Since our orphanage was Catholic, Starr Ann and I were basically raised by nuns. Well, really and truly, we raised each other. But until we learned a few tricks, the nuns were in charge.
Anyway, I guess most people have heard of Lent. Part of how Catholics observe Lent is by 'giving something up' during the weeks between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Well, at the orphanage, the nuns used to make us all stand up in class the day before Ash Wednesday and declare what we'd be giving up. When Starr Ann was about eight, she stood up big as you please and announced with real regret in her voice that she'd be giving up lima beans for Lent that year. Only thing was, Starr Ann hated lima beans, and everybody knew it.
I personally thought that showed a lot of imagination and ingenuity on Starr Ann's part. Sister Blissie Marie thought it showed a lot of disrespect and smart-aleckness. AND, Sister for some reason suspected the idea originally came from me. So, Starr Ann and I both were assigned a Lenten sacrifice that year. To this day, neither Starr Ann nor I can really look directly at a lima bean.
So, last night, as Jodie, Starr Ann and I were savoring President Obama's Inauguration Day, all of a sudden, his message penetrated our revelry. If the man said it once yesterday, he said it eight thousand times - we all have to find a way to pitch in. Dang!
We had a long talk, and decided that Jodie's already doing her part by chronicling the Bush years in her textbook for middle-school kids.
Then we focused on me and decided that since two major areas of focus are to be education and science, the best way for me to serve will be to find a good inner-city tutoring program and volunteer to help kids get a good math and science foundation.
Starr Ann isn't saying yet how she plans to contribute, but she promises it won't have anything to do with lima beans. Heh.
And speaking of doing your part - anybody whose imagination and incentive hasn't quite caught fire yet should check out Heather's series on her extraordinary experiences volunteering in Nicaragua as part of a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip. Even if you already know how you plan to serve in our new America, you might want to pop on over there, because Part One begins with a little vlog where you get to see a mighty cute girl.
