Sabbath for the Gulf Coast

“It is the end of the world as we know it.” With this statement, made on Day 31, my daughter, a resident of the Gulf Coast, brought the oil spill up close and personal to her New England family. Her ability to approach and resolve challenges with humor and vision is legendary, but her words were void of both. Her cousins were silent. Their children looked to their mothers for comfort. To ward off nightmares, theirs and mine, I asked “Given that what you said may well be true, what is the world we want to know?” We talked of “Green Energy” and “Organic Living”, but on day 70+ of the disaster, I have yet to find comforting answers to my question.
The President quoted a priest who participated in the blessing of the fleet in LA a few weeks ago. “The blessing is not that God has promised to remove all obstacles and dangers. The blessing is that He is with us always,” a blessing that’s granted “even in the midst of the storm.” In that spirit, I've made a commitment to celebrate our Sabbaths with a sense of gratitude for the gifts of creation, and to abstain as much as possible from the use of petroleum product on Sundays. Art’s response? “That means no TV or Computers, but I’ll do it if you will.”
Check out this site to see what else we’ll try not to use on Sundays - http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm
And please let us know if you’ll join us.
Peace and good_________,
Beth