One Year Later, A Family Walks in the Rain

Between nightfall on June 2, 2011 and dawn on June 3, 2011, Robert, Charlene, and Rebecca Spierer's lives changed forever, along with those of countless relatives and friends.

Lauren Spierer, daughter, sister, and friend, disappeared (this Indianapolis Monthly article provides a detailed timeline of events between the disappearance and now).

Prior to June 3, 2011, Robert, Charlene, Rebecca, and Lauren shared a figurative umbrella of family togetherness. Even though they may have been distant physically, there was always the phone, email, texting, all of the ways most of us remain connected these days.

Photo credit:  Free Digital Photos

After Lauren disappeared, I joined the social media community in blogging, vlogging, and tweeting in support of her family.

Lauren's story stood out to me because (among other things), she is the same age as my nieces and shares the same heart arrhythmia (Long QT Syndrome) that caused the death of my sister in law (and a condition that several of my family members have).

Why support this stranger? Why her when there are so many people missing? Of course I hope for all missing persons cases to be resolved. From the beginning, though, I have felt an uncommon connection to Lauren and her family. I am pretty sure if things were reversed, they would encourage me to keep hope alive and would pray for a resolution to this nightmare. If they wouldn't, I have seen over the past year that so many people, from every faith tradition and all walks of life, would.

When I was wracking my brain to figure out what to write about "One Year Later," our priests at Holy Comforter Episcopal church sang the song "Take All The Lost Home" at a gathering last night. Some of the lyrics spoke to me about Lauren, especially these:

"Talk all the lost home

remember their names

Their journey is yours friend..."

"Walk close by the children

and learn their refrains

and leave your umbrellas

while you learn to walk in the rain."

One year later, I still pray daily that the Spierer family will no longer have to walk in the rain, deprived of the comforting umbrella of closure, knowledge, and the Lauren-ness of Lauren.

"Looking back is incredibly sad, but going forward without answers is impossible."

                                                                                                            -Charlene Spierer

What Tallahassee Needed! (A Jason's Deli Giveaway)

I was excited when I saw that Jason's Deli would be opening here in Tallahassee, at a location that had seen a parade of short-lived establishments. I was even more excited when I started hearing my friends who had previously eaten at a Jason's Deli singing its praises:

"healthy and fresh"

"great organic salad bar with many options at a good price"

I am glad my cashier suggested the Manager's Special, which gave me a trip to the

delectable salad bar for a side!

"sandwiches with healthier options"

"great homemade soups"

"friendly staff"

"FREE soft serve ice cream"

Self Explanatory - yum!

Being me, I started poking around on the Internet to see if Jason's becomes involved with the communities where it does business - that's a critical point to win me as a loyal customer. I learned that, among other causes, Jason's Deli supports The Miracle League, which helps children have opportunities to play baseball, regardless of ability.

As I was visiting Jason's Deli for my first time ever, during a sneak peek last Friday, I overheard a customer say, "this is what Tallahassee needed."

The "sneak peek" crowd was numerous and enthusiastic.

It occurred to me that there are some "do's" and "don'ts" about Jason's Deli that will help us Tallahasseeans make up our minds regarding how much we need this new restaurant:

What they don't have:

High fructose corn syrup. (Read more about that here.)

Artificial trans fats. (Read more about that here.)

MSG.

What they do have:

The honor of being named "Best Restaurant in America" by Parents Magazine (March 2011)

A corporate mission statement that emphasizes people as well as product (The mission statement is included here.)

A gluten free menu

Jason's offers a couple of conveniences that are new to me, such as paying for your soup and salad at a self-serve kiosk and the Jason's Deli App for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches (guess I'll have to get my teenager with the iPhone to help me with that one!).

 

Jason's Deli has given me a $25 gift card to share with one of you so you can find out for yourself if "this is what Tallahassee needed."*

To enter, please leave a comment on my blog letting me know what aspect of Jason's Deli you are most excited about!

To get an additional chance, please post the following to Twitter and let me know (via a comment) that you did.

