The Holiday Letter

At midnight on January 1, 2008, Nick and Teresa selected individual paper balloons as gifts from our hosts in Thailand. We wrote our wishes for the coming year on the balloons, lit the tail of the balloons, let them fill with hot air, and released them to the sky. At liftoff, the crowd of onlookers cheered as our balloons sailed above the Thai island beach, carrying our prayers of intention, release, and hope with the night breeze.

Just a few days later we ironically crashed a scooter on the island which resulted in serious injuries including to T's foot. It was scary, but we grew closer from learning how to handle emergencies and to take better care of each other. Back in Hokkaido, Teresa balanced over a dozen schools, from elementary to a nursing college all while standing on one leg. Try all that while speaking Japanese! We kept busy to stay warm.

In the spring and summer Teresa had more opportunity to sing publicly, especially for the G8 Summit events. The resulting album distributed 5000 CD's! Meanwhile, Nick worked 3 jobs, 7 days a week, but also had the chance to be a ski guide for a couple months.

This spring we also experienced the sudden passing of Nick's Uncle Joseph Jr. and Grandpa Joe, who will be remembered for his sweet personality and impressive dancing skills. He passed away a few weeks after his son. They will be missed.

We were lucky to be surrounded by family for support during so many challenges. In April, Teresa's adventurous mother Mary met us in Osaka, in central Japan. We took a whirlwind week of touring the ancient cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. Along the way we stayed in a Zen monastery, rafted down a river, visited many (many!) historic temples, and sampled a lot of food. Then the three of us rode the Shinkansen Bullet train southbound to Hiroshima, where we witnessed to the Peace Memorial Museum. This was a soul-changing experience, and we are eternally grateful for the gracious locals and generous-spirited people who developed this museum. During the week in our home in Hokkaido, Mom visited schools, hiked in the mountains, experienced a Japanese spa, and slept in our tatami room. It was a wonderful visit.

Later that month, we took the opportunity to revisit the museum of our favorite Japanese artist, Goto Sumio. Many of his beautiful paintings depict the ancient cities which we'd just visited in Kyoto and Osaka. While sitting in front of one of the most stunning paintings of the famous "Golden Pavilion", Nick proposed and Teresa accepted. We will happily wed in August of 2009 in Omaha.

And more good news. This summer we both turned 30! Nick's June birthday was celebrated with a long weekend slumber party and a picnic in the local lavender fields. Teresa's birthday was spent dancing in the Furano Bellybutton Parade, receiving one final Tea Ceremony tutorial from my sensei, packing the apartment, and saying goodbye. A group of several dozen friends and colleagues waved off our early-morning bus out of Furano. Our arms were full of gifts and eyes full of tears. It was an extremely challenging year, sometimes very painful, but also rewarding and lovely.

On our way home we stopped in Taipei, Taiwan for a one-day layover. We managed to visit several places including a myriad of open-air markets selling everything from trendy clothing to chicken feet. We'd love to visit Taipei again! After we arrived in Omaha we had only a week to unpack/repack, celebrate an engagement/welcome home/ happy birthday party, and then drive a moving van up to Minnesota, where Nick accepted the invitation to attend Hamline Law School in St. Paul. Much to our relief, our home in St. Paul is efficient and lovely, and only a few blocks from Nick's school. Nick began class orientation just 9 days after we returned to America.

In September Teresa's dear brother Chris married Melisa, and a wonderful party commenced in October. Melisa's family has welcomed Chris with open arms, and we are so grateful for their stability, and happiness. Blessings to their new lives together.

Nick worked as a law clerk this semester. In October Teresa started her new job at the University of Minnesota, with the Department of General Medicine and the Program in Health Disparities Research. This job seems to be a great fit, as she is supporting health research for many of the populations in which she worked in social services in her 20's.

