

she advocates for them in times of need.
she protects them from some of their crazy parents.
sometimes she crys over kids and their situations.

my mom is fairly even handed. she's really smart. really smart.
her undergrad was in history and is our on site encycolpedia when it comes to the history of our country. this comes in handy when charles asks me questions like, 'what was the bay of pigs?' and i stare at him blankly and tell him to call my mom.

she's patient- most of the time anyways. she yells at me sometimes- but only when i'm a jerk. she tells me the truth and i know she loves me when she does it.

in many ways she's a role model for me. she shows me what it means to grow old w/ dignity (not that you're old mom). she excercises and travels. she has shown me how to bury someone you love most, and grieve their loss- and continue in life. she's going to work this summer w/ the sister's of charity in nyc.

basically- she rocks.
our relationship has come a long way.

my niece is not old enough to read-
so i'm not going to post about her.
but she's the greatest.

giotto

today's chewable vitamin
"the cross is not a defeat, but a victory. it is the dramatic reassertion of the fact that God's love is sovereign, that the rulers of the world do not have the last word, that the kingdom of God has defeated the kingdom of satan, that the kingdoms of the world have now become, in principle, the kingdom of our God, and of his Messiah: and He shall reign for ever and ever."
~n.t. wright

the tomb couldn't keep Him


giottino
image taken from

today's chewable vitamin
" 50 i declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 listen, i tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 for the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

54 when the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:

“death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “where, o death, is your victory? where, o death, is your sting?” 56 the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 but thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. let nothing move you. always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
~ 1 cor. 15.50-58

cimabue

today's chewable vitamin
"i could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. the only God i believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as "God on the Cross." in the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? i have entered many buddhist temples and stood respectfully before the statue of buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. but each time after a while i have had to turn away. and in imagination i have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. that is the God for me! he laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us."
~john stott



caravaggio
image taken from

nothing is sacred.

note to self.
a vent to myself about myself
by m. okonkwo

we know by now- that nothing is sacred.
this morning i re-learned this as my bbc world news page loaded.
the lead is the intimate details
of a family and their daughter in their darkest days.
this tragedy w/ the terry schiavo case
has really impressed the fact on me
that there is truly nothing sacred in our modern day.

now, i should say i'm sure that there are many well meaning and informed opinions out there in readership. as for me- i really don't know what i think about this whole thing. but it seems like a very complex situation.

and that is what saddens me most.

this woman and her life and future has become an "issue" and a "situation".

if you've ever been w/ someone who is dying (regardless of what has propogated the situation); it has the potential to be one of the most private and awesome periods of time. i am so frustrated with all of the elements that surround terry shiavo's life. i'm frustrated with the cameras and the media in particular. i'm frustrated w/ all the things that feed the demand to force this (the media's) supply.

and it seems ironic to me that this is hitting me so hard on this good, good friday.

not to compare the situations perse-

but i'm just thinking about how sometimes the story of jesus' life and death gets so foggy for me. i make it a situation and an issue.
i take stances and read stuff to defend my stances.
i have volumes of books from world class scholars that are dog eared and torn b/c i love the process of knowing.

i don't mean to downplay the benefit of the scholarly pursuit of knowing our heritage and being able to defend a stance on the facts of christianity.

but today, i am forced into a different kind of knowing.
i am stunned by the story and best of all, the Man.
i mean- wow. jesus- His life- his death- it really blows my mind.

and i can't help but think how it grieves Him when i approach my faith as an issue or situtation. when i simplify my faith to how i break down this pericope or how la la la said this and differed w/ la la la about that- i mean- i'm totally missing it.

today is a day that i can't miss-
it helps me remember what is central.
it helps me remember why i fell in love in the first place.
may it serve the same for you.

when eating goat is anti-climatic...

so i walk in the door and exchange pleasentries
with my wonderful husband.
i had just walked in from and evening out for indian food
to celebrate some important birthdays.

i thought charles would be impressed w/ my daring choice of dinner.

i asked a rhetorical, 'guess what i had for dinner?'
charles' response-
'lion?'
charles' next guess-
'snake?'

i quickly understood that i needed to deliever the punch line immediately.
soon, eating goat would be anti-climatic.

today's chewable vitamin
"decide then, like a good and faithful servant of Christ, to bear bravely the cross of your Lord. it was out of love that he was crucified for you. drink freely from the Lord's cup if you wish to be his friend. leave your need for consolation to God. let him do as he wills. on your part, be ready to bear sufferings and consider how in these sufferings lies your greatest consolation. the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come.

