My December

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redemption

He is full of surprises, always up to something. I have not forgotten the cross, but I have displaced my focus as of late. Tonight, I stood in church and was once again invigorated, enlivened with gratitude and with Hope. His grace is invincible, unable to be tarnished by even the truculent disgrace. Tonight, I stood and laughed with pure joy as I sang amidst the crowd. Tonight, I was reminded that I must laugh at myself if I am ever to survive.

To be able to relate to any and all is the mark of true greatness in conversation. To be able to listen, the mark of true graciousness in conversation. To be able to inspire others to greatness is the sole insuperable quality of a sincere leader. Facing a new world in January, Americans must remember the art of conversation, the power of sincerity, and the necessity for truth.

It is the responsibility of my generation to pay it forward: to use the influence of our parents and grandparents to foster good, to carry on His legacy. Afterall, His love is the best thing we can ever offer someone.

state your business

If you were a business, what product would you sell? Would you be a retail store, always searching for divine applatus in order to attract the crowd? Would you be a plumbing company, always cleaning up someone else's waste? Or, would you be a major corporation, a charitable and important organization, but always forgetting about the "little people." Would you be an internet company, using the world wide web to lure people off their feet and onto the couch? What about a bank, a lending organization that eats, sleeps, and breathes by money?

What do you offer the world?

Me, you ask? Well, I imagine myself to be a chain of cinemas, always showing the latest blockbuster box office hit, but still always full of drama.

firsts at thanksgiving

First Thanksgivings apart from family are never easy. Sure, they can be filled with cheesy board games and endless rounds of catchphrase, walks in the park after stuffing yourself to the brim, or even the ever-famous long nap. Nonetheless, they are never the same away from home.

Among firsts, I did try a new dish this year: Quinoa. It was delicious. This native seed from the goosefoot family, is grown in Chile and Peru, and is probably one of the tastiest spoonfuls I have ever slipped between my lips. It made being away from home a little easier, and certainly made my smile a little brighter. I thought you might like to try it as well. So, here's to new things. May they always bring out the best. And, Happy Thanksgiving.


Warm Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 orange, juiced
Cumin, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the squash with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread onto a foil covered baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, turn and bake for an additional 15 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup lightly salted water and 1/2 cup quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.

In a separate saute pan heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sage and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is soft, but not browned. Add the orange juice, cumin, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss the orange juice mixture with the quinoa. Add the butternut squash and toss to combine. Serve warm, garnished with sage leaves if desired.

**Recipe courtesy of: http://www.dishingupdelights.blogspot.com/

change of heart

In an interesting conversation with a dear friend the other day, my heart was softened a bit more as she casually responded to my tales of world travel. I truly believe that the more elaborate my stories became (I was not embellishing but sharing with enthusiasm), the more simple her responses. After blabbering for nearly ten minutes, I stopped for a breath, and she said, "how interesting it will be for you to go home to your family this Christmas, knowing that they haven't traveled anywhere and that's okay." Cue: foot in mouth.

Until that moment, life, in my exclusive opinion, centered on travel, exploration, knowledge, and agressive excitement. My selfishness had kept me from understanding that although I throw myself into everything, I have no business imposing my life on anyone else. My life is no more important than the next one and I am responsible for getting involved with other people, not making them get involved with me.

Her words made me more excited to go home, more excited to be alive. To affect a mindset is one thing; to put it into action, another. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.

memory lane

The memory flash: the comic-strip replay of some far-away experience suddenly so near and real that you feel as if you are re-living it. I've been attacked by them lately, one staged scene after another. Now, before you shove me into the box labeled "crazy people," let me first explain that I imagine my mind's raillery is merely a result of stress. The Holidays are upon us all, the season of joy, the season for stress. My time here is now less than one month, and my life is on the brink of a new direction...once again. Standing at the fork in the road is certainly daunting and sometimes the most confusing moment of the journey. So, one trip down memory lane after another it is.

Sparing details of my life way-back-when, I will simply tell you that I am beginning to understand my own behavioral patterns, my callow attempts at sophistication. As a typical over-analyst, I tend to stress about everything because I try to understand everything. Every minor catastrophe is usually major. But I am beginning to notice that the journey into womanhood is eventually lined with post-traumatic laughter, instead of the normal bucketfuls of tears. Let's try another cliché: it just ain't that bad.

It is true that as my perspective of Him changes, my perspective of what was changes, which changes my perspective of what is and what will be. He casually shifts our mental paradigm and changes our lives forever. Suddenly we don't just see Truth but we can actually focus on it and are enlivened by it. I've told you this already, but I've got to say it again: my life just gets better and better.

not just for them, but with them

My life changed forever tonight. "That my kids know that I love them is not enough. I want them to know that I love to be with them," Laetitia said.

