Mhaolain's Child, a Renaissance Thinker in a Post-Modern Culture

The Country Mouse

This morning the email reminders began to fill my box, reminders from Open Table, my hostess, and my best sorority sister -- reminders of upcoming fun this week in New York. As fortune would have it, both my husband and I have work to do this week in The Big Apple, just in time to celebrate our 30th (gasp!) wedding anniversary. While our days will be moderately filled with work, it is fun work with people we enjoy. And my Big Sis, who works for a major bank in Manhattan, has listed all the beautiful Christmas decorations in mid-town. I'll try not to gawk, but you know how it is for us country folk (think Nelly Olsen as you read "country folk).

We have dinner reservations at BLT Steak, Lupa, Gordon Ramsey's, and DB Bistro Moderne. We hope to brunch at 44 and X as well as Artisanal, return visits to many of these places. But as soon as we get to the apartment and dump our bags, we'll be off to the Sullivan Street Bakery for European-style bread that reminds me of my school days in Strasbourg, not to mention a panini and pizza or two.

So, Ellie Mae is off to take care of the critters before Jethro loads her up for the trip to The City. If I'm a very good girl, I might even get to see the snow fall in Central Park. Maybe.....

Tennessee Comfort Food: Cabbage Soup

My grandmother seemed to sense when her family needed the rich sustenance of true traditional comfort food. Following in her Celtic footsteps, I rummaged through my vegan refrigerator today to attempt to create something to warm our bodies as our Christmas tree warms our heart. I twittered that I was making my version of my Grandmother's Irish Cabbage Soup, and since then my mail box has been filled with requests for the recipe. Like my grandmother's recipes, this one is based on "a pinch of this and that." But it was a delicious soup, warm, comforting, and, now, gone! Thanks for asking for it. Enjoy!

Cabbage Soup

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil around the bottom of a large pan. Add:

1 onion, chopped

3-4 carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Saute above about 5 minutes. Add:

@1Tbsp basil

@ 1Tbsp salt

@ 60 grinds of fresh black pepper

Enough vegetable broth to cover well (@16 oz., which was all I had)

1 small head cabbage, chopped, added to pot

Almost cover cabbage with more broth or water, remembering that the cabbage will shrink as it cooks.

Cook 2-3 hours. Serve over crumbled cornbread.

Hark, the Heraldic Music Plays!

I've been anxiously awaiting the appearance of classical Christmas music on XM radio these past few weeks. For some strange reason, XM delayed its conversion from Classical Pops to Holiday Pops by an extra week this year. But today, my halls have rung with the beautiful voices of musicians like Chanticleer, the Choir of Kings College Cambridge, the Vienna Boys Choir, and Westminster Cathedral Choir. David Nevue's ethereal piano renditions of Christmas music make me pause and revel in the beautiful anticipation that fills these cold winter days.

It seems fitting that I long throughout the year for these songs performed by these performers, just as I long for the One about Whom the melodies give voice. Just now, the Mormon Tabernacle concludes their contribution, "Christ The Saviour is born."

Sing Glory.

Render Thanksgiving

 

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

--Governor Bradford, 1623

Communing Together

Chef Michael Sichel's Coq Au Vin

I'm clearing out the digital files on my little camera in anticipation of filling them again during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I can already see in my mind the photos of Grandmama standing beside her beautiful turkey and dressing, Grandmother JJ with her ham and sweet potato casserole, Aunt Luanne with her special from scratch pancakes, and me with my lasagna. It strikes me as somewhat thought-provoking that so many of my photos involve sharing a meal with friends and family.

As I'm deleting files this morning, I'm scanning over photos of our Napa trip as we work alongside Chef Michael Sichel in his kitchen and share meal after meal of glorious foods. There are photos of dinner with my friends at Roy's in Phoenix, of meals with colleagues at Virago here in Nashville, and of me stirring up some sauce in my own kitchen. Photo after photo seems to center on food. In fact, some of my Twitter and Facebook friends ask how I stay thin when all my posts reflect a foodie theme. Very funny!

During this Thanksgiving celebration week, I'm prompted to think back into the history of mankind and contemplate the important role of feasting together and giving thanks in that history. From the opening chapters of the Old Testament, mankind has been gifted with the opportunity to share a meal both with each other and, more importantly, with God. How grateful I am that He generates these good gifts for our enjoyment and then joins us as we give back to Him our thanks.

