The following prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, drafted for a homily by Cardinal John Dearden in Nov. 1979 for a celebration of departed priests.  As a reflection on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bishop Romero, Bishop Untener included in a reflection book a passage titled "The Mystery of the Romero Prayer." 

 It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.  Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

28.  Travel to the following places: Thailand, Vietnam, Greece, India, Brazil, Bora Bora, Spain, South Africa, Seychelles, Chiapas, Mexico, Iceland, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Machu Picchu, Peru, New York City, Jerusalem, Alaska

If you haven't read Rebecca, it's a must.  (Thank you Aunt Mary!)  I finished reading it last week, but I'm still thinking about it.  In my opinion, those are the best kind of books.

And of course, Chiapas was so wonderful.  Words don't really explain how great it is.  But, for your next trip, think about it!

What happened to my bonus? What happened to my job? What happened to my country? Why can't it all go the way it's supposed to go? You mean having a kid won't solve my marriage problems? Why don't these drugs make me feel better? Where's that goddamn waiter with my salad? Have you seen the stupid weather today? Is this really all there is?

These are, from what I can glean, the most important questions of the day, of the month, of modern life itself. Hell, what with the economy and job situation, the housing market and the overall feel and texture of the nation right now, it's no wonder Americans are, by and large, a goddamn miserable bunch. We don't like anything right now. No politician, no decision, no situation, no inhale, no exhale. We are sick to death of all of it, including ourselves.

The Decade with No Name - The New Yorker

The Top Ten Everything of 2009 - Time Magazine

The Ten Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever - Time Magazine

The Decade Definer - Vanity Fair

Mister Narrative of the Decade - Click Opera Blog

That's So Aughties - Vanity Fair

Merry Christmas to all from San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.  While it would be wonderful to be enjoying a white Christmas in Longmont, Colorado with my sweet family, I think I'm in the next best place.  Chrissie and I are looking forward to relaxing and having a great vacation.

December 6 - Workshop or conference - This year I didn't really attend any workshops or conferences.  But on December 6th, we hosted an emotional health workshop for a group of women in the community.  We went up to the organization's property just outside Texcoco, where on a clear day you have a few of the whole valley of Mexico.  We focused on the theme of identity, and it was a privilege to be with these eight women while they begin in and continue on a process of becoming the women they want to be, the women they were created to be.  In the afternoon, before it began getting dark, we were taking a small coffee break, gathering tejocotes and limones off the various trees.  As we were talking, everyone was once again teasing me about being tall, strong, and generally gigantic.  Next thing I knew, five of the women challenged me to a wrestling match.  They had decided if all five of them teamed up against me at the same time, they could take me down and get me in one massive dog-pile.  Well, it's still a mystery how it happened, but somehow I managed to fight them all off.  I never was at the bottom of the dog-pile and several five-foot women got thrown around in the process.  Usually, I'm the bully who doesn't find a fair fight, but in this case, it was five versus one.  We finished laughing harder than we could stand, and I'm not sure if the grass stains will ever come out of my pants.   

December 7 - Blog find of the year - I must mention Maira Kalman's blog, The Pursuit of Happiness.  There's been a lot of great blogs that I've started reading this year, but Kalman's work every month in the New York Times immediately stood out as the great blog of this year.  Her themes on America, democracy, and ultimately hope are an internet highlight every month. 

December 9 - Challenge - Honestly, I think the biggest challenge of the year has been my entire life.  Living here is a challenge.  Getting up every day and continuing to choose into this life is challenging.  Chrissie wrote a blog post this past September that I loved so much that in many ways paints a picture of what life is like here.

a.

i bobbed and weaved through the chocolate like lakes that had replaced our streets,
past the chicken vendor, the catholic church, the huge and ominous santa muerte altar,
i knocked on her door and was greeted with a warm hug and customary kiss on the cheek.
as we sat down with our cafecitos, she just looked at me and began to cry,
"my life is in chaos" she said wiping away tears with scented toilet paper while chain smoking.
cancer, appendicitis, marital troubles, debt, kids, work...
what to say? really, there was nothing i could say
so i just made eye contact, listened, and silently prayed.
for an hour and a half, i made eye contact, listened, and silently prayed,
until her son came in a told us they found their pet bunny had been killed by a stray cat.
more chaos. l. cried and cried. a. told her that she should have been more careful with the bunny.
after the momentary chaos had settled, we prayed together. we prayed for peace, for healing, for the presence of god in their home.
i left just after receiving another customary kiss, bobbing and weaving and slipping in the mud, past the santa muerte altar, the catholic church, the chicken vendor, the little girl in the bright pink dress.
i prayed for peace, for healing, and the presence of god in my home.

The biggest challenge for me continues to be wanting and working for transformation in the lives of others, while also wanting and working for transformation in my own life. 

