April showers bring May Day flowers?

Children today miss out on many old traditions. Time is always pressing, too many things to do, places to go, things to see. They have school, sports, music, and maybe, if there are a few spare moments, friends, all of which place claims upon time that is in ever shorter supply. But one old tradition that I observed with my daughter when she was young was May Day, and it's a tradition whose passing I deeply regret.

May baskets were, above all else, a tradition of giving to someone else, not for the credit - the whole point was that no one would know that you had given it - but for the sheer joy of giving. That is something rarely seen and seldom talked about in our acquisitive culture. It is a hole in the fabric of our society, and I regret it's absence because I think it's a crucial part of building a strong basis for moral values. As I used to tell my children, some things are just right, and some things are just wrong, and it doesn't matter whether anyone else knows or not, because you know. I fear a lot of people haven't learned that lesson, and it's to the detriment of us all.

There were many different ways of making May baskets. My mother, ever the creative artist, would help me fashion them out of old wallpaper samples, or construction paper, or whatever else might be available that she could turn into a pretty little basket. In the end, they would be works of art, as lovely as the filling inside them.

May baskets were, centuries ago, filled with flowers to herald the arrival of spring. Kings and queens and their courtiers would dance around the Maypole, celebrating the warmth and new life that comes after the long, dreary winter. After a day of eating and drinking and, no doubt, a bit of debauchery, they would gather flowers from the meadows to bring with them and shower upon each other. Their subjects would exchange flowers with each other, perhaps sharing a special meal or just a dance, but it was a recognition of thanks for the return of the sunshine and warmth to the earth that summer endows.

In more modern times, some people continued that tradition of filling the May basket with flowers, but increasingly, they would also be filled with candy or other treats. When all was in readiness, the little baskets lined up in neat rows in a box on the car seat, you would sneak with a basket to the front door of the receiving friend, lay it on the stoop, ring the doorbell, and then run and hide as fast as you could. You didn't want to run too far, because you wanted to be able to observe the laughter and joy when the person discovered the secret gift waiting for them.

The point was not the filling, of course, but the thought behind it - giving pleasure to someone else, with no thought for yourself. When you ran and hid, the rush of adrenaline would propel your legs faster than you thought you could run, and you would giggle as quietly as you could around a corner of the house or behind a tree, hoping you hadn't been seen. When someone talked later about the anonymous gifts they had received, it was so exciting to laugh behind your hand, knowing that you were the secret benefactor that had brought the joy.

I think that kind of unselfish giving is something too often lacking in our greed-is-good culture. We value those who give anonymously, Secret Santa here in Kansas City is legendary for his goodwill towards men at Christmas time, for example, but we don't emphasize, either for ourselves, or to our children, the value and importance of anonymous giving.

We want our tax write-off, to be sure, but I think the problem goes deeper than that. Most people are eager and anxious for their gifts to be recognized, and they want others to know what they have done so they can get their due credit. I fear that in so doing, they are missing out on the best thing about giving - the change that occurs inside of the giver when their gift is handed over.

I haven't delivered May baskets full of flowers in a very long time. But the joy and pleasure that those baskets brought are remembered long after the flowers have died and the candy has been eaten, and I can easily feel the rush of pleasure that the memory invokes. I wish I had some of those baskets now, they were little masterpieces, created with loving care by hands that were well intentioned. It would be a fun reminder of the carefree days gone by.

Happy May Day to each friend reading this post today. Welcome the spring warmly, and perhaps Mother Nature will respond in kind! Whether the sun is shining or the snow is falling in your particular part of the world, know that a May basket of good wishes is overflowing in my heart today for you.

On loaves and fishes (or pita and lamb)....

Most Christians are familiar with the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with the five loaves and two fishes that were available. There is also the Old Testament story of the widow who fed Elijah with an endless bottle of olive oil, allowing her to be an example of faith that does not fail. The Israelites were fed for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness with manna falling from heaven each morning, just enough for the day, but no more.

Miracles with food are a staple of the Biblical tradition, the fulfillment of a basic need through trust in God alone. But I don't think most people expect that to happen today.

And yet, I recently enjoyed the same kind of miracle in my own life. It was a seasonal confirmation that God does have concern for both the soul and the human bodies that inhabit his earth. It never hurts to see a prayer answered, so when the faith wavers, you have something to look back on to bolster what you believe.

