Live in the moment: touch

While this is a one-week later, post-pilgrimage post, touch as it relates to Rio is still alive and well in my memory: sun-baked sand shifting under our feet while viewing Friday's World Cup Match on a ginormous screen at Copacabana Beach with Inamar, Arlinda and thousands of celebrating Brazilians (and other nationalities) of all races, classes and backgrounds; a cool breeze off the cold Atlantic surf while watching inclusiveness personified on Rio's beaches; the vibrations from our perches on bus seats as we swerved and bounced on rocky streets and roads inside and outside the city; the rough twists and turns on the tram ride bumping us momentarily against our fellow passengers; the cobbled stones laid out in mosaic designs on sidewalks and streets, uneven and worn from years of use; the waxy, silken feel of our candles held during the Wednesday evening Taize service; the cool, smooth, even, floor of our hotel room; the regular pattern of woolen up-and- down-up-and-down needlepoint stitches on the colorful kneelers at St. Luke's at Christ Church where Eduardo is rector; the sometimes awkward feeling of being different, not understanding the native language, the way things are and the customs. Pervasive for me is the feeling that positive change comes one step at a time: in a green, living organic garden next to a rambling favela alive with inhabitants; in a song sung by everyone present--Bishop to priest to urban homeless to American visitors--with spirit during a street Eucharist; in the work of Lidia and a committed group of community women creating quilts from scratch; in the smiles on children's faces at school when, through singing and hand motions, they understand a language other than their native Portuguese; in the tears of a widow when she talks about her loss in a safe, holy sanctuary among others who ache for her. The feeling that our friends in Brazil are resiliant agents of positive change and that we are the fortunate and blessed ones to witness their good work is a feeling I will cherish for a lifetime.

The most important touch of all the touch I experienced on this pilgrimage is human touch. This is what we All Saints' travellers felt deeply when in community with our hosts: as we connected through the two special services at the Cathedral; as we celebrated the street Eucharist with the homeless; as we sat together, Brazilians and Americans, all Episcopalians, and ate lunches and refreshments lovingly prepared in the church hall; in the fellowship we enjoyed daily with many new friends-- especially in the candlelight of our final dinner on the terrace of the hotel overlooking the the sparkling lights of a city of contrasts; in the intimacy of laughter and conversation with Inamar and Eduardo in their welcoming apartment with their children and Arlinda for our last "just-us time" together. In asking questions and listening hard. In working to understand and not impose. In attempts to hear with open hearts. In the customary, genuine bear hugs accompanying each personal greeting and farewell, our deepening relationships and our newly-discovered commonalities with people who are now much more to us than simply names. The human touch. Because of these human touches, our relationships will most certainly move to another, higher level of friendship, understanding and caring among us, the traveling All Saints' pilgrims, and between us and our dear Brazilian friends.

Quoting John Robbins' insightful book, "Healthy at 100", " Remember that love is necessary for great relationships, but it is not sufficient. ... They take work, and lots of it."

We pilgrims are people trying our best, in relationship with others, to do what God would have us do in the world. Amen

Living in the moment: tastes

Seeing as how I have no idea how to post pictures yet (need to request a tutorial from my roommie!), a few words will need to suffice tonight Another amazing day! Finally, some local shipping in Santa Teresa...wonderful boutiques filled with the work of Brazillian artisans. We participated in a sewing circle organized by Sao Paulo women and enjoyed a delicious lunch they prepared. Tonight we were part of a Taize service at the cathedral. Beautiful music, powerful prayer and soft candlelight. It misted and was cloudy mostly all day, but our All Saints' pilgrims and our larger community including our new friends caused this day to be warm and happy. Arlinda, the cathedral's very cute and lively deacon, drove Elizabeth and me to an ATM to get cash since the local ATM ran out yesterday. It was an exciting and fast car trip--which some might dub slightly harrowing. Arlinda is a character in the very best All Saints' sense of the word! We loved it.

