As Way Opens
On Monday night I took some time to watch Michelle Obama’s speech during the opening of the Democratic National Convention. It clearly had a different tone and message than other political convention speeches as it focused around two subjects - empathy and character. No matter our political leanings, these two subjects can be found under and further explored in our Quaker S.P.I.C.E. of Integrity.
The advices under the Integrity section of the Friends General Conference website give us a better picture of this Quaker distinctive and help us see its importance in our lives and world.
When we live with integrity, alone or as a faith community, our words and deeds ring true. We are able to hear when there is discord between our values and our words or actions, and we often sense when others in our community are “out of tune” with their own truth, or when, as a community, we do not seem to be following the same conductor.
Giving testimony to truth and integrity also means refusing to place things other than God at the center of one’s life–whether it be one’s own self, possessions, the regard for others, belief in principles (such as rationality, progress, or justice) or something else. It is the understanding that even good things are no longer good when they supplant God as one’s center.
Community plays a critical role in discernment. Integrity calls us to recognize our gifts and our flaws alike with humility, helping each other lovingly to “let our lives speak,” the truth as we know it. When we live with integrity, we hold the imperfections and dark places in ourselves and our communities to the Light, remembering that our mistakes and flaws may help us understand the pain and burdens of others or even become a spring for ministry. Living with integrity requires that we not “outrun our guide.” Rather, as Carolyn Stephen wrote, we do our best to “live up to the Light we have,” knowing that “more will be given” when we are ready.
No matter if we are going to the polls, going to work or school, spending time with family, or just trying to make it through another day during this pandemic, integrity cannot be lost. It must again become essential and speak to our current condition. I thank Michelle Obama for being willing to hold the “imperfections and dark places” in our own lives and our nation to the Light this week so we would be reminded of the importance of integrity again. May you and I “live up to the Light we have” today!
Grace and peace,
Bob
Joys & Concerns
First Friends Helps Changing Footprints ~ Several folks from First Friends recently helped Changing Footprints in its move to a new location. Tables, supplies and many, many bags and boxes of shoes needed to be moved. A BIG THANKS to Ann H, Deb and Phil G, Kathy and Bill F, and Carol and Jim D for their efforts with this move.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Judy D! Judy is celebrating a milestone birthday this week! Happy birthday, Judy!
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Join the Peace Church Conversation ~ The next meeting of the Peace Church Alliance will happen on Thursday, August 20 at 5:30pm. All are invited to join this discussion. To join, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom link. If you’d like to join the network, you can do so here. Thanks for your support, participation, and action at this critical and sensitive time!
Join Samantha R and her sister Jillian R for Personal Finance education! We have two upcoming sessions on Insurance & Savings August 20th at 6 pm, and Home Buying & Renting August 27th at 6 pm. Any questions? Reach out to the office at office@indyfriends.org.
This Thursday, August 20th we'll be gathering for free over Zoom and would love for you all to join us to learn more about insurance and savings! This may not seem like the most exciting topic, however insurance and savings are a big part of our financial wellbeing! Insurance and savings help defend and protect you against life events that could spell disaster financially without proper protection. Insurance protects you as you build wealth and savings make many of life's larger purchases possible. Join us and we will share helpful tips and information.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/113935658622
DISCLAIMER: We are not insurance agents. We do not sell insurance products. We have taught courses on this topic and that has allowed us to provide an unbiased perspective.
Men’s Threshing Together ~ Hey Men! Join us for a Zoom Happy Hour with Men's Threshing Together on Thursday, August 20 at 7:00pm. Bring your favorite beverage and connect with us on Zoom and let's check-in and see how everyone is doing during this pandemic! Pastor Bob will be hosting this event. See you at Happy Hour (our normal time - 7pm just on Zoom!) To join, contact the office for the Zoom link.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world to discuss Becoming by Michelle Obama. In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same. (goodreads)
Nancy S will be leading the discussion in via Zoom starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. For the Zoom info, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
New Keycard Policy ~ In partnership with the office team and the reopening committee, the trustees are initiating a new system to borrow keycards for events held outside on the property at First Friends. Here is a simple application (or the office will have you sign a printed copy upon pickup of the key). It includes the new procedures for use including a due date to return the keycard. At this time, the trustees have chosen not to initiate a deposit to borrow a keycard. We want to maintain a welcoming spirit among friends and support small grounds wishing to meet together. You can assist all of us by kindly returning the keycard at the conclusion of an event.
