Ponderosa pines seen from Summit in Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today the Chattanooga Times Free Press banner headline says: “Stage is set for fracking in Tennessee.” It makes me sad.

Last week, I heard a guest lecturer at the Lee University math and science building, talking about the Ponderosa pines they cut down out west to get the natural gas, for consumers.

I was self-centered enough to ask the lecturer what happens to those pines that are cut down, since trees remind me of mothers, the ones who fail, but who still try to do good for their children.

“Oil and gas development will continue on private land,” the conservation biologist said. “They like the royalties and profits from cutting trees.” (Thank goodness, for national parks, protecting trees and wildlife).

The biologist also said the ranchers and landowners like it when the conservationists take care of the elk and mule deer.  That way, other rich people can pay to go on the land and shoot the elk and mule deer, for sport.

If you’d like, you can go to the United States Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service website, to learn many wonderful things about Ponderosa pines, including all their good usefulness and the alternate names, like “Big Heavy” or “Bull Pine” or “Black Jack.” Affectionate nicknames are an honor, I think, because it means somebody loved you, or loves you, and somebody still loves trees, that God made.

There is also a lot more information about fracking in that newspaper article today. But it all boils down to doing unnatural things to God’s natural creation, even ruining the water, which has caught fire with methane in Pennsylvania.

Money meant all this to happen. God didn’t mean it to happen.

When I drove down 20th Street today, after sending a fax to find a job, I saw a little sign in a yard, in bold print and bright colors. The sign said: “God Loves You.” I didn’t make it up.

God meant that sign for you and for me. Let’s not give up, but I’m about to cry. There’s a big heavy ache in my heart, for all creation.

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English: Chum Salmon caught on the Green River at Metzger Park. Caught on 11/29/2008 at 11:30 am on a purple jig drift with a long leader. Smoked on 11/30/2008 in a new Little Chief Smoker. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, some people are trying to force salmon to grow bigger unnaturally, while at the same time, all five species of the world’s largest salmon–the Taimen–struggle to survive.

A headline in today’s Chattanooga Times Free Press states: “Fast-growing fish may never wind up on your plate.”

Salmon is so beautiful, swimming, and so good, on a plate. Years ago, a neighbor suggested I try grilling salmon, first slathering the skinned salmon fillets in mayonnaise. It sounded strange, but it was some of the tastiest salmon I’ve ever eaten.

Think about it—mayonnaise contains spices, like the ever-enhancing salt, and also lemon juice, or vinegar, for zest. The mayonnaise, covering the salmon, flavored and protected from burning. And who can argue with outdoor cooking, which strengthens the flavor of just about any food?

But now, the Times article said, a company called “Aquabounty” wants to “genetically modify” salmon, so it will grow twice as fast as normal. Who thinks of these things? Who decides to give steroids to naturally-growing things, usually for money?

The story of the now-threatened “Taimen” salmon is at Wild Salmon Center on-line, an organization that “celebrates 20 years of healthy wild salmon rivers.” The group works hard to “conserve the sustainable use of wild salmon ecosystems across the Pacific Rim.”

So, here inland, we can hope for natural salmon, as well as righteous men and women, who hunt and fish and also care, for each other and animals, with tender mercies. “A righteous man,” the Proverbs say, “regards the life of his animal.” Harvesting food doesn’t have to be cruel.

Have you seen the movie “A River Runs Through It,” when the fly fisherman stands by the water, the quiet glory all around? He casts his line out into the wild river, the sunlight dancing and standing still, and nature beholding the beauty of a man, one with tender mercies, toward all creation.

Wildly, and gently, that gentleman will catch the fish, and the sun, and your heart will break open, filled with solemn majesty.

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Tennessee State Line (Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn)

First, the lady I gave the $5 to last week for health care paid it back today. She looked happy.

It feels good not to owe anybody any debts. Christians are supposed to owe people a debt of love, but we get tired. We are human. Still, many try.

Jesus wondered if He’d find any faith when He returns to Earth. No wonder He wondered.

Today in Cleveland, there’s a prominent story, on the front page of the Cleveland Daily Banner, saying that a really rich man has donated a whole lot of money to Lee University, which is expanding property lines into “historic downtown Cleveland.”

But last night, at Lee University’s School of Religion, I went to a meeting in Room 247. The room was filled almost to capacity with people, mostly students, who are trying to help stop human trafficking in the Cleveland area, which is a corridor for sex trafficking because of its proximity to I-75, I-24, Nashville and Atlanta.

Dr. Daniela Augustine, a professor of Christian ethics at Lee, attended and helped lead the meeting, where around 30 to 35 people tried to find out what they could do to help stop human trafficking in this area. We were told, by a speaker from Second Life Chattanooga, that sexual slavery is right here in our own neighborhoods, or nearby. It’s horrible and hard to imagine.

