Sunday, December 30, 2007

Why you must see Kite Runner



Ok - So I may have too much to say on this topic so only read if you are ready for my soap box....

I have read The Kite Runner twice and it is one of my most favorite books. (I also really loved and was moved by A Thousand Splendid Suns - by the same author). Yesterday I went to see the movie with my mom and sister. I have heard some people say they don't want to see the movie or read the book because it sounds so depressing. And, in fact there are are some heart breaking events and it can be depressing. But, I don't think that should stop you. In fact, I think it is a MUST read and if you have time you should also see the movie (but read it first). It is really such a beautiful story that teaches us about friendship, loyalty, forgiveness and redemption. The main character, Ali, is told "there is a way to be good again." Isn't that what we believe if we believe in a loving Heavenly Father and Savior. We can be good again. We may pay a horrible price for our sins - that is justice - but there is also mercy and forgiveness. One of the challenges of this movie is to reflect on your own life. Surely many of us have faced nothing even close to the social class issues, war, displacement, or terror found in this story but we are all parts of a society and network of friends. What kind of friend are we? Are we only nice to some friends when no one else is around? Do we take advantage of the loyalty our friends offer us? Do we have the courage to stand up for what is right - no matter what? Do we defend our values - specifically the issue of decency? Do we make things right when we have messed up or do we let it destroy valued relationships?

Another reason this book and movie are so important to me is that I think we have a responsibility to be aware of the conditions of the world around us. I know that I was completely unaware of Afghanistan before 1978 and the Afghanistan during Taliban rule. Certainly I had heard things about the Taliban but I didn't really pay attention. This book makes it so real. And because we still have soldiers there we must know what they are up against. I love the way the movie shows how beautiful Afghanistan and its people were prior to the invasion of Russia. It is certainly not fair nor accurate to think of all Afghan people as the Taliban would have us believe.

A third reason that I think we should read this book and see the movie (this is starting to sound like an essay) is that we need to be more aware of the plight of refugees. What a challenge to leave the land you love and have to start over somewhere new. Start over where no one understands your language or customs or makes efforts to understand where you came from and the terror you must have faced to sneak you family out. We forget that they are intelligent, capable, talented, compassionate people who probably served their communities in great ways before they had to leave (obviously this is an generalization). Yet, we see Baba jan and Ali work so hard. Baba jan, despite being a gas station employee, keeps his decency and works hard, as he did before.

This holiday season, I was asked to be involved in a sub-for-santa type project for a refugee family from Burma. Their country has forced the Karen people to leave or be killed. This particular family arrived in Utah in September with nothing but their 5 children (age 2 - 16). They need so much. I loved being a part of the incredible generosity of so many. A group of youth and leaders were able to deliver piles of gifts for each family. I didn't get to be there, but I hear that they were so happy and probably overwhelmed. I know that youth involved were significantly impacted by the experience of being there and giving during the season of so much getting. At a recent concert I went to (The Gift - Peter Breinholt, Ryan Shupe and Sam Payne) I was touched by something Sam Payne said, "Service rendered during this time of the year, saves lives." He was the recipient of of some lifesaving service at Christmas as a boy. We have an opportunity to do that right here in Utah - whether with our neighors in need or the many refugees living here in Salt Lake.

As I looked online for some pictures, I found the greatest website with an entire curriculum for teaching The Kite Runner, the history of Afghanistan and the issues of human rights. Too bad I am not teaching any high school history classes right now. So, since I am not - if there is a teacher out there reading this - go to this website and see if you can incorprate some of this into your curriuclum. It is really well done and comprehensive. http://participantproductions.com/kiterunner/KiteRunnerlow.pdf

So...after that little spiel - I hope it wasn't too much. I hope you will read the book and support the movie. I hope you will think about these issues. And respond to this--tell me what you think of the book and the movie.

-Note - It is PG-13 and the scenes you might be worried about are not quite as graphic as you might be afraid they could be. They are certainly upsetting but they don't show as much as you might think.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

The Nativity in Snow Canyon



We spent the Christmas holiday in St. George with all our family. We had such a great time. My favorite part of the Christmas celebration was going to Snow Canyon and dressing the kids up in the coolest costumes (thanks to my mom) and having them act out the nativity on the red rocks. Gavin was a little bit of a sad Joseph but he came around after a few bribes. The shepherd, Brooklyn, was not pleased that her baby doll was being used as Baby Jesus so for a while Mary was baby-less. But, all in all it went great. Elise loved her role as the angel and the three boys really enjoyed being wise men who travelled from afar bringing gifts. Dave did a great job photographing the event. I would do this part every year!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Last Christmas...



Wait - before you read this - turn the music player on to the song. It will get you in the Wham! mood. I know you are all scared. Why would I post a picture of Wham! or add them to my playlist? But come on, I know all of you once loved Wham! like I did (if you are in your 30s). But, really I posted it because while I lived in Russa in 1995, my Russian host family loved to play this song off a cassette tape at dinner time. Go figure. They didn't even understand English. They kept asking me to translate the song and explain it to them. Since I didn't know Russian very well and they didn't know much English it was pretty funny. I gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away.... Good memories of a December that was 12 years ago. Boy does time fly. I am ready for another adventure like Russia.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

A Little Candy Overload

We love endless of bowls of candy that we can eat and occassionally stick on a gingerbread house. We wish we had the creative skills of the people who enter their homes in the Festival of Trees. That is impressive. The kids kind of lost interest in decorating this house so it was mostly a combined effort of me and Kenyon but, Gavin contributed the gumballs as the foundation of our home. It is certainly the foundation of his diet. Now they just want to eat it. It is all they can do to wait a few more days. Major temptations and test in self-control.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Deceptive Cooking!


I LOVE cookbooks. I love trying new recipes. And I really quite love this idea of deceptively adding veggies to food and make things more healthy. I am still trying it out but so far I have had some pretty good success. I have pureed (sp?) cauliflower, spinach and carrots. I have only used one of Jessica's recipes in the book and it was the brownies - prettty good. Instead, I have been using my own recipes and adding purees. For example, one of my favorite soups comes from Ivory Family Favorites - Mexican Chicken Chowder. It calls for 2 cups of half and half. I used one cup of pureed cauliflower and 1 cup of milk. It was quite good. I also added several tablespoons of pureed carrot to sloppy joes. Nobody can tell.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Scary!


OK - How creepy is this picture? I asked Kenyon to fix something on my photoshop and when I came back to my computer this is what he had done... Good thing the whole family doesn't look like me.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Food Bank Fun



Monday night we hosted a neighborhood food drive and invited neighbors to bring food instead of neighbor gifts. We collected 730 food items and donated them to the Utah Food Bank. It is hard to imagine when we get caught up in our little world of plenty - but there are hungry people in Utah. The kids had so much fun picking out lots of food to donate. We had a great response from neighbors and look forward to doing it again next year!