The setting? A very special dinner at church, wildly successful beyond all hopes and dreams by those who organized it. Instead of 250 or 300, over 400 people were there, with more turned away for lack of space.

The event? A remembrance of the Last Supper of Christ with his Apostles before he was betrayed by a kiss for 30 pieces of silver which bought a pauper's graveyard. (Such a fitting end for those tarnished coins, I think.)

The time? Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of the Passion Week in Christianity, when we recall not only the Last Supper, but Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and the betrayal of Judas.

The people? The congregation of my church, who have attended the events in this Lenten season in unprecedented numbers.

The place? The dining area at my church, which comfortably seats about 350 people, but which somehow expanded to make space for 420.

The snag? Food for 250. "God, we have a problem."

How it all unfolded....

I arrived at 5 p.m., expecting the food (ordered and confirmed for 400) to be there. The tables were set, the Seder plates were prepared, the Communion wine was poured, the bread was placed on the Paten. All was in readiness, and we required only food and people to complete the setting. Food which was very slow to arrive. And people who weren't.

The nerves started to fray as the clock ticked, and decisions were made to change how things would be done to increase efficiency. Salad plates were collected from the tables as we waited, nerves jangling, organizers beginning to show signs of panic as frantic phone calls were placed.

The food finally arrived, nearly an hour late and just minutes before the event was scheduled to begin. Relief was evident on the faces of everyone in the kitchen as the first pans came through the door. Covers were lifted, and salads were dished up as the deliveryman stood there waiting to be paid.

Eventually disbelief registered on those same faces as the realization sunk in that the small amount of food that had been delivered was all there would be. The delivery guy was pulled over to the serving out table, and someone asked him if that would be enough salad for 400 people. [A foolish question really, since it was self-evident that it wouldn't be, but desperate times call for desperate questions.] I think that betrayed the forlorn hope that somehow, some way, we could stretch food for 250 into food for 400.

With the cavalier assurance of someone who would be long gone when the food ran out too early, our own Judas kissed the problem goodbye with a breezy assurance that it would be plenty, and ran out the door with substantially more than 30 pieces of silver, leaving us to our fate.

Well, in not very many minutes, the kitchen staff could be seen counting lettuce leaves and tomato wedges, artfully mounding them on each plate to make them look more full (a hopeless task, but entertaining in retrospect.) Even so, we rapidly depleted the salad about halfway through the stack of plates, and while people began to pour in, we were desperately struggling to come up with solutions to a situation that had no good ending in sight.

There was talk of strategies that were destined to result in cries from the populace of doom upon our heads, all rejected for their impracticality. Ultimately, a mad dash was made to the nearest grocery store for 20 bags of lettuce, assorted mixed greens, Greek salad dressing with a couple of Italian thrown in for good measure (yes, that is dripping with irony,) Feta cheese and Kalamata olives. Then another mad dash back to church in the pouring rain. We may not have enough of the entree, but by the grace of God and OPEC, we would have salad.

When I got back into the kitchen after parking the car, bedraggled and somewhat wired from the whole experience, I saw something that confirmed my faith in my fellow men and women. Enormous food service bowls full of salad, lettuce flying into the air as people were tossing (with plastic gloves on, in case there are any food service inspectors reading, we follow codes,) followed by salad thrown onto plates which rapidly filled up trays that were then distributed to the waiting tables.

It is amazing how quickly something can get done when you have 25 eager people willing to pitch in and do the job. The tables were filling quickly, and the assembled attendees were none the wiser to the frantic explosion of activity in the kitchen, which was just as well. I even heard a rumor later that the salad was delicious, an irony which still makes me laugh out loud.

Of course, the overall problem remained. We had pita and entrees for about 250 people (the pieces of pita were counted, there were 250, I'm not just pulling these numbers out of my hat, you know,) and over 400 in attendance.

But somehow, with the salad situation worked out, it was easier to think clearly, and a strategy was devised. All the pitas were cut into thirds, and everyone got a couple on their plate, which, in the event, was probably enough for most people, anyway. There was plenty of hummus (did we really need three pans of hummus?) and there was enough falafel.

The main entree was lamb and chicken with saffron rice. Instead of being served out in separate dishes as originally planned, they all went together in a single serving dish, one per table. Somehow, miraculously, it was enough.

