Mama Does Good

Thoughts on Being a Great Man

Yesterday I went to the memorial service for the father of a very old friend of mine. This man whose life we were celebrating, Dr. Arthur Garry, I had known for almost 20 years now. As was shared by multiple people up at the podium, the Garry's house represented to me in my youth a safe place I could go when things were not so safe in my own home. Person after person who went up to share their experiences with Arthur had similar stories to share; he was a kind man, a funny man, a brilliant man, a caring man, and most of all a great man. 

His son, Tim, gave a short speech about his dad as well, and I'm not sure I'll ever forget it. He spoke about how, when someone dies, it is common for those approaching the family to say things like, "He was a great man." You can say those words in a similar fashion as you might say "I love you" to someone you don't love quite so much, or as you might reply "Fine" to someone who asks you how your day is. "He was a great man" can be a catch-all phrase for people who do not know what to say to those who are grieving a true loss. 

Dr. Garry was, obviously, a doctor. But not just any doctor. He was a surgeon and a mover and shaker at the hospital in which he worked. He was a mentor and leader to many in his professional life. And he was a role model for many more of us youngsters, the troubled youth who made it through his home over the years in search of stability and continuity, caring and no-bullshit all wrapped into one. 

Mr. Garry, as Tim said, truly WAS a great man. Tim believes it when people say these words to him because we all know that it's simply true.

I personally have seriously considered becoming a doctor. Not because I feel that I have any real scientific talent, but more because I've been out into the world quite a bit (mostly in the process of bringing home the kids) and I've seen what's out there. I'm smart enough, probably, to pull it off. And wouldn't that be a great way to help the world? Do the hardest thing you can, make a bunch of money here and donate a lot of it, and spend your vacations overseas working with Doctors Without Borders. 

Now, of course, I'm a worm farmer; a far cry from being a doctor. And I couldn't help but think yesterday that not everyone can be a doctor... but can't we all be great? Is it great enough to just be a good mother? No, actually, I really don't think so. While it is certainly true that parenting is probably the hardest job on the planet, that doesn't mean that we all get to cop out and just say, "Well, I'm a good parent and so I am doing my part for humanity." It's simply not enough. And my worms are not enough. And my cfl's are not enough. And my adoptive family is not enough. And you can tell from the header of this blog what I think about the Prius.

We must all continue striving to add more good actions into the concerts of our lives. Maybe it's like cutting back on sugar in our diets and turning off the TV to read to our kids; at the time it can be a difficult shift, but once these actions are woven into our every day lives they become both the norm and the fuel for a better life. 

I guess I can say that I strive to be a "Great Woman". Jesus, I sure have a long way to go on that one! But you know what? Lofty goals are the best kind! 

We'll all miss you, Arthur. And thanks for everything. 

The "Mama" Part of Mama Does Good

Terra Pass

I've been wanting to obtain my own nifty TerraPass bumper sticker for some time now, and tonight I finally did it. TerraPass is a company that sells carbon offsets and offers a website where you can calculate the carbon emissions of your vehicle. We already do this for our home energy use, but not for the car specifically. I calculated (roughly) the amount of carbon that our one remaining family car generates each year and bought an offset, which will come with a nifty bumper sticker that I can put on the back of the car as I smugly drive myself and my screaming maniacs down the road. Lucky for me (and my wallet these days) our car is a natural gas vehicle, which means that it has 90% fewer emissions than the average vehicle on the road. I estimated that we produce about 1000 lbs. of CO2 every year, and it only cost me $11 bucks to offset it. 

As I write this I am eyeballing the TerraPass store, and I suspect more monetary damage may be completed before the end of the night. Just from the little picture I see that they offer power surge units with auto shut off (to prevent phantom energy leaks), books, and what looks like a little herb garden. It's at least worth browsing...

Cheers to ecological living! Check back often for more green living tips. 

