The Wailing Wall (Prayer devotional for the week of July 10, 2011)

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In the movie Letters to Juliet, a young woman intercepts a letter written to Romeo’s famous soulmate, which, like hundreds of other notes, had been tucked into the crevices of a stone wall in the hopes that Juliet would respond to their pleas for romantic intervention. The lead character takes it upon herself to play the role of Juliet and embarks on an adventure to find the missing beau and reunite him with his long lost lady.

Letters to Juliet is a sweet coming-of-age tale that may seem far-fetched, yet the fictional story brings to mind a real place where hundreds of thousands of people journey year after year, seeking answers to life’s questions. The place I’m referring to is the Western Wall in Jerusalem, also known as the “Wailing Wall.” This aptly named barrier is situated on the western side of the Temple Mount and was part of the ancient wall that once surrounded the temple courtyard.

Nowadays, the Western Wall is the closest spot that Jews can get to the site of the former temple, so it is revered as a holy place. Jews and other religious pilgrims travel to the wall to pray, and many people have left behind their petitions written on pieces of paper that they tucked into nooks and crannies in the stones. The reason that Israel’s Western Wall is so highly regarded is its proximity to the temple site. The Old Testament referred to the temple as God’s house—quite literally, which is why the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem remains such a sore spot between religious groups in the region.

One of the Psalms of Ascent—Psalm 122—reminds us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let’s focus our prayer time this week on pilgrims, seekers and peace.

Foodie Friday: Coffee

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I fixed the most amazing pot of coffee this morning. I would offer to share, but it’s all gone. 🙂  What made it so wonderful? I’m so glad you asked …

Thanks to my culinary hero, Alton Brown, my coffee will never be the same. The boys and I love watching his show, Good Eats, and in one episode, he mentioned a little trick to transform your morning java: Add a pinch of kosher salt!

Seriously, a bit of kosher salt in the basket with the grounds makes all the difference in the world. The coffee is unbelievably smooth, not bitter at all … and now it sounds so good, I wish I’d made more! 🙂

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

P.S. I have also used plain ol’ iodized salt when I was out of kosher, and perhaps it’s all in my head, but I think the kosher is better.

Being away from home

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My boys have spent time away from home — or, more specifically, away from me — since they were wee tots. I remember traveling out of town for business a few times with a breastpump & ice chest as my carry-on items, and some of the boys’ earliest memories involve spending weekends with Nana and Granddad.

That isn’t to say that I try to “get rid of” them (although, I must admit that time to myself periodically is much appreciated, valued and necessary for my sanity). I just think it’s important that kids develop a sense of independence away from Mom. My oldest went to his first overnight camp the summer after second grade, if memory recalls correctly. Of course I missed him, but I didn’t fret about it too much or call the camp counselor every evening to tell my baby goodnight.

That’s why it surprises me at parent meetings for summer camp when I overhear folks talking about how it will be their child’s first time away from home. EVER? Yes, ever. These are fourth and fifth graders who have never, ever spent the night elsewhere. It boggles my mind.

It also makes me thankful that my kids have grandparents who willingly and ably invite them to stay for a night – or a few days – now and then. It makes me thankful that I started doing something early in their lives, inadvertently, to instill some independence in them so that they aren’t skittish about being away from me for a while. It makes me proud of the capable young men they are becoming. They are still silly monkeys, to be certain, but they’re growing up.

Writing Wednesday: A Clash of Kings, revisited

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I’m in a holding pattern, reading-wise. I’ve got to make some headway on two papers for my ed policy class, plus I have a live, online presentation to give on Thursday evening for my other class, so my leisure reading time has dwindled. That said, I hit a very disappointing part of A Clash of Kings last weekend, and I wasn’t too upset to have to set it down for a while.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, and I acknowledge that it’s a fantastical book about kingdom conquest, but still … I’ve gotten to know some of the characters and feel empathetic toward them, and it makes me sad when they die. I’ve about had my fill of reading about enemies’ heads on spikes at the castle gates and people being run through with lances. So, I’m taking a break from the series to finish up the summer term, then I’ll pick it up again. Surely, all of the “good guys” won’t be killed off, right??