I'm mindful of the great privilege of gathering with my friends and family to share feasts and life-festivals. I'm even more mindful of the ineffable privilege to gather for a more precious meal, that set by the Lord Himself, in which He offers Himself for our sustenance and completion.

I wonder what God's "photo book" looks like. How many photos does He have of me sharing a meal at His table?

Life is a Holiday

Though the Nativity Fast and cycle of celebrations began on November 15 in the Orthodox Church, today, the Monday before Thanksgiving, marks the crazy countdown to Christmas among my family and friends. My family travels to join our extended relatives for a long Thanksgiving weekend, with both my mother and mother-in-law co-equally reigning under one roof. It's bipartisanship in a way the politicians could never achieve. I coordinate the menus for the 4-day festival and divide the food responsibilities among all the participants. I bought most of my staples last Saturday so I could begin my pattern of cooking and freezing today. We will enjoy the traditional turkey and dressing, ham, sweet potato casserole, and more on Thanksgiving Day. Though I contribute Thanksgiving lunch foods like green beans and cranberry relish, my primary responsibility this holiday weekend is for the meal on Friday -- Lasagna. It's sort of my "claim to fame," if I have any culinary fame. I made the meat sauce on Saturday and built the casserole today. Now that it's cooled, I will wrap it, freeze it, and cart it to meet the Dual Queens' approvals for serving at their holiday table, not doubt accompanied by the annual viewing of It's a Wonderful Life.

As I was running last-minute errands this morning, I popped in at Starbucks for a caffeine jolt of espresso. As I waited in line for the fuel, a sign ornamenting their window grabbed my eye. It read, "Wish every day could be a Holiday!"

Hmm, I thought. As an amateur etymologist, the twist on the meaning of this signpost really assaulted my conscience. Shouldn't we live every day as if it was a holiday, full of meaning and purpose, love and giving? But beyond that level of understanding, shouldn't we live everyday in the fullness of Holiday, that is, as a Holy Day?

"Wish every day could be a Holy Day!" How would we all think, interact, live if that was our slogan?

You shall be Holy, for I, the Lord Your God, am Holy (Leviticus 19:2).

Starting the Day

My morning's routine was set on its ear today when I found out my mother had taken a bad fall. I was listening to Ancient Faith Radio as I made the drive to her home when I heard this prayer, composed by St. Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow in the early 1800s. These words, raised to God, soothed my soul and brought focus to my day. May it to the same for you.

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace.
Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with the firm conviction that Your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events let me not forget that all are sent by You.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering or embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of this coming day with all that it will bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray You Yourself in me.
Amen.      

--St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (1867)

The Cost of Customer Service

I've been navigating the currents and rapids of a major project for one of my clients for the last couple of months. This special project calls for me to find this company a replacement for the current payroll service they use. I've researched the possibilities, collated my recommendations, and now am evaluating the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these options. I have narrowed my recommendations to three likely candidates. Being a thrifty Scots-woman, I chose the least expensive option for the first trial run.

The system was bare-bones basic, which really isn't a problem since we're just dealing with numbers. I found opportunities to enter various types of wages, benefits, and deductions. The reports were crude but intelligible. I had a couple of questions that needed answering before I could affirm and recommend this provider to my client. I emailed the payroll company, explaining that I was a potential new customer who needed a bit of information, then sat back to wait for their answer.

Imagine my surprise when two hours later I got a three-word response: "SUCH AS WHAT?"

No "Dear Mhaolain's Child, thank you for considering my product. I am delighted to help you see that my product will be the perfect fit for your client." I immediately thought, "Well! They must not want new business, so on to Option #2!"

After performing a trial run with Option #2's product, I discovered that perhaps Option #1 might really be the best option if I could just get some answers. So, I tried another email (no telephone number was available, which should have been another clue!) The next response read, "Our help file has information about setting up company information. Did you read it?"

As a matter of fact, I have read all the documents relating to all the products I've researched, thank you very much. But I thought, "This must be some I.T. genius working out of his basement."

So, I tried once again for an answer to my situation. I'm sure you can guess that I never got a satisfactory answer from Option #1.

