Everyday Justice

I finally finished reading Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson, a book I've been reading off and on for the last few months.  One of the reviews on the back cover (by Nancy Ortberg) gives a terrific summary of the book:

"Every product in our consumer hands has a trail...Julie Clawson skillfully and kindly helps us take seriously the call to justice in our everyday choices.  From coffee to cars, there is a collision of economics and ethics that Christ-followers must take seriously.  By refusing to make justice a liberal or conservative cause, she helps us participate in restoration, ethical consumption and the beautiful pursuit of justice in God's world."

As I read the book, I kept a running list on the last page of things that came to mind - small things that I could do, starting now, to incorporate justice into my everyday life on a more consistent basis.  I tried to keep the list do-able (it's easy to feel totally overwhelmed when you start thinking about this stuff).  I figured I'd be more successful with baby-steps than with a complete overhaul.

So, below is the list of "everyday justice" things that I am committing to.  I realize that lots of people already do these things - and they aren't revolutionary.  But for me, they are new.  And I share them here as form of accountability for myself: once I say I'm going to do them...I have to at least try to do them.  Plus, I thought this would be fitting post for Earth Day!

1.  Plastic-Free Christmas and Birthday presents for my children.  So many reasons for this one, but mostly I think of all the people who are paid unfair wages in far away places to make plastic crap in the form of a toy so that big corporations can market the toy to my child who will play with it for about a week, break it, forget all about it, and eventually throw it away where it will end up in a land fill.     

2.  Less reliance on disposible items, particulary paper plates which in our house are used for all of 10 minutes.  And, we're just about done with diapers in our household, but I wonder if I would have done that whole thing differently if I knew then what I know now.

3.  Eating more locally grown, organic food and eating less meat (realizing that meat is not an essential part of every dinner).  Watching the movie Food, Inc also influenced this commitment.

4.  When the "need" arises to purchase some chocolate, making sure it's slave-free chocolate.

5.  When possible, repair rather than replace electronics.  I've kind of already starting doing this one.  We recently took our DVD player to a repair shop to be fixed rather than throwing it out and buying a new one.  Can't remember the last time we visited a TV repair shop!  And, I'm planning to mail my flat-iron back to the manufactuarer, along with a $35 check, to have it repaired, rather ther buying a new one.

The book also challenged me to think about our purchases at The GreenHouse.  As a non-profit, we often look at the "cheapest" option when making a purchase (cups, plates, snacks, etc), without regard to justice issues.  Instead, we should be searching for the most ethical and just option possible.  Definitely an area that we could grow in.   

And what about our churches?  How can we encourage our churches to be leading the charge in this area?  What about encouraging our churches to purchase fair-trade coffee?  Or using mugs instead of disposible cups?  Any other ideas?   

Julie writes, "Everyday justice begins with staying informed about what is happening to our neighbors around the world."  Awareness is the first step.    

Picnic Day

This past Saturday, we met up with some long-time friends at UCD's Picnic Day.  Some highlights of the day:

fishing with Monrovia

painting with Katrina

 and climbing on various animal pens with Jake.

But by far, the boys' favorite activity of the day was milking a goat!

My favorite activity was picnicking on the quad

with great friends

just like the good old days (well, except for all of the little people running around and eating our food!)

That was our last little bit of family fun for awhile.  We've entered "Finals Zone" so that means lots and lots of study time for Steve.  Here's hoping we all make it through another round with our sanity in tact.   

A Good Reality Check

For a good dose of reality, read this post:  http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2010/04/family.html

As we drift off to sleep in our warm beds tonight and every night, let us not forget... 

Easter Celebration at The GreenHouse

Last Wednesday evening was our Easter Celebration at The GreenHouse.  We had planned for an outdoor event at the park in order to accommodate a large crowd.  But with an impending rainstorm that was due to hit Sacramento in the middle of our event, we made a last minute decision to move it inside.

In a word, it was crazy.  Around 90 people showed up for the event - which would have been fabulous, except for the fact that we have a teeny, tiny facility with two rooms that can each hold around 20 people.  We were literally bursting at the seams with kids and parents packed into every crevice of the facility.  Have I mentioned lately that we really, really need more space at The GreenHouse? 

Adding to the discomfort for me was the fact that Steve has a class on Wednesday nights so my kids had to come to the event with me.  The twins were overwhelmed by all of the new faces and both needed "UP!" and my highly spirited five-year-old was continuously melting down from overstimulation - all while I was trying to do crowd-control and lead various activities (note to self: never bring your children to a GreenHouse event when you are working unless your husband can accompany you!)

It would be easy for me to focus on all the things that made the event extremely difficult.  But, there were also some really neat things that happened, so I'm choosing to remember those here.

We worshipped and told the Good News of Easter in Spanish and English!  One of our seventh grade students (and one parent) helped lead worship (very cool) and six of our elementary students performed an Easter skit for their peers, siblings, and parents. 

We dyed 120 Easter eggs!  And even though it was very crowded and we spilled colored water everywhere, the kids (and even the teens) had a great time doing it.

And, it just warmed my heart to see that these precious little girls wore their Easter dresses to our event! It was as if our annual Easter Celebration had become a tradition for their families...something worthy of a special dress. 

Images of Easter

a few images from our family's Easter celebrations:

dying eggs on a Tuesday morning - so much fun!

A visit to the Nut Tree with Nana and Papa for rides on the train and carousel, a giant-sized game of checkers, and dinner at Rubio's. 

 an egg hunt in our backyard Easter morning

 

and a large "Greek Easter" dinner with extended family and friends

Happy Easter everyone!

Summer Home

We signed a lease!

This is the furnished home we'll be renting for two months this summer in Kensington, MD.  Isn't it darling?  I might be biased, but I swear it was the best place, in the best location, for the best price on Craigslist...and the owners chose us to be their renters (thanks God!). 

It's a four bedroom home (though we'll only have access to three of the bedrooms) and it's located just 20 minutes from downtown DC via the red line on the metro.  And the best part...there's an enormous park called Rock Creek Park at the end of the street, so we can walk there anytime we want to!

 

The owners of the house are a very sweet retired couple that will be visiting family in Sri Lanka this summer around the same time that Steve's internship begins.  Already, they are extending warm hospitality to us - telling us where the grocery store is and where to find a trustworthy pediatrician if we need one.  We are so thankful for them and for the house.  We're getting excited! 

Next up: finding renters for our house...