To play, to laugh, to love. Such are the desires I have for my own children. For them to be able to have the best in life, they have to have the best of me, and my best is not just being around them, but being with them. My best is not just doing for them, but doing with them. My best is not just applauding them after the big game, but cheering for them during the game. My best is not just providing for them, but creating with them. My best is not just hearing what they do say, but listening to what they don't say. My best is being their hands-on-number-one-fan, making sure that they know I am there before the game starts, every moment of play, all the way to the high five I give them on the way to the car. My best is putting them first and foremost in every move I make.
There is a magic in laughter that inspires love and encourages play. You can laugh without loving, but I doubt you can love without laughing. Likewise, you can play without loving, but you can't love without playing. How unfortunate that the majority of Americans believe that hours worked=level of success. We forget to enjoy the important things, using our obsession with trinkets as a replacement for good ol' fashioned time with loved ones. Let's put fun back into the budget.

Here's to the future. May it be full of productive play, rather than just hard work.

The San Diego Zoo: the world-renowned playground for animals, both familiar and exotic. Transporting the guests into a fairy tale land of wolves who play with sea lions and panda bears who live next door to polar bears, the infamous and extensive neighborhood of animals is not only delightful but incredible. One day's sunlight is simply not enough to wonder at the stalwart silverback gorilla, the African spotted cheetah, the wild warthogs, the 1-million bees making honey, and the koalas before spending time feeding and caressing the Barbary sheep and lambs in the kids' petting zoo. It is a bit surreal to be able to traverse the globe in less than 8 hours.
But, in all honesty, it is the history of the zoo that left me agog. As he passed through Balboa Park, located in the heart of San Diego, local surgeon Harry Wegeforth heard the roar of a lion. All of a sudden, clarity struck him, proposing that he build a zoo right there, right next to the urban landmark. Lucky for him, his prosperity afforded him the opportunity to invest in such a pursuit, and the birth of the San Diego Zoo was scheduled for 1917, one year later. Tireless and relentless in his fundraising efforts, he successfully created a historic landmark, a must see for Americans who were still acclimating themselves to the latest craze: the car. As always, allow me to draw parallels. All around technology was changing the world. Ford had barely begun manufacturing cars in assembly line fashion, the phone was changing the world with dialing capabilities, the "flapper era" was well underway. Then, in the midst of the natural world, the San Diego Zoo was born. Need I explain the irony? When we tune in to silence-- avoiding the noise of society--imagination strikes. Clarity comes. We are most capable of changing the world when we pay attention to it. After all, it is when we attend to His creation that we are most useful.

"Consistency is the foundation of virtue," Sir Francis Bacon said. Swimming through my mind as I relax ocean side, this powerful phrase is once again making waves in my life. The process of creating a habit of success is neverending and always changing. With children around nearly every moment of every day, I toss myself into countless situations that are nothing more than chances to practice kindness and creativity in effort to train and mold the kids' character as well as mine. Distractions often arise, surrepticiously shadowing the light of consistency. For me, the challenge is to bridle my passionate attempts at perfection (not just for myself, but for these children as well) while letting loose a tactful tenderness. Nonetheless, the end result is always the same desire: virtue.

Let's not forget that the craving to be obeyed persistently attacks the effort to be virtuous, and I can only accredit the ability to overcome such sudden interferences to the emanation of His light in me. What is left from His light is a gracious heart and a bright smile, energizing and impacting those around me.

I am headed into the last month of my tenure here, and my love for these kids is evermore burgeoning. I cannot imagine how to appropriately say "thank you" with words or actions that actually articulate the gratitude overflowing from my soul. Each new venture I undertake is an unforgettable spotlight on the straight and narrow road on which I am travelling. I am revitalized with each new day, invigorated with hope for what is to come.

road trip

At the risk of humiliating myself, I admit that I actually have home videos of myself passionately performing the tunes of the once famous Celine Dion. Yes, I did once know all lyrics to all of her songs, in particular those from her "Unison" debut album. She carressed the world with soft ballads that linger especially in nostaligic moments. So, not surprisingly, as I rode my bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and around the Gold Rush City, I began wondering, 'Where does my heart be now?' I had never seen anything so glorious. I had never instantly fallen in love with a city (well, with anything, for that matter). The world of San Fransisco snatched my soul, enlivening it once again with a vigorous tenacity for life, and I will forever remember that I did, in fact, leave my heart there.
The open-air feeling of a road trip is #1 on the uncontested "must experience" list. To drive along the West Coast, simultaneously marveling at and relishing in the sublime tranquility all around. When the road trip leads you to a wonder-world, a place where you are hands-on with history, walking the same streets as Robert Frost, Jack London, Mark Twain, and Charles Ginsburg, you will only remember the jaw-dropping sensation you couldn't shake. Eternally etched in your memory are the blissful moments spent discovering the city in a classic 1924 car, the fresh sourdough bread accompanied by a fresh cup of tea in the morning, the tranquil evenings spent enjoying the local eateries, the long walks through the world-famous metropolitan areas, or even the quaint, warm villages you browsed while driving along the coast. You remember that you once had a plan for your future, but now you can't help but wonder, 'Where does my heart beat now?' You've fallen in love with life once again, thanks to a whirlwind road trip.
I did leave my heart in San Fransisco, but I brought back home with me a new heart, once again full of energy and transformed into a powerhouse of passion. It is with this new passion that my heart will go on.