Obtineo

Here comes the birthday wish list from my soon to be (May) eight year old. I post it here for a couple of reasons. First, this way I won't lose the paper she wrote it on and have to ask her again. Second, I think it's interesting to ponder what my kids desire. Their lists are pretty simple. It may be partly because we don't see many television commercials. Or because their mother has done a good job of teaching them to love simplicity. I'm not sure. Either way, I'm please to see a little list like this:

• Jump rope, purse, Bible, toy horse, Cougar shirt, watch, notebook.

When my soon to be (July) 11 year old saw a list on the table, she added her wishes to the bottom too. Her list is:

• Thermos, organizer, tennis racket and ball. (we suggest two tennis rackets, so she will have a way to play tennis with someone else)

"But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God, abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth" - 1 John 3: 17-18

Yes, we did it. We flipped a switch and the power was out at our house yesterday (except the refrigerator/freezer). I have to admit that I was at work for much of the day, so I had less time to experience it than others.

I noticed several things. First, it was a lot calmer after dark with only candle light. It also smelled nice. The time we might normally have spent on the computer was spent sitting with the kids and goofing around. The kids that did the dishes by hand spent more time talking to each other in the kitchen about their day than they normally do when the dishwasher works. Most of us got to bed earlier since it was dark. I realized that I could live with much less light in the house. In fact, the next morning when the lights were turned on it seemed too bright. I personally didn't miss much of anything we had to give up for that short time. Maybe it was because I knew it would come back on. Or maybe it was because life was still fine without the extra conveniences. I had forgotten that the sink disposal wouldn't work, and the sink drained slowly. To be honest, I enjoyed it overall. The kids now realize how many different things require electricity. They also learned about cold showers. It was a great learning experience. To be something that motivates a change in the way we relate to each other in sending our time, I think we would need to do it more often. Why not?

I did wonder how much electricity the U.S. could save if every household voluntarily turn off the power for one day a week. I bet someone has calculated it and said so on the Internet. Maybe I'll use a little electricity to look. After all, isn't it Earth Day?

I have not written much about our new little boy or our trip to Ethiopia. I'm not sure why, but I have not felt like writing/blogging lately. Perhaps that will change. I do think that our recent adoption of N has been a great experience for our family. It has required a bit more energy to have two 4 year olds at home, but the blessings have far outweighed the extra work thus far. N is a very bright and sweet little boy. I am really amazed at how comfortable he seems to feel. I think he likes having brothers and sisters (although I think he likes some of them better than others depending on who has the same taste in toys). I think he really likes having a mom and dad. I have been amazed at how quickly and easily he typically goes to bed. I tuck him in and sit next to his bed, holding his hand. That's usually all it takes, and he goes contently asleep for the remainder of the night. He is very affectionate and likes to say, 'I love you'. He also likes to repeat his new full name. In our minds I think we knew that this could be a very difficult transition for him, but that has not been the case yet. I'm also starting to figure out his real love in life - cookies.

We're planning a little experiment for tomorrow. We are turning off our power for a good part of the day; at least the part when we are all typically home. I think this was my wife's idea - another example of her sharp mind. I like it. I might not like it after we do it, but I like the idea. It is far too easy to take things for granted. I warned the kids to be prepared and plan ahead for this planned outage. We starting to list the things that would not work: no dishwasher, no microwave, no lights, no Internet. "Will the clock still work?" they asked. "Will the water still work?" (yes). These are good questions, and they show that some of the kids don't quite know what requires electrical power and what does not. Tonight I'm sitting here with lights around me. Tomorrow, not so much. I hope is causes us to think. At the very least it will save us a few pennies on our electric bill.

I recently attended a workshop about creating a graduate research center for American Indian students. During the meeting, to topic of healing past wounds between our nations/cultures came up. This made me think of the times in the past that I have heard and thought, why do we need to be responsible to make those things right? That wasn't our generation. We lived in the 1990s and we weren't even born then. At the same meeting I hear elders talking about their ancestors and about future generations. I can see why some people are attracted to a Native American way of looking at some things. They know they are connected to their people. It also made me realize why it would make no sense for them to say, that wasn't me that was my great grandfather. Only an individualistic view can separate oneself from generations past and future. That's what my generation tends to do. One more test of individualism.