have a little faith

I have read a few books by Mitch Albom now and recently finished "have a little faith". A friend lent it to me, as she enjoyed it and thought I might as well. We had recently been talking about faith and religion, so I believe this is what lead to the thought that I might find this book interesting. She did forewarn me that there was much religious talk in the book though, so hopefully it would not deter me or bore me. I have to say, it did not.

Mitch Albom is a Sports writer based out of Detroit, Michigan. Normally that would preclude me from even thinking about picking up a book he had penned. I am not a huge sports aficionado. You might have guessed that already. I do like books though, as is noted elsewhere in this blog. Everyone who knows me, knows this fact about me. As a young child, I always had my nose stuck in a book and often gave up playing with friends to just finish a few more pages. Geek, I know, but I have had some wonderful friends found in the pages of books. I digress.

For Christmas a few years ago, my uncle gave me several books as my present in our family gift exchange. "The Five People you Meet in Heaven" was one of the books and I liked it well enough. I do not recall recognizing the name Mitch Albom and certainly did not recognize him as a sports personality at the time. Shortly thereafter I heard very good things about "Tuesdays with Morrie", so decided to pick that up as well. This was a wonderful little book that had just gone into its tenth anniversary re-release. What I liked about "Tuesdays with Morrie" was Albom's honesty in his writing. He tackled a difficult subject matter, dying, with grace. He was not afraid to paint an candid picture of himself, sometimes awkward or saying the wrong thing, while at the same time expounding on another's good points. It was a heart-warming true story of letting go, but more importantly in discovering the joys that life holds in simple things every day. He steps into "have a little faith" with that same tone.

"Have a little faith" is a true story. It begins with Albom's rabbi asking him to write a eulogy for his funeral. The rabbi has known him all his life and has always taken on a sacred and looked-up to role for him. Albom is surprised and overwhelmed at first, but decides that if he is to take on this responsibility, he must get to know the Rabbi as a man as well.

Similarly to "Tuesdays with Morrie" visits are begun that look at life in all its glory, beauty and ugliness. This story is told parallel to the story of another man that Albom meets. This man is also a holy man, but his faith is that of Christianity. Where Albom's Rabbi is upheld as pure and all-knowing, the Minister's past is unearthed and it is far from pure. Drugs, alcohol, violence and prison all saturate the Minister's past. An ugly picture is painted, but this man finally finds Jesus and gives over his life to him. Where I appreciate Albom's storytelling the most is in his difficulty in moving beyond the Minister's past. He shows his true feelings and offers himself up to criticism with his honesty in questioning this man's faith and character. Could he really have changed so much? Will he not fall back into old ways? The beauty of the two men of faith is that they both show a love for humanity and the will to want to help their fellow man. Albom allows us to see his own growth and in some ways asks us to look beyond our own comfort zones. He asks us to look at the people around us and see beyond what we think we know. We all have our crosses to bear and  regardless of background we are all worthy of love and forgiveness. I looked at Albom as a busy hotshot sports writer that had little time for faith or life and watched him gain a little more humanity. While he painted the picture, I made my own judgement call. He has done the same himself. What he does ask is for  us all to look back at ourselves. Make time for oneself. Make time for others. Make time for life. Thanks Mitch.

Today

Sunshine dreams getting closer

and closer

as little feet walk the forest floor

Discovering little bits of nature

and memories of summer's sun gone by

Perhaps to nourish the earth again,

we hope

but crunching through winter's blanket

with smiles

  

Our view of the world

painted with questions of future developments

What shall tomorrow hold?

Tomorrow?

The children chant

"Enjoy today!"

Saturday Sign

   I am tired tonight. It was a reasonably pleasant day, despite T sagging at lunch time. I thought for sure that plans would get cancelled again, but she rallied for the birthday party. Nothing like a group of 2-5 year olds screaming and laughing in a gymnasium to steal the last of your energy, but miraculously super-charging them. Many smiles abounded though, so all is well.

