Heading Home

This first picture is looking at the end of Morningside Park. It goes from 123rd to 110th Street. It is the park with the bear, behind Abby's school. When it was warmer out we played there often. This is the park with ALL THE STEPS!!!

Okay, remember the picture before of the content baby in her buggy. This is the baby after 3hours in the below freezing cold. Bad Mom moment! Let me tell you. By the time we all came dragging home we were frozen and exhausted. Katie and I took turns carrying Lilly who fussed all thway home. The apartment is always warm and right away I got the girls hot soup and hot chocolate. Only then did we realize that poor Lilly's mouth was BLUE. It took several hours before she was warm enough to be pink again. We were well bundled up but it was a long walk to the park, around the park, and home again. We can say we have been there and we won't be doing that again during the winter! For all they say about Central Park, I actually like our other parks better. Morningside and Riverside and Sakura are great! Playgrounds and nice walking paths, lots of trees and great views.

Frederick Douglas

This is the circle at the edge of the park. There is a similar circle at the south end of the park with a Columbus Statue. This circle is to honor Frederick Douglas. The street is Frederick Douglas Boulevard. The triangle stepping stones are cool. Abby with the statue. She liked the detail in his coat buttons.

Again, if you click the picture it will enlarge and you can read the sign.

Central Park

We met my friend Candice at Amsterdam and 110th. I thought that was the corner of the park but we actually had to walk east about 3 blocks. This is a picture of the northwest corner of Central Park.

You can compare this picture of Lilly to the one taken 3 hours later. This is in our new buggy with the plastic sheet to keep out the wind.

Serena, Abbby, Lilly, and Katie

Abby really liked these and was able to get Lilly to pose with her.

Map of the park. We are in the top left hand corner. If you go straight down along the left edge to the yellow circle, that is where we walked to. The gray line is a road with cars on it. The blue at the top right is an ice skaiting rink.

A neat building along Central Park West.

This was the yellow circle on the map, The Great Hill. The kids were cold, hungry, tired and extremely disappointed by the park. No playgrounds. No cool statues. No police on horseback. I think the neater things were further south in the richer areas of the city.

View of the Empire State Building from the top of the hill.

Another neat building.

Children's Glade at the Great Hill. A neat little area set apart. There were little signs on the ground labeling the type of tree or bush.

Traffic Jam

During Lilly's nap this afternoon we could hear the horns honking. This is not an unusual occurrance, but these did not let up. The one honked repeatedly, sometimes holding the horn down a long time. Then another joined in and finally several all together held their horns down. (This was with all the windows closed and from the 5th floor.) Lilly finally woke up and we got up to see what was going on. Here you have it a typical New York traffic jam. It is common to double park andcompletely block a lain of traffic on a main road. The gray car at the top of the picture is a limo. The FedEx truck parked behind it but over to the right enough to completely block off our road. Well, the cars started lining up behind him completely stuck. The honking continued for almost 15 minutes while we watched until finally the limo moved and then the FexEd truck moved. The first picture is our living room and the others are from the bedroom. There might have been 10 cars lined up there.

They give $350 fines for honking your horn in certain places in the city. I have decided that they should market different sounds for car horns. We hear so many and the streets would be so much more pleasant if angry people let out long loud bursts of bird song or classical music. Don't you agree?

Kids

Abby and her best friend Fanney on Abby's last day of school here. I was surprised how hard it was to say goodbye. As unhappy as she was here, she did make friends and lots of staff knew her. Each student in her class made her a goodbye card. She and Fanney were the only white students in her class and 2 of only about 5 in the entire school. She was easy to spot at pick up time, the tall blonde. It has been interesting because in our family Abby stuck out as the only blonde. Here when all the girls were together Katie stuck out as the only brunette; Abby, Lilly, Fanney, and Lena all had very light hair.

A huge milestone!!! Lilly can reach the elevator button! I remember with the older girls reaching the lightswitch was such a milestone. It shows how much taller she is since we came here.