We've enjoyed moving back to the USA. We were especially pleased to share Thanksgiving in Madison, hosted by Nick's brother Ben and sister-in-law Kat. With Nick and Teresa's parents in attendance, it was a nice blending of families! We love exploring Minnesota. The state fair, the renaissance festival, our college campus, and camping on the St. Croix River made it an Autumn to remember. Teresa sings in a church choir and Nick volunteers for the Minnesota Justice Foundation. We hope to build a future here for years to come.

Over the winter holidays we will visit Teresa's new goddaughter at our friends' home in the Netherlands. We'll likely venture into the cold for a crisp Belgian beer in Brussels and some dark chocolate in Germany. And of course, there is cheese.

Once again, we send hopeful wishes aloft in the night sky. We are so grateful for a bountiful, creative, love-filled life. May all of you have a happy holiday season. Thank you for your friendship and support this year and every year. May the light shine in each of your hearts, as we pray that light and peace will reign in this world.

In Love and Gratitude,
Teresa and Nick

What *Not* to Wear

I'm not sure if this is "against the rules", but I'm gonna post some pics of the dresses I'm not going to wear for my wedding. Some girlfriends took me out wedding dress shopping, and although this is a process many women might greet with excitement, I was more than a little uncomfortable. It's funny being a bride. There are so many expectations placed upon me and .... I'm not sure what to do with it all. I find myself constantly explaining (to store clerks, to friends, to the lady at the makeup counter) that I'm not "that kind of bride" and that I'm trying to be cool about this whole thing. No stress, right? It's about the relationship; it's not about the wedding. Maybe I'll just wear jeans. Blah, blah, blah. Obviously, my need to tell this to everybody that I meet isn't a good sign. At least I can laugh at myself.

This was the first wedding dress I'd ever tried on; note the terrified expression on my face.


Um, fairy princess? Ridiculous.


This dress looked better in-person than in photos. It was all Grecian-looking and kindof fun, but really impractical for an outdoor wedding in the heat of Nebraska August.


Pretty on the mannequin, and horrifically ugly on me. I'm giggling because it's just so bad.


Not bad.


This is the fanciest dress I will probably ever wear. It was strikingly beautiful, heavy, and would probably be terribly hot in August.

But look at the cool bustle! You'd bustle it on the just below the hip. Fun.


This dress was bad. Not so ugly on the hanger, but waaay too much for me.


This dress wasn't so bad. Simple. But I didn't buy it.


Of course I won't post pics of the dress that I decide upon (when I finally decide). You'll have to wait for that!

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" reached its 60th Anniversary this week! This is a powerful, challenging and inspiring document. There is probably not one nation on earth currently honoring it - certainly not my own nation - and yet we hold it as an attainable goal. May it be so.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Preamble

Adopted by the United Nations, December 10, 1948

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realisation of this pledge,

Now, therefore,

The General Assembly

Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Articles of the UDHR.

Thanksgiving Pics!

We traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for Thanksgiving weekend to be with family: Ben, Kat, Mary, Rich and Pat. Lots of food, coctails, brisk walks, and more food. It was a lovely time.

What a bountiful spread on Thanksgiving day! Ben and Kat are wonderful hosts.


Oops! The wine froze!


One evening Nick entertained the family with his fiddle, playing Celtic and traditional tunes.


Isn't this a lovely picture of Pat!?

Brothers.

Schickers.



How unlikely!? At the Madison Botanical Gardens, they have a lovely Thai royal pavillion. The craftsmen who came to build the pavillion flew to Chicago, with all the materials, on the last plane allowed to land on 9/11/01 (just as the authorties were becoming aware of the attacks in DC and NYC). Two days later, in moving ceremonies praying for peace and cooperation, people from Thailand and Wisconsin built the pavillion together.


My mom loved this sculpture of tulip leaves.


I loved these grasses!


We celebrated Rich's 60th birthday at the end of this lovely weekend. He is an amazing father!

