Memorial Day

So it's Memorial Day.  I often feel a sense of conflict when holidays such as this or Independence Day or Veterans' Day come around.  On one hand, I do not want to minimize the lives of young American men and women lost on battlefields and in war zones.   I do not want to be naive to the fact that so many veterans are not cared for properly when they try to return to normal lives after being scarred physically or emotionally from the reality of war.  I do not want to forget the courageous stories I heard told from my Granddaddy Roy who served in the Navy during World War II and watched dear friends die beside him.

And yet, there is this other part of me that hesitates to join into patriotic events with full-force.  I have learned enough about history to know that this "land of the brave and the free" has not always used its courage to defend the most vulnerable in its country or in other nations, nor has it always extended the freedoms it so values equally among its members.  I know that as a young child I was taught history from the perspective of the victors - the Christopher Colombuses, the George Washingtons, and the Patrick Henrys.  It took many years before I learned history from the perspective of the defeated - the Native Americans, the enslaved Africans, the women, the minorities whose new faces and languages were usually always greeted with dis-trust, if not hatred (and which whom continue to be greeted in such a way). 

I also have a difficult time celebrating military exploits and victories.  I have come to believe that the sons and daughters of our national enemies are not so different from our own sons and daughters and that they, too, are children of God.  And so I cannot rejoice while other mothers are weeping.  I have come to believe that our true enemies - hatred, racism, terrorism, ethnocentrism, greed - are not overcome by weapons of violence or revenge.  As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."  And so instead, I believe that Jesus knew what he was talking about when he taught his followers to love and bless their enemies.  The real victories belong to those who creatively overcame these "true enemies" with weapons of love, creativity, and non-violence.

And so why do I choose to write about this on this blog?  Well, as a suburban girl trying to live with a global consciousness, I do not think it wise to look at things solely from my own national perspective.  However grateful I am to be am American citizen and to enjoy the privileges of that fact, I in no way think that my status makes me superior to any other citizen of the world.  And so on this Memorial Day, I must remember not only those American soldiers who have suffered and died, but also those other sons and daughters here and around the globe who have suffered and died, for what holds us in common is much more that what keeps us apart. 


As a side note, my husband has been listening to A Peoples History of America by Howard Zinn, which tells the story of America from the perspective of the Defeated, rather than the Victors.

Little Luxuries from the Land

Those of us from my generation, and I suppose even our parents' generation, cannot remember a time before super-markets.  A time when strawberries and greens were only eaten in early summer, tomatoes and peppers were only offered in mid-summer, and when pumpkins, potatoes, and apples were only available in the fall.  And as for avocados.... well, what were they anyway?  For the generations before us, winter meant eating produce in canned, frozen, or in some other preserved form.

Yes, as a modern-day "glo-burbanite" I am privileged to enjoy eating just about any food from around the globe which seems to have miraculously made its way to a little neat pile on the shelves of my local super-market.  And then of course, I even have the option to visit all sorts of cross-cultural restaurants.  If I feel like Italian, I might go to the Olive Garden.  If I am feeling a little Southeast Asian, there are delicious Thai and Indian restaurants nearby.  Or I could fulfill my Mexican taste-buds at Alebrije! 

It's easy to lose touch with how much of the rest of the world functions without all of these luxuries.  And yet sometimes, I think, we suburbanites miss out on some little luxuries of being part of the natural order of growing and harvesting seasons.

That is one of the reasons I love being a part of a community-supported-agriculture (CSA) co-op.  This is our third year being members of Lancaster County Farm Fresh Co-op.  Our membership enables us to support local, organic farmers (in an era where farmers find it very difficult to make profits) while enjoying fresh, delicious, and nutritious produce from May to November!  Being a part of a CSA co-op has also taught me about the rhythm of seasonal produce.  And so we eat broccoli when it's in season and kale when it's in season and butternut squash when it's in season.  And I preserve as much as I can so that we can enjoy  frozen zucchini or pureed pumpkin in muffins throughout the winter.

I feel we have now gained a "taste" for how many around our world live and eat from year to year.  There is an excitement that comes with waiting for certain foods to grow and eat.  You can only imagine my anticipation for fresh salsa and BLT's, since we have bought a rare tomato since last summer!  There is an eagerness to be resourceful so that no leaf of arugula is wasted, but is instead turned into pesto.  And there is a gratefulness to the earth, to our Creator, and to the hard-working farmers who have so diligently nurtured seeds into fruit for our nourishment and joy!

If you share my enthusiasm for eating fresh and local, you MUST know about this fantastic cookbook, entitled Simply in Season which organizes recipes by what is in season.  You may also enjoy following this blog, Thy Hand Hath Provided, where a very passionate woman raises most of her food on her own land and posts the most delicious recipes with step-by-step pictures.