Recyclable Shoes

I've been loving my new recyclable flip flops that I bought at Long's of all places for only $12. The entire shoe and all of it's packaging are recyclable, they're antimicrobial, machine washable, guaranteed for 2 years, non skid, non marking, and made in the USA. Win, win, win, win, win, win, win. Comfy, too. Go to the Okabashi website to check them out. They need to expand their line to make more kid-friendly shoes, but I think these are great for adults. 

eco friendly living, eco green living, eco house, eco living, green living, green living tips,green mom, green moms

Take My Organs, Please

 

Alright, I'm baaaack. 

Last night I signed up to be an organ donor. I have agreed to allow the transplant of basically every part of my body (including skin and eyes) to be transplanted in the unfortunate (and hopefully unlikely) case of my death. You can find out how to register yourself for this ultimate act of kindness (and recycling...) at OrganDonor.gov. 

eco friendly living, eco green living, eco house, eco living, green living, green living tips,green mom, green moms

School

Evan will be in summer school starting next week. After that I promise I'll get back up on the blogging pony.

Service Trip Canceled

I'm so sorry to have to tell you all that our service trip to Ethiopia for this summer has been canceled. Unfortunately, due to the economic situation, the number of volunteers was not high enough to sustain the trip and it was canceled by the representing agency. Granted, it was an expensive trip; traveling to Africa to do relief work is simply not as economical as, say, South America.

We will rally and try again next year.

In the meantime, thanks so much to all of you who have donated your time and money on my behalf and on the behalf of Ethiopia's orphans. I will be sending your raffle/donations back to you. I will also be sending information about another great agency, Kidmia, that does work in Ethiopian orphanages, should you choose to support their efforts instead. 

This is a time for my favorite quote: "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

Thanks, everyone!

Organic Wine Review

Hi all.

I've been a little M.I.A. lately due to goings on with the Ethiopia trip as well as starting my business, Mama's Worm Composting. I will try to hop back on the horse and get things going again. Never in my life have I reached capacity before... until a few weeks ago! It's been an interesting experience to see how much I can manage at one time before blowing a gasket! I am limping back into action.

While I haven't been posting on here, I have been doing "research" for this post for the past several weeks. I am no sommelier, but I have compiled my very own wine rating system to apply to my organic wine adventures. Most unfortunately, my findings have been less than ideal. I was hoping to be able to get a nice bottle for around $15 (we do live in California, after all) but no luck there. I forgot to keep track of all the prices of wine I've purchased, but in general it has ranged between $8 and $17. What I don't understand is why the organic wine tastes so... well... cheap. Anyone have insights?

Jen's Organic Wine Rating System

10: A nice $200 dinner accompaniment

9: A rare experience

8: A congratulatory bottle

7: You've had a tough week and this is to treat yourself

6: Drinks-only-worthy bottle to bring to a wine tasting

5: Ok to bring to a friend's house for dinner

4: Tolerable for table wine

3: Manageable when desperate

2: Vinegar

1: Worse than vinegar

And here's the results:

Green Bridge Zinfandel, 2007 Paso Robles

Score: 5

Sobon Estate Zinfandel, 2007 Amador County

Score: 6

Ca Del Solo Sangiovese, 2006 San Benito

Score: 6

Bajac Merlot, 2006

Score: 3 Yuck!

Shenandoah Vineyards Zinfandel, 2007 Amador County

Score: 5

There were a few other bottles in there as well that got lost. :-)  

So overall I was disappointed in the experience. I'm not sure what needs to improve in the organic wine making industry, but if it wants to hang on then it will need to improve fast. Clearly needing to spend more than $20 for a bottle that you actually enjoy, when we live in wine country, is sort of appalling. And I don't even have proof that the bottles over $20 were any good; the bottles under $20 were so bad that I wasn't interested in risking more! 

Ah, well, happy drinking! 