An Update

Dear Readers,

Goodness, I have been neglectful! Perhaps you might be interested to know what I've been up to; and even if you haven't, I'll record it for myself to read and reflect upon later. This blog isn't an online journal for me (I'm much too private for that!), but I'd rather not treat the blog as only a space for advertisement of my political leanings (as I've been boring you with lately). Apologies all around. (And hooray or Obama!) Now, on to it...

I write to you under a full moon, just before Winter Solstice, on a very cold night. I'm wrapped in an electric blanket and sitting on a generous pleather legal chair at Nick's desk. He's at the library studying for his first law exam which happens tomorrow morning! He's so diligent! I'm listening to a generous stack of CD's from the St. Paul library: Miriam Makeba (in memoriam of the South African woman's recent passing), Ethiopian music (we've many Northern-Africans in our neighborhood and I feel compelled to learn about them), Pete Seeger (because he's been coming up a lot lately in my life, and I'm learning about unions), the King's Singers (which brings back funny memories of another certain men's vocal ensemble), and a couple world music mixes of Soul and Mediterranean music.

Now, to the update. Just for review, we lived in Japan last year but are now in St. Paul. Nick is going to law school at Hamline University.

He was recently accepted into Hamline's business school as well, so in about 3.5 years he'll have a JD and MBA! And after over three hundred (yes, really) applications and months of searching for the right one, I have a job!

I began work at the University of Minnesota in late October, just a couple weeks before the U of M declared a "hiring pause". I'm so grateful to get in just under the wire! The job is really a blessing: in the interview process it was clear I was chosen because of, and not despite of, my breadth of experience and international focus. Employees of the U tend to stay here for decades, even as they might change jobs. The atmosphere is good, the people are good, and the benefits are amazing. Among the benefits, the U of M offers free tuition to any employees, for undergrad or graduate work. It's such a relief to be able to seriously consider grad programs, and know that they are financially possible. I feel very blessed.

Also, we've set a date for our wedding! We will be married on August 7 in Omaha, where our families live. We've booked the park for the ceremony, a fabulous caterer and big reception hall. Things should be pretty simple. It's another blessing that I have several friends and family who were recently married in Omaha, so I can use their research on vendors to make the planning easier. And I feel so blessed with loyal and helpful fam/friends who've offered their assistance. We feel strongly that the point of a wedding, a public one, is to garner the spiritual/emotional support of the community who surrounds and loves us; we're grateful that so much is offered. It's so important to us to enjoy the time with our family and friends; I'm trying to keep the stress to a minimum. Nick is a big help with that, because he's such an easy-going guy with a tendency to plan well (over my procrastination). It will be great.

And in other exciting news, we're off to Europe in a week's time! Over the holidays, Nick and I are going to the Netherlands to visit our friends Adam and Amber and their beautiful child, my godchild, Mary Grace. Christmas will be quiet and simple in their home. Perhaps we'll take some brief trips into Germany to see spas or castles. For New Year's we'll head down to Belgium to sample beer and chocolate and enjoy the architecture. Then Nick and I will spend our final two days in Amsterdam, enjoying the city. It should be a lovely vacation and pre-honeymoon. We're so practiced at traveling together, but every country is a new challenge. Nick is great at negotiating public transportation, reading maps and orienting. I'm great at packing, planning, and keeping us organized along the way. If we can make our way across Asia, where we can't even read the signs, surely we can enjoy Western Europe!

Japanese Fusion

Last night I went out with some girlfriends who also did JET in previous years. We saw an amazing performance by Mu Daiko, a local taiko (Japanese drumming) group here in Minneapolis. Taiko is powerfully evocative stuff, and I wish I'd had more opportunity to see it while I lived in Japan.

The second act was by On Ensemble, and I feel inspired to urge you to check them out! Seriously amazing shizit with koto, taiko drums, modern drum kit, Central-Asian-style throat singing (wow!) , acappela mouth music, DJ scratching, hip-hop beats, and true musicality. Seriously, people, check them out!!!

