Posts Tagged ‘change’
by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
28
May
2010

We at LWA have been in “moving mode” for a month or so now.
oh there’s a lot that we want to write about on our “moving from the suburbs to the city experience”:
change-growth-home-challenge-creativity-people-diversity-needs-letting go-working hard…….
but for today I just wanted to share some of our “thrifty fun” ideas.
Whether rich or poor, we are committed to using monies wisely, trying to recycle, repurpose, DIY, work hard with our own hands and live on less. This takes us a wonderful world of creative and collaborative people, which is super inspiring. For me it feels “healthy” and somehow “right”. I even discover more creativity inside of my own self when in this space.
In the past month we have:
-taken our old poker table..and made it into Spencer’s desk, using only a saw, screwdriver, strong arms and our secret tool: industrial velcro !
-took an old piece of barnwood that we found and made it into a table with: sandpaper, wipe on polyurethane, random pieces of .25 cent
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Tags: change, growth, moving, people, thrift
Posted in Culture | 10 Comments »
by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
18
Feb
2010

Lucky for me i make my decisions based on my dreamer parts and get there using my engineer parts. First why, then how. Otherwise we lock dreams in reality and only read about them as stories.
When we adults opt out of important moments in the lives of kids, we rob them, their kids, and ourselves; we are fools to think anything is unseen.
So, the fun began with Jessie in our home.
My oldest son shared his solo bedroom. He no longer sat in the front seat of the car, Jessie did. He had someone older to watch older kid movies with. Sometimes they shared friends and play sports at a more mature level. He moved his role in the family as first born, to some extent. I dont think it was so easy for him. He listened to a LOT more talking than his brothers did. He listened to talking about bad hair days and feeling fat days. He helped her with math. She tells him he is smart, she is very expressive. He learns how to empathize and relate with well chosen words.
I observe kids “loving without agenda” better than adults. These kids did not chose their life thus far,
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Tags: change, family, growing, kids, love
Posted in Culture | 1 Comment »
by:
Jimmy Spencer Jr.
16
Feb
2010

My friend Brad, who works here in the LWA offices, told me a saying that goes “1/3 of all things our parents believed when they were growing up…we will eventually find very silly”
Put this in that category.
Today marked the passing of the judge, Sylvia Pressler, who forced Little League to allow girls the opportunity to play baseball with boys. Apparently in 1973, little girls were not seen fit to play baseball, with or without little boys.
I’m reminded that this seemingly common sense thing—that we assume has always been—had to be fought hard for…and it (like all changes) was seen as both radical and deeply subversive at the time. I love the quote from the Little League on the court’s ruling (yes…Little league fought this tooth and nail…even appealing the ruling)
The ruling was decried by Little League as “conceived in vindictive and prejudicial fashion of the worst kind”
Amazing.
The story really puts change in perfect perspective. Change is never easy—even for something as innocent as letting
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Tags: action, change, Social Justice, values
Posted in Culture | 4 Comments »
by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
30
Jan
2010

