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.

Issues, Baby, Issues

From the (conservative newspaper) Washington Post editorial:

"On a day when the Congressional Budget Office warned of looming deficits and a grim economic outlook, when the stock market faltered even in the wake of the government’s rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, when President Bush discussed the road ahead in Iraq and Afghanistan, on what did the campaign of Senator John McCain spend its energy? A conference call to denounce Senator Barack Obama for using the phrase ‘lipstick on a pig’ and a new television ad accusing the Democrat of wanting to teach kindergartners about sex before they learn to read."

The Republican Party is deceiving you, America. McCain may have been a maverick before, but now he has given all his power, and perhaps his soul, to the party that funds him.

Who is Right for the Job? Not Her.

Intelligent women are uniting against Sarah Palin. Check out this blog, with thousands of comments from Americans like me.

Biking around Japan!

My friend Cat, with whom I did a lot of adventuring around Hokkaido, is on another grand adventure biking through Japan. She is with an organization encouraging environmental awareness, and while biking the length of the islands the group is leading all kinds of enviro-events, classes, and other fun stuff. Check out the website, and her well-written blog, at this link!

Contemptous Disrespect from Giuliani, Palin, and the RNC

Giuliani: "He worked as a community organizer, - HA, what's that? Is that a job?"

Palin: "I guess being the mayor of a small town is sortof like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities!"

Tonight's speech made my blood boil. I am deeply offended by Giuliani's and Palin's condescending laughter, prompting the buffoon audience to join in despicable bullying. Since when is it acceptable to make fun of social workers? Why is community organizing not viewed as honorable, selfless service to the greater good? What about AmeriCorps, or the WPA? Why would military service be seen as more valuable than service at home, in our own troubled neighborhoods? If the Republican Party claims to encourage private contributions to social causes (with little governmental funding or support), who do they expect to do the work? Marines with machine guns? The Air Force with airdrops of supplies? Perhaps it's just as we expected: scornful millionaire big-interest-sponsored Republicans really do enjoy castigating teachers, social workers, counselors, and others in the social services industry. And the unthinking masses go along with whatever the "pro-life" candidate wants.

Since when is WAR pro-life? What about malnourished children next door? What about underfunded schools? Millions without adequate healthcare? What about other people on the planet outside of our borders? What about an ailing planet soon unable to host our grandchildren's precious lives?

Humanity belongs to an interconnected web of life, and we all must contribute, actively, to promote goodness and kindness. Blessed are the peacemakers.

This ABC News video is rather telling...

Play Video 'Hookers and Blow' at RNC Lobby Party