Volunteers Needed for Ethiopia Service Trip

The upcoming service trip I have been working towards, to work with Ethiopian orphanages, is now seeking additional volunteers from the wider world! If you are interested in joining us to help make the lives of orphans in Ethiopia a better experience, please email me HERE. If you know someone else who may be interested as well, please send them a link to this post. The deadlines have been extended, so it's not too late to join us!

Here are the details from Gladney:

Due to the huge success of our recent Service Trip to Guatemala, Gladney is excited to offer another trip for the Summer of 2009 to Ethiopia. Here is the

information:

WHEN: August 8-17, 2009. Trip will include: 2 days of travel, 8 days of volunteering.

WHO: Now open to all qualified adults.

WHAT: service trip to volunteer at Gladney sponsored orphanages and foster care centers in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia.

COST: $3500 (per person), includes roundtrip airfare from Washington Dulles, lodging (double occupancy), meals,

ground transportation, and tips. Volunteers will make their own travel plans and pay their own airfare to get to

Washington Dulles and to return home from Washington Dulles.

WHY: to combine fun, community service and the formation of lasting friendships by volunteering in Gladney

sponsored orphanages and foster care centers in Ethiopia. This trip will be more than just a “feel good” volunteer

experience. Gladney adoptive families will help to transform the lives of children living in Ethiopian orphanages and

Gladney’s foster care centers.

MISSION: will include service opportunities dedicated to improving the orphanages/foster care centers and the lives

of children living there.

DEADLINE: Family Application and non-refundable deposit of $250.00 due by MAY 1, 2009. Get your

application and fee in early, as space is limited to 14 adults!

PAYMENT SCHEDULE: Non-Refundable deposit of $250 due by May 1, 2009

First Payment of $1,750 due by June 1, 2009

Second Payment of $1,500 due by July 1, 2009

*ALSO, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FROM

LAST SUMMER’S SERVICE TRIP TO GUATEMALA:

http://www.adoptionsbygladney.com/html/guatemala/paso.php

Waaaay Outside the Box

First of all, please click here to learn about my upcoming trip to Ethiopia and a chance to win a trip to Maui and support me at the same time. Your consideration is greatly appreciated!

This weekend I watched three movies that were all moving to me in some way; Yes Man, Milk, and Seven Pounds. 

Yes Man was an entertaining comedy about a pessimist who learns how to embrace life and "say yes" to opportunities that are presented to him. It's not like other similar films from Jim Carrey where he was literally unable to say no; here he makes a choice to say yes. It was a fluffy reminder about the ways that we put our heads down and move through life without really living it, and was inspiring to open ourselves up to more. 

Milk was, of course, the film about the gay Controller in San Francisco, Harvey Milk, and his death. It was inspiring in that this man never backed down and rose up to lead a revolution in my own community (or at least right across the bay). Great, great, great.

But the one I can't stop thinking about was Seven Pounds. The movie had its flaws, but the concepts in it have really stuck with me. Will Smith plays a man who has lost his wife as well as accidentally killed 6 other people at the same time in a car crash that was his fault. It chronicles his search to find seven worthy people to "gift" himself to after he commits suicide; one person gets his home, one his bone marrow, one his kidney, one his lungs, one his eyes, one his heart, and the last one I can't remember. It was a big-time tearjerker and eye opener about one person's thought process about how to help others. Granted, he has to kill himself in the end to do it, but still an interesting commentary.

The part of the movie that piqued my interest was the bone marrow transplant. It never occurred to me that bone marrow could be transplanted from stranger to stranger, so I looked it up after the movie. I have been fascinated with it ever since, though I am still undecided about whether to join the registry. My biggest fear about it is having any of the "serious" complications that could arise, so I want to do more research before I commit. However, I am seriously considering it and encourage you to at least read about it. Turns out that we can donate all kinds of things to people in need. One's liver can be cut in two and grow back to its full size in a couple of months. We only need one kidney. We only need one lung. Blood and bone marrow can be donated and have little or no effect on the health of the giver. 

It's interesting stuff. Read HERE.

And don't forget to donate to the Ethiopia trip! Please! :-)