Feb. 26, 2010: ‘Disarming the heart’ means replacing negatives with positive action, by Kaleb Pounds

I think kids in this generation don’t understand that staying out of trouble makes it a lot easier to succeed.  The idea of “disarming the heart” means to me that you don’t get into a lot of trouble or affect the people surrounding you negatively.  We all need to keep in mind that when we do something hurtful or wrong, it affects the people who care about us.

Common examples of doing the wrong thing include pressuring people into drinking alcohol or doing drugs.  The result can be getting in trouble with the law and even winding up in jail.  No one’s heart is “disarmed” when these kinds of things happen.

If you are one of those people who consistently do the wrong thing, there are many positive things you can do instead.  How about joining a sport at school or other productive school activity?  You could even stay after school to help others and finish your own work.

I think the biggest reason kids get into trouble is because parents don’t show enough — or even any — affection or they just don’t care.  Kids need someone to care and look after them.  If you get mad easily, find something you both like to do together.  Find something that relaxes you like music, running, poetry, or writing in a journal.  Those things help to disarm our hearts and make them “lighter.”

Don’t give up after failure.  Getting upset with failure will lead to even more failure.  Practice using peaceful words and activities.  Stay away from playing video games too much and watching movies with all the cursing or bad things they do in them.  I encourage you to think twice and act once.

You’ll be glad you did and at the same time disarm your heart.  People will like you for that.

— Kaleb Pounds is an eighth-grader at Concordia Junior High School and is the son of Kevin and Deanna Pounds.

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.

— Indira Gandhi

Second Week of Lent

Jordanian Rice, Lentils and Onions

3 or 4 large onions, sliced thin
2 T.  butter
2 T. vegetable oil
1½ cups lentils*
2 cups long grain white or brown rice
1¼ T. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. cumin
Leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter along with the oil and a tsp. of salt in the biggest skillet available and add the onions.  Set heat at very low and stir occasionally, cooking for at least 20 minutes.  Then turn up and cook some more and stir often, until onions are brown
2.  In the meantime cook the rice and the lentils separately according to directions.  The lentils need to be watched carefully…you want them done but not mushy…they should keep their shape.
3.  When everything is cooked, fold the rice, lentils, spices and half the onions in a large bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste.
4.  To serve form a large mound, top with the remaining onions and chopped parsley, a twist of pepper and a few grains of sea salt.  Serve with a bowl of plain yogurt.  It’s really good at room temperature and just gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

*You could use red beans if you wish

Three practices for the second week

To simplify is to invite peacefulness.  Think of three ways you can simplify your life and put at least one of them into practice today.

Mother Teresa said, “There is a hidden poverty more pervasive than lack of money.  It is the poverty of the heart.” Find three ways to generously give of your time, attention and talents to others.  Example….Spend time with your friend who has been having a difficult time since breaking up with her boyfriend.

Spend at least an additional five minutes in prayer this week talking to Jesus about a situation which needs healing.

Community garden signup kicks off March 4

Right now, it’s just a big rectangle of tilled earth at the northeast corner of the Nazareth Motherhouse property. But come this spring, organizers hope the 100-by-200-foot plot will be bustling with activity as Concordia’s first-ever community garden.

The Sisters of St. Joseph have donated the space, as well as the expertise of their organic gardener, Steve Mitchell, for the project. And several sisters and other staff members have been active in the planning.

Talk of creating an organic community garden actually began about two years ago, with a number of sisters and staff members interested in growing food without chemicals. But it took the hiring of Mitchell — now at the start of his third growing season for the sisters at the Motherhouse — to give the project the push it needed.

Mitchell has proven successful at using organic practices in the large Motherhouse garden, which lies just to the south of the historic brick building on 13th Street. Produce from that space and the nearby greenhouse feeds the sisters who live at the Motherhouse from very early spring well into the fall.

Interest for the garden project grew in the community forums that began in 2009. About mid year, a small group of sisters and community volunteers came together to combine that expertise with enthusiasm and ideas.

The result is the Concordia Community Garden of Hope.

One hurdle was getting water to the large area well away from the Motherhouse’s other gardens. That was resolved in January when the sisters dug a new well to supply water for the half-acre garden space. Work on pumps and piping will be completed before the community garden opens.

Half the cost of the well was underwritten by Change for Global Change, a funding organization managed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia. Other funds are being sought and those interested in donating to the community garden are invited to call Martha Bryant, Development Office, 243-2113, ext. 1225.