The remainder of the evening was a lovely recreation of that evening's part in the journey to the cross, a memorable event that put us in the path that Jesus himself followed. We observed the ancient rites of the Seder meal, followed by the communion which Jesus himself first observed that evening with his disciples, and it suddenly had more meaning for me than it has in the past. The symbolism came alive as I participated, and, as intended, it changed me inside.

The evening was enlightening for me in many ways, because it suddenly dawned on me how the miracles that Jesus performed were done in shadow, out of the knowledge of most of the people following his teaching. Although his disciples knew, and those close to him had some limited understanding, I would imagine most of the 5000 had no idea they were in the presence of a miracle. But it was life changing for those who witnessed it, and who saw the power of God to work in the lives of those who seek his help.

Isn't that really the message of our annual observance of Easter? No problem is too great that God doesn't have the solution, if we have faith? Even the irredeemably sinful have an opportunity for something more, if they will only accept the grace that God has offered them.

I don't expect a miracle in my life, but they do happen sometimes. Food for 250 can't be made to stretch into food for 400 no matter how creative you are without a little inspiration from on high. Whether it was the presence of someone imbued with the ability to make it happen, or the clearheaded perception to recognize the important piece of the problem and solve it, or a simple miracle of creating food where it didn't exist before, somehow God will provide if we trust that it can happen.

I think, for me, the Easter moment occurred on Maundy Thursday when we fed the 400. I wouldn't want to have to do it all the time, but in the end, it was inspiring and fitting that God would demand faith in order to mitigate disaster in the midst of Holy Week.

This week, I wish you a miracle of your own. They have an impact that is amazing, and they allow you to see a tiny slice of heaven on earth.

Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah

Rising from the ashes....

We have a ceremony for everything these days, it seems. Turning three? We have a party that would have eclipsed most debutante balls 100 years ago. Moving from elementary school to middle school? We throw a graduation party that rivals a high school graduation. If someone dies, we have a funeral, and whether we throw a wake or sit Shiva, it's usually a party of remembrance. We have sweet 16's, Quinceañera parties, and prom. But the mother of all parties, throughout the world, is a wedding, which on average costs more than a new car or a person's first annual salary.

The one party we don't throw, however, the one life event that goes unheralded, is the divorce that fully 50% of American couples endure. We don't send cards, we don't have a reception, there is no religious ceremony to mark the occasion. These days, with no fault divorce, mediation and lawyers doing all the talking, you often don't even have to go to court.

For myself, the moment came in a phone call while I was sitting in a parking lot near the courthouse, just in case something went awry and my presence would suddenly be required. There is something quite surreal about hearing that you are suddenly unmarried, that the solemn vow you made so many years ago binding your life to someone else's is voided. The glue is unstuck, and the life you built together is forever undone.

Divorce is awkward in the social context. Some people seem to fear that their own lives will be contaminated by the suggestion that marriage isn't forever after all, and they subtly recoil upon seeing you, like you are contagious

Your closest friends choose sides, find your former spouse entirely at fault, and deliver a sound declaration that you are much better off this way, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Although I can appreciate the impulse, often the wounded party is too confused and hurt to appreciate the underlying support. It is painful to hear your former spoouse denegrated, and it also makes you question your own judgment, since you were the one who picked that person in the first place.

Most people ignore it altogether, as if it's a social disease better left unmentioned.

Divorce is a death with tentacles that reach far beyond the couple involved, and I find it strange that such a seminal event in a person's life is without ceremonial observance. The collateral damage of a failed marriage, a family blown apart, spreads farther and wider than most people imagine when they are focused on their own misery.

The children, of course, suffer when their parents combined lives are rent asunder. Suddenly, they are forced to decide where they want to spend important holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions. Big events in their lives become a strategic planning circus, as they carefully manage who sits where and who takes precedence. Their daily lives change, not because they have done anything wrong, but because they cannot be in two places at once, and there is always one parent missing.

The extended relations also feel the rent in the family fabric, as the spouse is left out of occasions when they would previously have been included. Someone who has been important to them, perhaps even a Godparent or other close family member, is now shut out of their lives because they are no longer "family" in the way they were.

Friends are often caught in the middle of the warring parties, walking a tightrope between the ex-spouses, trying to remain friends with everyone. Eventually a new equilibrium will be found. Sadly, more often than you would think, that involves cutting both spouses from their lives, as they feel incapable of choosing one over the other, and thus, eliminate them both.

