jumping the gun

yup, my blog's got an easter look. and yes, i do know that it's only 9:40 on good friday night. but i don't plan to be around here much the next couple of days, so i got a head start. and anyhow, i am--as always--in a rush to get to sunday. He is risen, indeed. alleluia!

hope for haiti

if you're looking for a reliable way to provide financial help for the disaster relief effort in haiti, please consider supporting this fundraiser being organized by my mother and my sister.

Swim-a-Thon to Benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief for Haiti

Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Onondaga Community College Pool, Syracuse, NY

Run and Sponsored by Patricia Berman, Mary Defuria, and Meredith Ellis

In 2004, we swam to benefit the American Red Cross after the tsunami. In 2005, we did it again to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This time, we are coming together to raise money to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Please consider joining us or sponsoring a swimmer! In 40 seconds, a country was devastated. In 40 minutes, we can make a difference!

When: Saturday, January 30th, from 11:30-1:30
Where: Onondaga Community College Pool
How: Join us to swim for 40 minutes, or sponsor a swimmer today!

To sponsor: We are asking for you to sponsor by the minute for a forty minute swim for a swimmer of your choice. If you decide to donate, please make your check out to the American Red Cross, memo line Haiti. All donations must be collected by the time of the swim and will be handed over to a Red Cross representative at the event. Please use the donation slip [contact Daniele at shdbjackson at yahoo dot com for the donation slip] with your check or cash and give to the swimmer you are sponsoring or mail to Patricia Berman, Department of Health and Physical Education, Onondaga Community College, 4585 West Seneca Tpke, Syracuse, N.Y. 13215, no later than Wednesday, January 27th.

The American Red Cross assures us that at least 91 cents of every dollar will go directly to Haiti for disaster relief.

of an afternoon

oh, how i love linus. remember this part? best ever.
(and i have no idea, by the way, why it gets blurry after the first few frames. amateur videography, indeed. but after twenty-ish takes, this had to be good enough!)

on waiting

i made an advent wreath last weekend. this ancient tradition has become a sweet tradition at our church, with members contributing all sorts of greens for the wreath-making and a very talented artist/church member/friend providing guidance on assembling the wreaths. this year, the explanation of the colors of the candles really struck me, however, in a way it never has before.

the first candle, which is purple, represents hope. the second, also purple, stands for peace. the third, the pink one, is for joy. the fourth, again purple, love. and the white candle in the center, not lit until christmas, is the Christ candle.



look at (okay, at least imagine) the calendar with me for a minute.

the first sunday of advent was this past weekend. the candle we lit stood for hope. i was, meanwhile, just a week removed (and not nearly physically recovered) from losing zeph. hope? hardly at the top of the list of what i was feeling this weekend.

this coming sunday will be the second sunday, and the candle we will light represents peace. if you were looking at my calendar with me right now, you would see very little of peace coming this weekend for my family. if we could pack another thing into one more hour, we might. but i don't think we can. 'tis the season of too-much-of-everything, after all. no quiet waiting this advent weekend for us. what i wouldn't do for some peace.

the third sunday is december 13. which is the day after december 12, the anniversary of eliza's death. the candle? joy. really? joy? we will likely attend a children's hospice memorial service that afternoon. joy? for me, the anticipation of that weekend holds dread first and foremost. a year gone by. joy?

as for the fourth candle, the sunday before christmas, and the fifth for christmas day...well, love and Christ, that's what this season is about. i'm looking forward--rushing might not be too strong a word--to getting to those candles, myself.

what i take away from these five candles this year, then, is a good reminder: i cannot look for hope, peace, or joy in this world. i will not find them here. my hope is not in people or places or things, those things that make up what is so apparently real to me. what is really real, the love of God in Christ that advent and christmas point to, is all about what we're anticipating and awaiting. hope, peace, and joy. i, for one, am grateful for the reminder of those things to come.

what i did today

from old window in my parents' house

to new window into another world

(i think i went there once upon a time)

in context (in the kitchen)

what i did today

homemade baby shower centerpieces/gifts (for double baby shower) for baby unknown, diaper cake

for baby boy, bouquet w/onesies, socks, bib

all in all, a pretty productive saturday!

(my husband did laundry.)