Dorothy Day

"Don't worry about being effective. Just concentrate on being faithful to the truth." Dorothy Day

Seeking Life

A woman I know was telling about how she and her husband used to connect with, and serve, people on the street and how she used to enjoy it, and how alive it made her feel. That was before kids. Her life now, similar to mine, involved 3 kids, school, kinder, home, community, part time work and so on. It didn't always seem as 'alive'. So, I've been thinking today about the times and things in my life that make me feel most alive. Hmm, also, I think, at different stages of our lives, we need to see the 'alive' bits differently, or identify them anyway, to see they are actually there. I reckon it can be hard to actually choose to do the things that make us feel most alive.

Jesus and the blind man

I've been reading about poverty and disability for a project I'm hoping to work on. Man, it is a stark reminder of the impact that poverty has upon every life decision you can make, life is a lot, lot harder if you are poor and have a disability.

Feeling overwhelmed by all the problems in the world - how can I even begin to make a dent on these or in my family. No, I thought, hang on, I have thought about this stuff before. The point is not to get overwhelmed by everything in the world, the point is, to do something, however small, not nothing. Right, I can involve myself and my family in learning about issues of poverty, disability and link it to our faith- what does Jesus have to say?

The story of the blind man keeps leaping into my mind, so I'm going from there. I can't stop thinking about the man calling out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me".

Family Fun Night Idea#1
1. Clear the floor of sharp furniture and lurking toys,
2. sweep or vacuum if necessary, or if time!
3. Blindfold each family member (not the baby perhaps)
4. Throw lollies around, or slightly hide them under the couch cushions,
5. Hunt for lollies, save them up for dessert.

Try to eat dinner still blindfolded. Here are some ideas for discussion:
What would it be like to be blind?
Are there any things you might get better at is you were blind? Could there be any good things?

You know, in Jesus' time there were blind people. If you are blind it is hard to care for your family by working, you need others to help you, or you need to beg to get money. Here's what the bible says... Read Luke 18:35-42, or tell it in your own words, or something in between.
What do you think about what Jesus did and said? What do you think the man did and said?

Do you know what makes people blind today? People can be born that way, disease, malnutrition, injury.
God is still at work today, here is a story about Niry from Madagascar and about how she has been helped to see.

(I've taken this story from the CBM website, go and have a look for more information)

Niry's Story:
"When Niry was brought from Madagascar to a CBM eye clinic, her eyes were weeping uncontrollably.

She was at the end stage of a disease caused by Vitamin A deficiency.

In fact, our ophthalmologist described Niry’s eyes as melting. One eye was already lost.

Thankfully, Niry received treatment straight away in the form of massive

doses of Vitamin A and a nutrition program to improve her health.

In just a few days the sight in her remaining eye was saved.

Niry is proof of the difference you can make in a child’s life simply be providing Vitamin A."

These CBM people are being like Jesus hands and feet to Niry.

How would you like to respond today? pray, draw a picture, something else? (I'm deliberately trying not to tell my kids how to respond. I would like to have a discussion, with my own response as one in the mix, let's see how that goes!)

A walk around the block

Well, this post was going to be a double win, a triumphant missive of mum over global warming and non-sleeping littlest billy goat gruff(LBGG). Alas, sigh, there can only be one winner, and today it was the LBGG (no sleep, okay, okay and no global warming involved (two wins, then)). Not that I really wanted to walk around the block to get LBGG to sleep, I thought I'd take the easy way and just put him in the car. After an internal wrestle, and I think mainly because I was reading some stuff about climate change yesterday (Manna Gum and Green Electricity Watch) and thinking that if I really think other people are important like I say I do (love your neighbours and all that) I need to live it as well. Sigh. I didn't feel particularly virtuous or uplifted, more grumbly and grumpy, anyway, hooray for me, for one little walk around the block instead of drive in the car. (There were some nice moments actually, chatting to the 4 year old, waving and saying hello to a couple of neighbours... Win one for community too? Hmm)

Joy on the tram

"It's nice to see our friends on the tram, isn't it?", said my four year old. We had just disembarked from our tram trip home after a school drop off. We had just had a joyful encounter with a woman we see periodically and talk to, on the tram. She is always pleased to see us, so much so, and so undeserveredly that it makes me reflect upon friendship given so fully, and freely and how good that makes me feel. It makes my day as we chat about the kids, what they're doing, which day is kinder day, what she is doing, and where she's going. She's great to chat with. I love it. The tram, it's not just about combating global warming, it's a joy filled connection with community.

People are surprising

I was reminded tonight of the challenge of how we view people different to ourselves. My eldest chose, "Children just like me" by Anabel Kindersley and Barnabas Kindersley, as his bed time story. I love this book. It has wonderful photographs of children and the things/people in their lives. It reports information about different children, their families, food they eat, schools they go to, games they play in a non-judgemental, level playing field kind of way, no one way of living is presented as being better than another.

