Author: Jana

  • short shameful confession #7

    I love Amy Grant’s Home for Christmasalbum and can (and do) sing every single song with gusto.

    **Previous short shameful confessions

  • this morning we realized that he’s almost as tall as me


    the tux thing, he’s dealing with it, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    I couldn’t be more proud! :)

    Although GameBoy says he has no clue how he’ll play his cello well while wearing such a heavy suit (typically he wears a t-shirt and shorts), I expect he’ll do just fine in his big concert debut!

  • what love?


    cluster of heliotrope, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Where there is greed,
    What love can there be?
    ~Sikh wisdom

  • go confidently


    pale pink rose, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

    ~Henry David Thoreau

    Life can be so complex, so maniacally wearying. Every once in awhile it’s such a joy to step back from the maddening crowd for awhile and pursue one’s dreams and imaginings.

    As I type this my heart is full of gratitude. For friends, for family, for this beautiful quiet late-night moment that I’m curled up on my couch with a silky kitty at my side, contemplating Thoreau. Remembering the first time I read his words, more than 20 years ago, and knew that they were true.

  • tweet tweet

    I just signed up for a twitter account (you can see my tweets in the sidebar of this blog or on facebook). I’m still not so sure about this, given that I don’t want to be too tied to technology. So it’s an experiment…

    Do you twitter? If so, how does it impact your life?

  • some simple pleasures

    basil

    **chatting with a friend on her front porch

    **getting an unexpected check in the mail–an award for a book review written several months ago

    **meeting all of my dissertation goals for today

    **turning the compost in the backporch bin (I try to remember to do this daily–the wormies do their best work when they get plenty of fresh air)

    **GameBoy and Catgirl sitting at the kitchen table dutifully doing their homework. Until they break out into a boisterous debate about the merits of the overland Silk Road vs. the seatrade from Mecca to China

    **the smell of fresh basil from my garden

  • have you ever….

    While working this morning, this song came up on Pandora and I just loved it. I thought you might want to take a listen, too. I love how Carlile captures the magic & wonder of strolling through nature–perfectly appropriate for my pilgrim soul.


    Have you Ever?
    Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?
    And everything there feels just as it should
    You’re part of the life there
    You’re part of something good
    If you’ve ever wandered lonely through the woods
    if you’ve ever wandered lonlely through the woods

    Have you ever stared into a starry sky?
    Lying on your back you’re asking why
    What’s the purpose I wonder who am I
    If you’ve ever stared into a starry sky
    Have you ever stared into a starry sky

    Have you ever been out walking in the snow?
    Tried to get back to where you were before
    You always end up not knowing where to go
    If you’ve ever been out walking in the snow
    If you’d ever been out walking you would know.

  • Simplify

    My thoughts right now are focused on the art of simplicity. As I head into a rather busy time of year, I’m craving a simple approach to tasks, relationships, gifting, working, healthfulness, and so forth. I will be running several posts on this topic and I hope that you’ll each chime in with your thoughts and ideas, too. Some preliminary thoughts below…

    Simple Food:
    -Our annual holiday party will be potluck this year. To reduce the stress on me (and John) to cook a large meal by ourselves. I want to have the time to enjoy my friends instead of fussing in the kitchen.

    -Muffins. Having them on hand makes great snacks, tea treats, breakfasts, and desserts. CatGirl has a favorite healthy recipe that she can make herself. But if you have a recipe to share, I’d love to feature it on the blog!

    -CSA Veggie Box. Thanks to the efforts of a friend we get a weekly veggie box delivery each Wednesday (fresh-picked from a farm that’s just around the corner). Dinner on Wed, Thurs, and even through the weekend is determined by whatever foods are included in our delivery. I’ve found that soups, strata or quiche, and veggie pizza are wonderful ways to use this produce.

    Simple Health:
    -Exercise. I’ve been working out every morning for the past several weeks, with simple cardio or dumbbell exercises and yoga. My body is feeling better everyday even though some mornings it’s very difficult to get up extra early for a workout.

    -Taking Vitamins.’Nuff said there :)

    Simple Holidays:
    -Immediate Family. Rather than gift-giving, we are making memories by traveling together this year over the holiday season. We’ll be going to Washington D.C. and New York City. We can’t wait to share those places with our children!

    -Extended Family. I will attempt home-made gifts again this year as I did last year. But this is all contingent on my wrists’ continued healing. If I can’t make gifts then I will purchase them from etsy crafters rather than buying from a large retailer.

    Simple Faith:
    -Quakers. My commitment to Friends continues as I have taken on some responsibilities in our Meeting. Yet I still aim to balance my activities with the needs of my family and my need to meditate alone and/or to spend time in my garden (my most sacred space).

