1/25/10

Breakfast of Champions

I tried the organic, whole wheat, real fruit "toaster pastries" that were on sale this week. Normally something this delish wouldn't be a breakfast option for our family, but a sale is a sale. Don't let the natural ingredients fool you. It's still a pop tart--and it's good.

That's my new coffee cup that David bought me for Christmas. It was from Starbucks and it came with a white pen. The idea was that the kids would write their names on it and maybe draw some pictures, and after you "bake" the mug in the oven, the white paint is permanent. I was so excited. But then the white pen didn't work. At all. And Starbucks was super lame and wouldn't take the present back (long story that would put you to sleep so I'll skip it) so now I have a mug in which I get to imagine my kids' artwork.

It's Monday morning and Carver and Z are at school. Lily is home with sinus crud, but she's happy and flitting around the house making rubber band balls. She just reported that one of her gerbils is not moving its back legs. Which makes me seriously wonder how a gerbil becomes paralyzed from the waist down. So tonight I will greet David at the door with a kiss, a blunt object, and "Hi, honey! What's the best way to kill a gerbil quickly and painlessly?" I imagine he will thank me very much for that.

Christina brought this article to my attention. About a family that downsized their lives and donated a lot of money. It's a fantastic article and I can't wait to read the book. Jayme and Melodie have both discussed their desire to give more. I have discussed my desire to give more. I struggle with the dilemma of giving to several organizations that I deeply love, or do I pick one and make a concentrated effort to give as much as I can to that one charity. Which option makes more of a difference?

And I'll just throw this out there. My heart now yearns to adopt from Haiti. I guess we probably all feel that way, but I want to scream, "Enough is enough with all the orphans in the world!" Let's get to work, people! At church yesterday my heart was so conflicted. I weep and ask, Why? Why so much suffering? Why so many orphans? Why such devastation in such a downtrodden country? And I have no answers.

I don't know what our future holds, but I know I am not ready to say, "I'm comfortable now. Let's chill."

5 comments:

jayme said...

So I was going to write a comment, but that quickly became a novel, and rather than taking up space here, I'm posting my response on my blog. Lots to think about, as always.

And Christina, I want to invite you to read my blog, but I have no idea how. Can you e-mail me? jayme _ gualtier (at) yahoo

I really wish blogger made it easier to invite people to read private blogs!!!

Melodie Monberg said...

Ouch...that was a tough article for me to read because it is something I can do but really, really, really don't want to. So I'm sitting on it today, this week, this month, this year?

cathy said...

don't be so hard on yourself, melodie. at least it gets us all to think. it's a great starting point.

Chatter said...

I can't imagine ever saying "I'm comfortable now, let's chill" (not saying that offensive - just thinking about my own life). I think I'm incapable of thinking that way (as are you).

You've been writing some very thought provoking post Cathy and I'm really enjoying them. It's good to question ourselves. Because if we don't, we aren't trying hard enough. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for making me question myself even more!!
Chandra

Vivi said...

I read a different article about that family (in the NYT article) just this weekend. Wow. The thought of that takes me so far out of my comfort zone that I kind of shut down. I need to re-engage and think of what I am willing/could do to help.