In Thanks-giving

by Rev. Max Coots

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people.

For children who are our second planting, and though they
grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may
they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where
their roots are.

Let us give thanks;

For generous friends…with hearts…and smiles as bright
as their blossoms;

For feisty friends, as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers,
keep reminding us that we’ve had them;

For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and
as elegant as a row of corn, and the others, as plain as
potatoes and so good for you;

For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and
as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;

And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle
as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as
dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips, can be
counted on to see you through the winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time,
and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold
us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past
that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that
we might have life thereafter.

For all these we give thanks.

Source: “Garden Meditations” by Rev. Max Coots, minister emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, New York.

Yes, We Can!

Quotes of the Day

Wednesday, Nov. 05, 2008, Time

Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.

NELSON MANDELA, former South African President, in a letter to Barack Obama on being elected the 44th President of the United States

New HOPE; Newfound Patriotism

O beautiful, for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful, for pilgrim feet

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;

Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!

O beautiful, for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America! May God thy gold refine,

'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!

O beautiful, for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years,

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

Around the time of America's Independence Day, I sang this song to several of my classes of Japanese junior high students. They'd never heard the song before, but I gave them a brief history of the author (a woman teacher) and story of the writing (she traveled over the endless plains to Colorado, and was struck by the beauty and immensity of our land). I love this song and cried freely as, this week in church, we sang it together as a congregation. I most especially appreciate the second verse. My prayer is that we might be inspired to work collectively for the greater good.

Please VOTE.

“Obama/Biden are running on the strongest platform for women’s rights of any major party in U.S. history”

Eleanor Smeal, President of Feminist Majority


Check out the powerful video, addressing the prevelance of violence against women, at the above link. One in six American women will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime.

Safety From Sprawl

A few months ago I read a fascinating story about a couple who, as a sort of performance art/experiment, squatted for several years in a mall, undetected by mall security. The story surprised me, not in the least that some people find shopping malls so attractive or interesting that they would purposely spend such time there. I can imagine myself doing it as an experiment, or doing it as a form of civil disobedience ... but these people did it for those reasons AND because they really enjoy the mall. Safety in conformity, in predictability, in climate-controlled environments. Huh. Check out their website here.

While I was home this month I did some processing of my own personal history. I drove along the new and efficient Sorensen Parkway, which cuts a clean route through North Omaha. During my childhood the Sorensen's path stopped short at a field just behind my home. A large alfalfa field, forest and stream ran adjacent to my suburban neighborhood. As children we befriended the farmer, rode on his tractor, woke up to the smell of alfalfa, played with the cottonwood seed fluff, and explored this peaceful expanse. Our home life wasn't easy, but both my brother Chris and I found freedom and creative expression out there. I wrote poems about the trees that I befriended, and deeply grieved when one old tree died. One of my most spiritually poignant memories was coming upon an adult deer while alone in a silent clearing of the forest; the deer and I examined each other for a long while in the dappled light. Chris, now a successful contractor, built countless underground forts. Mom took us berry-picking to the mulberry trees, and we labored over many batches of sticky purple jelly. Chris' dad built incredible treeforts, sandboxes, horseshoe pits, and bountiful elevated gardens. Together with our farm cousins we caught snakes or turtles, and charged the nervous neighbor kids to see our wild pets. Mom used a loud whistle to call us home before twilight.

Now that forest has been chopped down to make the "parkway", or autoway.

Our house used to back up to that lovely hill of alfalfa field. The children who live in it now look up to the back of a huge strip mall and parking lot. The cottonwoods are down. The raised gardens and horseshoe pits are long gone. A few spindly pines were planted, but not enough to cover the eyesore of the mall.

And this, my dear readers, is where we're going. A useless, forlorn expanse of parking lot and several big-box stores. I walked into the Marshall's with several septuagenarians, and considered making conversation. The looked like long-time Nebraskans. Could they empathize with my bewilderment and grief? Are there shopping malls now in the places that were once holy to these elders? Should I just get on with it, get over it, buy a pair of shoes and call it progress?