But I remember those young people, in room 247 last night. They do not have huge sums of money to help them help others.

It looked to me like those young people are running on all heart, hearts as big as God‘s. That’s why I have to keep faith that God will help them (maybe us) pay that staggering debt of love, to help humans who have nobody else to help them.

Earlier today, on a car in the Lee library parking lot, I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Find Your Strong.“

Last night, I saw all those young people, finding their strong, off the front page.

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Tamarind Lentils with Poppy Seed-Cornmeal Roti (Photo credit: Cowomally)

Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, you can think you’ve brought some kind of bad karma onto yourself.

It’s not good to think like that, so let’s change the subject. Today in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Southeastern Salvage is advertising Tamarind Bowls. They are beautiful!!! Those bowls are so graceful, made of wood from Tamarind trees. At the on-line Art Institute Chicago, you can see these beautiful bowls.

Tamarind trees sound so mystical. At http://www.sinc.synsb.edu, there’s a Buddha story that says to this day, the Tamarind’s seeds symbolize faith and forbearance. At Dream Moods, about Trees, the Tamarind also symbolizes faithfulness. There are mystical and magical and practical things to learn about Tamarind trees.

For instance, at http://www.hort.purdue.edu, you can learn that the Tamarind is an ornamental fruit tree, native to tropical Africa. In Thailand, this tree is known as “Makham Waan.” At the Purdue website, there’s also a picture of Bahamian children, who hold the still-green Tamarind pods in hot ashes until they sizzle, then the pods burst open with flavor and bone-building calcium. “The acid-sweet pulp of the Tamarind” the site says, “can be blended with sugar for a confection and used for jam or chutney or other sauces.”

Doesn’t that sound delicious, to hear the joyful ending in that Buddha story and to read about the Tamarind, which offers the useful beautiful wood and also the useful delightful fruit pods the children can roast and eat and enjoy and make life taste good?

The other day, at Dollar General Store, I found Clover Valley apricot jam to go on a peanut butter and  jam sandwich, or maybe toast, with milk or coffee with creamer. That’s close enough and good enough. We can’t always have Tamarind, but we can still have something wonderful.

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Dr pepper ballpark left field (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This afternoon over on Walker Street white Morning Glories shouted out. Then this and that happened and I bought a Chattanooga Times Free Press and Cleveland Daily Banner. Let’s talk some smack.

One of my brothers the other day said he heard somebody talkin’ smack on TV and he didn’t like it. Since I didn’t know what smack talk is, I looked it up. Smack talk can be good or bad, depending on which on-line dictionary you’d like to check. (You probably already knew). The best definition (to me anyway) of smack talk was at Wiktionary, which states simply that “smack talk” is “to talk aggressively or boisterously.”

Smack talk can be bothersome unless it’s giving somebody a positive shout-out, but now we have to tolerate (barely) that mix-up of religion and politics that’s all up in our faces like flatulence. (Now I’m going to have to check my Archives and edit things, because some smack talk might be in there somewhere).

Here’s what…do any of us really need to talk a lotta smack, when lo and behold, there’s already a randy newspaper or a restless nation near you, already talkin’ some smack right up in our faces, right this minute. Religion and politics is a poison drug and we don’t need newspapers and nations smackin’ our arms, lookin’ for a vein to shoot us up.

Why do those religious newspapers and those political churches want to control us? Why do religious newspapers and political churches want to turn us into political and religious junkies? It’s worse during an Election Year, right here in 2012. Jesus said not to mix religion and politics. “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God‘s. Now don’t be talkin’ some smack and tellin’ us Jesus meant something else. My Mama told me “the main thing is the plain thing and the plain thing is the main thing.” Jesus also said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” So let’s rock with that.

You should have seen those Morning Glories, which I didn’t even know could bloom in the afternoon. I thought those were just morning flowers. If I were a flower, I’d be a night flower, but let’s not hold anything against those Morning Glories. They looked like happy white trumpets, lifting up their voices with the green leaf orchestra in the background.

When I went over to buy those newspapers (Hello, my name is Brook and I am a news junkie), I also bought a little pack of Frito-Lay Dorito brand jalapeno-flavored crackers and a Dr. Pepper to make my taste buds sizzle a little. Also, sometimes I buy things because they’re affordable and cute, like this 12.5 ounce Dr. Pepper.

So here I sit, with those crackers enjoyed. That Dr. Pepper spewed because I’d let it roll around in my Dollar General Store “Save Time Save Money Save Green” bag. I let that Dr. Pepper spew out its frustration and everything calmed down and the mess is cleaned up.