   Now I sit in front of a fire and will it to bring me some warmth. Quiet night in (aren't most nights?) in store. Time for children to retire for the evening, so I can crash too. Be well. Perhaps I will find more wisdom tomorrow. Tonight I have little to offer. As a fellow blogger and I noted, is it worthwhile to write when you have little to say? You tell me. What do you like here and what makes you turn aside? What more could I add? What should I let slide? Looking for some input from all you lovelies out in blogland. Give me a sign!

Friends via Chocolate Shortbread

   This post may seem familiar to one I did at Christmas, but I have added a twist. Since everyone seemed to be feeling better today, I thought we would do some baking this afternoon. My girls love to bake and don their aprons faster than I can finish this sentence.  Today's baking was baking with a purpose though. 

   Yesterday after swimming lessons, we were supposed to go to our friend's house for dinner. Well, T kiboshed that little plan by painting the van in (you don't really want the details, do you?). Right then. So I bundled a bootless, coatless T back into the van and called our friends to say that we would not be attending dinner as planned. The problem was that I had just received their house key, as last week we had arrived there first. Not wanting to leave us out in the cold, a key was proffered. Bad timing. As it was now nearing 7pm and no dinner had been eaten by anyone, it was decided that dear D would come over to pick up the keys at around 8pm. Once I had T safely tucked into bed, R and I dined on strawberries, cherry tomatoes, crackers, cheese and left-over noodles. Bless his soul, D showed up with some of the home-cooked soup that would have been our dinner. It was delicious, but I am sure would have been better eaten with friends and a bottle of wine.

   So while I thought to entertain the children with baking, I also recalled a promise I had made at Christmas to make some gluten-free shortbread for N. What better way to fill the day than to serve up a little yummy thank you for being such good friends. So here is a post for you today N, for being a good friend and super support. Your gluten-free chocolate shortbread cookies will arrive shortly. Thank you!

for all that changes, we stay the same

   So, after a few days being tied to the house I have been set free for a day. Little R is riding the motrin wave and flying high. In fact, she was up at 6:30 this morning. Very unseasonable for a little girl who usually peeks out from under her covers closer to 7:45 ish. My girls appreciate sleeping in. I like that, as so do I. She cuddled for a little bit, then tired of trying to lie still and quiet, as Mommy pretended to drift back to sleep. It didn't really happen. She did eventually head off in search of the TV though. Bad Mommy tucked back under snuggly warm blankets and tried to remember where I was in my dream. Ack, day has begun...
   When I did eventually rise, the sun was streaming in through the windows. It looked like a beautiful morning, that deserved embracing. Sniff. Motivation just not up to snuff yet though. After dosing everyone with their morning meds, we headed out to face the day. Despite complaints from R that she wanted another medicine and tears that she wasn't getting it, we left the house. I expected her to attach herself to my leg at Daycare, after spending the last two days with me, but she entered the room with her regular smiles. Kisses goodbye and the day was mine!
   The day is mine. Sigh. Now the clouds have reformed. Oh well. I saw an old friend at my new yoga class this morning, but missed my other class terribly. Hugs to you Randolph! A nice treat was tea and cookies afterwards though. It was a lovely social setting that I appreciated. Wellspring truly is a magical place. I pray you don't, but if you ever have need it is a wonderfully supporting place. At times I have wondered whether it truly was the place for me, but any time I question I get a resounding "YES" from any and all. The people that walk through their doors have seen such adversity and yes, I am one. I have lived through a cancer journey. I may not have had the disease myself, but as caregiver I have permanaently been painted as well. For some reason it has been weighing with me again this last little while. Oh gray skies! Just blow away already! I need some sunshine in my soul. Pleasant activities in the next little while should help. Dinner with friends after swimming, a playdate tomorrow and birthday party on the weekend. Smiling children tend to rub off on you. Here's hoping
   I am anticipating responses, so send out big thank yous to "me", R and L. Knowing that friends are out there and caring makes the day a little brighter.
Namaste