MoJo's with Cas & Malcolm

In addition to time with family, another goal of our time in Chicago was to revisit old haunts, reminisce and reconnect with friends.

So, on the morning of our second day, we took the El north out of downtown and got off at the newly refurbished Addison stop on the Brown Line.

This was the stop that took us to our last Chicago home, the first home we shared together.

Our neighborhood, St. Ben's is just north of another charming one with much character, Roscoe Village. It was in Roscoe Village, at a coffee shop called MoJo's, that we met up with our friends, Cas and Malcolm.

It was great fun to catch up. Cas introduced us to the idea of ordering steamed milk with vanilla. Yum.

Malcolm was in Sam's third grade class but I think we first met them through the Boys & Girls Club. Cass was just finishing her master's from the Jane Addams College of Social Work. I was trying to transition into more meaningful work. She has always encouraged me in that area.

I was intrigued to hear about her first full year of work in the field and share my experiences with CASA. Cam told about his new gig.

Malcolm and Sam played cards and exchanged stories about what fourth grade had been like, their fifth grade classes, friends, teachers, video games, train rides, movies, etc.

This Flickr set has a few more pictures of our time at MoJo's with Cas & Mal. We are happy they came out to see us and are thankful they are our friends.

Later that night.

After eating too much pizza, we chilled out for the rest of the evening. In this Flickr set, you will see more pictures of us helping with the last feeding, watching the kids doing their tummy time and enjoy their independent play.

Thawing out with Ian and Avery

After Sam and I returned from kicking balls of ice into Lake Michigan, we thawed-out at Eric and Sarah's house.

I was hanging out with Avery.

While she was sitting on my belly, leaning against my legs, I took some close-up pictures of her.

Check out this Flickr set to see the other folks in the background, resting, relaxing and waiting for the pizza to come.

Kicking balls of ice into Lake Michigan

Traversing a snowy field with the Snow Striker was a bit of an arduous journey.

But once we arrived at Lake Michigan, the real winter fun began.









Sam discovered that the edge of the lake was littered with thousands of balls of ice.

We were captivated by them for almost an hour. Sam liked to break them off and throw them into the lake.

In my tough winter boots, my favorite thing to do was to kick them loose and directly into the lake.

They floated there awhile.

The lake is such a lovely backdrop. It wasn't too sunny, which gave us nice diffused light every-
where.

I took a bunch of pictures. Check out more pictures of Mary & Sam kicking balls of ice into Lake Michigan in this Flickr set.

Beware the Snow Striker.

After spending a few hours getting to know Ian and Avery, Sam was ready to play in the snow.

Check out this Flickr set of him as the Snow Striker.

Babies!

The main reason for our trip back to Chicago was to see Eric and Sarah and their new twin babies, Ian and Avery.

Cam had gone back once before and met them, shortly after their birth, but Sam and I hadn't had the opportunity yet.

If you read Cam's blog, you've likely seen many pictures from our time with them with them already but I tried to tell the story from my perspective through titles and captions in this Flickr set.

I also included some low-light shots. Pictures taken with the flash are so harsh. Some of the ones taken in natural light came out really nice with a little photo editing.

Enjoy.

Thanks for all the gifts.

Twice recently, I said we didn't need gifts.

While I stand by those state-
ments, I also want to genuinely thank you everyone who gave gifts.

Check out the new Flickr set to see how much fun we had opening some of them on December 26th.

When my Dad was here for Thanksgiving, he brought his very nice camera and offered to give it to me to replace the one I dumped in the ocean.

Digital photography has many advantages over film but I still miss the non-digital SLR I bought when Sam was three and we moved to St. Louis. Before it stopped working, shortly after we moved to Chicago, it allowed me take pictures I felt were remarkable. We may invest in a digital SLR someday but until then, I appreciate having another nice camera to use. Thanks, Dad.

Thanks to everyone who sent monetary gifts and holiday greetings. Happy New Year.

Tonight's the Night the World Begins Again

Walking up Michigan Avenue, after ice skating with friends at Millennium Park in Chicago, on New Year's Eve, reveling in the lovely snow I hadn't seen in 2 years, surrounded by lights, memories and splendor was surreal. (photo credit)

I'd just taken a picture of the giant Christmas tree in front of the John Hancock building when a man stopped me. He asked if he could ask me a question then asked me not to be afraid. I assured him I wasn't and that he could. Instead of asking a question, he asked me to look at his hands and showed me that he was born without thumbs. He said, "It is hard being homeless." then asked me to help.

