Happy Mothers Day!

Every year on Mothers Day, Third Presbyterian Church has its annual Music and Arts Recognition Sunday. To begin today’s service the Carol Choir, comprised of 1st and 2nd graders, sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” It’s a lovely service in which all the children’s choirs sing, and each 6th grader graduating from the Junior Choir receives a copy of the Presbyterian Hymnal. It’s a wonderful tradition and a great way to honor our mothers, by celebrating children and families.

Earlier this morning, I was listening to an interview with Rabbi Sandy Sasso on the public radio program Speaking of Faith. She talked about how important our family rituals are, and how these everyday experiences in families support and nurture a child’s spirituality.

She told the story of the weekly Shabbat ritual that she and her husband observed with their children. They lit the candles and said the traditional Shabbat prayers. Then they would embrace their children and say a prayer blessing for the children for the week to come. And now that her children are grown, they still call every Friday evening to receive the Shabbat blessing.

We all carry our traditions and rituals from one generation to the next. They shape who we are and how we approach life. When my sisters and brother and I were children, our parents read to us and prayed with us every evening. That has stayed with me my entire life, and is still part my daily practice, and also my siblings and their families.

Remember to say a prayer of thanks today for the family rituals and traditions our mothers (and fathers) shared with us at the beginning of our life’s journey.

Happy Mothers Day!

Garden Update - Week 1

My little vegetable garden has survived its first week. So far the night temperatures have stayed well above freezing, and there has been enough rain that watering hasn’t been necessary very often. It gets about 6-8 hours of sun each day, so there has even been a little bit of growth.

So far the fences and the organic stink bombs have kept the deer and the bunnies away. I will spray some more this evening just to be sure… pew!

In about two months I’ll be making salsa, pasta sauce, pesto, roasted poblanos and crema de poblano (a cream soup). I’ll also be drying hers, and donating extra peppers, onions and tomatoes to local food ministries here in Rochester.

The Garden is Planted

I have finally finished planting tomatoes, peppers, onions, basil and rosemary. It’s a bit early to plant here in Rochester, but spring seems to have come to stay. So I’ll be watching the forecast carefully for the next couple of weeks.

I planted extra plants this year, because of something I’ve been hearing on NPR. Scotts Miracle-Gro has started a program to help feed those at risk for hunger. By planting a little extra and donating the surplus to local food agencies or soup kitchens, we can help Scotts raise one million pounds of produce.

If 40,000 people donate 25 pounds of produce - about one grocery bag - then we’ve met the goal! It’s not hard. One cucumber plant can yield 15-20 cucumbers; a single bell pepper plant can yield 6-8 peppers.

If you’re interested in finding about Plant A Row for the Hungry and the GroGood program, visit http://www.grogood.com/