Clothed like the lilies of the field?

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Luke 12:27

I suspect you all have opinions on appropriate dress for the leaders of worship. Do you want a chance to share your opinions? There is an electronic survey taking place and you are invited to share your views. The survey is part of some research being done by the Young Clergywomen Project. Already there have been 350 responses and they are especially looking for more participation by laity. You have till July 1st to participate.

If you want a chance to take the survey, please click the link. It isn’t a long survey and I would guess you could easily finish it in under 10 minutes.

If you are a British Methodist it might be helpful background for you to know that the survey does not take into account the local preacher system. It presumes that the folks leading most services are clergy, thus all the questions involving clerical collars. This is the case because no major US denomination has a similar system of trained lay preachers regularly leading worship. However, with this background info the gist of the questions will be clearer if you want to participate.

If you are interested in the Young Clergywomen Project check out their e-zine which has new articles posted twice a week. It is entitled Fidelia’s Sisters and is a good read.

Meals I Have Known

It is nice to have Ted back, but with him around full-time and permanently I am reminded that he is a bit cheeky. Today as we were eating lunch I was recalling a conversation I remember from over 10 years ago. As I shared the story about the theme of the conversation I intermingled food details. In this case the conversation I was speaking of took place in a Malaysian restaurant over a noodle dish.

Ted cheekily replied that if I ever wrote an autobiography he was sure the title would be Meals I Have Known. I pretended to be insulted… and then we both snickered at the fact he is probably right. It is true, I do have a habit of remembering the food related details of places or interactions.

For instance,

• when thinking about the multiple trips I have made to visit family in Daytona Beach, Florida I tend to distinguish between them by where we ate and I fondly remember the time when we had wonderful linguine with clam sauce;
• the scenery of the Danube and the wrong turns taken while wandering the streets of Budapest around the security-conscious neighborhood of the US Embassy, with Ted and my folks, to find the goulash that deserved its good recommendation in Zagat’s;
• the excitement of family wedding receptions, including mine, and their delicious & distinctive Middle Eastern food (including the all-important garlic sauce which someone mistakenly presumed were mashed potatoes… ouch!);
• hanging out with Ted’s Southern family and overly sweet (iced) tea at Mickey Pigg’s, a great Southern BBQ joint;
• visiting with Mom’s extended family over sausage, gravy and the roar of small airplanes at the diner at the Chino airport;
• on a walk by the river Ted proposed to me and after hugging and kissing we walked back to the visitor center of the park to share a bowl of soup because it was the only thing the restaurant, which was about to close for the day, would still serve us;
• the trip of a lifetime Middle East Travel Seminar experience where with fellow seminarians I saw lots of Roman ruins and other amazing things and on which I ate a lot of hummus, pita, pickles, and in Greece had the best fried calamari ever (it was so good it has ruined me for all other fried calamari since);
• my family’s New Year’s tradition in which the Rose Parade and yeast waffles have equal importance,
• traveling back to school in Georgia with a suitcase full of my favorite Trader Joe’s items (they only opened a Georgia store after I left the state);
• family gatherings are only complete with Red Jello (jelly, to you Brits) Salad (I don’t usually have the patience to let it set before digging into the first bowlful);
• Mary, my mother-in-love, being the first person to serve me chicken ‘n dumplings and when I mentioned that to my mom she seemed to think this caused her a demerit a high-profile event in the motherhood Olympics where moms seemingly get points for introducing their children to important life experiences, of which chicken ‘n dumplings is apparently one;
• my honeymoon where Ted and I tried garlic ice cream in a place that claims to be the Garlic capital of the world;
• and the agonizing process of my indecisive family choosing a restaurant to eat out in, which always ends with someone who doesn’t like the options mentioned so far further complicating the situation by suggesting, “We could always eat at the Chinese Muslim place!”

The above is just a disorganized list of examples that came to my mind. Clearly some holidays and events, like (American) Thanksgiving, are so centered around food they don’t rate mention here as food memories because I presume that food is central to everybody’s memories of those occasions. What I am taking about are other events where generally food has a less prominent role and to many could be considered an incidental detail. I don’t think my propensity for remembering food details is odd (Of course it is! – Ted), but perhaps it is and I am just used to how my mind works. Food memories are integral parts of the way I remember things. I don’t know if this is a learned or inherent trait, but it is just the way I am.

Perhaps then, it should be no surprise that I feel called to life as a Christian minister where ordinary bread and wine take on great importance when they remind us of God’s hospitality and love for us. May you find warmth, love and friendship in the meals that you share.