I found my own answer to this dilemma, and threw myself an "unwedding." I called it my Phoenix party, a way to rise from the ashes of what had been to something new and better. It gave me something positive to plan and look forward to, a focus on something new and different, and also encouraged other people to face the situation head on and deal with it along with me. It was a positive recognition of the huge change in my life, and one of the best things I've done for myself and my children in the aftermath of the devastation of a divorce.

I had my assistant pastor, a wonderful young woman who understood my need for God's blessing on the unmarriage, come and do a brief, but meaningful service for me and my children in front of the assembled friends and family. I wore my wedding dress, a ceremonial outfit fitting to the occasion. I chose the verses she read, and worked on things that would make the occasion meaningful to us. My children and I stood together and received a blessing that reassured us even though the marriage vows were broken, we were still a family worthy of God's grace.

And we partied, with food and drink and conversation. It turned out to be a fun occasion despite the serious moments, a celebration of our new life, a recognition that though a marriage had died, a family was broken, there was something new and wonderful that had now begun. It was, as all ceremonies are, a recognition of the new status that I would have, and it was important to me that it was done, not alone, but surrounded by people who cared about me.

I encourage anyone who has been through the agony of divorce to consider a similar unwedding ceremony. I have never understood how we could allow someone going through such a difficult and painful time to do so un-remembered and un-recognized. For me, what began in a church with the blessing of God needed to end with the blessing of God, as well. If you got married somewhere else, then you will find your own way to honor and remember the ending of your union, and usher in the new place where you find yourself in life. But don't ignore it, do it!

If you know someone in the throes of divorce, recognize the loss and the hurt of the death of what was, and encourage them to find a way to celebrate their new status. It is healing, comforting, and normal to honor someone when they are going through a huge change in their lives.

Five years ago, I started planning my Phoenix party, and it's one of the most positive things I've ever done for myself and my children. I encourage anyone who is experiencing the pain of divorce to consider a similar event. There aren't many resources out there to help you, but once you embrace the possibilities, you can make it an event that is entirely your own.

My email address is sarahisawalton[at]kc[dot]rr[dot]com. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about ways to honor your past and future with a ceremony that is entirely your own. It isn't for everyone, but it can be a lot of fun, and it provides a positive way to move ahead in a life that is new and different, but also worthwhile.

Embrace the possibilities!

Tripping the guilt fantastic....

I read a quote this morning that really struck a nerve with me. I don't know the author of it, but he or she certainly hit the nail on my head. "Faith is a journey, not a guilt trip."

Like most moms (I can't speak for dads, but from superficial appearances they seem to have less of it than moms do,) I have a load of guilt that I carry with me at all times. In fact, without something to feel guilty about, I am almost lost in space. I am accustomed to the burden on my back, in my mind, and in my heart. When I free up space by dropping part of the load, I rapidly fill the void right up again with something else.

I feel guilty about not having enough time to devote to my children, even though both are now living elsewhere. I feel guilty about not having enough money to help them with not only needs, but modest wants. I feel guilty that my yard is a mess because I don't have the inclination or energy to deal with it. I feel guilty that the dogs don't get walked enough, the rabbit spends too much time in his cage, the fish are swimming in dirty water. I feel guilty that I haven't replaced the cracked window, and my mulch has now become dust without adequate protection for the vegetation that needs it. I frequently feel inadequate at work, not up to the job that I have to do each day. I don't get my clothes washed, I don't get the house cleaned, I don't spend enough time with my mother. The list is pretty endless, and all are legitimate claims on my time and my attention that are getting shortchanged one way or another.

I think that simple phrase, life is a journey, not a guilt trip, encapsulates everything that is wrong with the culture of being a mom today. Unless you are superwoman, all things to all people all the time, you are going to shortchange someone or something worthy of more on a regular basis. But our time and energy are limited. We shouldn't waste the limited time we do have feeling guilty.

Good enough is no longer valued in our culture. We want The Biggest, The Best, The Most, The Highest, The Lowest. Whatever it is, we want to have it be the ultimate, so that no one has it better than we do.

This week, our Lenten journey takes us along the path of Too Needy. The greedy nature of being human makes us, by definition, needy. We always want more and better of whatever it is we have or want. But at some point, enough should be good enough. We should be able to stop and enjoy the blessings we already have, instead of constantly striving for something more.

Ambition is valued in our culture, revered even. But when blind ambition leads us to neglecting what we already have, then where is the value? And for that matter, where are our values?

