Unity with All People

This week of advent my theme is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". Each year I look at issues that are relevant to human rights in the world at this time, and challenge myself to work to create the conditions of peace (justice, equality, and freedom) in my family and my community.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Simpler Life"

2. Journal queries

3. Choose next steps

4. Make a piñata for Las Posadas

1. Read "The Simpler Life":

This month I'm reviewing this pretty little book by Deborah DeFord (1998). The subtitle is "An Inspirational Guide to Living Better with Less".

I'm on Chapter 3: Simply Together. She begins by saying that togetherness is important but also "creates some of the knottiest complexities of our daily lives"; the challenge is how to keep our relationships simple. And the process of simplifying our relationships makes them more delicious and meaningful.

Today I'm reading about re-inventing community involvement. She explains that while communities depend on regular people like me to keep the wheels of community life turning, it can sometimes become a burden. But we have control over the level of our involvement. She suggests four "simple and sane principles for reasonable community activity":

1. First, Do one job well: Rather than jumping in to fill every gap, find the one job you can invest your passion in, and leave room for others to join in the meaningful work. 
2. Limit your commitment: Set your own time limits.
3. Cultivate one other recruit: Look for hidden talents and encourage them to help.
4. Take a sabbatical: This allows you to feel that you are dispensable, and that your work is a free gift.

2. Journal queries:

What areas of human rights work are calling to me now?

What are possible next steps?

3. Choose next steps:

Here is what I am committed to do next--

1. Learn more about the parts of the world that are most affected by climate change, and the human implications (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chad, Haiti, Kenya...) and write about them in our Eathcare  blog.

2. Help facilitate the seasoning of our proposed Minute on Conflict in Gaza.

4. Make a piñata for Las Posadas:
Another way I seek unity with people of the world is to explore and practice folk art customs. Las Posadas is one really cool Mexican Christmas tradition; it's a series of nightly processions and parties that begin on December 16th and continue until Christmas Eve. (I'll post more about it later.)

Each night of las Posada the party-goers break a piñata. My grandson and I made a piñata last year and we are making one again this year! They take at least a week to dry so we started today.

Note about art with pre-schoolers: Most little kids have a short attention span; expect to create in 5-minute increments. Also, get all set up, including your clean up plans, before you mention art. Then enjoy the little burst of wild creative energy while it lasts!

Piñata-making with a 2-year-old was experiential: He played with the balloon, put two pieces of gluey paper onto the balloon, then got into throwing the paper scraps around. Then he was done. And that was fine! This year, at age-three, he had an infinitely greater ability to keep at it. He stayed to help with the first two layers!

Supplies: Balloon, newspapers and plain newsprint, flour paste, foam or plastic plate, strong string, towels, warm water tub for rinsing hands

1- Tear up all your strips- make large piles of both newspaper and plain newsprint.

2- Make papier-mâché paste in a fairly shallow bowl: Start with 1-1/2 c. white flour and add water, stirring with a wisk, until you have a smooth and fairly thick paste. (I used to make a cooked paste, but this simpler one dries more firmly.)

3- Blow up the balloon and set it in a nest of towels or inside a large bowl to keep it from rolling around.

4- Cover the entire balloon with four layers of papier-mâché. I keep track of layers by alternating newspaper and plain newsprint.

You will need to make another batch of paste- probably another cup of flour will be enough.

5- Tie a harness of strong string around the balloon, from which it will hang. Cover the harness with another layer of papier-mâché.

6- Let it dry. (We added decoration later - just drawing with paint pen)