I told you, on Saturday, that I wanted to do something after seeing God Grew Tired of Us. And this is what I’m doing. I’m coordinating a fundraising effort on behalf of the John Dau Sudan Foundation. I’m asking for your help.

After watching the documentary, God Grew Tired of Us, I wanted to do more than shed tears while watching the movie as I was moved by the story of Sudan’s Lost Boys. If you haven’t seen this film, I highly recommend it!

My blog gets around 200-250 visitors a day. With that in mind, I created a goal of donating $2500 (that’s only $10 per visitor!) to the John Dau Sudan Foundation. John Dau is one of the Lost Boys followed in the documentary. He is committed to making a difference for his family, friends and fellow Sudanese. Out of that commitment, he began this non-profit foundation to transform healthcare in Southern Sudan. The foundation has already built a fully-functioning health clinic to fight serious health threats to the people there including: malnutrition, malaria, trachoma, guinea worm, HIV/AIDS, cataracts, river blindness and more. The clinic sees and helps an average of 75 people a day! In the first year of operation, it saw over 200 pregnant women and were the first women in Southern Sudan to ever receive prenatal care.

This is all great work and helps move the country toward sustained peace. But much more needs to happen. That’s why I’m coordinating this fundraising effort and will give to whoever gives the largest donation or refers the largest amount of donations (just have the people your refer write your name in the comments section of the donation form!) will be the proud new owner of my 12″x24″ original abstract painting, Sun’s Set.

Donating through the firstgiving website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

Many thanks for your support — and don’t forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too! Fellow blogger friends!!  Blog away and link to: http://www.firstgiving.com/helpalostboy

THANKS!

Amira & I had a rough night last night.  It was too hot!  We Northwesties aren’t build for sudden temperature 10-15 degree jumps into the upper 80s.  Correction: these two Northwesties aren’t.  I know many people who are tickled to be basking and toasting themselves in the heat.  Word is that today is to be a little warmer.  Oosh.  I must repeat.  I’m.  NOT. built. for. the. heat.

I must sing the praises of watermelon.  Amira & I devoured 1/2 off one of those little watermelons.  So good.  Kept us sane through the day… that a small bowl of coconut milk ice cream!  For today, I’m wondering if there are some cheap slip-n-slides left?  That sounds very good!  That and more chilled watermelon…

God Grew Tired of Us is a 2006 documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan and in particular the few men who were chosen to leave the refugee camp in Kenya and live in the United States. Have you seen it? I remember hearing about it and hearing about the Lost Boys of Sudan - but I finally saw the movie last night.

I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a tough story, difficult to imagine. It is also filled with beauty, inspiration and hope too.

You can see the trailer here.

I went to bed thinking of Frederick Buechner’s words:

Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.

John Dau, one of the Lost Boys featured in the film, has a foundation committed to the transformation of healthcare in Southern Sudan. If you search online, you’ll see many of the Lost Boys who were taken in by the United States are returning to Sudan with their education and resources to make a difference for their people. I stumbled on this great video (about 7 mins) that describes their hearts and the needs of their country, their people and their family and friends.

We as a country are helping establish and maintain the peace that was agreed to in Darfur. But as the video shows above, much more is needed. I’m researching today what I and we can do to help. I’ll let you know what I find out and what I’m going to do.

Ahmis has a friend who made plans for us to visit her farm the same morning that the sheep were due for their shearing.  Despite it being apparent that these sweet ones were more than ready for their new summer dos… it turns out we had a disconnect on which day we were supposed to be there.  Even though their curly fleece escaped untouched, it didn’t dampened the fun at all.  The sheep were curious and comical.  They bleated at us wondering if, per chance, we had anything tasty for them.  A few sprigs of tall grass were all we had to offer.  They weren’t overly thrilled, but didn’t turn us down either.