The next steps are to get the word out to Concordians interested in gardening, and then sign up the folks who will green up the brown rectangle as soon as spring arrives.

Both may be accomplished during a special workshop set for Thursday, March 4. The first half of the 7 p.m. session is titled “The Benefits of Organic Gardening” and will provide information for anyone who wants to eliminate the use of chemicals in their gardens.

The second half will focus on answering questions about the new Concordia Community Garden of Hope and signing up those interested in renting a plot. Payment of the $13 seasonal fee will be required at the time of signup.

The session is in the Nazareth Motherhouse Auditorium, and everyone interested in organic gardening or signing up for a garden plot is encouraged to attend.

If there are plots still available after that evening, they will be available by calling Sister Betty Suther or Cecelia Thrash at Manna House of Prayer, 243-4428.

Later in March, the Sisters of St. Joseph annual Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction will benefit the Concordia Community Garden of Hope. All proceeds from the March 21 event will go to support the garden project. Dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and tickets are available now at the Motherhouse and at Manna House of Prayer, 323 E. Fifth St. The price is $8 for adults and $4 for children. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door, at $10 for adults and $5 for children.

WHAT GARDENERS NEED TO KNOW

If you’re interested in becoming a community gardener:

• There will be a total of 26 plots, available beginning March 4.
• Each plot is roughly 12-by-46 feet, for about 550 square feet of garden space.
• The fee for a plot will be $13 for the season, and the fee must be paid when you sign up.
• Individuals may share a plot, but one person must be the contact representing everyone who shares that plot.
• The garden is expected to be ready for planting around the end of April, depending on the weather.
• Only organic-certified pesticides and fertilizers are allowed. No pre-treated seeds may be used.
• There will be a 6-foot center aisle and 3-foot side aisles separating the plots, and all the aisles will be mulched with wood chips.
• Gardeners must agree to maintain the plot throughout the growing season, and harvest crops once they are mature.
• The garden is expected to close around Nov. 15, and gardeners must have vegetation cleared from their plot by the closing date.
• Gardeners will provide their own tools and soaker hoses or sprinklers within the plot.
• The Sisters of St. Joseph will provide water, hoses to reach each plot and stakes to mark the individual plots.
• For more information, attend “The Benefits of Organic Gardening” session at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 4, at the Nazareth Motherhouse Auditorium, or call Sister Betty Suther or Cecelia Thrash at 243-4428.

Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.

— George Washington
(born on this day in 1732)

Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “Thank You,” it will be enough.

- Meister Eckhart

Feb. 19, 2010: School shooting victim’s legacy is a lesson in kindness and compassion, by Cassie Lowell

Rachel Scott was a victim of the Columbine High School shooting that left 12 students and one teacher dead in 1999.

She was just 17 when she was killed, but she had already developed a theory on life: “… if one person could go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same.”

Rachel was right.  One act of kindness and compassion will motivate the receiver to go out and perform his or her own act of kindness.

While showing kindness, you are showing that you care for others and are treating them well.  You are selfless rather than selfish.  In showing compassion, you are almost empathizing with another person.  You are showing that you know how that person feels and that you are there.

I have seen plenty of acts of kindness and compassion in my life.  This community is full of them.  There are always people willing to help those in need — from food drives at the local schools to free lunches during the summer for those that are less fortunate.

I have been involved with numerous community services that show acts of compassion and kindness, and I’ve seen that being there, seeing how one act can make another person so happy, can really get to you.  It motivates you to keep helping those and it helps you motivate others to show their kindness to the people who need it.

Everyone needs to see kindness and compassion in their life.  I am daring you to go out today and show a stranger an act of kindness.  I can guarantee that with this little action you will trigger a chain reaction and the acts of kindness and compassion will keep on going.

— Cassie Lowell is a senior at Concordia High School and a member of Friends of Rachel.

Friday, Feb. 19, 2010

The great value of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.

- James Truslow Adams

First Week of Lent

Rice Red Beans from Haiti (Diri Et Pois Coles)

Ingredients
2 cups of long grain rice
1 cup of red kidney beans
1 finely chopped onion
1 chopped hot green pepper
1 tbsp of butter
2 chopped cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cook the beans in 4 cups of water in a medium pot for 2 hours or until tender.
Drain the beans but keep the water (it will be used to cook the rice).
Fry the salt pork or bacon until crisp (use oil if needed). Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Add the beans along with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the water used to cook beans & bring to a boil
Add the rice and cook for 20-25 minutes.