If I think of it, I might go check on those Morning Glories tonight, just to see if they’re closed. Here are a couple more things. Today I didn’t wear my pierced-ear earrings like I’ve worn just about every single day since I was 20-something years old. When you get old, it’s like you’re finishing a game of strip poker and you’re losin’ and things start falling down or falling off or you take them off or throw them away. Unless we’re throwing each other away, we have to believe less is more, don’t we?

So please oblige and be patient with me while I get older. I’ll try to go trim my Archives and take some of the smack out, maybe:)

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English: Nessun Dorma In a rehearsal for the Raymond Gubbay Classical Spectacular at the Manchester Evening News Arena. The tenor John Hudson sings Puccini’s Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot, accompanied by conductor John Rigby, the Halle Orchestra and the ladies of Leeds Festival Chorus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last night I got to hear Nathan Pacheco sing Nessun Dorma on Georgia Public Broadcasting television. It’s too beautiful. That song is too beautiful.

Many tenors besides Pacheco have sung Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep) including Andrea Bocelli and the late Luciano Pavarotti. But the Nessun Dorma performance I remember most is when American soul singer Aretha Franklin sang it at the 1998 Grammy awards. Her magnificent performance gave me chills and the audience gave her a standing ovation.

Some songs are too beautiful, so beautiful it’s joy and anguish to hear them. Beth Moore the Bible teacher teaches about how God gives us joy and anguish at the same time. A lady at an alternator shop here in Cleveland, Tennessee told me about that Beth Moore Bible study of joy and anguish.

Today in Cleveland the city is fighting, among other things. The Cleveland Daily Banner headline says: “Council, tea party leader argue over apology need.” The article by David Davis says Mayor Tom Rowland and Bradley County Tea Party President Donny Harwood “became embroiled” in a 40-minute argument Monday at a meeting of the Cleveland City Council. Maybe I can catch that fight on Channel 5 later.

In the Chattanooga Times Free Press, a reporter named Judy Walton is writing about alleged “impropriety” in the 10th Judicial District. It all sounds wild and crazy. Yesterday I read in The Times about how “investigators found a partial bottle of whiskey (Jack Daniels) and packets of pseudoephedrine, which is the key ingredient in meth, in 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force agent Angie Gibson’s truck after she wrecked it August 7, 2011, in Madisonville, Tennessee.” We’ll see what happens with all that.

It’s not even night yet and already I’ve seen a Very Important Person. I got heartburn after lunch and what’s better for heartburn than ice cream? So I was sitting in my car over by Cooke’s Food Store eating ice cream and reading the newspaper, when I looked up and saw a man in a business suit holding his Droid or Android or whatever away from his ear about three or four inches. He seemed to be listening very intently and you could tell it was a business call because he was looking Very Important instead of Very Involved. People are usually animated when they’re involved but they are usually important when they are uninvolved.

So I sat there a few minutes and just ate my little $1.31 McDonald’s ice cream sundae and read a little bit more of the Banner when the VIP came out of that store with a plastic bag filled with food items. This time he had that snazzy phone about one or two inches from his ear, perpendicular! Perpendicular! What is that?!

Then I was thinking how it doesn’t work when Very Important People try to tell us they’re important with Blue Teeth and things in their ears, all hands-free and disconnected. It seems like they are putting on airs and when that happens, None Shall Sleep. I wanted to tell that businessman and his phone to get a room.

So now I’m sittin’ here tryin’ to figure out how to love people when they’re all up in the air like that. Love seems to happen on the ground and it sure can get dirty. Never try to love anybody who’s way too clean. Love gets messy.

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Prophet Amos, old Russian Orthodox icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This morning before I could even clear my throat, a debt collector called and I was sobbing by the end. She wasn’t mean but she meant it and what can I say? I sobbed into my pillow because it’s never enough, is it? But I managed to pick up my “Streams in the Desert” daily devotional book (one of the most helpful I’ve ever read). It said God is “working all night” to help us even if we can’t see it or feel it or imagine it.

So then I did the next thing, like I’ve read we should do when crisis strikes. Sometimes we can’t do the next thing. Sometimes we melt down. Jesus understands. Look at the King James Version of the Bible in Psalm 22. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” 

Jesus felt everything it’s possible for a human to feel because, besides being fully God, Jesus was fully human. God wants us to know He knows how we feel. If God didn’t know how we feel, we wouldn’t believe a word He says. So God sent Jesus His Son as the Only Word and the Living Word and the Last Word and like that song says, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, Nobody Knows but Jesus.” So cry out, cry out to Jesus.

When I got here at the library, I looked up the Statute of Limitations on debts. I didn’t even know such a thing as a time limit on debts existed until I read about it months ago in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. If you’d like to learn more, try http://www.creditcard.com.