I have been thinking about ways to challenge my kids stereotypes about people different to ourselves. My eldest has been trying to make sense of the way in which people live and the way for him to do this is to think that the way we do it is good, and the way other people do it is due to some sort of deficit; "they don't know how to..." This is a trap for us too, it is easy to think that the way we live is full of positives and 'the way to do it', and that other people's way of living is not as good. All people have strengths and deficits, even us.

Many people do live very different lives to us: they might live in a one roomed house, they might be farmers, they might not always have enough to eat, they might make their own clothes, they might go to school for more (or less) of the day than we do, they might eat more junk food... The list could go on indefinitely. BUT people, whether they are rich or poor, formally educated or not, urban or rural dwellers, are resilient, creative, enterprising, clever, AMAZING. They might find a solution to a problem I certainly couldn't imagine, they might be very resourceful or audacious. People are surprising. I'm trying to talk about this to expand my kid's world when we talk about how other's live. It is important to see how we might learn from others no matter what they're like. "Children just like me", is a good book to share too, it helps us to see other kids as kids, to see that, although people are different, there are lots of things the same as well; they all like to play with their friends, family is important, all have favourite foods.

Children Just Like Me

"A unique photographic celebration of children around the world. Through colourful pictures and children's own words, readers learn about the dreams and beliefs, hopes and fears and day-to-day events in the lives of children across the globe. For young readers between the ages of 7 and 15"

A knot in my shoelace

I tied a knot in my shoelace, and then I tied a knot in my other shoelace. Not to remember anything special but because the shoelaces broke. I am good at this kind of dodgy repair and fashion faux pas, or is it dodgy fashion and a repair faux pas... I'll let you make your own decision about that one!

But it did make me think about the many people who might not be able to buy a new shoelace, or have other pairs of shoes and what that means for me. How might my actions make a difference here? I really truly want to live in a world where we care for our neighbours, both local and global. Where we recognise the impact of our decisions, both large and small, upon others. Where we, with God's help, can help bring life into the world and not take it away. Idealisitic perhaps but it truly motivates me.

So, my little shoelace repairs set me thinking about some of the other teeny things I do that try to mean we take care of this world by living a little more simply, by being a little bit thoughtful about the impact of my actions, by not just throwing something away and buying something new.

• I reuse little snap lock bags, washing them after use; I use them in lunch boxes and for snacks, etc.
  
• I buy barbecue shapes in a box, not little bags, and put servings of them in the little snap lock bags to go in as a lunch box treat. (Actually, my son asked me to buy the bag of them with their individual packages and I explained my decision to him how we reuse the bags again and again so that there is less rubbish going into land fill, so that there is less energy going in to making individual bags, how we want to care for the environment, (I might have said some other things too, can't remember at the moment), he was TOTALLY fine about the whole thing - I thought he would have been still requesting little packets like everyone else, but no, it was like he got it and wanted to be part of this little caring for the earth revolution. He now selects the boxes of barbecue shapes when he is shopping with me.)
  
• I darn my socks (lunatic fringe, I know), but I think, "do I really need new socks, or is the rest of the sock okay for a while longer?" (I may have taken this one too far on occasion)
• I keep one sided paper from everywhere for the kids to draw on, to use as scrap paper, as list paper, and so on!

Have you got anything to add to the list?

On Wednesday we rode our bikes to school. Hooray, hooray! Oh, and I walked up to the supermarket yesterday to do the shopping. More hoorays!
I stopped for a chat with my neighbours as I went past, so a positive outcome there.

I am often so easily overwhelmed by big problems in the world, and climate change is certainly a big problem. It is a problem that affecting our poorer neighbours disproportionally and they have not even been the ones to make most of the mess on our environment.

It says in the Bible, "Love your neighbours as you love yourself"
"It also says, "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers...
And Genesis talks about taking care of the land

God owns creation and it pains Him when we don't care for it well.

I want to be part of God's world that sees us caring for our neighbours, that enables all of us to live in such a way as to care well for our families.

Well, we might only have ridden our bikes once, and walked to the supermarket once, but once is much better than not at all. It is a small step in trying to make a sustainable difference. My way of trying to counteract being paralysed by the enormity of the problem is to trying to practise celebrating the positive rather than always seeing the deficit. I have been thinking about starting up a chart to show how many times we use each type of transport but I think it will be one of those things that rather than be a motivator will just make me feel depressed and show me how much further there is to go. I am hopeful that a once bike ride/walk will encourage me to do it again. So, hooray for us! Hooray, for a climate friendly choice. Hooray!

Please share your climate friendly Hoorays! I reckon I could do with a bit of encouragement to stick at it.
Have you done anything to try to make a bit of a difference about climate change? Have you had any interesting discussions about it in your households?