We are hoping to be able to make the rescheduled shearing, but if not, I’ll always have Pixar’s sheep shearing story…

A spiritual practice that I love is the examen. Put simply, it is an examination of my life that day. I’m looking at my day and seeing what worked and what didn’t. I learned this from the book “Sleeping With Bread: Holding What Gives You Life” by Dennis, Sheila Fabricant and Matthew Linn.
There are different ways to frame the meditation using questions like these:

• “For what moment today am I most grateful? - For what moment today am I least grateful?
• When did I feel most alive today? When did I most feel life draining out of me?
• When today did I have the greatest sense of belonging to myself, others, God and the universe? When did I have the least sense of belong?
• When was I happiest today? - When was I saddest?
• And so on…

The purpose is to give you an opportunity to reflect on the day, who you are and what you are doing in your life. It provides awareness and guidance to you. Here’s a little 6 minute video that talks about the examen in the context of its Christian roots with St Ignatius and the Jesuits. I do believe the examen is a powerful practice whether you have a Christian faith or not.

This practice is one that I’ve been able to hang on to and benefit from even when I don’t feel connected to my faith as a Christian. It guides me and keeps me awake to what themes and lessons there are in my life. It helps me acknowledge and be with the hurt and pain that I may experience in the day — which in turn creates an opening for healing. It reminds me of the joy and beauty in my life and keeps me grateful. I’m finding that living consciously… being awake to my life… is becoming more and more important and valuable to me.

In the book, Sleeping with Bread, I’ve mentioned before there is a short chapter titled “Everyday Experience as Divine Revelation”. From the book:

It is wisely said, “Experience is the best teacher.”… The primary and most obvious reason for this is that revelation is not over, God is constantly revealing himself to us in our experience… One reason we light a candle when we do the examen is because the candle’s flame symbolizes the light of divine revelation in our everyday experience. The gratitude questions we use are simply one way of discovering the day’s consolation and desolation, the interior movement through which divine revelation unfolds.

Does that make sense out of context? I hope so. The things (whether they be people or circumstances) that are the highlights and low lights of my day — they are there to teach me. If I listen and take action on what they are telling me, my life has the ongoing possibility of renewal, recreation, and increasing peace.

I bring all this up for a reason which I will share in the next post.

No, rose-colored glasses haven’t permanently attached themselves to my face. There really are birds singing in my closet.

The violet-green swallows have snuck in between the roofing and the rafters of the house and worked their way back. Mama swallow may have the most perfect spot ever for her little ones to grow until they are ready to take their first flight into the world. And until that day, there are birds singing in my closet.

This was the first morning since last Tuesday that I didn’t wake up and run for the pain medication first thing.

Our friends, Shelli & Kim from San Diego are coming to stay the night with us on their way to Canada. I haven’t seen them since we left San Diego, so I’m really looking forward to catching up with them! Except…

I realize I get nervous about people staying with us. Not because I don’t love having friends over - cause I do! It’s because of what we eat. You open our refrigerator and you aren’t going to find milk, pop, or juice. We don’t have coffee (although we do like it on occasion, we never make it at home). Amira is allergic to wheat/gluten and eggs, and Paul is allergic to milk/cheese/eggs, etc. Between Paul & Amira’s allergies and my general approach to nutrition - our diet isn’t typical. Our pantry and fridge are filled with things like quinoa flakes, amaranth flour, dried Incan berries, hemp milk, veganaise (mayo made with grape seed oil), kefir (for Amira & me), milk thistle, Coconut Bliss (instead of ice cream), supergreens/superfood/protein powders for shakes, tapioca bread, and so on.

I can do fine making a meal that everyone will enjoy with our staples… it’s just when people come over and spend a night or two… the urge to find snackables emerge. And that’s where I get nervous. Do I stock up on things that are more common just for a single night visit? Or just forewarn the guests and tell them to come prepared if they want to have certain types of snacks?

It’s silly to worry about it. And honestly, I’m not panicking or wigging out about this… It was just interesting to notice there was a bead of concern in my mind about the upcoming visit and this was why.

Bored with your workout?  Need something to spice it up?  Grab three of your closest friends and go to it!

My photography does not do these flowers justice - their color is so rich and glowing. The gradations of colors are perfect.

The irises are at the height of their perfection. Perfect blooms, that the bees definitely appreciate.

Doesn’t it look like the bee has camo on? He blends in perfectly with the center colors of the iris.

No idea what these are, but they are dreamy.

This little blossom is destined for a planter box by my front door.