A Guy and Some Watermelon Seeds
Anyone can plant seeds whether they are a kindergartener or a senior citizen, whether they are a farmer or have never planted anything before. Some seeds are more intriguing than others and the idea of planting watermelon seeds enticed one First Friends youth. Nolan planted the seeds, babied them and swirled the vines around inside his Community Garden family plot, neatly and artistically. I asked him about his adventure and this is his wise and candid reply:
It was a very fun experience. At first I did not know how they would turn out. Once they started to grow I was excited. I picked three watermelons too early. I cut up two of the three to see if they were ripe; they were not. I put the third in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana. After about two weeks I took the watermelon out and cut it open. It was good but it could have used a little more time in the bag. Right now I have seven or more watermelons growing. From this experience I learned that I need to wait a lot longer to pick the watermelons and if one is not ripe then the others are most likely to not be ripe as well so I should put them in brown paper bags.
Most of us can identify with this. We learn as we risk and try. I am impressed by Nolan’s ingenuity, perseverance and faith. I believe he will have some delicious, ripe watermelons to eat for his season finale. Once I was impatient to plant after readying a plot and did so too early. I learned. We grow when we learn from mistakes. My gardening motto is, “All gardening is an experiment,” because there are variables from weather to pests to individual knowledge that determine the outcome. Most of us harvest something from a garden. Throughout life we reap and sow. Sometimes we share the bounty; sometimes we lift one another through trying times. What follows is a quick summer recipe for a mouthwatering treat to feast on and lift your spirits. It is especially scrumptious on a sticky hot day!
Quick Watermelon Feta Salad
(sweet and savory, crunchy, creamy, juicy, colorful and yummy)
Though the combination of ingredients may sound off-putting at first, like the salt Mom used to sprinkle on her slice of watermelon (Yuck!!!), it can be surprisingly refreshing and delicious.
Ingredients: Chilled seedless watermelon, cucumber, fresh MINT, goat or sheep’s milk feta cheese and lime dressing (lime juice, pure virgin olive oil and honey or garlic if you want). The mint makes all the difference!! Don’t be afraid to alter ingredient amounts to fit your tastebuds!
Optional add-ons: red onion; avocado; basil; walnuts; cashews; black pepper; chili pepper for some heat
Prepare the ingredients. I recommend making this shortly before mealtime since you want if FRESH, FRESH and FRESH. Carve out the rind of an eight-pound watermelon to use as a bowl or just cut away the rind with a knife. Cube watermelon or use a melon baller. Crumble a block of feta cheese yourself if you want more flavor or use the shortcut of about 2 cups pre-crumbled feta. (Mom would approve of the salty feta complementing the watermelon.) Slice, cube or mince 1 cucumber. Longer English cucumbers have a thinner peel you can retain and you need not worry about its tiny seeds. If you use the more common, squatter cucumber, cut out the seeds and peel the thicker rind. You may use decorative cuts to keep some of the green tones and to play with design. Yes, you can play chef! Dice or thinly slice 1 red onion and/or 1 avocado if you are using them. Select small herb leaves or thinly cut about 1 cup larger leaves since they have a tendency to turn brown once they are wet.
Gently mix all the above ingredients together unless you want to save the herbs for the top.
Prepare the lime dressing. Combine about ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and juice from about 3 limes. Some people prefer lemons. Add either 1 minced whole garlic clove or about 2 tablespoons of honey depending on the direction you want to take the dressing. Pour in three quarters of it and save the rest to drizzle over the top.
Sprinkle on the toppings you have chosen. You may want to garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs. Drizzle lime dressing atop the watermelon salad. Dressing is optional since the salad alone is delicious.
Serve, say grace and eat your salad with relish—meaning enthusiasm.