when you get to the point where for Christ's sake suffering becomes sweet, consider yourself fortunate, for you have found paradise on earth. but as long as adversity irks you, as long as you try to avoid suffering, you will be discontent and ill at ease.

realize that to know Christ you must lead a dying life. the more you die to yourself, the more you will live unto God. you will never enjoy heavenly things unless you are ready to suffer hardship for Christ. nothing is more acceptable to God, nothing more helpful for you on this earth. when there is a choice to be made, take the narrow way. this alone will make you more like Christ."
~ thomas a'kempis

ok
a couple of things to cover.

this is julian daniel and i would like to eat him.
that little fold in his left leg right above his knee.

that- and i'm getting an unusual number of compliments on bridget.
(my hair. yes- i named my hair. actually my mom did).
as martha would say- it's a good thing.

in other news,
i dropped in one of my favorite tiny chapels near my house.
this is the parish that most of my friends growing up went to.
it smelled kinda weird but otherwise i liked spending my lunch there...
i wanted to light a candle, but i didn't really get the system.
i got to ring the tower bell which i liked a lot.

two other things that have made me smile throughout the day is the kids i saw playing football w/ sweatshirts on. no coat!
i also received very happy news that my dear old friend teresa is engaged.

today's chewable vitamin
"this bread i break was once the oat
this wine upon a foreign tree plunged in its fruit;
man in the day or wind at night
laid the crops low, broke the grape’s joy.

once in this wine the summer blood
knocked in the flesh that decked the vine, once in this bread
the oat was merry in the wind;
man broke the sun, pulled the wind down.

this flesh you break, this blood you let
make desolation in the vein, were oat and grape
born of the sensual root and sap; my wine you drink, my bread you snap."
~ dylan thomas

today's chewable vitamin
"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."
~ merton

ode to kirsten
over the last months- i have gained a new friend.
i've known her for a number of years.
we have lots of mutual friends who have sung her praises over the years.
but i've only recently had the pleasure of knowing her more.
i knew i liked her the first time i met her- and have quickly come to love her!
today is her birthday.

we share a lot of common burdens and it seems each conversation we have pushes me more to integrate those burdens into my everyday life. i really couldn't ask for much more in a friendship. thanks for being my friend kirsten!

erin go bragh!

the day of my peeps!

in other news- i am nearing completion of the springcleaning on my blog. now- i know that some of you may be devastated but the stevie memorialization is coming down tomorrow. but rest assured- i will always love stevie wonder and work him in as often as i can.

i've shaken the rugs, washed the window treatments and the floors and basically overhauled a little bit. giving the ole' blog some love. you'll see a simplified toolbar to your left. i'm using a new online bookmark system i like quiet a bit. it's called del.icio.us. it is very easy to use and i like the drudge no frills look to it. i'm cataloging my year in books over at all consuming. i like this too- although it's a little bit more difficult to use.

and for those of you wondering-
i think the department of immigration and naturalization is hooey.
i originally posted a nice irishman's quote-
but today- this one seems fitting.
if i could- i would devote this site to how utterly disgusted i am w/ the treatment of immigrants.
but instead i will be more subtle and hopefully not get on any big bad rader w/ carnivore or any government agencies.

so in honor of my immigrated relatives, and now- my beloved husband- i give you

today's chewable vitamin
"the statue of liberty is no longer saying,
'give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses.'
she's got a baseball bat and yelling,
'you want a piece of me?' "
~ robin williams

breaking news...

very dissapointed to hear this news.
bono was an alternative.

i'm dissappointed that bono didn't get the appointment-
although i didn't really expect it.
what i'm most disheartened by is that someone like wolfawitz got it.
i can't imagine what having someone who wages war so freely w/ guns
would do when he wields one of the most influencial economic bodies.

i think it's bad news for the poor.

spring has committment problems.

we've prayed for it's healing but we haven't seen a break through.
that's all i'm going to say about that.

the other very encouraging news i have to share today is that i see purpose and meaning in why God has me in my current work situation. for this- i am grateful. the Lord is really wooing people here and it is wonderful to watch and be a part of... although i should say that christians have gained a pretty bad wrap around here amongest my non-believing coworkers. you know what they say sometimes- the biggest deterant to christianity isn't Jesus but christains. Lord have mercy on me.

i am coming to understand that people think about me less than i think that they do... but i'm worry that you might think me a degenerate. a couple of months ago i linked a website of a postpartum mom and her daily diatribe. i just want to say that i revoke this endoresement. i'm embarrassed that i linked to it! the last half dozen times i've purused it- i've blushed. and it's hard to make me blush. i'm not even going to reference which site it is-

i want to see hotel rwanda and born into brothels. anyone up for that?