— Recommended cookbook: A Taste of Haiti

Three practices for this first week.

Sacred scripture states, “As one thinks in one’s heart, so is that one.” Spend at least 3 minutes, relax, breathe and let your mind be fed by “whatever is good and beautiful” as a way of helping you to be more peaceful.

Jesus urges us to “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) We can practice this in ordinary acts such as allowing others to go ahead of us as we wait in line at the post office; giving someone our seat; sharing our homemade cookies with those next door.

Gratitude: On her show Oprah Winfrey frequently promotes the daily practice of gratitude. Begin the day by listing five things for which you are grateful and end the day by sharing with one person all the good things that happened to you today.

Student seeks support for Rachel’s Challenge

Haley Bowers’ idea for a senior high school project isn’t just about doing a lot of work. It’s also about reaching out to her fellow students and people throughout the community, and then — she hopes — leaving a legacy when she graduates from Concordia High School in June.

Her project got a big boost Tuesday from the people gathered at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse for the ninth community forum.

Bowers has organized about 20 classmates to bring a speaker to Concordia to re-energize Rachel’s Challenge at the high school. And the Concordia Year of Peace Committee, which grew out of the community forums, has agreed to work with her to make that happen.

Three years ago, Rachel’s Challenge was big news at the high school and in Concordia. Bowers was one of the original members of the CHS Friends of Rachel Club, a nationwide movement in memory of Rachel Scott, the first of 12 students and a teacher killed in the 1999 Columbine school shooting.

The local club raised the money to bring Dana Scott, Rachel’s older sister, to Concordia to speak about the five-point challenge:

1. Eliminate prejudice; look for the best in others.
2. Dare to dream; set goals and keep a journal.
3. Choose positive influences.
4. Focus on kind words and little acts of kindness.
5. Start a chain reaction.

Bowers was one of the original FOR Club members, and today she acknowledges that enthusiasm flagged at the high school as the club’s adviser and some of the founding members left the school.

“I was one of those who didn’t go to all the meetings,” the senior said Tuesday. “So we need to keep it important and interesting, and get younger students involved to keep it going.”

(There is also a Friends of Rachel Club at Concordia Junior High School, but the two local programs are not connected.)

Bowers’ also working to get the broader community involved. That, in part, was her reason for speaking to the three dozen or so attending Tuesday’s community forum. And her reception was very positive.

The newly re-energized Friends of Rachel Club at the high school hopes to raise $2,900 to bring a speaker from the Rachel’s Challenge organization to Concordia in April, the 11^th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

The speaker would lead a schoolwide assembly and then speak at an evening event at the Brown-Grand Theatre.

So far the students have raised about $1,000, Bowers said. And several of those attending Tuesday’s working lunch handed her personal checks after her presentation.

Anyone wishing to make a donation may send it to Haley Bowers at Concordia High School, 436 W. 10^th St., Concordia 66901. Checks should be made out to “Friends of Rachel.” Or, for information, you may contact Bowers at haley.bowers@usd333.com

Other items on the agenda of Tuesday’s working lunch included:

• A report from the Concordia Year of Peace Committee about the Civility Pledge signature drive. A full-page ad was published in the Concordia Blade-Empire Feb. 10, with 230 signatures. More than 250 pledges have been signed, as of Tuesday, and more signatures continue to come in, according to Sister Jean Rosemarynoski.

• Information on Dr. Donna Beegle, a nationally recognized expert on generational poverty who will be in Concordia for a workshop and an evening lecture March 30. Her visit is being sponsored by the Poverty Small Group of the community forum, the Sisters of St. Joseph and Cloud County Community College. For details, contact Sister Jean at 243-2149 or sisterjean@csjkansas.org

• An update on what has now been named the Concordia Community Garden of Hope. The committee working on this project, on a 100-by200-foot plot on the northeast corner of the Motherhouse grounds, plans an educational session and signup meeting at 7 p.m. March 4 in the Motherhouse Auditorium. More details will be available soon.

Tuesday’s session was the ninth in a series of  “working lunches” hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. The meetings, which are open to everyone in Concordia, began in early 2009 as a way of identifying problems in the community and seeking solutions. The 10^th in the series will be April 29 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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