Candles for you!

A few weeks ago core member Erin Wheeler went with me to see a Mariners game in Seattle. She was mostly in it for the hamburger but I think she enjoyed seeing the people in the stadium and yelling "go team" (although unfortunately indiscriminate about which team she yelled this at).

Another great part of that time was visiting the l'Arche community in Seattle (l'Arche Noah Sealth). We were there for the Director's 25th anniversary in the community which meant one morning Erin got two breakfastes which was okay by her. We stayed for a few nights in Angeline house where my friend Leah from Duke is an assistant.

We also got to meet a bunch of the folks who work in the candle workshop, the work program run by the community. About a month before our trip, Jacob and I decided to ask Noah Sealth if they would make candles as gifts for our guests. Two hundred candles was a tall order because they are a small operation but the project leader, Alex said they could swing it with enough time in advance. If you end up liking the candles and want to order more, you can contact the community through this link.

One of the challenges for many men and women with disabilities, particularly those with moderate disabilities, is the lack of things to do during the day. Most work programs run half-day and group homes/foster care agencies are expected to have their clients sit around in the house after 12. Many work programs use these folks to fill time, don't pay a fair wage and often maintain poor facilities. There are many l'Arche communities which provide alternative experiences. In our region, L'Arche Tahoma Hope in Tacoma operates a farm and gardens project. They write:

"The mission of L'Arche Farm & Gardens is to provide work in an atmosphere of dignity and respect, using horticulture and art to broaden and enhance the unique gifts of adults with developmental disabilities."

Other communities run candle or soap workshops. You can also checkout the previous post about Eileen in D.C. who is a part of Art Enables. Jake and I are excited to share with you our l'Arche life through the giftings and talents of the core members who share life in Noah Sealth.

Visit from Eileen

We got a real treat yesterday with a visit from Eileen Schofield and Amy Marie, a core member and assistant from the l'Arche community in D.C. Part of the discernment process for coming into l'Arche involves a weekend visit to a community and since D.C. was the closest to me in August, that's where I went.

Eileen was one of the first core members that I met. She has a great Mississipi accent and loves shrimp. She's also really short so standing next to Joni (or even better hugging Joni), our unusually tall core member, is a very funny and awesome sight.

The other amazing thing about Eileen is her part in a program called Art Enables. Art Enables is an art-as-enterprise foundation which provides folks with disabilties professional instruction, materials and studio space for creating their art. And this art is AMAZING. Eileen is often commissioned to paint. Her work is also sold on-line here.

Ever since I met Eileen I wanted a piece of her art in my house. We made a deal with the seller at Eileen's work to put two of her pieces on our registry. They are reserved for us but if no one buys for us we committed to purchase out of pocket after the wedding.

Eileen is just another example of the amazing men and women who are changed and change others through the healing examples of mutuality, respect and common life in the l'Arche community. Jacob and I support the Portland community with our presence, mine as a live-in assistant and his as an extended community member. We also help to support them financially in any ways we are able. As such, one of our registry requests is for donations to be made to support and nourish the lives of Joni, Adam, Marilyn and Erin in l'Arche Nehalem.

Flowers

The Sunday New York Times had a great article on Mothers Day flowers. The author was Amy Stewart who wrote a book called "Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers".

I think it's often times very hard for people (like me) to make decisions when they are isolated to an "earth friendly cause." No matter how strong your theology of creation, it can be difficult to sense your brocolli crying out from the table. Stewart helps me remember that there are very human elements involved in every environmental cause, that workers are inseperable from the chemicals and pesticides used to treat our plants, food and flowers.

She writes about the flower industry in South America, where most of our wedding, get-well-soon and Mothers Day flowers are shipped from. Because they have to get over the border, the flowers have to meet anti-fungal and de-bugging standards. Stewart writes:

"On a flower farm in Ecuador, I saw workers dunk bunches of roses, blossom-first, into a barrel of fungicide just before shipment. The stench was so overpowering that I had to resist the urge to run outside for air. Chemicals dripped off the flowers, they sloshed on the floor and it seemed impossible that the workers — almost all women — could get through the day without getting covered in them, too."

