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I challenge you to finish that sentence.

I miss that song.

Oh!

And happy Man’s Day. If you’re on effbook, login and check it out.

So said the lovely Esther B. last weekend. She had just shown me a funky hoodie that she had sewn for herself.

I tend to agree. Especially as I am born of a woman who made most of my clothes when I was little. (I inherited her skills, but over the past few years, I have been too lazy to use them.)

Last week I finally bought a sewing machine. (Walmart has decent prices.) I opened the box yesterday.

As I said, I know how to sew. I’m just…Hesitant. In opening the box, I have committed to using its contents.

Meanwhile, in my head I have committed to making more of my clothes. And gifts. I’m looking forward to getting started!!

With babies and pregnant ladies everywhere I turn, I have decided that this will be my next book.

I’ve seen it in person at least once. It looks like it’ll be fun!!

I’m always thankful for intriguing comments. Dalia and Lisa never fail to get me thinking. 🙂

eeeenteresting…

I have left FT feeling sad, definitely — but sad in the sense that encountering God in corporate worship tore a necessary hole in my protective layer. Pain laced with a deeper joy.

Since I left I have walked out of many a church feeling uninspired and incredibly alone. I feel where Ms B is coming from there. It’s a struggle to figure out when you should walk away from a church like that, and when you should stick around to make things better.

Lisa wrote this in response to my church-suckage post–see below. It reminded me of a few things:

1. Back in the day, I used to hate the idea of church. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE.

“People shouldn’t have to get together to worship God.  I have a brain. I have a Bible or two or ten…What more do I need…?”

Oh, to be young and naive again.  Corporate worship, in the right environment, can work wonders for your soul and mind.

2. Walking away vs hanging on.  This reminds me of someone in my family who recently started going to church again. And I think she should keep going…Dear One, I don’t know if you’re reading this post, but from the sound of things, they need your insight!!!

I found this article via Gawker’s article, entitled “Barack Obama: Bigger than Jesus“.  It starts out by mentioning that

Former Clinton White House mouthpiece Dee Dee Myers just called Barack Obama “the most famous living person in the history of the world.”

And I admire Obama as much as any open-minded-optimistic-progressive-conservative these days…But as the person who wrote the Gawker piece said, what about Jesus…Or, even Gandhi?

I’m all for Obama love. But let’s be realistic. He’s only been in office for a little over a week. I can tell things are going to be different.

But “most famous living person”?

Maybe in a year. Or two. Or ten.

I’ll write about Super Sunday some other time. Probably over Christmas vacation. For now, there are greater things at hand. Namely, the recent death of Aqsa Parvez. I just jotted this down elsewhere…

Has anyone got a copy of today’s Toronto Star? The cover story involves two teenage Muslim girls. One wears the hijab. The other does not.

Over the past few days I’ve been a bit annoyed (and amused) by the media’s coverage of this tragedy. People are working overtime to defend Islam and the hijab…Unfortunately these things are under attack. Yet at the heart of it all, among other things, in my opinion…

Aqsa Parvez was killed for being a teenager. (I do not say this to make light of what happened. On the contrary.)

Teenagers rebel. They don’t always want to follow their parents’ traditions. I know that the hijab is an important part of Islamic dress…But was it really worth someone’s life?

And then there is the fact that Aqsa’s friends knew that she was afraid of her father’s wrath.

Which brings me to my questions…

What about Aqsa’s teachers? (Because if her friends knew what was happening…) Didn’t they know that her father was abusive? Did they ever attempt to report him? Did they at least attempt to talk to an administrator about their suspicions?

Quite often teachers are aware of what is going on with their students outside of the classroom. If not through direct communication…Kids have a way of talking…To this day it amazes me. They think that somehow (we) their teachers cannot hear, and they let some rather astounding–and revealing–things slip out.

Even if nothing was said…Concerning claims that Aqsa was abused…Were there bruises?

I can’t let go of the feeling that someone could have done something to prevent this from happening.