Holiday Lights

Christmas lights down Columbia's main pathway, 116th between Broadway and Amsterdam. See video below also.

Front of our church, facing Broadway. The light changed color every few seconds. I will try to get a video later. It was very pretty. There are 2 homeless (I assume) men who frequently sit on the church stairs. One of them was leaned over on his bag asleep. I can never complain about how cold or hungry I am without being reminded of how very much worse it could be.

Snow

We had some flurries before, but this evening the snow actually "piled up" on the cars. I tried to get some pictures of our street.

View from our apartment towards Amsterdam. The snow was still there in the morning, but didn't stick much on the sidewalk. It was pretty and we were excited to get what we did.

More of Our Neighborhood

A neat building on Columbia's campus. Looks like a church with the stained glass windows.

Teachers College, located on 120th between Amsterdam and Broadway. There is a back entrance accessable from 121st (across the street from the apartment) with a student ID.

Teachers College Bookstore, right around the corner from us on Amsterdam. We go here a lot. Cheapest batteries for the camera, and lots of kids books. These are the paintings in the stores windows.

These are 3 of the cafes at Amsterdam and 121st. During warm weather there are tables and chairs set out on the sidewalk. The first is Italian sandwiches, the next is African and the other is Ethiopian cuisine.

Two of the food vendors. These are everywhere. The stands are set up on the sidewalks. You can find all different kinds of food vendors. We don't have the hot dog stands though. Those are further south. The fruit stand is the only one I have tried.
We buy bananas for Lilly whenever we pass a fruit stand.

The closest hospital, Amsterdam and 113th (?). We liked the clear crossway seen in the next picture. Thankfully we have never been here.

Bear Hunt

I was shocked to see on the news that New Jersery was having a bear hunt. It happened a few weeks ago. 7,000 permits were issued for one bear each- any age, any gender, any size. The hunt lasted one week and resulted in the death of 589 black bears. The purpose of the hunt was populations control. There are approximately 3,400 black bears in the state. Several groups protested the hunt and the case went to the Supreme Court who ruled against intervening.

Kevin and I talked about it and supposed it is no different than deer hunting in Illinois, which I also oppose. I don't imagine they use the bears for meat though. It is just killing for sport. How sad! It was nice to see so many protestors.

Wholeness and Healing Service

The sanctuary was decorated to look like there was water flowing through it. People were invited to come up during the service.

Some of the children, including Abby, did annointing. She pressed her thumb onto a cotton ball in a bolw of oil and made the sign of a cross on each person's forehead. The children said things like "Jesus loves you" as they did this.

A prayer chain was made an hung on the tree. Inside each bulliton was a strip of paper on which to write a prayer. You could bring your strips foreward and children, including Katie, would staple them onto the chain. The chain was taken from the alter table and hung on the huge Christmas tree in the sanctuary.

People were also invited to dip their hands in the baptismal font and feel the water. They could take a stone also if desired.

Lilly wore her Christmas dress this week since next week she wil be dressed as a sheep and we will not be here for Christmas Eve Service.

Once upon a time Katie, Abby, and Kierra all had matching dresses.

I am going to write out everything since the service was so neat, so you may want to just skim the following. It was so wonderful that the children played such a big part in the service. The minister even said "The children are not the future of the church. The children ARE the church."

Meditation:

In our darkness: You are the God of Light.

In our despair: You are the God of Hope.

In our sadness: You are the God of Joy.

In our turmoil: You are the God of Peace.

In our heartache: You are the God of Love.

We worship you: God of all people and creation.

Call to Worship and Hymn "Precious Lord Take My Hand".

Poem "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about dispair, your, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itseld to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

Song " Take, O Take Me As I Am"

Lighting of Advent Candle
Song "Arise, Shine for Your Light Has Come"

Poem "Who Am I?" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1946

They often tell me I stepped from my cell's confinement

CAlmly, sheerfully, firmly,

Like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I?

They often tell me I used to speak to my warders

Freely and friendly and clearly,

As though it were mine to command.