Fair-Trade Flowers, Birthing Kits, and Mothers Day

By now I hope you have already made plans on how to celebrate your mother (moms tend to like that), but in case you haven't or want to try something different next year, here are some giving ideas that benefit more than just your mother.

If you're at all like me, you may find yourself having an internal dialogue such as this when holidays like Mothers Day turn up.  How much money should I spend?  I don't want to buy something just to benefit large corporations like Hallmark..  In fact, am I feeling pressured to give something just to keep up with the Jones'... or just out of obligation?  Well, if I am going to get a gift, I don't want it to be a needless purchase that will end up in a landfill in less than a year.  Hmm.... what to do? 

Let's face it.  Holidays are part of our cultural celebrations, and I love a good excuse to go out on a date on Valentines' or get together with the family on Mothers Day.  I just don't want to play a part in the wasteful consumerism that seems to go along with the package.  That's why I love some of these creative ideas that keep coming through my email.  They're gifts that honor moms while remembering other moms around the world who struggle to feed their kids or struggle to have a voice or overcome a history of sexual abuse.  Of course, there are MANY other great ways to give on Mothers Day (flowers, cards, homemade gifts, taking Mom out to eat, etc...), and I still buy Hallmark cards for my mom and grandmother.  I just thought it would be cool to highlight some not-so-typical ways to celebrate important women in our lives.

Fair-trade Flowers!   Change.org helped to pressure 1-800-Flowers to begin carrying fair-trade flowers so that consumers have the option to buy flowers from companies they know uphold the workers rights of their gardeners.  Cool, huh?



Help a mother help her child!   Through Church World Service, you can buy a birthing kit for $35 or pay for two women to take a literacy class for $50.  Or choose another gift option.




Help 65 mothers get HIV-testing!  Though UNICEF USA you can help 65 women determine whether or not their babies will need treatment for HIV so they can live past their first birthdays.


Tread on Sex-Trafficking!  You can send a wicked, cool email to a mom  that tells her you donated to LOVE 146 which helps to rescue and rehabilitate girls from sex-trafficking. 


I'd love to hear other creative ways you may be celebrating your mom this Mothers Day.  And don't forget to honor a single mom that you know!  They deserve to be honored for all of the hard work, love, and sacrifices they make for their children which often go unrecognized.

Three Cups of Tea... or None?

I read a very inspiring book a couple of years ago.  A lot of people did.  It was called Three Cups of Tea, and it was written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  It told an amazing story of one man's mission to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly for girls, some in extremely remote villages, some in places occupied by the Taliban.  I decided to buy three copies of the book and hand two out as gifts.  After all, a portion of the proceeds would go to Greg Mortenson's non-profit, the Central Asia Institute and would help build more schools for more girls.

Many of us got excited.  School children around the country organized Pennies for Peace and gave their donations to the CAI.  President Obama donated $100,000.00 to the efforts.  Thousands of people donated thousands of dollars.

So you can imagine our shock and horror when 60 Minutes released a story on Greg Mortenson just two weeks ago, revealing that CAI's funds appear to be mismanaged and there are alleged exaggerations, perhaps even lies, written in his books.  Even with all of the evidence stacking against his honesty, it is difficult for some, including myself, to write him off as a complete fraud.  Afterall, his efforts seem to have produced many schools, and certainly his books and speeches have put a spot-light on the need for girls' education in the Middle East. 

Nevertheless, for those involved in non-profit work, such as Shalini Nataraj, vice-president of programs for the Global Fund for Women, his story has cast shadow upon the integrity of non-profit organizations and has added to the skepticism that many feel when asked to donate their money to a certain cause.  People want to trust where their money is going.  They want to know it is being put into the right hands and is actually making a difference somewhere.

I do, too.  That is why I really appreciated listening to Shalini Nataraj's comments on NPR's Forum program.  She reminded the public that there are many good non-profits worth giving donations to, but we must make a little effort to get to know them.

First of all, we must look at their financial integrity.  Do they have open-access to their records?  Are they given high marks from non-profit watchdogs like Charity Navigator or the American Institute of Philanthropy?

Secondly, how long have they been around?  The Global Fund for Women, as Shalini Nataraj points out, has been around for almost 25 years and has been making very successful strides in educating girls and women in the Middle East.

Thirdly, who is leading the work?  It seems the most successful NGO's are those that are led locally.  The Global Fund for Women differs from Mortenson's work because it puts money directly into the hands of local women leaders who know best how that money should be utilized for their communities.

This unfortunate story of a fallen "hero" is a lesson to me to be more vigilant when looking into donating to charities in the future.  There are many good people doing many good things.  May we continue to support their efforts as we are able.