~Nancy
Voter Information for the General Election ~ Are you determined to vote in the general election this fall, but a little confused (or nervous!) about what the pandemic might mean for Indiana's election process? Vote.org is a reliable, easy to use, non-partisan voter information resource that can be used to check deadline dates, confirm your voter registration status, find out the location of your polling place, and/or apply for an absentee ballot if you want to vote by mail. Vote.org is national in scope, with links to individual states. Just follow the link to Indiana, which will lead you through the process on the IN.gov website for registering or for making an application to get an absentee ballot. There are strict time deadlines, and the volume of voting by mail this election is forecast to be very high, so it would be best to act soon! Thank you for voting this year.
Local Compost Service Available ~ Ben Wertz’s non-profit organization Full Circle has created a compost service available to anyone located on or near the north side of Indianapolis. The service is $15 a month for bi-weekly pickup. Buckets are provided and switched out bi-weekly. Contact ben@fullcircleinitiative.org if you would like to sign up. This is an important practice for the community. The food waste collected will be turned into rich soil for community gardens in Indianapolis. The money generated from the service will likely be used to buy a truck to facilitate soil transport for community gardens.
What Will You be Doing on Election Day? ~ One of the many challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic in an election year is that elections officials foresee a shortage of poll workers. Typically, the majority of poll workers are over the age of 61, and over a quarter of them are over 70. Because they are the most susceptible to the virus, many of these seniors have indicated they will not work the polls this November.
Where does that leave us on Election Day?
One solution is for younger Americans to step up.
Did you know that in Indiana, high school students as young as 16-18 can serve as poll workers? And that Indiana law treats this service as an excused absence from school? Requirements vary depending on what county you live in, but the non-partisan WorkElections project has gathered all the information you need to apply, wherever you live (https://www.workelections.com/). For all ages, if you want to be a poll worker, some training is required and (unless you're in high school) you must be a registered voter in your county of residence to work at one of its polling places. See the WorkElections website for specific county-by-county requirements.
At a pivotal moment in American history, when many of our most pressing problems can seem insurmountable and it's hard to know just how to help, you can act. You can enable others to perform one of the most sacred of civic duties: voting on Election Day. By serving as a poll worker, you will be doing something non-partisan, a matter of civics, not politics. And in the 2020 Elections, you can claim to have helped your neighbor--and defended democracy.
For more information, see or share a flyer here: https://bit.ly/2PCBUvs
Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for August
Northern Flicker: Special Talk
Couples who have been together for a long time have special ways of communicating. After 40 years of marriage, Naomi and I often use shortcuts as a convenient way of quickly passing on sometimes complicated thoughts and ideas. It could be a word or two, a tone of voice, or even a look, all of which can “express volumes’” It is a sharing between spouses, and also co-workers or close friends.
The Northern Flicker is a species of woodpecker that visits the Meditational Woods from March to October. I have found them on almost every visit this season. During mild winters like we have had in recent years the flicker may overwinter, especially if it can find its favorite food: ANTS!! This could be in the ground, or as I have pictured it, a colony in a stump. Notice in the picture the bright yellow underwing and undertail; the former name of this species was “Yellow-shafted Flicker.” By the way, the black moustache (malar) mark is on the male only.
Now back to communication. Like other woodpeckers, male flickers have a drum unique to flickers. The male also has a kek-kek-kek song. It is the special “flicka-flicka-flicka” call (done by either gender) that relates to the human story above. This flicka call is exclusively between the male and the female. When I am out doing a bird survey, counting the number of each species, and I mark down a flicker doing the “flicka” call, I know to look for its mate nearby. There will likely be a duet. ~Brad J
Are you ready to help people in need? The First Friends Meal Ministry is happy to provide meals to those in need of a bit of help, such as while recovering from surgery or going through a difficult time. This ministry is such an important and tangible ministry in our Meeting that connects and supports all of us. We need more folks to join us in this ministry- we can add your email to our ministry group and you can decide if the request for a meal is something you can do at the time. Lynda S and Vicki W lead this ministry and we have an app that allows for easy sign up for a meal. Will you join us in this important ministry? If you’re interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Queries for the Week
(From online service)
Where might the Spirit be leading me to gain some new perspective this week?
What “mental chains” are holding me back from seeing?
In what ways am I longing for renewal, renovation, and change?
(From self-led guide)
In what areas am I struggling with being more open?
What obstacles are getting in the way of this openness?
What area might I need to focus more on this week to help me with my openness (disciplines, community, prayer, silence, being a caring presence, simple listening, adoration, or friendship)?