Faith and Sacrament and Civility

This election season has been the most contentious that I can remember. Always the mud-slinging and one-upping, but it seems as if it has fallen to new lows. When Christianity comes into politics, it seems as if it instantly becomes a contest of moral high ground. As I ponder on what faith in Jesus Christ means to me, I’m fairly certain He would be disappointed with this election season. I don’t mean with the candidates, but how we have been treating each other. There is so much shaming and hatred. When did civility become so out of fashion? Christ walked and talked with sinners. He refused to cast a stone at the woman taken in adultery. He taught love and kindness. This doesn’t mean He condoned sin. One of my favorite examples of modern civility was the friendship between Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Supreme Court Justice is arguably the most important position in government and Scalia and Ginsburg were diametrically contrary in almost every decision they made. When the robes were off, they were the best of friends. Scalia loved to hunt and Bader’s husband would often cook what he caught and the couples would share a meal together. They treated each other kindly. They respected the intelligence and intentions of the other person, even when opposed to their own. I am far from perfect. I depend on my belief that through partaking of a weekly sacrament I can be forgiven of my sins, shortcomings, weaknesses, etc. I try my best, but those errors are part of being human. I believe in the goodness of other people. I believe in a Christ who has given me more chances to try again, to do a little better than I can count and therefore it would be foolish of me to not offer that to all those around me. I have faith that trying our best matters and that Christ paid the price for all the times we fall short. 

How to do Fall

With the exception of post holidays into the remainder of winter, I love changes in seasons. There is something new to look forward to. Fall is no exception! Football, school supplies, changing colors, crisp air, pumpkins! Fall gives me a renewed sense of energy going into the home stretch of a year. I still feel like I have time left to work on my goals before the end of the year.

There are basically two ways to do Fall. First, you can post a cute meme on social media and drink a pumpkin spice latte. That's fine, but may I suggest something better? (Don't worry Starbucks, we aren't breaking up.) Dive into fall like you are jumping into a giant pile of leaves, better yet, actually jump into a pile of leaves. "I'm an adult you say, I don't have kids you say." What's your point? Fall is a perfect time to not live life waiting on someday. Make a Fall Bucket List. Pick apples, go to a pumpkin patch, watch football, sit around a fire pit with friends, eat a s'more, make all the pumpkin things.

Why settle for buying a pumpkin spice flavored drink when you can create some seriously amazing pumpkin flavors in your own kitchen. The first fall kitchen adventure involved my favorite food blog and Maple Pumpkin Cookies. They were delectable. Maria is a wonder in the kitchen and I have never had a recipe fail. I don't have any pictures because I took these morsels to work, where they disappeared.

The pumpkin adventures continued. I made pumpkin curry! I love a good curry and the combination of the pumpkin and coconut milk created such a smooth sauce.

I am by no means a food blogger, so don't let the iPhone picture fool you into thinking this was anything less than wonderful. This is how you do Fall!