I don't think I am a particularly needy person. I am pretty content in my life with what I have, and would just like to be able to sustain it without the wolf being at the door. My need, if it can be called that, seems to be carrying guilt that I haven't earned, that I don't really want, and which, at times, prevents me from enjoying the life I do have. It is a luxury to feel guilty, I have realized, another thing I cannot afford.

Space in my home is finite, and at some point, I have to get rid of what I already have if I want to add more. While there is infinite room in my heart for everyone that fills my life with love, including God, I think I have also cluttered up my faith life with unnecessary detritus. If I am carrying a load of guilt, where is the room for the grace?

In this week of examining what it is to be too needy, I am going to work on dropping the guilt, and simply be grateful for what I do have. Instead of worrying about what is wrong, I will focus on what is right. The alternative to need is not acquisition, although that is the instinctive response when we want something we don't have. I think, instead, the alternative should be to redistribute what we no longer have any use for. Not only is that cheaper, in the long run, it's more satisfying.

This week, I am going to try to let go of some of the guilt, and fill the space with the grace of God. It seems like a trade-off worth making.

Too Entertained....

Lent is a season of preparation and waiting. If we are faithful to the purpose, we spend 40 days challenging our faith and preparing ourselves for the grief of Good Friday, followed by the joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

This week, the theme of our Lenten journey at my church is “Too Entertained.” Celebrities, video games, movies, television, cell phones, computers – we are inundated with the culture of our times instead of the Jesus culture for all time. We think nothing of missing a Sunday service but wouldn’t dream of missing The Big Game or the latest celebrity gossip. Charlie Sheen is sacrificing his life for drugs and fame and we can’t get enough of it, while we shun Good Friday where Jesus sacrificed his life for our salvation. Too Entertained, indeed.

Technology is a wonderful thing. It has made life easier and safer, and given us extra hours in which to pursue activities purely for pleasure. God does not ask us to give up all earthly pleasures. On the contrary, God gave Adam his helpmate to make his life more pleasurable. Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding party. Time and time again the Bible refers to Jesus spending time with the people who were most important to him.

But when the pursuit of pleasure overtakes everything, it is a detriment to what is real and important in our lives. We have all seen teens walking around the mall, each one frantically tapping away on their cell phone while in the company of their friends, together, but alone, each in their own little electronic reality. They appear mesmerized by the screen they are holding in their hand, to the neglect of the people who are right there in front of their faces. It is sad, I think, that they have lost sight of the flesh and blood friends they are with for the illusion of what isn’t there.

Much like a teenager wrapped up in their cyberlife, I think many of us have substituted entertainment for time with God. I find it oddly disturbing that people can tell me all about the lives of the cast of characters on American Idol, but don’t know the last time they cracked the cover of their Bible or said a meaningful prayer that wasn’t a list of demands. We live next door to people and don’t know their names, but feel like we know total strangers because they are on television. We are distant, removed from the nitty gritty realities of life, instead of focusing on God and his place in our lives.

As I have thought this week about my own personal entertainments, the superficial pleasures available in our modern culture which I put before my faith, it was not hard to come up with any number of ways where I have focused on the profane realm instead of the sacred plane. I realized that for me, being too entertained is not about any particular thing. The problem won’t be solved by eliminating cell phones, or internet, or television, or movies or athletic events or award programs or board games, although that may temporarily remind us that we are focused on a higher goal.

Being Too Entertained is about putting other pursuits ahead of the love of our Lord, and the search for His presence and will in our lives. Dying on a cross is not entertaining, unless you count “The Passion of the Christ.” It is harsh. It is cruel. It makes us uncomfortable to think of Jesus hanging there with nails through his wrists and his feet, his life ebbing away with the blood running from his body, the final words he heard the mocking jeers of a crowd more focused on the entertainment of watching a man die than on the salvation of their own souls. In the act of sacrificing himself for us, that love which passes all understanding built the path to true joy and happiness, both in this life, and in the one to come.

The next time you have a conflict between church and another activity, remember that Jesus died, not to entertain you in an over-budget movie, but to save your soul. He was real, he was human, he felt our pain, and he took it with him into his battle with Satan for our souls. If we faithfully seek that path, eternal joy and satisfaction will be ours.

The world can keep its cheap entertainment. Give me Jesus, and my joy will be for all eternity.