The Chocolate Cake

"Mum, is that chocolate cake fair trade?" Ah, we try to educate our children about how some of our purchasing choices can make a positive difference for poorer people around the world and then you can't even buy cheap chocolate any more without your kids checking that it's fairly traded. Oh, the guilt! Oh, the consequences of education! Oh, my conscience!

When I think about buying non-fair trade chocolate or cocoa now, I think, what will I say to my children when they ask me, "Mum, is that chocolate fair trade?" I've thought I could answer, "Sorry darling this chocolate is probably made from cocoa that children your own age worked to harvest. Children who were taken from their homes and forced to work on a cocoa plantation, often under dangerous conditions in West Africa, who paid very little or maybe nothing." (ouch!)

I have reflected upon whether I am just motivated purely by the guilt of being caught out here. Well, maybe, but I feel very unhappy about needing to give the above answer to my kids, and as I think about that answer it reminds me that I am unhappy about a world that exploits children so that I can have a treat.

And so, in our house, we have just about completely switched to fair trade chocolate(I say just about, because I know I am not always 100% perfect at this decision). It is more expensive, it is not as readily available (at least not the dark choc, and I reckon a number of the brands are not as nice as the big name brands), and it is hard to find fair trade cocoa. We have made this shift to almost 100% fair trade chocolate gradually. I figured previously, that even if I bought one block of fair trade chocolate that was making a little bit of a difference, and now we do it a bit more, it's a little bit more of a difference. Chocolate and cocoa have moved to be a true 'treat' food in our house. I can't make chocolate self saucing pudding or a plain chocolate cake as often I did, and I know this almost sounds silly, but I feel the pinch of this decision.

We keep talking with our kids about how products that are 'fair trade' mean that the people who worked for them get paid enough money to feed their family (this makes more sense to them than 'a living wage'). The kids tell visitors proudly that we have fair trade coffee, chocolate, some clothing, and that Mum has a pair of fair trade runners (much to my embarrassment). We are rich, we can choose to move chocolate from a cheap, whenever treat, to a special occasion treat.

And when my 7 year old wanted a chocolate cake for his birthday I knew it would be an under-appreciated , expensive, fair trade cake; that's what he wanted, and I knew that making it was also making a small quiet difference in the world, one that my conscience found life-giving.


You might like to look at Stop the Traffik, or Fair Trade Association for more information.
There is a Bible study you might like to use for some ideas from Stop the Traffik.

TEAR Australia's Kids 4 Kids kit "Lessons in Hope from Cambodia" is not about chocolate or fair trade but it is about about how kids in Cambodia are sometimes taken from their homes and forced to do dirty or dangerous work they don't want to do, the kit covers how TEAR's partner organisation CHO is helping to keep children safe through education. "Chann, Srey Leak and Heng live on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Their families are very poor, so everyone - women, men and children - work hard to survive. In this Kids4Kids resource pack, you'll find out how Cambodia Hope Organisation is working to protect children from exploitation and strengthen community spirit." Ideal for primary aged children.

The Meeting

Well, I involved and took my 7 year old to visit our local member of parliament today. Before we went I talked with him about how many children in developing countries get sick and die unnecessarily from easily preventable diseases such as pneumonia (which he had twice as a baby and due to great medical care quickly recovered), malaria, and diarrhoea. We talked about how children who don't have enough to eat are more susceptible to disease and illness. We also talked about how many illnesses are easily prevented by providing access to clean water and immunisations. Our conversation included talking about how mothers are key players to healthy kids and that by keeping mothers healthy and by educating them everyone was healthier. Sam generally has his own comments and observations to make as we talked about these things, as he linked the things in our conversation with things we had already talked about and things he'd learnt doing Kids 4 Kids programs with me.
We went with a couple of people from our community. We wanted to be part of the Micah Challenge voice to let our government know that we want to see global poverty halved by 2015 and especially see more movement by our government by contributing to aid projects targeted specifically on MDGs 4 and 5. Sam understands about sharing, and I wanted him to understand that we are asking the Australian Government to share from our bounty. Sam was in our midst during our discussions around what we would say. He made a card with a "5" on it and helped with the colourful cupcakes I made to highlight the issue of wanting all children to reach their fifth birthday. He might have played with his cars during our discussion time with Martin Ferguson but he was there. Who knows how this kind of action will shape his ideas about the world and the outworkings of his faith. Who knows. I'm glad he was there.

The Map

Drat! I cannot find our world map. I used it as a teaching aid a conference kids' program and now it is GONE. It is a colourful kid's map. There is little text, save each country's name. It used to hang on our family room wall. The kids would look at it often, mostly pointing out that they live down here (in Melbourne, Australia). My eldest liked to identify countries that he knew, for example England, where his aunt lives. It was also a fabulous teaching tool for talking about different countries as they came up in conversation or on the news. It was easy too, already hanging, ready to find out if a country is; on the equator, in South America, borders Cambodia, or any other interesting fact about the world. Our journey of developing a sense of world-mindedness was easily aided by a map.
I need a new map. I'll keep you posted.