OK, so today is tastes. I've decided to try to id my Top 10 because while there are oh-so-many more, bed is beckoning:-).
10. Beans and rice. From the 2006 student pilgrims' tales, I had assumed this would be daily fare. It hasn't been at all. In fact I've eaten it only once (yesterday at the kilo restaurant lunch in Araras). It was absolutely yummy!
9. CAKE at breakfast! Today's we think was coconut. Past days we've had some kind of poppyseed-like cake. Yummmmm. With fresh fruit and steaming coffee, it's divine.
8. German sausage sandwich for a morning snack enroute to Araras yesterday. Inamar guaranteed it would be delicious and she was SO right.
7. Cold, local beer imbibed in by Richard and me to celebrate the sweet fact that Brazil was ahead halfway through last Sunday's World Cup soccer win. Here's to the next win (and another celebratory beer or two) on Friday!
6. Cookie found, bought and shared by Richard--coconut and sugar and crunchy. Very sweet and very good.
5. Warm cheese bread given to us as a surprise by Arlinda at the coffee/pastery famous restaurant in central Rio on Monday. It hit the proverbial spot!
4. Goolash, a German dish, served today with boiled potatoes at the luncheon prepared by the cathedral's Quilting Group. Hot, filling, outstanding.
3. Smallish fresh bananas. I'm with Richard: these local bananas are sweet and delectible. We've eaten them at our hotel breakfasts and witnessed a huge, heavy bunch of them being harvested at the organic garden.
2. White chocolate pudding with cookies along the edges at the kilo restaurant in Araras. Unbelievably good. Tasted French. Sweeter than most Brazilian desserts I've had.
1. Molten, warm, thick, liquid chocolate. I have to go with this as my #1 Choice. Sipped or spooned from a cup yesterday in Petropolis, this wicked chocolate liquid was totally decadent. Della And I split a small cup (the ungluttenous thing to do--weren't we good?). Truly, the taste was out of this world divine.

Here's to the incredible tastes of Rio.

Karol Kimmell showed us once again that music is indeed the universal language. The laughter and the smiling eyes of the children in Aras reflected our own smiles and joy at being with them. They sang for us and with us and we all delighted in the experience. The beauty of the location surrounded us all. Inamar and Arlinda ordered perfect weather for the trip. Only as we were headed back to Rio did the anticipated shower come. It did nothing to dampen our spirits and our time together.

Mudslides

Thank you to everyone who has expressed concern, but the recent mudslides in Brazil are way to the north of us.  Keep those affected by that disaster in your prayers.

Dustin and the hot chocolate -- he didn't have any left to share. I asked.

The hot chocolate was amazing. Hot. Chocolate. Nothing else. Dustin documenting our trip.

Our dogs, Jess and Samba.

Bananas harvested while we visited the community garden. The tree was just planted a couple of years ago.

Dustin and a little girl at the community garden discuss and examine a roly-

poly.

A saffron-tasting root spice just harvested at the community garden, and Noelle climbing down from the roof garden experiment at the community garden.

Live in the moment: smells

OK. So technology better not let me down tonight! It's been a full day of adventure including a long bus ride to the mountains to tour the Anglican school at Araras and the Imperial Summer Palace at Petropolis. Rio sounds still abound daily (including what was either a tugboat horn--my guess--or a call to morning prayer--Noelle's guess;!the sound of the two resident dogs' ears flapping ouside his hotel door--Richard likes--and the whisper of a fine rain misting the city tonight. Amazing sights were everywhere today (including green and yellow parrots sighted flitting from tree to tree during our morning prayer, green and yellow streamers blowing in the breeze awaiting Friday's World Cup victory, and mountainsides alive with tropical greenery, wild orchids, rocks and houses seemingly hanging there). Today, though, is the day for smells.

