Written yesterday on Hiroshima Day 2010

Act I

in The Year of Decisions, our savior Harry asked

"a committee of top men"
                                    Men all carved from the same superior Aspen, carefully lathed of their
"to study with great care"
                                    care. Eviscerated as children, smiling beneath strange fruit. They died for
"the implications the new"

I love gun battles, hand-to-hand combat, and exploding buildings. I root for the hero and cheer when the villain gets what he deserves. And I always hope for a really good car chase or two. 

At movies, of course.

Last week, Harper's magazine published an article by looking at the link between the unabashed greed of big financial firms and the 2007–2008 world food crisis. The crisis resulted in the starvation of thousands, hunger for millions and riots in some of the countries hit hardest. For a window into the pain of an individual family in Ethiopia, see this article in the Independent.

Last week I was in Newton, Kan., for the bi-annual gathering of Mennonite Church USA Interchurch Relations gathering. This is a gathering of people inside and outside Mennonite Church USA involved in building relationships between Mennonite Church USA and other churches and movements. The meeting included members of different reference groups looking at different aspects of ecumenical work such as peace, theology, local congregations or discipling communities (the group I was a part of ).

It was energizing for me to connect with others who are recognizing that the Mennonite Church doesn't have a monopoly on the Anabaptist movement. It was also a great opportunity for me to meet new people inside the Mennonite church. Rather then write more about it, I'll share some photos I took. This is my second time doing freelance photography at a Mennonite event. It's good fun.

Every June, my extended family gets together for three days. As many as 60 of us children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Ira and Ruth Good travel from Las Vegas, Kansas City, Boston, and Lancaster, Pa., to a Mennonite camp north of Harrisburg, Pa.

Yet the movement has steadily grown and blossomed, with dozens of people coming out of the wood work to share about their own experiences of frustration and hurt caused by the "Joining Together" process. Listening and watching to the stories flow, both publicly and privately, has deepened my commitment to this movement. Joining together for the future of the Mennonite church means listening to the voices on the margins, and not just those in the center. For me, that's what it means to be the body of Christ.

In the Mennonite world of effortless four-part harmony, I lip-synch. 

Honestly. 

Since Spark Renewal's March 15, meeting with campaign coordinators I have continuously been drawn to the image of Saul on the road to Damascus. Although the story told in Acts 9:1-8 is usually related to the anti-racism work of Mennonite Central Committee in our denominational context, throughout this dissenting process, it has come to symbolize for me the possibility of an unexpected turning around from a path that one has set and a sign that it is never too late to take a new direction.

This week I'm taking a break from all the discussion of institutions and bureacracy to share some of my favorite flower photos from the past few months for my second annual Spring Collection (see last year's here).

It was wonderful to find such an array of color and new life all with in a mile of our apartment here in Rogers Park. May they bring a warm May breeze in the window of your mind!

When I was a little girl, my grandpa tried to teach me how to play baseball. He started with a basic game of catch. I stood under one of the big evergreen trees in the backyard while Grandpa lobbed the ball to me.