Yet this is what Nebraska can look like. A dear friend of mine bought a home near here, on the edge of Lake Cunningham. I'm happy for her future children, who might have the freedom to play in a park that won't be turned into a parkway. Perhaps her kids will work for true progress.

Homaha

This Autumn I've taken the chance to visit Omaha (my hometown) several times to visit family and friends. I'm so grateful for the reliable little car that gets me to and fro. As a bonus, the hybrid car runs on "fairy farts" (or so says our friend Adam).



My new sister-in-law Melisa invited my mom and I to her bachelorette party. We had so much fun and she has a great group of friends!

In September Chris and Melisa got married in Vegas (I like their low-maintenace style), and then threw receptions in Omaha in October. We were really blessed in that a lot of our family, including our Grandma, was able to attend the reception.

And many Aunts and Uncles!

Mom and I are so happy for Chris and Mel, and for their choice to support each other in this incredible commitment.

I also took some time to visit Nick's parents. One day my mom and Nick's mom and I took a lovely walk around a lake near their home.

And one more wedding! My dear friend Ellie, who was my "little sister" when we were at Mercy High School, got married! The ladies got together for a bachelorette...

And the wedding ceremony and reception! Ellie's husband Matthew is an extraordinarily talented glass artist. Their reception was at one of Omaha's art galleries where Matthew does his work.



What wedding reception would be complete without a hot dog mobile!

Much love to you all!

Liberty and Justice for All

General Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama in way that gives me hope; not just for Obama's presidential campaign, but also for our country. I have been deeply concerned about the Republican party's insults against Muslim-Americans, insinuating that if Obama were Muslim (which he is not) he would be unqualified for the White House. Republican leaders have repeated this vitriol, and Palin spreads it in her hate-filled speeches. What a bigoted thing to say! The Obama campaign, too, has shied away from visiting mosques or adequately acknowledging the support of Muslim-Americans. I am sad to admit that I think this tactic does not demonstrate courage or decency on the part of Obama's campaign.

Although many inter-religious and news organizations have brought up this issue, I am grateful for Powell's courageous and powerful voice.

GOBAMA!

Today we went to see Michelle Obama speak at a nearby university. The line stretched over 3 blocks long, but the event was well-organized and we only waited outside a little while. Look at this awesome van parked outside the stadium!


Mrs. Obama's speech was wonderful. It brought tears to my eyes to witness this historic moment. She will soon be First Lady! What an inspiring, wonderful couple who truly represents the "American Dream".


Because she spoke on a university campus, Michelle Obama was especially focused on harnessing youthful energy. She also acknowledged the fear that we have under seemingly impossible student loan debt. Both Nick and I served as AmeriCorps Volunteers. It was our full-time "employment", on a very minimal stipend. We struggle(d) to make ends meet while paying for student loans. After serving in AmeriCorps, we both had trouble finding meaningful, decently-compensated employment in our preferred field in social services. Now I'm again seeking work as a "community organizer". I hope, I believe, I pray, that Obama's presidency will help heal our nation after these disastrous eight years.

In Intergenerational Conversation

See this video at the link below:

Pete Seeger & Majora Carter on Environmentalism, Hudson River, Urban Renewal, Protest Music, Civil Rights.

In a Lower Manhattan apartment, one of the greatest living musicians and activists sat down with one of the country's newest great leaders.

Pete Seeger, with a list of awards and honors longer than the neck on his famed banjo, still works tirelessly at 88 years of age.

He spoke with Majora Carter, the young and indefatigable founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an organization that is re-shaping the neighborhood of her youth through pioneering green-collar economic development projects, about the environmental work he has worked at for more than forty years.

And while he's at it, he also finds time to sing a couple songs, demanding the film crew sing along, because it's not nearly as much fun singing to someone as it is singing with someone.