So as to avoid another computer crash and instant loss of this blog, I'm just going to list a few of my "sense of smell" experiences that will forevermore help define Rio for me: at breakfast, Brazilian coffee with warm milk, just-baked cheese balls and sliced fresh local fruits; the fresh morning air in our hotel's al fresco dining area; big city smells of gas and smoke ouside our street-level bedroom window; an occasional whiff of a presumed (hopefully non-threatening) gas leak immediately outside our hotel's gates; beans at lunch; green basil and other herbs growing in the church-sponsored organic garden side-by-side with the earthy smells of the garden compost and the dump immediately outside the garden's walled perimeter; the musty, welcoming, comforting scent of the Cathedral of Sao Paulo; homebaked bread; aromatic smoke up in the mountains; odors that are a result of people living on the streets; the food fare of street vendors; new paint covering the walls of the soon-to-be opened crèche for infants; many limes sliced and served in my tasty every-evening caipirinhas; mouthwatering smell of chocolate at the 1913 chocolate store in Petropolis.... Thus concludes my attempt to identify a few of the rich daily smells that make Rio Rio for me.

World Cup!!

Several of us watched the World Cup at a local bar. Goooooo Brasil!

The pilgrims head out for worship.

















Noelle and Inamar celebrate Eucharist together.
















Catedral de Sao Paulo


















Pilgrims and new church friends

Saturday night we visited with Bishop Celso and joined him in Eucharist with some of the homeless men, women and children of Rio.

How about some pictures?

I know, you're thinking "geez, pilgrims, enough words, show us what it all looks like!"

Here you go!


The amazing view from our hotel. Yes, that is a hammock.



Another shot of the view of the valley below at night.




the pilgrims off the plane... and onto the bus!

HAPPENINGS (From Deb Daugherty)

I am soaking in the pilgrimage as if I were there. Thank you Brooke, Carol,
Della and Noelle for your lovely, detailed descriptions! As our host Anne
Benedict said, “Brazilians make every event a happening.” The biggest, the
best, the most spirited. Fireworks and music abound. It was during the J2A
pilgrimage that Ginny, Kim and Justin were in awe of fireworks that peaked
outside the windows of the hill-top convent  following the cheers of tens of
thousands from Estádio do Maracanã.  Your World Cup experience is the first
of what will prove to be daily “happenings.” The rhythm of Rio is
transformative. You will soak it in and bring it home. You will see that
Cariocas deserve their reputation as the most charming  people in the world.
Your new friends at the Anglican-Episcopal Church of Brazil will write
frequently and visit Atlanta. You will see the Christ Statue from every
vantage point of the city. This too is indelible.  Blessings to all.

Thanks, Deb!

Prayer is Necessary

As technology abruptly interrupted my latest blog on sights of Rio--and apparently deleted most of my writing (SO FRUSTRATING)--I would like to share a prayer from a little book called "Simply Surrender" by Therese Lisieux. It's maddening what happened. But in my continuing attempt to live in the moment, this prayer is one I need badly.

My Day Is Ending

Living Father,
like a small child
trying to reach it's parent
time after time,
I have taken my first step toward you
only to stumble and fall.

It is easy to lose heart,
but I know that if I do not try
to take that first step
again and again,
I will never leave the ground.
But I must not shine
that by myself I can succeed
in mounting even the first step.

My loving Father,
you ask only my good will.
Accept my poor efforts
for what they tell you of my desire,
and carry me in your arms.

Come then, my loving Father,
you have blessed
my days;
bless me still
as this day ends
and the night begins."

Amen

An Organic Communion

What a day. We're back now finally in our rooms after a very full day writing journals, writing blogs, reading traveling children's blogs (Brooke) and trying, among other things, to catch up on the blow by blow in the past week's drama in the Anglican Communion (Della). If it didn't matter so deeply to so many, it would make great television. So here we are, like college roommates except for our emails to our traveling children and anti-aging formula suncreams, calling out the experiences of the day and weaving the tapestry of our pilgrimage. "What was in that soup today?" calls Brooke. "Pumpkin. And cumin, I think," I say. "No walnuts in that part, though." "How do you spell that stuff they put in the passionfruit caipirinhas?" Brooke asks. "No se," say I." I couldn't have spelled my own name after the first one, much less its main ingredient. Pretty good, though.