Who am I?

They also tell me I bore the days of misfortune

Equally, smilingly, proudly,

Like one accostomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I myself know of myself?

Restless and longing and sick, like a bird ina cage,

Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,

Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,

Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,

Tossing in expectation of great events,

Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,

Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,

Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I?

This or the other?

Am I one person today and tomorrow another?

Am I both at once?

A hypocrite before others,

And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?

Or is something within me still like a beaten army,

Fleeing in disorder from vistory alrady achieved?

Who am I?

They mock me, those lonely questions of mine.

Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!

Litany of Healing and Forgiveness

Prayer for Illumination

Song "Open My Heart"

Scripture Matthew 11:2-11

Song "Peace, Perfect Peace"

Message "You Matter" was divided into two parts with a time for silent refelction after each. John the Baptist had great expectations, but found himself in jail. He was thinking, "Where is this Messiah?" He may have experienced doubt, fear, and anxiety. Baptize means to bathe, to cleanse. During those times people bathed befor egoign into the temple. Tere were public shower houses around the temple. John the Baptist called people outside the city, into the wilderness. He t old them to repent and turn back towards God. To wash away the dirt and grime and grit but also the anxiety, doubts, and fears. During the silent reflection we were to ponder our own wilderness. If anyone was feeling great joy today, perhaps a partner proposed last night or a pregnancy was discovered, then ponder the journey to this moment of joy.

It poured rain today, so during the time of silence we could hear the water outside.

During the second part of the message Krystin spoke about Jesus' response to John's question. He said, "Go and tell John what you see." (the miracles) This wasn't the answer John was looking for. He wanted a national overthrow. Jesus said, "Look at the individuals, the relationships, not at swords and spears." Respond to the call to repent. This is what will heal our nations and our faith.

Hymn "Spirit I Have Heard You Calling"

Invitation to Come To The Water, Annointing, Prayer Table

Song "Does anybody know somebody who could use my help?"

* one of my favorites. I posted the words on an earlier entry.

Welcome

Offering and Prayer

Poem "The Lame, Leaping" by Timothy Haut, 2010

This is a bleak and barren time,

This season of candles and pine,

When sleigh bells ring

On the edges of our sorrow,

But here, in this circle of wheelchairs,

The Word becomes flesh

And old, sagging bodies

Lean in to hear an ancient promise;

Someday the lame shall leap like a hart,

And the tongue of the speechless

Shall sing for joy.

The dozing one-

She with the plastic beads around her neck--

Suddenly opens her eyes in surprise,

Grins at this wild hope,

Holds out her hand when I ask impetuously,

"Wouldn't you like to dance right now?"

And there, in her smile,

I see that she has already begun--

I see this once and would-be child

As she twirls, spins around the room

Leaps like a hart,

As she sings in her croaking voice

A chorus of Jingle Bells and joy--

Her fading memory's Magnificat

Of simple praise.

Dance, dance for joy,

You child of God!

Leap like a hart, for your heart's sake!

Litany of Wholeness and Hope

Hymn "Let Your Little Light Shine" African-American spiritual

* another one of our favorites! Words:

Shine, shine, shine; Shine, shine, shine

Let your little light shine, oh my Lord

There may be someone down in the valley trying to get home

It may be me or it may be you

It may be my mtoher and my father too

Let your little light shine, shine, shine

Let your little light shine oh my Lord

There may be someone down in the valley trying to get home.

It may be me and it may be you

It may be my sister and my brother too

Let your little light shine, shine, shine,

Let your little light shine oh my Lord

There may be someone down in the valley trying to get home

The congregation sings this with such enthusiasm, clapping and swaying, and singing loudly. It is also one of Abby's favorites. Many of the songs at this church don't use instruments. The leader sings a line and then the congregation repeats it until we have the words and rhythm down. I am not sure why they don't use the piano or organ, but this way no one has their face buried in a hymn book. :) Everyone has their heads and voices raised.

Benediction

Sung after each line "Be strong, and loving, and fearless"