jails, hospitals, schools, government buildings, homes-all rubble
100,000 are feared dead in Haiti. Let us reflect on this prayer by St Francis, and seek to aid the people of this country with care and compassion.
Prayer Of St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
The earthquake in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, will cause the death of so many. Estimates are now calculated at over 100,000. All major government buildings are down, the schools, the hospitals, the jails–just rubble. It makes the Katrina disaster look like a picnic by the sea.
Even before this earthquake some Haitians kill hunger pains by eating mud cakes, or mixing dirt in with cornmeal to make in last longer.
BUT! Don’t feel too overwhelmed to help.
Efforts are mobilizing: Here is a link to what is being done.
Here are a few simple ways to start helping right away:
World Relief is responding immediately –Donate nowto help the most vulnerable – families and children – in the immediate aftermath. Emergency kits will be distributed that will include items such as ready-to-eat food, water and a blanket. Time is critical. You can respond with any amount you are able to give.
• Doctors Without Borders is asking for donations to help the emergency response teams in Haiti. Donate with a debit or credit card at https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org.
• The Red Cross is taking donations via text messages. Text the word HAITI to the number 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It’ll show up on your phone bill. Or donate online atRedCross.org.
• Operation Helping Hands, a joint community project of The Miami Herald and United Way-Miami, will be collecting donations to support the relief effort in Haiti.
This dish is a southern classic. A tangy, juicy, salty fried-up batch of awesome. I just re-watched the 1991 film of the same name, inspired by the book (of the same name) by Fannie Flagg. If you’ve never seen the movie, it’s quite good. It reminds us of the power and rescue of community and friendship.
The book by Flagg, is quite a bit better than the movie, and comes peppered with recipes of simply delicious southern cuisine. Pies, meat dishes, side dishes, goodies. If you want to spruce up your menu, check out the book from the library. I saw it on amazon.com, new, for $15.
When tomatoes aren’t ripening toward the end of the season, or for sale at a farmers market, pick them while they are firm and still juicy, and before red spots start. I made up a batch of fried green tomatoes from the recipe below, and it was fabulous. (Mind you, I like fried food. I’d even be tempted to eat a deep fried boot.) Usually when something edible is fried is ventures into the realm of superior in some way.
Fried Green Tomatoes –
1 medium green tomato (per person)
salt
pepper
white cornmeal (some use flour instead, about a cup)
bacon drippings
(some also use a bit of cayenne pepper too)
Directions:
Slice tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick, season with salt and pepper to taste, and then coat both sides with cornmeal. (some do this in a plastic bag.)
In a large skillet, heat enough bacon drippings to coat the bottom of the pan, and fry tomatoes until lightly browned on both sides (about 2 min each side)
Have you tried them?
I hope you give it a try, if you never have made them before.
Will he feel nice on your neck? Creepy crawlies give some the heebie jeebies!
Heebie Jeebies is similar to the British term “Screaming Habdabs,” a phrase which I am quite fond of. You got to love it! If I used it, however, not too many would understand me in the place with my greatest readership-the USA. Both are non sense rhyming phrases used to describe a feeling of anxiety or apprehension, or worse.
Lots of things can bring them on. Perhaps, later, you can contribute a few situations that give you the heebie jeebies. For now, try this self-test to see if you are highly susceptible to their onset. HAVE FUN!
DIRECTIONS:
Answer each with one of the following-
A. Rarely or Never True.
B. Sometimes True.
C. Mostly or Always True
Keep track of your answers!
1. The thought of drinking unidentified, or identified “floaters” in your beverage gives you a weird taste in your mouth, or funny feeling in your stomach (and you won’t do it.)
2. Using a stranger’s chapstick is unreasonable.
3. The licking of fingers in public drives you to distraction.
4. You can envision the horrid (potential) consequences of sending food back when you dine out.
5. Anything with more legs than you should be regarded with suspicion.
6. Smells like Patchouli, Musk, incense, and funky grandma’s basement induce a foreboding atmosphere for you.
7. You have the general belief that most bad things happen after dark.
8. You have checked under your bed, in your closet, or shower for security reasons.
9. If it weren’t for the creepy music, plenty of movies wouldn’t be so freakin’ scary.
10. Snakes are unexplainably weird or creepy.
SCORING:
A. answers = 1 point
B. answers = 3 points
C. answers = 5 points
• If you got 35-50 points, you are a heebie jeebie type, and very susceptible. Future posts written here will be of great help to you. For now, build your confidence with baby steps, venture out within groups, and work on your “control issues.” Just saying…
• 20-35 points indicates a moderate susceptibility for the heebie jeebies. The range is fairly normal, and only once in a while will you have a full blown attack of the screaming habdabs. It is quite likely that you associate with “Full-On Habdaders,” so stay informed, send them this way to educate themselves, and learn all you can to support them. Future posts will be of assistance.
• 10-20 points indicates a resistance to the heebie jeebies, which often can point toward inner strength, maturity, or a rational mind. More often however, it signals denial and a shut off emotional life were barriers have been erected to keep things out, including love. If this erection lasts more than four hours, consult your doctor, counselor or pastor. It is a sorry state indeed. There will be additional information for this part of the heebie jeebie spectrum too, so come back within the next ten days. For now, find small ways to open up, let your guard down, or not be so uptight. In the long run, the benefits will outweigh the risks and downsides.
NOW- it’s YOUR turn.
Tell us what gives you the Heebie Jeebies?
I’ll set up a poll with the most common answers, and put it to a vote for most heebie jeebyish.
Anything odd habdab you have to admit?
(fear of puppies maybe?)
If you had fun, there are several other “similar” self-tests at this site. Search the categories at the bottom of the page for “self-test,” and enjoy!
On Sunday mornings I’m reserving my home, and my coffee for friends who want to enjoy it with me, along with some snacks, and a bit of time to converse about the things of life and God. (9:15-10:10 a.m.)
I’ve decided, if my husband makes the coffee, we won’t be forced to look at passages in He-brews. (A few coffee and Bible jokes there. Not very good ones, though. Sorry.)
I may create a home page tab to reflect specifically on our times together, and the topics, or the insights that come from it. Feedback on this idea would be appreciated.
If you join us for Jehovah Java Coffee Club time, or plan to, or would like to join in “at a distance,” please be encouraged to continue our conversation after posts, or add your input.
Today’s topic was entered as the previous post, Sunday Homily.