Here’s something else about debts and debtors and rich people and poor people, the haves and have-nots…along with the religious capitalists who existed long before the United States ever fired one revolutionary shot or experienced the infamous 2008 financial meltdown. At Catholic Scripture Study International, you can see that the prophet Amos talked about the need for social justice. God called Amos to warn and blast the religious rich people, who were oppressing God’s poor people. The poor people were barely making ends meet while the wealthy church folks were building winter homes and summer homes. It was unfair and horrible and God intended to do something about it.

Over at breadoflifefellowship.wordpress.com, here’s something else, which the blogger pointed out: “The wealthy people were running to two towers–their homes and their temples.” The blogger referred to scripture, in Amos 3:13-4:5, where God declares: ‘”I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory will perish, and the great houses shall have an end,’ says the Lord.”

We have to use discernment, because some people will drive you crazy and I’ve been one of those people. We can’t give everything or anything to everybody and anybody. But as hard as this life gets sometimes, don’t let us be that person in a summer house with a stony heart.

We can’t do it all, but somewhere it says we can relieve some little misery somewhere. I think it was a story about St. Therese. She went around relieving little miseries where she could. She was the little flower.

Please God, help us relieve little miseries if we can within our limitations. Please don’t let us be deaf to a song or blind to a sorrow. Another song made famous by Ethel Waters says God’s eye is on the sparrow (and not just the bluebird). Help me do what I can. Just this. Today just this.

Someday, it will all be all right. Someday, justice will roll down like water. Someday, it will all be okay.

That creditor’s call made me cry, but that creditor tried to help, too, just so you’ll know. She gave me a heads-up and made a helpful suggestion, which calmed me. Compassion starts in the heart, but it can move upward through a kind voice, relieving some little misery somewhere.

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English: Picture of Fazoli’s sign. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A recent visit to Fazoli’s in Cleveland, Tennessee was a pleasant paradox of fast fine dining.

It felt like eating in an expensive uptown restaurant and from the abundant family table at the same time.

The service was impeccable. A professional but friendly female associate asked me for my order, which was two slices of pepperoni pizza and a drink from the Freestyle Coca-Cola machine. There’s a lot of freedom with the eating experience at Fazoli’s, since you can mix your own soft drinks and try variations of pasta dishes ranging from pizza to baked ziti.

Other delectable menu items that let Fazoli’s “say it with pasta” range from chicken broccoli penne to Cherry Chicken salad. For dessert, there are flavors of Italian lemon ice, turtle cheesecake and more. The chocolate layer cake looked moist, dense and decadent.

That day, what I noticed most about my delicious pizza was the incredible crust–possibly one of the best pizza crusts I’ve ever tried. Somehow, Fazoli’s managed to create a strikingly good pizza difference with an upper crust that was light and fluffy and a bottom crust that was lightly crispy and golden. The pepperoni itself was deliciously meaty and salty, like cured meats are, but it was not too greasy.

When I ordered lunch that day, the lady associate went out of her way to make things better. She gave me a number for my order and offered me a warm garlic bread stick while I waited until she brought the food to the table. She wrapped the bread in paper and gave it to me with encouraging words. (I took two of the bread sticks home and warmed one up for breakfast this morning).

That day at Fazoli’s, I sat down with a copy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press in a relaxed atmosphere where I found good food that was Italian, fast and fresh, with romantic music in the background.

Stop by Fazoli’s for something familiar and something different all at once. Bring a friend or your family for a good and wholesome night out.

At Fazoli’s, even the red and white take-out cups encourage us to eat well and get along too. As one bright message suggested, one simple caring question like “do you still like the color blue?” might lead to a peaceful meal. It’s a start.

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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Shinjuku, Tokyo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we live among the ruins, we search for hope.

Our ruins are different. Things that ruin us include death; divorce; sickness; anger; bitterness; separation, sadness. Knowing that some things cannot be fixed now even when they could have been fixed then. The list of ruins never ends.

Today I felt sad in my ruins. Broken relationships hurt. First I cried but then got up and made coffee. Went to my parents’ home to pick up a letter and left a note for my mother signed love. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you Jesus said.  He knows how selfish we are and how much more likely we are to do something if it benefits us even in a roundabout way.  Motives are never perfect. We can only act.

Stopped by the convenience store and bought The Cleveland Banner and The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Bought two lemon-filled Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Then when I pulled back into my parking space at home, three pennies fell out of the coin holder in my car. I picked them up, brought them inside and put them on the dresser near pictures of my broken family.

Whole websites, like The Penny Priestess and The Penny Catechism, are dedicated to information about pennies. There are certain conditions for a penny to be lucky, like picking it up with your dominant hand (I did that) and the penny is supposed to be heads up. (I didn’t notice). But my information told me a lucky penny is a sign of God’s presence.  That’s what I was looking for.