War and Creation

Toward the beginning of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Portland Symphonic Choir chose for our concert series songs about war. We sang Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Dona Nobis Pachem", which includes text by Walt Whitman about the Civil War. Vaughan Williams was a medic in World War I, and was apparently moved by Whitman's poems.

"Reconciliation":

Word over all, beautiful as the sky,
Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage must in time be utterly lost,
That the hands of the sisters Death and Night incessantly softly wash again
and ever again, this soiled world;
... For my enemy is dead - a man divine as myself is dead;
I look where he lies white-faced and still in the coffin - I draw near,
Bend down and touch lightly with my lips the white face in the coffin.
-----------

"Beat! Beat! Drums!"

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation,
Into the school where the scholar is studying;
Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now with
his bride,
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering
his grain,
So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets;
Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? no sleepers
must sleep in those beds,
No bargainers' bargains by day—no brokers or speculators—would
they continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing?
Would the lawyer rise in the court to state his case before the judge?
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Make no parley—stop for no expostulation,
Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer,
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man,
Let not the child's voice be heard, nor the mother's entreaties,
Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the
hearses,
So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.


In our day, there is a searing new voice: Soldier-poet Brian Turner wrote from his experiences in Iraq. Read his book, and listen to him read his poems at the above link.

Time for Reflection and Forgiveness

Significantly, the holy month of Rammadan and the holy period prior to the Jewish New Year overlap this year.

Maybe You Want to See our Home?

Here are a couple pics of our cute new home in St. Paul. The house was originally built in 1875 (!!!), put onto the foundation later, and was possibly a grocery store at one time. Many, many people have made their home here in the past. I wonder who built it? (Thank you, whoever you were!)





Just this year the landlord remodeled some things. He replaced the windows (energy-efficient and much better than our terribly drafty Japanese windows), hot water heater and furnace (super efficient). It also has new sinks and stove, which I love. At under 550 square feet, we expect our little eco-friendly place will also save us on utilities! Yay!

We enjoy the neighborhood. Our block is full of young families, many working at the universities. Very nearby is an ethnically diverse neighborhood of whites, blacks, Hmong, Koreans, Somalians, and others. At the grocery store we sometimes see African women with head coverings, Central American men wearing skirt-like wraps, and everything in between. Hooray for American diversity!

In our apartment we have three very full bookshelves, several antique pieces of furniture (including a very cool red couch from N's grandparents), lots of storage, and plenty of art. We've hung several colorful obis (the belt-like thing that Japanese women wear with kimono), paintings from my mom, a mobile from South Africa, and a lovely print of the painting in front of which Nick proposed.

It's a nice little home.

Applelicious

Two years ago, I lived in a cute little condo in Northwest Portland. Five apple trees reached from my neighbor's property into our yard. With the help of my lovely roommate Colleen, and my ever-willing canning companion Natasha, we made dozens of muffins, many jars of applesauce, and a lot of pie. In the same month I also picked, froze, and jarred sweet Oregon blackberries, which grow in every untamed yard in the region. I sold jam and preserves to coworkers and church friends, to rave reviews.


Last year autumn came quickly. I didn't manage to do any canning in my tiny Japanese kitchen, but we did enjoy many fresh vegetables. We lived in a farming region of the country (our area famous for onions, carrots, and spinach) and never lacked for beautiful food. I made many quarts of ginger-pumpkin-carrot soup, and decadent cream-of-mushroom soup flavored with imported oregano. With the help of a friend I ordered a box of crisp Aomori apples delivered to my doorstep, direct from the grower, at a reasonable price. In the grocery store Japanese apples cost around two dollars, were huge, and picture-perfect. But I didn't need perfection; just fresh and delicious food!



