Church Rituals and the Swine Flu

An announcement was made before mass started on Sunday. Due to the possible spread of swine flu, Bishop Wenski with advice from the Center for Disease Control has recommended: “Please do not hold hands during the reciting of the Our Father. Share the Sign of Peace WITHOUT touching hands or kissing. This can be done with meaningful eye contact, smiles, and a bow of the head in reverence to one another.” This resulted in some laughs and giggles from the congregation. I didn’t think it was funny. Was it because people were uncomfortable with this topic? When it came time to offer the sign of peace, I saw some people shake hands anyway. I exchanged some nods and peace signs. I figured “better safe than sorry.” The irony is that we were still offered to share the holy sacrament of blood by drinking from the same chalice.

Easter Pine Tree Crosses

We’re surrounded by pine trees where I live and I’m reminded of my brother who told me the story of the little crosses at the tops of pine trees. Just before Easter, new shoots of growth sprout from the tops of the pine trees and form crosses. (Here, I’ve taken a photo of some next to my yard.) They’re everywhere now. Glory to God!

On The Ball

I took a “Core and More” hour-long exercise class at my health club last night. I never knew you could do so many things with one of those large balls. I’ve only used one to do abdominal work and I usually feel a belly ache the next day. The instructor started with us standing and stretching alongside the ball on the floor. This was easy. Then, we held it in front of us and pushed it up and down and over to the side for awhile. Next, we held onto the wall and put it behind us rolling one straight leg over it while the other went into a kneeling lunge, then switched sides. These were killers to the butt and the legs. One exercise consisted of rolling, stomach on top of the ball, with outstretched hands like a push-up. These seemed to produce the most vocal grunts and groans by my classmates. We also balanced and squeezed the ball between our legs while on the floor in about four different positions. One part of the class, we didn’t use the ball, but we laid on our stomachs to use a flat nylon Frisbee “glider” to push our hands and arms around on the floor making stroke movements similar to swimming. We used some stretchy bands to work our shoulders and arms and used a few weights for our biceps and triceps. It was a good all-around workout and I’m not too sore (yet). I think it’s good to try something different and get out of your comfort zone, so I’ll probably go back next week.

Happy Birthday WWW

The WWW just turned 20 today and we couldn’t imagine life without it. I’m talking about the World Wide Web developed by Tim Berners-Lee and other European scientists so they could exchange their research information around the world. I wonder if they ever imagined how pervasive it would become. I mean if we want to know the weather forecast, we don’t wait to hear it on the radio or TV news. If we want to learn more about a health symptom, we no longer have to wait to see the doctor. If we want to communicate with our hometown family and friends, we don’t have to make several long-distance telephone calls. If we want a special recipe for unusual banana bread, we don’t have to personally ask a lot of people and then write it down. If we want to learn how to make a beautiful flower arrangement, we don’t have to take a six-week course. If we want to read an excerpt from a book, we don’t have to go to the library or bookstore. If we want to send photos of our children to our families, we don’t have to wait to have the pictures printed first. If we want to renew our driver’s license, we don’t have to go to the DMV. If we want to check our bank account balance, we don’t have to go to the bank or make phone call. If we want to go shopping, we don’t have to go to the mall. If we want to know what to do on our next vacation, we don’t have to hire a travel agent. If we want to meet other people, we don’t have to go outside of our homes. If we want our thoughts and ideas to be known, we don’t have to hire a PR firm. (So I could go on and on with this blog, but I won’t.)
If you want to do any of these things I’ve mentioned, you can accomplish them on the World Wide Web.

Seize The Moment

I was driving home on US 1 along the Indian River the other day when I noticed traffic backed up on my usual turn down Malabar Road. I decided to continue south on the more scenic route and possibly beat the train that was stalling traffic. When, I came upon my next turn, the sight of a colorful parasail coasting along the river caught my attention. I thought about stopping on the roadside to watch the parasurfer, but was in a hurry to get home. I turned down the street and was stopped by the blinking lights of the railroad crossing. I did not beat the train. So, there I sat watching at least a hundred freight cars go by when I could have been enjoying the view of a beautiful parasail gliding in the wind. Next time, I will stop and seize the moment.

Permanence?

I’m beginning to think more about the concepts of forms, consciousness, and permanence. Every “thing” is just a “form” and we are conscious souls according to Eckhart Tolle, author of “A New Earth.” That reminds me of the story of how and where my husband and I met, dated and were married. We agreed to meet for drinks on a blind date at a Mexican-chain restaurant, “El Torito”. Years later, that beautiful stucco and tile roof building was demolished and a Best Buy and a parking lot were built in its place. On the same evening that we met, we enjoyed pizza across the street at a locally-owned Italian restaurant called “Page One”, also the place where my sister held her wedding rehearsal dinner two years earlier. Years later, that restaurant was demolished and replaced with a “Barnes and Noble” bookstore. Our first kiss was in the parking lot of a comedy club inside a Ramada Inn which is no longer in operation. My husband and I dated for a couple years. He proposed to me after dinner at The Crow's Nest, a riverside restaurant that's since been domolished. I’m sure there were other establishments that have come and gone. We were married at St. Joseph Catholic Church, which was remodeled and looks quite different, but still stands. On February 13th, we will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, so we are permanently united souls no matter what forms remain.

In Search of Tahini

I love to try recipes and a big recipe book came with my son’s new Magic Bullet blender. I decided to make homemade hummus. The recipe is fairly easy, except for one elusive ingredient, tahini paste. Tahini paste is actually ground-up sesame seeds. After checking the ethic foods aisle and the spices and dressings aisle, I asked a Publix supermarket employee where to find it. He took me to the produce section, but couldn’t find it there. Then, he said, “Wait a minute, let me go up front and ask someone.” Minutes later, while I hung out in the produce section, he came back around from the other side of the store and said it’s on aisle three (the ethic foods section). I followed him and we both searched again. No luck. Of course, I didn’t really know what I was looking for. He thought it was in a tube. I thought it might be in a jar. It might have been easier to make my own, but searching for sesame seeds might be another story. Then, he left to ask another employee who came down the aisle and pointed right at the seven-ounce yellow can on the top shelf. I thought it was a bit expensive at $7.49, but felt obligated to buy it. So, we’re going to be making a lot of hummus.
Whether you make your own tahini paste or buy a can, the hummus recipe is:
1 can (14 oz.) of chick peas a.k.a garbanzo beans drained
1/3 cup chicken stock
3 cloves of garlic (I put in 4 and it was too garlicky)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. tahini paste
Blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl, drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with warm pita bread triangles. Wa-la, just like the Greek restaurant.