The highlight of the day for me was an early trip to the Community Garden, a reclaimed plot of land at the edge of a favela, where organizers are experimenting with permaculture as it relates to organic gardening. Everything is reclaimed, and nothing is purchased. Containers for seed starts are milk or juice jugs turned on their sides with an opening cut out, juice boxes on steriods (about 18" tall and 12"x12" -- the flexible "juice box" package is used widely for food products in Brazil), and literally thousands of liter Coke and Sprite bottles used for every creative and ingenious purpose from semipermeable fencing (keeping out dogs and cats but allowing through light and water drainage) to raised bed borders, corrugated plastic roof weights, wall planters, drainage funnels into cisterns and containers for planting. Bottle caps were also used as colorful, useful and durable washers to hold otherwise flyaway corrugated plastic roofs in place, with two holes tapped in the top of each with a found nail and a rock (no fair in the Community Garden buying tools that everyone wouldn't have; the whole point of the experiment and learning is to figure out what works that is sustainable and accessible to the poorest of Rio's people who nonetheless have access to a small patch of dirt, a small roof or an exterior wall where planters can hang). In many cases in the favelas, for instance, the roofs are corrugated plastic or just not sturdy and can't bear the weight of a person to tend the garden. A post doc student from Sweden is studying sustainable agriculture in this climate and showed us the "pizza oven" method of gardening, where the roof is used for access to the sun, but food is grown in light containers, even long plastic bags in which light bulbs are packaged in Brazil that can be found in the trash or on the streets, filled with dirt and with holes poked in the side for lettuces to grow out. This is where the "pizza oven" part comes in: the gardener, from a safe position off the roof, shovels the container garden on and off the roof to grow and then harvest. Another advantage to roof gardening (in addition to food production) is home insulation. As my niece, Lucille, just demonstrated in a science project completed Friday at our house, studies have shown that interiors with roof gardens can be up to 6 degrees cooler than those without, a significant difference in a hot climate where the poorest residents do not have access to air conditioning.

The community garden was a sacred space filled with possibilities of education, empowerment, spiritual and physical nourishment and beauty. We may stop recycling quite so many liter bottles at home -- what a great and versatile tool.

Live in the moment: sight

Sounds continue...the universal sounds of jubilent victory when Brazil won Sunday's World Cup game against the Ivory Coast 3-1 were unbelievable. Fireworks! Horns! Yelling! Honking! Music in the streets! It was an amazing sound scene. There will be another game later this week when we hope once again to hear the sweet sound of a Brazilian win. But in the meantime, let me tell you about some of the things we are seeing here.

Yesterday we were struck by the sight of Inamar and Noelle, two young priests, both young women, standing side by side celebrating Eucharist in the lovely, old Cathedral of Sao Paulo. Symbolically they represented for me genuine hope for our greater church and our world. Inamar explained to us prior to the service that she often stands down in the center aisle of church as opposed to up in the pulpit in order to be closer to the parishioners. She suggested that this might be something women can do more easily than men. This action and Inamar's words speak volumes to me about who she is and what her leadership style is all about. While I couldn't understand Inamar's sermon (probably should have taken a few Portugese lessons before this trip in retrospect!), I think we all agree that Noelle's remarks (translated for the congregation) were absolutely perfect. We were so proud of her. There were many colors in yesterday's sights, especially yellow worn by many parishioners for Team Brazil and white roses memorializing those who had recently died. Small hymnals and prayer books were handed out. What appeared to be a green felt bag was passed for the collection. Everyone who took communion was also blessed by Inamar. Karol played a flute beautifully with the organist and his friend who led the congregation in music and song. Karol, who never ceases to surprise me with her talents, is yet another amazing woman leader. Tonight we learned that she will send postcards to her choir members at All Saints'. Wow. After the service yesterday, we posed for pictures on the church steps, visited with each other in the small courtyard, sipped hot Brazilian coffee and tasted delicious sweet breads, baked by the music directors, from their homemade breads that
were for sale. All of this before lunch!