Quite often i see life as a sport where love is the action, every moment like a ball thrown our way for us to practice the art of loving without agenda.
Jessie is in my life one of those wonderful moments, lived on.
I was total “koolaid mom”, lived on a block in suburbia in a 1920′s bungalow with charm all its own, its wooden red door always open for the neighborhood kids to become family with my 3 boys. We had tons of fun: made those tents from blankets and chairs on rainy days, ran around outside with sticks on all days, played baseball in the neighbors yard on nicer days and made stuff from playdough on special days. I made lots and lots of plates of grilled cheese sandwiches and swept lots and lots of crumbs.
Jessie is the only girl on the block, a couple years older than the crowd of elementary school boys; mostly happy that her super high energy and, in her teen girl mind, menacing little brother, was always at my place. She lived at first with both parents, then mom, then grandma, then dad. Troubles in her home the same as many folks encounter, her
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Tags: change, girls, kids, love, parents
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
23
May
2009
I have lived in plenty and less. About 2 years ago i became a ” food pantry” user as a primary means of feeding a large family. This is a far different way of living than what is the norm in america, the way I have always known. I have found some beauty in this new way of providing food for my family.
I grew up learning to cook from my mother and grandmother, a treasure like no other. My mother is a gifted and passionate cook and hospitality person. If you told me today that 100 dignitaries were coming to my home, i could serve a fine and delicious meal with ease, no recipe to read. With mom i made pierogoes (polish) hand rolled dough, golumpki (meat and rice stuffed cabbage in a tasty tomato based broth), baked goods finer than all bakeries, creamy mashed potatoes. i learned all the how to’s from folding batter to frying – which pans and oils are best…..i could go on and on and write books and books. My German grandma grew some of her own herbs and veggies. Every summer i would spend in her Iowa home learning to garden, harvest, can, cook and serve
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Tags: change, mindset, neighborhood
Posted in Culture, Social Justice | No Comments »
by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
07
May
2009
steeped. to be immersed in something so that it is re-created.
green tea leaves steeped in water=my morning tea.
as a child i was steeped in school system during the school year, language and math
for the summer it was dreams i was steeped in as i played outside from dawn to dusk
as a new wife it was making him better and being the woman i should be
as a mom it was my boys, steeped in discovering they are and how to help them be all they are to be
in the suburbs it is: our home.
when i had less it was surviving, when i had more it was thriving.
in spiritual life it is sacrifice and service.
i suppose this is life, in part: to create a place within this big bad world for people to be steeped in the breathing in and out of love. one where people act out as they seem to be made to be. where they focus on what to give, not to get. where they love without an agenda. where help is given to one in need. one where emotions are as physical, both in need, both feel pain, both heal and give life.
there are so many causes and places in this world trying to create
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Tags: action, change, hope
Posted in Culture, Spirituality | No Comments »
by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
24
Dec
2008
The world is changing soo fast. Dramatic change in every system. If you don’t see it, you feel it. Its exciting. Its scary.
My current thought about our “flattening” world is stuck in this concept i was first taught about as a young good catholic girl wearing tights and ponytails: there is a place or time or kingdom where “the least becomes the greatest, and the last the first”.
“The least” have strengths only incurred by their trials. They understand their need to survive as a unit. They grow inner strengths to overcome by mere human will. They are not enslaved to things or safety. They learn feel hurt and pain. They are know how to survive. As victims alive they can build unbeatable systems. Unbeatable to any other than their own grandchildren, that is. Ungratefulness is weakness.
The greatest become dependent upon certain props to survive. Most current greats are generations into their safe and encumbered lives. They often lack ability to face pain and hurt, so easy to buy joy. They become far too independent and when in need lack
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Tags: change, global, poverty
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
02
Sep
2008
i am a people watcher. not the outside, but the insides, which reveal themselves. i am an observer and a listener.
i have gleaned little cues from behaviors, im sure you have too…
observed amongst a bunch of us who are growing and good people
..ways we are….things we do and say…. behaviors i see that made me ponder…..why?…what’s happening? to my generation. we exhibit:
low expectation of self
high expectation of others
low self esteem
high desire of control and position
burdened leaders
un-powered members
indifferent to the grossest of global need
desiring to be taught more than to learn
most people too busy to help
rich but no expendable income
loving with an agenda
more critical than grateful
sense of entitlement
independent mindset greater than whole group mindset
need of external joy
boredom within excess
being hungry and obese
addicts who who have graduated from the best help programs
lack of self discipline
giving sex then love -rather that love then sex
apathetic christians
and i guess the list could go
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Tags: change, growth, mindset
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
22
Jul
2008
the shema house, where the LWA guys live and i work at, is quiet this week.
perfect opportunity for me to throw away some garbage that weve collected, mostly old sofas and random stuff people give us as hand me downs, which is thoughtful, and the reason that it is hard to get rid of old crap. inevitably someone will give reason as to why we should hold onto this or that just a little more.
i understand. but i also see the need for occasional executive decision. i did the same when my kids were little. we together decided to give away some of our one hundred stuffed animals to other kids who may have none. as we went thru the animals in order to share our over abundance of bunnies, cute puppies, beanie babies and pokemon, the children loved each one and found reason to keep each one, and “gave” what amounts to “not giving” a couple of animals from their cedar chest home. the animals were not played with, or even remembered until it was time to give them away. my lesson in learning to give was failing. and i gave up. i let the kids give what their little
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Tags: change, growth, honesty, hope
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
16
Jul
2008
i loathe cliques.very seriously.
as a young girl, starting in kindergarten, i was the kinda kid who had all kinds of friends from all kinds of cliques and groups. i was nice. my long time best friend was a girl most people found odd at least until high school when she found belonging amongst “burnouts” which led her into trouble, but ive always loved her all the same, for the person she is at her core. i was able to hang with her friends and never try smoking, booze or anything. i also had lots of guy friends. played mostly ‘keep away’ and ’500′ at lunch time and climbed trees and rode bikes after school with the boys. none of them were boyfriends and it didnt even enter my mind until much later. guys are still my favorite friends by far, so long as you keep them friends. i think it was easier when i was young. i was free to be a non sexual girl for in jr high, it was a wonderful childhood. i wasnt bombarded with sex everywhere until later highschool.
the lunch room is a class, in behavioral science.
i recall walking into the elementary
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Tags: change, faith, hope
Posted in Culture, Spirituality | No Comments »