Oppositional Disorder

I have oppositional disorder. My main concern with starting a blog was that then I would have folks who expected me to post regularly and who would be disappointed in me if I didn't. I prefer for people to have very low expectations of me and then I blow them away by following through in an unanticipatedly fabulous way. Fortunately, very few people read my blog so this hasn't been an issue.
It's not that I don't like playing by the rules. Sometimes, actually usually, I do. I just like to be the one who decides when to play by the rules and when to break the rules. I don't mind folks knowing that I have an incredibly high double-standard. I think it goes hand in hand with the oppositional disorder.
Pray for me.
RevMutha

Pie

I went to a small restaurant in a tiny Midwest town. I had been having some anxious moments driving through cornfields (well, I wasn't actually driving THROUGH cornfields--I was driving on a highway with cornfields all around. I couldn't believe how flat it was!) I realized that I am definitely an urban-dweller. Anyway, lemme just say: the pie in that part of the country was amazing. Beyond good. Heavenly.
Strawberry-rhubarb, banana cream, coconut cream, french silk, toll house, peanut-butter chocolate ribbon, triple-berry, apple caramel, lemon meringue, and the list went on. I am not usually a desert orderer. I am, however, a desert sharer. Being like many Southern women, I just need a taste of something sweet after a meal--I don't need a whole desert for myself. The pie at this restaurant was so good that for about 4 minutes I weighed out the pros and cons of moving out of a city in the Northeast and to a tiny town in the Midwest.
I think instead I just need to cultivate some friendships with excellent pie-makers who are willing to share recipes.
Anybody out there?
Waiting with fork in hand and glass of milk the ready...
RevMutha

Photofinish!

That may be exaggerating a bit. But for me, the fact that my beautiful step-daughter (BSD) finished the marathon today made it a photo finish. Especially since the marathon was cancelled 4 hours and 30 minutes into it due to record-breaking temperatures (and, we heard, due to no more ambulances to transport runners who had collapsed from heat exhaustion...but this may be a runner-rumor.) BSD finished in 4 hrs 19 minutes. We are now recovering in the hotel. Her feet look like I imagine the feet on a long-dead corpse would look...they are white (with a greyish tinge) and wrinkly.
Endurance is an amazing thing. When we set a goal for ourselves, we have to decide, at least on some level, that failure is not an option. We set a course, we prepare ourselves as best as we possibly can, and then we begin.
Congrats to all those who began today. And congrats to those who were able to finish.
Peace,
RevMutha

Marathon Day!

So, we're about to head over to Grant Park to check beautiful step-daughter (BSD) in for the marathon! We enjoyed being in downtown Chicago last night--lots of healthy people around. I held in my stomach and attempted to look athletic but there is no way that one can fake the marathon runner look.
Before we came to the hotel, we went to an awesome grocery store to pick up snacks. The store was in one of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods (spanish-speaking) and I ended up having a fantastic time shopping for spices. Dried hibiscus for tea! Every kind of chile I could imagine! And, of course, the votive saint candles. I decided to play it safe and just get the Sacred Heart of Jesus candle. Here's the prayer:
Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my ingratitude, pierced by my sins, and yet, loving me still, relying on thy promise of infinite charity when you said, "Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened and I will refresh you." I come to thee and in the lowliness of my heart earnestly beg thee to grant me your loving help. Amen. (And then it says underneath that "Make your partition." Not "petition" It says "Partition."
So my partition is that a good time is had by all.
More after the marathon!
Happy running,
RevMutha

Heading to the Windy City

Heading out to The Windy City for the marathon.
Lest you think for one minute that I'm running the marathon, well, trust me, that ain't happnin.' My philosophy on running is that it's wonderful for others. On the outside chance that each of us is allocated a certain number of steps on this earth, I decided some time ago that I don't want to waste any of mine running. Of course there are exceptions. Like maybe an explosion.
My beautiful step-daughter, however, took up running when she was in middle school and she is simply amazing. She is now a college senior and this is her first marathon. I will be cheering her on and receiving regular text messages on my cell phone updating me on her location throughout the marathon course. So let's keep all of the 40,000 runners in our prayers this weekend, as well as the million people who will be in downtown Chicago supporting them.
Maybe I'll see Oprah!
Keepin' my laces tied tight!
Rev Mutha

Jesus Bandaids

I love tacky religious stuff. In my office, I have the complete "Wash Away Your Sins" bath and body collection. I have nuns in snow globes, Nunzillas, Miracle-Eyed Jesus, G-Force Jesus, Angel Snot, the gold-fringe pillow with the Last Supper picture on the front that plays "Hey Jude", Last Supper After Dinner mints, tacky lamps, tacky statuary (and some beautiful statuary but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and lots of other treasures that help me not to take myself too seriously.
However, I gotta say, my Jesus Bandaids have a special place in my heart. Every time I get a paper cut, I have a few moments of discernment where I have to decide "Is this truly a serious enough injury to warrant using a Jesus bandaid or would a Garfield bandaid work? I absolutely believe that my Jesus bandaids have special healing powers and I don't want to waste them on superficial cuts/burns/scrapes.
I'm just sayin.
Peace and health,
Rev Mutha