Today, I started working on Option #3. It's not quite as thorough and customizable as QuickPayroll, but it seems to be a good replacement. It's the most expensive of the three options, but it looks professional, processes and prints all the government documents, and lets me decide how to set up the payroll parameters for my client's needs. However, I needed an answer to one little question. This Option offered both an email address as well as a toll-free telephone number. With fingers crossed, I made the call.

As I explained who I was and why I was calling, I was quickly welcomed and thanked for trying their product. The voice on the other end answered my question thoroughly and invited me to call any time with any question.

Wow, what a difference in Customer Service! I have no hesitation now to recommend Option #3 to my client because this company will work hard to make my client a Raving Fan, which just happens to be my client's motto, too. Though their product is $50 more, I believe the product and service I will receive will be worth far more in the long run. As my mother always says, "Honey, you get what you pay for." She's a very wise woman!

Forty Days and Counting

We've enjoyed one of the most beautiful, lengthy, color-filled autumns in my memory this Fall of 2009. The colors began to pop here and there back in August. Though we've had so much rain, it seems that the breaks in the clouds against the backdrop of those steely gray curtains made the golds, reds, oranges, and purples of the leaves even more brilliant. Today, we still enjoy these Pollock-esque works of art splashed across the hillsides, made even more glorious as we hike in 69-degree temperatures.

The warm temperatures and glorious colors stand in odd juxtaposition to the ads that have started appearing on the television. Walmart and K-Mart began reminding us about Christmas layaway the day after Halloween. Sirius-XM radio will begin to play Christmas music next Monday, the 16th. In my own household, we have plans to set up our Christmas tree tomorrow, November 13, an all-time record for early set up.

Most importantly, this weekend brings to our household the celebration of the Feast of St. Philip, one of the first men called by Jesus to "Follow." Not coincidently, this feast marks the beginning of the advent season in the Orthodox Church. It is a timely marker in the life of the church calendar, I think, for how can we fully experience the joy of Christmas without, as Philip did, following Him whose birth is remembered on Christmas day? Philip, upon committing to follow Christ, immediately gathered his friends to join him as Christ's followers. Philip recognized the wisdom and authority of Christ, calling Him Master and Teacher. Philip reached out to his community with the invitation to "Come and see" the long-awaited Messiah.

This advent season, come and see the Incarnate Word. Join in the celebrations. Sing with joy. Live in anticipation of the experiencing the best Christmas ever.

Christ is born; glorify Him!
Christ comes from heaven; go to meet Him!
Christ is on earth; be exalted!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Praise Him in gladness, O People,
For He has been glorified!

--A Christmas canon from the Orthodox Church

Perspectives on a Storm

Earlier this week, my family and several of our friends were expressing gratitude that our homes on the Gulf Coast of Florida had been spared any harm by the late November arrival of Hurrican Ida. After days of taunting us with threats of flooding rains and damaging winds, Ida's arrival was barely noticeable. In fact, one of my friends termed the storm a "non-event." We are grateful.

Today, I received the message below from Dr. Wess Stafford, the president of Compassion International. As sponsors of a child in El Salvador, we had been concerned about her and her family's safety after El Salvador was battered by Hurricane Ida. I'm standing back once again, in awe of the impact of  Perspective. My "non-event" in Florida was life-shattering to so many in El Salvador for whom there is no insurance, no FEMA, no safety-net of any kind.

Please be mindful of reaching out this Advent season to provide aid to the poor and down-trodden both here at home and around the world. Hunger knows no geographical borders.

Dear Compassion Sponsor,

Earlier this week, days of heavy rains in El Salvador caused by Hurricane Ida have touched off floods and mud slides, leaving large areas of the country without electricity or clean water. More than 100 people have been killed and over 13,000 are living in emergency shelters.

Children and their families from at least 20 of Compassion’s child development centers have lost their homes and belongings as a result of this disaster. We are working diligently along with our church partners in El Salvador to provide urgent relief for those who are affected, and we will continue to assess the damage and determine the best course of action.

We realize the love and concern you have for your sponsored child in El Salvador. Please be assured that we will contact you immediately if your sponsored child has been affected. In the meantime, please pray for the many children and families who have been devastated by hurricane Ida, and for those working tirelessly to assist them.

Sincerely in Him,