The full affects of health and birth defects of these chemicals are still being investigated but there is no doubt that these practices are harmful for the mostly women who work in the fields for little pay, no vacation and without health care benefits.

Stewart also adds a note about VeriFlora , a new certification program which ensures that flowers are organic and that flower companies employ fair wage and labor practices.

She says that the problem right now is that so few people carry these flowers. A really great way to help is by calling and asking your florist for flowers with the label. Hopefully the demand will drive the prices down and make the certification more popular.

Jacob and I are still unsure what we are going to do about flowers. We'll probably order some from Organic Bouquet but we're also looking into some alternatives like using potted plants from a greenhouse, replacing bride's maids flowers with candles and finding local dried flowers and herbs. We'll see.....

Wedding Dresses

Over the weekend I was on the North Shore in New England for my sister's graduation from Gordon. It rained the entire time we were there. Despite living in Portland, one of the rainier places in our country, I have never seen rain like that.

We did manage to score a wedding dress (you can see it on flickr).

We were looking at several options, some of which may be helpful to those looking for alternatives to buying a new dress. There are lots of "green" dresses out there. Most come from personalized designers but many mainline designers (even Giorgio Armani) have made dresses of sustainable materials. The main ingredients are hemp and silk. The one's I really liked came from Threadhead in AZ.

There are also some great second-hand ideas, where to buy and where to give it when you are done wearing it. The I Do Foundation buys already-worn dresses and sells them through consignment. They give the proceeds to charitable organizations.

Three Others:
The Bridal Garden -The Bridal Garden's non-profit bridal boutique offers top designer gowns at reasonable prices. Proceeds benefit the Sheltering Arms Children's Services.

Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation - By donating to Brides Against Breast Cancer your wedding and bridesmaids dresses, your 100% tax-deductible gift supports the fight against breast cancer.

The Glass Slipper Project- Here's your chance to help a Chicago high school student be the "Belle of the Ball" at her high school prom. The Glass Slipper Project collects new and almost-new formal dresses and accessories and provides them, free of charge, to Chicago high school students who are unable to purchase their own prom attire.

We ended up finding my dress at a great little store in Wenham called Over the Rainbow. It looks great and we were excited to get it for half the original price!

decisions, decisions

I'm back in the community after two full days on the farm. Two new apprentices started working this week and I am noticing and enjoying the changes in energy, dispersion of work and the new stories Solei and Brian bring with them. It's also always good for me to be reminded of where my food comes from. We are especially cognizant this week as much of the day-labor farming and construction projects around the country were cleared out during Day With No Immigrants. On the farm we do a lot of the hand/back labor we associate with undocumented workers. It's tough, often tougher than I like during my "weekends" spent away from l'Arche. As Jake reminds me, most of the time we're only cheating the curse because others are bearing its brunt.

We also spent a long time last night talking through some of the issues surrounding our wedding registries. The primary question was around supporting Ten Thousand Villages. TTV is a store which sells fair trade international gifts. They support local artisans and ultimately provide income for the communities where they live. It also happens to be the main vehicle of financial support for MCC, the Mennonite Central Committee, the primary arm of Mennonite mission in the world.

But supporting Ten Thousand Villages with our money is complicated. Because all their products are imported the store uses more than its share of petroleum shipping to the U.S. from India, Asia and Africa. We know that the environmental impacts of importation are devistating. And what about local economies? Would we rather support local bsuinesses and craftspeople?

The challenge is to balance sustainability, local production, organically grown products and charitably supportive purchasing. Unfortunately sometimes, most times, we have to chose between. It seems like every decision has three more behind it. It's hard to imagine doing all these things well, how to be and live like Christ. We're trying but we could certainly use some prayer, advice and encouragement along the way....