Daily Fiber

So my work life and my home life have been a little chaotic lately.  Here it is Wednesday, and I am just getting to to Monday’s post. 

On the work front: After a very long renovation project, we are moving into our new office space over the next few days.  This entire process has not been managed as well as could be hoped and the staff is pretty stressed as we head into the final hours and days.  There could potentially be a grudge match before it is all over and done.

And on the home front, my darling partner and I have embarked on yet another home improvement project–updating the closets of our 1908 house.  Yes, we are in the closet for a few hours each day.  (insert your jokes and comments here)  In this 90+ degree heat the small spaces seem even smaller and hotter.

But this was meant to be a Grateful Monday post, so….

1. I have a new power tool for the closet project, courtesy of my father in law.  Power tools are a girl’s best friend after all.

2. The tomatoes are starting to ripen–not the tomatoes from the farmer’s market, but the tomatoes in our backyard.  I will post our favorite tomato recipes in the next few days.

3. There must be something in the water, because our neighbors on both sides are pregnant!  I want to think that could only mean good things for us too.

Starting my week with five things to be thankful for:

1. I spent part of the sweltering weekend moving my creative stuff from the second floor down to the basement.  This is something that I have wanted to do for over a year and finally the space in the basement is ready.  It is quiet and cozy and perfect.  I haven’t decided what to call it, either my apartment or my studio.

2. Mopsa and her Lovely Partner became moms this week after many attempts and much waiting.

3. My partner gave the sermon yesterday.  She is the attorney, I’m the one who went to seminary, and she is the one giving the sermon.  She’s neat.

4. Enough rain yesterday morning that I didn’t need to water any of the outside plants

5. Pita chips

So I received an invitation about a week ago from a colleague at another organization for a town hall meeting with Katie Couric. It was a compliment that my colleague thought I would have valuable things to say in this event and I was even more flattered after yesterday’s meeting.  I was impressed by the quality of the conversation, which gave a great deal of thought to the quality of media coverage and the impact of fair news coverage upon American society.  I too often feel that Americans are hurting ourselves by our insularity, seeing the impact of actions taking in this nation’s name only as far as our borders.  I was surprised by what was on the minds of the attendees: only a few discussed the Iraq conflict, more discussed their families and communities, health issues, national politics, and the impact of the North Korean missile test.

The meeting gave me the opportunity to talk about poverty, the working poor, and gay marriage rights.  I do want to clarify the Star Tribune article’s statement that ”a gay couple who were against gay marriage” was at the meeting.  There was one man who, after talking about another issue, mentioned that even though he and his partner have been together for over a decade, he does not feel the need to work for gay marriage.  He never said he was against gay marriage.  Mine was only one of a number of hands that shot up to discuss the issue.  Judging solely by the people in the room who responded, there are more people who feel neutral to supportive than I had thought existed outside of my usual orbit.  It was a good morning.

God bless the grass that grows through the cracks.
They roll the concrete over it to try and keep it back.
The concrete gets tired of what it has to do,
It breaks and it buckles and the grass grows through,
And God bless the grass.

God bless the truth that fights toward the sun,
They roll the lies over it and think that it is done.
It moves through the ground and reaches for the air,
And after a while it is growing everywhere,
And God bless the grass.

God bless the grass that grows through cement.
It’s green and it’s tender and it’s easily bent.
But after a while it lifts up its head,
For the grass is living and the stone is dead,
And God bless the grass.

God bless the grass that’s gentle and low,
Its roots they are deep and its will is to grow.
And God bless the truth, the friend of the poor,
And the wild grass growing at the poor man’s door,
And God bless the grass.

Malvina Reynolds, 1964