I am joining @biggreenpen in welcoming @jasonsdeli to #Tallahassee! Fresh, healthy food served by friendly people. http://bit.ly/JasonsDeliTLH

I will choose the winner on Tuesday, January 19, at 10 p.m. Eastern. Please make sure to leave me an email address so that I can reach you if you're the winner

The food is prepared right in front of your eyes!

Find out more about Jason's Deli on social media at their Facebook site or on Twitter!

ps - special shout out to my cashier Shelby and my server Theodore - great job on the first day!

*The gift card can be used at any Jason's Deli in the US.

Author's Note: A commenter questioned my phrase "a parade of short-lived establishments" to describe the businesses that had occupied this building prior to Jason's. The commenter pointed out that after Banjo's (which was there a long time) vacated, the only other business was Helen's Silver Bullet Diner. I am unable to document any other restaurants in that location, so will concede that the "parade" was a very short one! I apologize for any misstatement. I know I hated driving by that location and seeing so little activity between Banjo's closing and Jason's opening - a vacant restaurant isn't helping our economy or filling our stomachs! Paula Kiger (2/29/12)

Christmas Beyond Red and Green (An Advent Devotional)

I wrote this devotional as my contribution to the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church "Advent Reflections 2011." It was written for December 16 (Advent 3). The verses for that day included:

Let all the ends of the earth revere him. Psalm 67:7

…my house shall be called a house of prayer. Isaiah 56:7

…you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. John 5:35

When Tenley and I visited Guatemala in July 2011 as part of a Christian Foundation for Children and Aging Mission Awareness Trip, we had a booklet that outlined “the plan” for each day. For example, we knew that on Monday we would start the day with a reflection, spend the majority of the day visiting with our “sponsored friends” (the children that we had been supporting through financial contributions, correspondence, and small gifts), and end the day with dinner and a video presentation.

The “plan” for Wednesday stated that we would start the day at 7:00 a.m. with the “Mayan Prayer” led by the project team. I had no idea what to expect, except that some of our fellow travelers seemed very excited about the Mayan Prayer.


When Tenley and I arrived downstairs on Wednesday morning, we could see what all the excitement had been about. I don’t know what time the team had woken up to prepare the elaborate presentation, but it was beautiful. A carpet of pine needles surrounded beautiful floral presentations – a floral rosary – the CFCA logo in flowers – representations of earth’s gifts such as corn, wheat, fruit, and beans – and in the very center, a cross of five colors.


In the cross, small green candles represented the center of the earth; red candles represented the east; black candles represented the west; white candles represented the north; yellow candles represented the south.


Many of the team members had dressed in their indigenous clothing; beautifully woven textiles that told stories in themselves. The history of the textiles goes back thousands of years, grounded in a land whose volcanoes and mountains have sustained generations of people who have a deep reverence for the earth and its products.


Each of us was instructed to choose a candle to light. For example, the people who had chosen green approached the center together to light their candles. These candles represented the “green fields, where the beatitudes become a total reality when we are conscious of our daily deeds.” The number of people wanting red (east) was pretty high, so I held back and lit a black candle. Black represented the west, “symbols of our death, the end of our earthly life, but the beginning of a new era.”


The Mayan people may have never worshipped in ornate cathedrals; they may have never had hymnals inscribed, “In Honor of So-and-So.” They may not have had many material worship trappings that most of us have become accustomed to.


But there, in the shadow of Lake Atitlan, the sky was as beautiful a ceiling as the most complicated fresco. My new friends, both the Americans with whom we were traveling and the Guatemalans who embraced us as their Christian “familia,” helped us extend our spiritual reach a bit farther, to more distant “ends of the earth.”


And it was in His light that we all rejoiced.


As you prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, consider opening your heart to another part of God’s creation that you have not experienced. You may find that reaching farther out brings you closer to the center, where everything is illumined by “the light of mutual love.”

Sources:

Christian Foundation for Children and Aging Mission Awareness Trip Booklet
Mayan Prayer, Internet

Wordless Wednesday (Shades of Autumn Finale Edition)

This is Week Eight of the Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge. It's finale week!