This year I am in Minnesota, enjoying another beautiful autumn. The Midwest harvest is a little later this year than usual, because of an excess of rain in the springtime. My family's farms will harvest corn and soybeans in a few weeks. Recently I had the joy of picking hundreds of apples and pears from the yard of a friend's home. (Thank you, Anne and Kate!) I spent last weekend peeling, coring, de-worming (ew!), chopping, boiling, baking and freezing. Many thanks to Jennifer and Nick for assistance in the process! I now have plenty of applesauce, apple muffins (100!) , apple pies (2), and buttery apple crisp. Food preserving is exhausting, rewarding, delicious work. I love it.

What does "The Church" say? And what do you say?

On a recent visit to St. Paul's giant cathedral, I happened upon a voter's guide which prompted my pondering the role of conscience in my religion of upbringing, Catholicism, and my chosen religion, Unitarian Universalism.



Here are a few paragraphs from a recent New York Times article about the Catholic vote in our next presidential election. I've included links to two opposing Catholic groups, each of whom are campaigning for a different way of following their Catholic morals.

"A struggle within the church over how Catholic voters should think about abortion is once again flaring up just as political partisans prepare an all-out battle for the votes of Mass-going Catholics in swing-state towns like Scranton.

"The theological dispute is playing out in diocesan newspapers and weekly homilies, while the campaigns scramble to set up phone banks of nuns and private meetings with influential bishops.

"Their revisions set the stage for a clash of voter guides. Catholic Answers is again promoting its “nonnegotiables” voter guide; a new group, Catholics in Alliance for Common Good, has produced a chart comparing the candidates’ views on the war, taxes, the environment and other issues as well as abortion."


A publication from the conservative group Catholic Answers has the following direct quote: "Conscience is like an alarm. It warns you when you are about to do something you know is wrong. it does not itself determine what is right or wrong. For your conscience to work properly, it must be properly informed -- that is, you must inform yourself about what is right, and what is wrong. Only then will your conscience be a trusted guide.
Unfortunately, today many Catholics have not formed their consciences adequately regarding key moral issues. The result is that their consciences do not "sound off" at the appropriate time, including on Election Day. A well-formed conscience will never contradicts Catholic moral teaching.
For that reason, if you are unsure where your conscience is leading you when at the ballot box, place your trust in the unwavering moral teaching of the Church. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent source of authentic moral teaching.)"
To read more from Catholic Answers, see the link above.

As you may have read in my previous rant about politics, I prefer the leanings of the Catholics in Alliance for Common Good. Perhaps that is because of my broader ethical orientation, especially influenced by UUsim. Here are the seven key principles of Unitarian Universalism. Pay special attention to numbers 3, 4, and 5 in reference to the role of individual conscience.

There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

A Walk in the Woods

Last week Nick and I took a trip up to Collegeville, Minnesota to our university. We still have many more years of student loans to pay off, but despite that I am glad I chose this school. Walking around the campuses of CSB and SJU makes me feel so privileged and blessed to have lived in such a special place. Plus, it's where I met Nick!

Our first stop was the Collegeville Orchard and Petting Zoo. The autumn apples were delicious, and the animals curious!


Next we visited the St. John's Pottery studio to meet Richard Bresnahan, a world-famous potter who studied with a "national living treasure" pottery family in Japan. Richard and his interns were exceptionally gracious and committed to their sustainable, local art.

Next, of course, the Abbey. A remarkable structure that always awes.


As required on every visit to St. John's, we took a walk out to the chapel. The Saint John's University campus is set on the edge of a very large glacial lake, Sagatagan. There is path around the lake that is likened to a pilgrimage where the goal is Stella Maris Chapel. The chapel has been recently updated, and its old glacial stone walls covered in stucco. Stained glass is now in the once-hollow windows. I expected to be saddened by the change, but it looks beautiful and the place still has the same peaceful spirit.



I hoped to do a little swimming once we reached the chapel, but the water was cooooold. Instead I waded and enjoyed the multi-colored granite stones and familiar view. The loons have already migrated but plenty of other curious birds listened in on our conversation. I am so grateful that this was once my home.