December 10 - Album of the Year - Well, looking back at my iTunes, it turns out I've only purchased 7 albums in the course of 2009.  It seems like this year was much more of a 'single' year, rather than entire albums.  That said in January of this year, I borrowed from Chrissie the album "Some People Have Real Problems" by Sia that has become the most listened to album of the past 12 months. 

Download its goodness at Amazon MP3 or iTunes.

December 11 - The best place - Habita Hotel!  I had the chance of staying here twice this past fall.  (Thank you to both Orbitz and my father.)  After my family came in August, I had two more days of vacation left and the thought of coming back to stay in the slum was less than appealing.  We found some great rates at the Habita hotel, so I was able to soak up lots of television from an extrememly comfortable king size bed.  Yet, the whole time I was there, I was thinking that it would be so much more fun to share the great location and the beautiful place with someone else.  Chrissie's birthday came in September and falls quite close to Mexican Independence Day.  We took advantage of two days off to celebrate and headed to the city.  It was a great "weekend".  We enjoyed the amentities and took advantage of the perfect locale.  Viva México!  Viva Chrissie!

The rooftop bar and pool area.  Wonderfully modern and urban!

December 12 - New food - I believe 2009 must be called the year of the huarache.  Yes, I had eaten them before this year.  But this year, they became my go-to street food.  So delicious.  Wikipedia describes the huarache as follows: Huarache is a popular Mexican dish consisting of an oblong, fried masa base, with a variety of toppings. The name "Huarache" is derived from the shape of the masa, similar to the popular sandals of the same name. Huaraches are similar to sopes but differ in shape.  Huaraches originated in Mexico City in the 1930s. Their origin was at a restaurant owned by Carmen Gomez, where the oblong masa dishes were known as tlacoyos. In 1938, Gomez moved her restaurant to a location in the Jamaica Market (Mercado de Jamaica), and it is there that the name huaraches originated.  I don't have any pictures of any of the huaraches I've eaten, but here's a picture from Flickr.  (I must confess, I've never eaten a huarache that looks this good.  One day!  Maybe it's time to trek to Mercado de Jamaica and find the original huarachería.)

December 16 - Tea of the year - I'm totally not a tea drinker.  Here in Mexico, it seems to be the land of one kind of tea: chamomile.  Everyone sips cheap Lagg's chamomile with lots of sugar when they have a cold, but it's not for me.  This year though certainly has been the year of coffee.  Early this fall, I purchased a french press, and it's become my favorite way to spend the morning.  And last night, Chrissie just brought me the most wonderful mug from Anthropologie, because I've been wanting one for several months.

Continuing with the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, my favorite book of 2009 was Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.  Telling the story of Abdulrahaman Zeitoun's experience after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. 

When I read the book, I felt like I was learning about Hurricane Katrina for the first time.  It was like seeing the experience with a whole new set of eyes.  I realized that part of why it was so "new" to me was because when Hurricane Katrina was happening and the chaos was unfolding, I was moving to Los Angeles, sleeping in the guest bedroom in an apartment in South Central amongst my suitcases, getting ready to head to the Phillipines.  This book reminded me how easy it is to be ignorant to human suffering and to not even realize the complexity or injustice of what is happening.  Of course, I remember hearing what was happening, the levees breaking, Kayne West saying George Bush hated black people, but I definitely wasn't engaged with it.

Reading Zeitoun showed me the story of one man, his hope in America, his desire to serve others, and how Hurricane Katrina was the perfect storm for the injustices that he suffered.

Check out the FAQ about Zeitoun with Dave Eggers.  His answers to these questions encapsulate much of what I think is great about this book.

His family's story presents a very unique intersection of what happened during one of the worst natural disasters in American history and the problematic tendrils of the war on terror.  The dysfunctional criminal-justice system, a terrorism-focused military, the Bush years - I think that what happened to Zeitoun could only have happened with the intersection of all of these forces.  Wrongful incarceration is an interest of mine, so it touched me on a personal level.

Us - Regina Spektor

Time Flies - Lykke Li

Quelqu'un m'a dit - Carla Bruni

The River - Sarah Bareilles

Re:Stacks - Bon Iver

Say Hello - Rosie Thomas with Sufjan Stevens

It's Okay - Land of Talk

Werewolf - Cat Power

If It Kills Me (From the Casa Nova Sessions) - Jason Mraz

The Cure for Pain - Jon Foreman

Dream - Priscilla Ahn

Sea of Love - Cat Power

Satellite Heart - Anya Marina

Until We Bleed - Kleerup feat. Lykke Li

Florence and the Machine - Dog Days

(And no promises on the corniness of the accompanying YouTube videos.  I'm just bringing good music.)