August 2012 Miscellaneous

The first part below was written on Wednesday.

Luxurious exhale here.  Now I remember why I find politics distasteful.  True, the primary elections happened yesterday, and the rhetoric leading up to it and the fallout following it are both wearisome, but it was not those politics I was involved in recently.  It was Farmer's Market politics.  Can you believe it--politics in such a wholesome place?  You can?  Me too.  Strategic maneuvers and power plays happen all the time, even in church organizations, sadly.  It may not always be a problem when this happens, but when private agendas take precedence over the good of the group being represented, when bedrock ethical standards are not honored, and when the paralysis of polarities sets in, then something needs to change.

For the sake of our beloved market's reputation, I'll spare you the details here.  Suffice it to say, turbulence going on underneath the surface finally boiled over and it took a lot of hard work to reduce it all to a simmer again.  Beyond that, I'm hoping the pot gets taken off the stove after all the toxins have evaporated, and only savory stuff goes into it before it returns to a simmer.  A meeting last night saw some really good things happen, though not everyone left happy.  "Hyperventilating and threatening to melt into a frothing puddle of animosity" is how Shane described part of what he saw.

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I saw some admirable courage on display last night, and I drew courage from those who displayed it.  Even tone of voice, sticking to verifiable facts, refusing to make personal attacks or other accusations, ignoring glares, red faces, and silently heaving bellies--that's how it ought to be when one has to "bear witness"  in a strained atmosphere.  As for me, I just wanted to find one of those strong people to hide behind.  I settled instead for a seat in the back corner, by the door, where there was an easy escape route, and Hiromi was between me and the action.

The whole affair has reaffirmed my conviction that everyone, but especially those who represent others--no matter whether they got there by vote, by appointment, by ordination, by hiring, or by self-announcement--absolutely must be willing to have a bright light shown on their behavior in that capacity.  Those who insist on this are not showing disrespect; they are being responsible.  The counterpart is also true:  Those who refuse to allow that bright light to shine are not being responsible; they are being disrespectful to those they represent,

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Speaking of bearing witness, my sister is called to a New England state this week for a high-profile event of interest to many people I know--because of a business transaction she processed.  Pray for all involved.  She does not wish for details to be shared here.

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My dad is hoping to come home from the hospital today.  After a miserable weekend, when he suffered from soft foods apparently having been introduced before his digestive system had awakened properly, he was on the road to recovery again by Wednesday.  He called me this morning from the hospital and sounded very normal.  At home, it will be a new normal in many ways though--not least because my sister, who looks after my parents, is not back yet from her expenses-paid trip east.

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I have been laboring over an essay to be submitted to a contest for farmer's market vendors.  The prize money is significant, but submission practically requires signing your life away in regard to how the submission can be used.  Winners will be announced on Aug. 31.  The submission can not be pre-published, but after that, I'll probably post my entry here.  The deadline for submission is today.  I submitted  mine at noon.  Did someone accuse me of procrastinating?  Five hours to spare is a lot more time than I sometimes allow.

Tomato canning, babysitting, marketing, politicking, working up corn, and going to the hospital to see Dad have all competed for my time and attention the past few weeks.  It's high time now to get  ready for the Women in Ministry retreat at SMBI and to get ready for the start of school.

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We've had a bit of rain, and are now enjoying a spate of cooler weather, with highs in the 90s most days, and lows in the low 70s most nights.  It's amazing.

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The youth group's mission trip to--wait for it--Hutchinson, Kansas is scheduled to begin this Saturday.  They'll be living in the CASP house and working on projects for Hands of Christ (our church-sponsored local ministry) and other charitable agencies in town.  I applaud this choice.

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I didn't hear it (or more likely I tuned it out), but I'm told that Tristan "sang" loudly from the back of the church on Wednesday evening while his dad and others who helped sing at Caleb and Sherilyn's wedding, sang at the front of the church.  His mommy hardly knew whether to shush him for everyone else's sake or refrain, from fear of squelching a budding singer's enthusiasm for the activity.  He's nine months old, and has a lot of time to improve his melodic skills.