Lunch was a delicious meal prepared by the church for us. Hospitality abounded. Then most of us scattered out into the bright Brazilian sunshine to watch the national team play football. The sky was blue. The view from our hotel perched on a hillside was spectacular. We see water, vast expanses of sky, city skyscrapers and a distant long bridge connecting the mainland to an island. We see mountains and hills in the distance. We see a densely populated urban area with approximately 15 million residents. The extremes of wealth are visible by simply observing residences: beautiful homes tucked in certain areas and poverty-stricken favelas, hillside communities where ther very poor reside. Inimar has told us of the devastation caused by recent mudslides which rendered thousands homeless. We've seen today large birds flying overhead, tiny lizards sunning themselves. We've seen lush, tropical trees and green plants. Inamar arranged for drivers to take us to tour one of the community garde

Hospitality

Well, the technology was a challenge, even with pretty good wifi and three wifi enabled devices, as I didn't establish a Google account before I arrived, but I'm up! Oi, y'all.

We are as I type in the middle of The Most Exciting Soccer Game Ever. I know that because there are fireworks going off all over the city, and we can hear the cheering down at the bottom of the mountain, and we're up high in the castle (Castelinho 38) looking out over the valley (through which the city spreads down from where we are through the low part and back up the other side) that then climbs the mountain across from us on the other side. Those who know me won't be surprised at how quickly I'll shift from the excitement of The Most Exciting Soccer Game Ever to other matters, as I have already exhausted my comprehension of the event. Our crowd is watching soccer out on the charming open air terrace, where there's a roof over an open kitchen/bar area, with wonderful Brazilian coffee and espresso, an old fashioned cooler filled with water, soft drinks and beer, a pretty old glass front cabinet filled with very nice Scotch and gin (and anything else we could imagine, but those are my favorites), and then a big table outside the bar, where there's also a flat screen TV. There are several other big tables and chairs on the terrace, some under a sail appropriated from some drydocked Lightning somewhere, tell tales flapping in the wind, and others in the open air. Two other lower terraces with tables are down the mountainside a flight of concrete steps, with coconut trees and other growing things (including ginger -- pretty) that we've been struggling to get locals to identify. There's an open air exercise room on one of the lower levels with Pilates balls and other useful looking stuff.

Services at the Cathedral this morning were wonderful. Inamar gave the sermon from the crossing, which is very engaging and intimate, even without an aural word of Portuguese (I can decode some in writing, but can't hear it at all). Noelle followed with part two, translated from English into Portuguese by the charming Ben Edwards, American expat, whom Noelle introduced in her earlier post. The gospel was Luke 9:18-24, shortened for emphasis here: "Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." Noelle said that it always interested her how the gospel always seems perfect for the occasion, as we have come to Rio to look for God. She went on that we think that we find God in relationship, in the space between you and me, and we have come to experience God by finding that relationship through understanding the lives and experiences of those we meet and helping them to understand ours. I know -- it's freakish she's so good.

The choir in the Cathedral are a keyboardist and a baritone, absolutely charming guys who also have a farm, grew the salad for lunch and bake the most wonderful bread -- all kinds -- you've ever seen or tasted. They share it after church with fantastic Brazilian coffee served in little glass cups and also sell some to those who know they can find them there then. We had a very engaging conversation about bread baking of all kinds at lunch, supervised by Lydia and prepared by others from the church. We had rice, Spanish chicken, gorgeous garden salad topped with fresh kiwi (a festival of different green), pommes frites, and then pomegranate, tangerine and flan for dessert. Absolutely delicious. And Charming Ben Edwards (can't quite figure out his relationship to our bed and breakfast except that it, he and the Cathedral are all within walking distance on our hairpin cobbled streets, and he seems in charge of many things but especially beverages in all of these places) brought several interesting things to try at lunch including Benjamin wine (facetiously claimed to be made in his apartment) and some weird gin and lime mix, which of course was delicious.

