Ok-so this whole creation care thing has infiltrated my life. Not that I'm an expert or anything, or that I do it perfectly all the time, because I don't. Definitely not anywhere close. But, I can't help but thinking about from time to time this past week.
For instance, on our weekly friends dinner night we usually use paper plates because frankly...there's a lot of people and I don't want to do the dishes. I suggested this week that we use regular dishes instead so we don't throw away our resources and fill our landfills...but, my husband threw the veto card on that one. (In all fairness, he's the one that probably would've ended up doing the dishes...so it's only fair for him to veto that one!) Perhaps biodegradable or made out of recycled product paper plates are in our future...
Or how about the fact that I bought "Green Clean" cleaning products to use in the house that are made out products that are 99% natural, plant and mineral-based products and have biodegradable ingredients, but yet, I clean with paper towels that are easily discarded when I'm done. Paper towels not so great for the landfills. So I found some biodegradable absorbent sponges to use instead. Usually I don't like to use sponges because they hold germs and yucky stuff whereas a paper towel gets thrown away with its germs and all. But these are made with recycled paper and 100% natural materials and I guess I can zap them in the microwave to get rid of germs every once in a while (or so I've been told...). And even if I buy them new once a month, that costs me the same as a bag of paper towels and is better on the landfills.
So here's something else though. Do I just believe the packaging on all this stuff or how do I know it's really good for creation?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
This Crazy Life
What an insanely crazy week...so in other words, another regular week in the Ruch household.
If there's one thing that has become apparently clear to me this week, it would be how it is that the Holy Spirit works in the lives of people and how, at some times, the Spirit is so apparent that you can't help but see it when you're looking at a person. (you'd think that as a Seminary student in her last semester of schooling this might be apparent all the time, but alas, us seminarians are human beings like any other and we too have to work at seeing the Spirit sometimes!)
I've been working with a friend who has recently been diagnosed with cancer and I've spent a lot of time with him in the hospital and at his home, just helping him in whatever way he needs and is helpful to him. What has amazed me though, is how I feel like he teaches me something every time I see him. I see the Spirit working through him so apparently that it just amazes me. It comes across in his attitude toward his health condition right now, how he continually talks about being blessed, and more than anything, in his attitude toward those who are giving him care. He was recently in the hospital again for a short time and the way in which he treated his care-givers (from doctors, experts, and the like to nurses and custodians and office workers too) has just amazed me. It seems as if he cares as much about their well-being as they do about his.
I guess what all of this teaches me is that our Christian values and teachings are in play all the time, not just when we're feeling great and in shape. And it inspires me to treat others better.
Most of all, it inspires me to keep serving others, even when I'm tired and life is crazy.
If there's one thing that has become apparently clear to me this week, it would be how it is that the Holy Spirit works in the lives of people and how, at some times, the Spirit is so apparent that you can't help but see it when you're looking at a person. (you'd think that as a Seminary student in her last semester of schooling this might be apparent all the time, but alas, us seminarians are human beings like any other and we too have to work at seeing the Spirit sometimes!)
I've been working with a friend who has recently been diagnosed with cancer and I've spent a lot of time with him in the hospital and at his home, just helping him in whatever way he needs and is helpful to him. What has amazed me though, is how I feel like he teaches me something every time I see him. I see the Spirit working through him so apparently that it just amazes me. It comes across in his attitude toward his health condition right now, how he continually talks about being blessed, and more than anything, in his attitude toward those who are giving him care. He was recently in the hospital again for a short time and the way in which he treated his care-givers (from doctors, experts, and the like to nurses and custodians and office workers too) has just amazed me. It seems as if he cares as much about their well-being as they do about his.
I guess what all of this teaches me is that our Christian values and teachings are in play all the time, not just when we're feeling great and in shape. And it inspires me to treat others better.
Most of all, it inspires me to keep serving others, even when I'm tired and life is crazy.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Beginning...
Ok, so I've thought of blogging before...a few times actually, but have never really gotten around to it. The idea intrigues me. I used to be a big journal-er and I enjoyed it, so in some ways I feel like blogging is the new way to journal. But can one write with the same amount of candor in a blog as one can in a journal? I guess we'll find out.
The incentive that led me to actually acting on the blogging bug is a class I'm taking for my last semester of my seminary education. The class is to fulfill my Education II requirement and is titled "Religious Education in Relation to Creation." It should be a good class. One of the requirements of the class is keeping a blog as a space where we will review a few books we're reading for the class and also so that we can follow the other student's experiences as we all go through this class. Another requirement is that we pledge to do something (differently than usual one would presume) in our lives that in turn helps creation. I've decided to make an effort to buy things that are natural or organic, made from recyclable things and able to be recycled in the end. This should be good for me and for the earth as well. For me, buying organic or natural when it comes to food should make me feel better about my health and support my husband as he tries to become a healthier person in general. For the earth, it helps because we are re-using instead of re-making and letting our things go into landfills and because we cut down on the chemicals used in processing and such.
I started tonight. I went to the store (Super Target of course, how could I possibly shop anywhere else?) and went grocery shopping. I found it interesting that there are a number of choices that I had never noticed before. I usually just go and buy what I like and want and I don't really look around for the other options. But guess what? They're actually there. It did make grocery shopping take a while longer though...My favorite find from tonight though: Sun Chips, Garden Salsa flavor (which are made from natural products and contain whole grains and just taste pretty awesome in general) that are packaged in "The World's First 100% Compostable Chip Package." I thought this was pretty cool until I got home and realized that I don't know what I'll do with the package since I don't actually compost...but pretty cool nonetheless. I'll try to add a picture (exciting, I know) when I figure out how to do that on here.
So, blog for class but check back to find other posts as well...
Ooo, I think I figured it out, here's that picture you all couldn't wait to see! (sorry it's sideways...)
The incentive that led me to actually acting on the blogging bug is a class I'm taking for my last semester of my seminary education. The class is to fulfill my Education II requirement and is titled "Religious Education in Relation to Creation." It should be a good class. One of the requirements of the class is keeping a blog as a space where we will review a few books we're reading for the class and also so that we can follow the other student's experiences as we all go through this class. Another requirement is that we pledge to do something (differently than usual one would presume) in our lives that in turn helps creation. I've decided to make an effort to buy things that are natural or organic, made from recyclable things and able to be recycled in the end. This should be good for me and for the earth as well. For me, buying organic or natural when it comes to food should make me feel better about my health and support my husband as he tries to become a healthier person in general. For the earth, it helps because we are re-using instead of re-making and letting our things go into landfills and because we cut down on the chemicals used in processing and such.
I started tonight. I went to the store (Super Target of course, how could I possibly shop anywhere else?) and went grocery shopping. I found it interesting that there are a number of choices that I had never noticed before. I usually just go and buy what I like and want and I don't really look around for the other options. But guess what? They're actually there. It did make grocery shopping take a while longer though...My favorite find from tonight though: Sun Chips, Garden Salsa flavor (which are made from natural products and contain whole grains and just taste pretty awesome in general) that are packaged in "The World's First 100% Compostable Chip Package." I thought this was pretty cool until I got home and realized that I don't know what I'll do with the package since I don't actually compost...but pretty cool nonetheless. I'll try to add a picture (exciting, I know) when I figure out how to do that on here.
So, blog for class but check back to find other posts as well...
Ooo, I think I figured it out, here's that picture you all couldn't wait to see! (sorry it's sideways...)
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