today's chewable vitamin
"the holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart, the secret anniversary of the heart" ~ longfellow

things that make you go hmmm...

here are some things that are throwing me off lately.

i grew up like one block from summit chase.
they changed the roof from black tile to white tile.
i find it very disorienting.
it's weird enough to have a high rise in the middle of
little ole grandview- but why you gotta do that?

this photo of tony blair makes me think he is a
jehovah witness missionary.
it's creeping me out a little too.



i should say that this is from the economist.
the article outlines tony's new plan to bolster africa.
frankly, i didn't find the article to earthshattering.
i mean- duh. more aid.
then i read the bbc's coverage and was more heartned about the report.

also what's up w/ all the sprinter's around town?
they're so in.
it's so east european.

and lastly, i cannot make heads or tales of the snow phobia
that my co-workers suffer.

today's chewable vitamin
"every town has the same two malls: the one white people go to and the one white people used to go to." ~ chris rock

a girl can change her mind
can't she?

well i did. i'm not going to post on a pro or anti ownership society-
b/c i decided that i don't know what i'm talking about.
(not that it's stopped me before- but discretion prevails.)
but here are some links i found helpful.
the links represent a vareity of opinions and approaches...

here's one
here's two
and here's three

instead- i may post about ligers*.



i think it's equally engaging.
*got the picture here.

some things i am looking forward to in the near future are as follows:
:: going to alpha w/ my friend from work.
:: three important birthday's my mom, laurel's and evelyn's.
:: the easter festvities.
:: dinner w/ kirsten.

i'll leave with
today's chewable vitamin.

there are very few peoplewho realize what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves into his hands, and let themselves be formed by his grace.
~ st. ignatius

*read this book. it rawks.

favorite read of the day...
in attempts to catalog for myself and show you
the kinds of things that intrigue and interest me
as i peruse and read over the course of a day.

they can be found in my del.icio.us:: links
w/ the tag favoritereadoftheday
and will be archived here.

:: addendum
i may place contender items in the archive as well-
only the 'winners' will go under the favorite tag

to begin this quest and new day-
i will post right here and now
my new favorite photo of
nora catherine sullivan
it's not related to reading
but- can you blame me?
i mean- come on!

notables
watched fog of war
spoke w/ father in law at length.
went to nigerian church.
had a wonderful time at chelsea's bday party.
i did the counrty quiz at karen's prompting.
i'm not going to post the results b/c i'm bitter.
they called me snobby. cretins!
was reminded how pitiful my dear husband is when ill.
was reminded how cute my dear husband is when ill.
worked out at a gym for the first time in god knows how long.
thought about if the 'ownership society' aligns w/ my outlook on life.
decided it may be load of crap.
went to first meeting in two weeks.
was reminded how aa does my soul good.
longed that church would be more like aa.

in the coming week i hope to post about this article
and about the beef i have the ownership society.



today's chewable vitamin
"in the face of such spiritual and human need, the church's flight to the suburbs cannot go unchallnged. how can we claim to be loyal to Christ's mission when we flee the mission field at our doorstep? when we forsake the inner city so that our lives will not be incovenienced by the sufferings of the neediest among us? we flee the mission fields we should be invading. we try to soothe our conciences with such token ministries to the poor as tracts and media--nice, safe "ministries" that do not require living or working among the poor, ministries that insulate us from sharing in their suffering."
~john perkins (one of my favorite christian authors)

good things
these are some of the good things that have happened lately...

i went to the best baby shower i think i've ever been to- for triplets for a girlfriend of mine who has had numerous miscarriages. it was a wonderful.

another good thing that happened was that my main man joe biden was on meet the press this past sunday.
this is my main message for the day:
JOE BIDEN 2008!
hillary could be on his ticket as VP and then run for president
after she has some more experience.

sidebar conversation for audience of one...
someone reads this thing from chappaqua new york each week
please listen- this is good advice for your party- president clinton

in other news- i went to a local college to see about getting my certification to teach.
moral of the story? studying art history may be fun-
but it's not the most applicable or marketable field to study.

i got myself invited to a passover. this happened b/c i invited myself. my friend cydney and i have long spoken of participating in such festivities. i was tense about following up with her- and i finally just nervously blurted out, 'i want to do something jewish together.' i'm very eloquent that way.

my friend carrie came for dinner wednesday night and that was fun too.