For finale week, I am sharing images from the labyrinth garden at my church (Holy Comforter Episcopal). Last Saturday, I spent time in the labyrinth reflecting on the experiences I had and the images I captured during the Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge. As I walked the labyrinth, the main thing that came to mind is that although the focus was on images, there were also many special people involved in helping make those images happen, such as the rare opportunity to be with my friends Audrey and Kimmi that resulted in my green week post or the kind employee at Esposito's who helped me pick out the perfect milkweed plant to attract monarch butterflies for orange week.

The Labyrinth, Autumn 2011:

If you are interested in learning more about labyrinths as spirtual tools, here is one resource.

Finally, thank you to Kristi of Live and Love Out Loud, Alicia of Project Alicia, and Rebecca of Bumbles and Light for coordinating this challenge. I can't think of a week during the challenge when one of the organizers did not comment on my post. Thank you for your encouragement and the work each of you put into coordinating this challenge.

Famished

How many times have we uttered "I am so famished" in our lifetimes? For 8,000 children a day, hunger leads to death. We really have no idea ...

...which is why I am so proud to be a member of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Tallahassee. Holy Comforter's youth group participates in the 30 Hour Famine each year. The Famine is a 30-hour fast (only juice is consumed) sponsored by World Vision. Through their participation in the Famine, the youth raise funds for World Vision with the purpose of funding projects in developing countries that will aid sustainable development of agricultural and hydrating systems. 

Each year, World Vision selects one country to focus on for the creation of games, studies, and other activities to help the youth better understand the dire food shortages in other countries. This year, World Vision chose Haiti.

The Famine is observed through a 30 Hour Famine Lock-in; the youth started at noon on Friday, February 25 and broke their fast with communion at 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 26. During the event, the youth participated in a service project that raised awareness of the needs in Tallahassee while recognizing the growing needs in other communities.

I met with the youth group briefly Wednesday night to learn a bit about their expectations (as well as the experiences of "veterans").  Our youth shared these comments:

"We raise money to give to a country that World Vision picks out." (Chris)

"We do a service project." (Youth Group Member)

"Food never tasted so good as when the Famine ends." (Matthew)

"We helped at the food closet last year." (Christina)

"My family plans to help Honduras in addition to participating in the Famine through Living Water for Roatan." (Bailey)

"My parents were astonished." (Youth Group Member)

"One of our goals is to raise $360." (Logan) (Note: if the group raises $360 they have raised enough to help feed and care for a child for a year.)

It's not just youth who invest emotionally and physically in the Famine. Our Assistant Priest, Mother Teri, shared her nervous excitement about participating in the Famine for the first time. She said she had never gone without food for that long and admitted her apprehensions. She also said that our Priest, Father Ted, had shared that facing those anxieties is probably something that the Famine will help her do - this will be a needed step in her spiritual journey. I caught up with Mother Teri after the Famine ended, and she had this to say:

This time together helped us to bond more as a group, but the bonding was just the beginning. Because we didn't have anything in our stomachs for 30 hours, it helped us spiritually to got more in touch with ourselves, our goals, values, and most importantly, our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world. We watched videos on the devastation in Haiti, participated in activities that helped us to understand lack of food, water, and education, and helped each other understand our desires for the future. We walked away from this experience knowing that we were different and that we would make a difference in our world from now on.

Other churches in Tallahassee participated in the Famine also, such as St. Paul's United Methodist Church. My daughter's friend, Genna, participated at St. Paul's and had this to say: 

  "it was amazing, we did sooo many activities that it was impossible to think about eating. i loved it so much."

To quote from the 30 Hour Famine materials: 

Like all things, progress begins with a first step.

History begins with a single word.

And sometimes that word is "NO."

(special thanks to Bailey Spitzner for significant contributions to the text of this post)

Wordless Wednesday (30 Hour Famine Edition)

This weekend, the Youth Group at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Tallahassee will go 30 hours without food.

The 30 Hour Famine is a fundraiser for World Vision, which wants to create a world without hunger.

They humble me.

(The youth do drink juice for basic nutrition during the 30 hours.)