    -Ministry. I recently read a Quaker tract about Worship-sharing (being led to speak in Meeting). It suggested that some Friends feel the call to vocal ministry while others find that outlet through writing. I rarely speak in Meeting because I crave silence. But I feel that my blogging is my forum of ministry–it’s where I can best share thoughts and insights. However I am continuing to seek a balance between my ‘virtual’ communities and my ‘real-life’ ones. Recently I’ve decided to spend more time off-line and I’ve dropped many blogs from my GoogleReader.

    Simple Consumption:
    -FreecycleIrvine. I continue to moderate our local Freecycle group because this feels like a good way to facilitate the sharing of goods and to reduce landfill waste.

    -Reuse. I am not as good as I could be at reusing household items. Because we live in such a small space, I feel I can’t stockpile items for later re-use. I am trying to do better at this, as I can. For example, I just learned that the farmer that we buy eggs from will let us bring back our carton and he will re-fill it rather than giving us a new one each week.

    -Purchases. There are several companies that I like to patronize because I appreciate the quality of their goods. Lately I’ve found nearly-daily notices from these companies about sales, reduced shipping prices, etc. I’ve decided to create a filter for all of these emails so I will no longer see them in my inbox and be tempted to order items that I don’t yet need.

  • fountain of youth


    aging fountain, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
    ~Sophia Loren

  • For the love of you…

    Cross-posted on The Exponent.
    mon cheri

    I really needed this poem today. So for the love of you, I share it here, along with a few recent garden pictures. :)

    For the love of a tree, she went out on a limb.
    For the love of the sea, she rocked the boat
    For the love of the earth, she dug deeper.
    For the love of community, she mended fences.
    For the love of the stars, she let her light shine.
    For the love of spirit, she nurtured her soul.
    For the love of a good time, she sowed seeds of happiness.
    For the love of the Goddess, she drew down the moon.
    For the love of a good meal, she gave thanks.
    For the love of family, she reconciled differences.
    For the love of creativity, she entertained new possibilities.
    For the love of her enemies, she suspended judgment.
    For the love of herself, she acknowledged her worth.
    And the world was richer for her…..

    ~ Charlotte Tall Mountain

    butterfly on <br />heliotrope” /></a></p> <p><span style=Photos: Top photo is a close-up pic of a deep pink and red rose. Bottom pic is a closeup of an orange and black butterfly with wings spread, sitting on a helitrope bush with bright green leaves and purple flowers.

  • Who am I to say?….

    This quote is from an LDS church statement on homosexuality. The church leaders interviewed are equating the challenges of homosexuality with those of disability, explaining that just like someone with a life-altering disability has no hope of marriage, neither does someone with strong homosexual proclivities.

    I don’t even know where to begin a discussion about how troubling I find this statement. Can any of you help me out here??

    ELDER OAKS: There are differences, of course, but the contrast is
    not unique. There are people with physical disabilities that prevent
    them from having any hope — in some cases any actual hope and in
    other cases any practical hope — of marriage. The circumstance of
    being currently unable to marry, while tragic, is not unique.

    It is sometimes said that God could not discriminate against
    individuals in this circumstance. But life is full of physical
    infirmities that some might see as discriminations — total paralysis
    or serious mental impairment being two that are relevant to
    marriage. If we believe in God and believe in His mercy and His
    justice, it won’t do to say that these are discriminations because
    God wouldn’t discriminate. We are in no condition to judge what
    discrimination is. We rest on our faith in God and our utmost
    assurance of His mercy and His love for all of His children.

    ELDER WICKMAN: There’s really no question that there is an anguish
    associated with the inability to marry in this life. We feel for
    someone that has that anguish. I feel for somebody that has that
    anguish. But it’s not limited to someone who has same-gender
    attraction.

    We live in a very self-absorbed age. I guess it’s naturally human to
    think about my own problems as somehow greater than someone else’s.
    I think when any one of us begins to think that way, it might be
    well be to look beyond ourselves. Who am I to say that I am more
    handicapped, or suffering more, than someone else?

    I happen to have a handicapped daughter. She’s a beautiful girl.
    She’ll be 27 next week. Her name is Courtney. Courtney will never
    marry in this life, yet she looks wistfully upon those who do. She
    will stand at the window of my office which overlooks the Salt Lake
    Temple and look at the brides and their new husbands as they’re
    having their pictures taken. She’s at once captivated by it and
    saddened because Courtney understands that will not be her
    experience here. Courtney didn’t ask for the circumstances into
    which she was born in this life, any more than somebody with same-
    gender attraction did. So there are lots of kinds of anguish people
    can have, even associated with just this matter of marriage. What we
    look forward to, and the great promise of the gospel, is that
    whatever our inclinations are here, whatever our shortcomings are
    here, whatever the hindrances to our enjoying a fullness of joy
    here, we have the Lord’s assurance for every one of us that those in
    due course will be removed. We just need to remain faithful.

  • love looks not with the eyes…


    cupid, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”
    ~Shakespeare