Noelle is so right about finding God in between us in relationship. I think that happened today.

Live in the moment: sounds

We are here indeed! Early morning sounds are quite different from those back home--as are many other things that enliven my senses. I've decided that living in the moment for me means focusing on my five senses, so my plan is to give you a sense of what I'm experiencing here through each of my senses, day by day. We'll see how it goes. So, hearing first. Our room in the hotel opens onto a street. There's no screen, only bars for protection. Our casement windows stayed open last night. There were so many party noises and the blur of native Portugese last night that Della jokingly asked if we should invite the crowd in! It's quieter this mornng, but In the collage of sounds I can pick out footsteps, birds, breakfast preparations taking place in the outdoor dining area outside our room. Musquitos buzzing occasionally near my ears. Voices and laughter of early risers including the familiar, comfortable voices of some fellow pilgrims. Dogs barking closeby and in the distance (seems to be a regular thing here). A baby crying out there somewhere and the whirr of the occasional plane flying overhead (we may be on the path from the nearby airport). The overhead fan was our companion over night, but it's off now, it's steady click quiet. Sporatic crackle and explosion of firecrackers and fireworks (some off in distant streets and some exploding much closer to us here) portend today's World Cup competition where Brazilians can already taste national victory. A few sounds of the morning in Rio. A happy Sunday awaits.

Oi!

We made it!

The flight was long-- we were rerouted due to bad weather adding an extra 4 hours to the 10 scheduled--but otherwise uneventful. All pilgrims are present and accounted for. The city is beautiful, a constantly surprising mix of old and new all jumbled together. The bed and breakfast where we are staying is beyond charming with airy lofted rooms and a lovely patio overlooking the city and the bay. Our host here at the b&b is Ben Johnson, a delightful and infinately knowledgable ex-pat with good sandwich connections.

Leaving, for me, was a mixed bag. It is hard to leave my small children behind for eight days. But I am so excited by the opportunity to be here, to travel and reflect with such a great group of people in such a rich setting. I expect that this struggle will stay with me for the whole week.

25 hours and counting! Tomorrow night around this time, we will be on the plane, God willing, headed to Rio. I thank my God, my husband, my children, my larger family and my church, for allowing me the freedom to embark on this journey. I am also grateful for my sense of curiosity and adventure, my love of people and my desire to look inward which also propel me forward toward Rio. A pilgrimage is about to happen. We pilgrims await expectantly.

A Song of Pilgrimage

Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16,20b-22

Before I ventured forth,

even while I was very young,

I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.

In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her,

and I will seek her to the end.

From first blossom to early fruit,

she has been the delight of my heart.

My foot has kept firmly to the true path,

diligently from my youth have I pursued her.

I inclined my ear a little and received her;

I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.

To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory,

for I have resolved to live according to her way.

From the beginning I gained courage from her,

therefore I will not be forsaken.

In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her,

therefore have I gained a good possession.

As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,

and with it will I offer praise to God.

Eleven Days and Counting!

COUNTDOWN: Vacation Bible School began this morning at All Saints'. Our theme is Galactic Blast and the first thing we did this morning as a group was to countdown as for a rocket launch. This blog entry begins my countdown for our Rio pilgrimage. Can't believe the day is almost here! Eleven...ten...nine, or as we should be practicing in Portuguese...onze, dez, nove, oito, sete, seis, cinco, quarto, tres, dois, um. Tchau, Karol

From The Prayers of the People from the Book of Common Prayer

Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that thy Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days.

Starting with Prayer

image of God
born of God's breath
vessel of divine Love
after his likeness
dwelling of God
capacity for the infinite
eternally known
chosen of God
home of the Infinite Majesty
abiding in the Son
called from eternity
life in the Lord
temple of the Holy Spirit
branch of Christ
receptacle of the Most High
wellspring of Living Water
heir of the kingdom
the glory of God
abode of the Trinity.
God sings this litany
eternally in his Word.
This is who you are.

a litany of the person - anonymous trappist monk