Back when I was a single mom in St. Louis, I had to make a rule that I would not to give money to people on the street. I realized I was taking money away from my young child and that I needed it to survive. Despite this long-held rule, I was reaching in my pockets. They were empty.

I knew I had money in my bag but what could the money I had there really do to help this man? I wondered, should I give him some change? Some ones? A $20? That seemed simultaneously excessive and insignificant. Then there was that voice saying I shouldn't open my bag up to a stranger on the street.

I said something lame about how I couldn't help everyone. I said I'd just have to wish him luck. He hung his head. I patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Changed. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him and feeling like I should have done something differently.

I see so much need in the world. I'm happy to be working to make a positive difference and am about to start my work as a CASA volunteer not just a case supervisor. There are so many kids who need.

I have been discouraged by injustice in Africa and the most recent uprising in Kenya.

But tonight, I am hopeful. Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses. I know he doesn't have all of the answers but I believe he wants to work towards making things better for everyone.

After writing about my feelings of hopefulness, I was lying awake with a Goo Goo Dolls song running through my head. It's called, Better Days and I wanted to share it with you.

I heard it on New Year's morning, while sitting in Einstein's bagels, taking refuge from the drastically colder temperatures outside and thinking about the man I'd met the night before.

I related to the sentiment, "I wish everyone was loved tonight."

Listen to it if you can.

Here are all the lyrics:

And you ask me what I want this year.
And I'll try to make this kind and clear.
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.

'Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings.
And designer love and empty things.
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.

So take these words.
And sing out loud.
'Cause everyone is forgiven now.
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

I need someplace simple where we could live.
And something only you can give.
And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive.

And the one poor child who saved this world.
And there's 10 million more who probably could.
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them.

So take these words.
And sing out loud.
'Cause everyone is forgiven now.
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

I wish everyone was loved tonight.
That some might stop this endless fight.
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.

So take these words.
And sing out loud.
'Cause everyone is forgiven now.
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

Congratulations

Barack Obama wins Iowa Caucuses.









I am hopeful.














We are hopeful.

Help Restore Peace in Kenya

The past couple of days have been busy. It took me 11 hours to get home from Chicago on Tuesday. Yesterday, I was at a trial all day. On top of it, I've been battling a cold. But these challenges are nothing compared with what people in other parts of the world are facing. (photo credit)

Upon returning home, I was greatly disturbed by a headline saying that 50 people had been locked in a church and burned to death in Kenya. I was horrified but I was tired. I hoped it was an isolated incident.

Then, today, I read a message my cousin, Ariel shared with me. It moved me to write my representatives in congress. I want to pass the message along to you and encourage you to do the same.

Here's what my letter said:

Dear Speaker of the House Pelosi (San Francisco) & Congresswoman Woolsey (Marin County), I am deeply concerned by the reports of violence coming out of Kenya. Hearing about innocent people being locked inside buildings and burned to death is horrifying. That people are without access to necessary supplies and their lines of communication are down makes the situation even more perilous. Please take action to bring peace to this area and protect the people living there. Thanks for all you do.

Click here to write your representative.

Here is the message that prompted me to write:

Dear Friends, Family, and Associates, I am writing to request your assistance with an extremely challenging issue.... As some of you are aware my wife is from Kenya. Our family lives their now.. and are in grave danger... Within the the last 3 days there has erupted a huge campaign of violence, ethnic cleansing and tribal warfare from the alleged rigging of the presidential election leading to the re-election of Kibaki.

I will not relate the details as they are all readily available on the websites I include at the bottom of this email... but the basic reality is that the country is entering a state of warfare... Marshall law has been declared by the president... a curfew... riot police are out in streets throughout the country... if you are out past curfew you are beaten or shot... looting and rioting has decimated many of the shops in the town centers... many I and my family would frequent...leaving many without basic supplies to live. The President has shut off all the radio stations... all you hear is the eerie sound of static as you scan the airwaves... The television stations are only broadcasting un-interupted movies... no news.. no announcements... Everyone in Kenya uses pre-paid calling cards for cell phones.. and the president has ordered them to stop being sold... He has stopped all flow of information internally... We had to ask our mom not to call her friends and conserve what little credit she has.. we now have to call regularly to check on the situation... even the phone networks have been going down... He has shut the water supply off to Nairobi City (the largest and most developed city in east Africa)... There are frequent blackouts...

The two major tribes representing the presidential opponents are Kikuyu and Luo. My Wife and Family are Luo. Kikuyus are attacking and killing Luos en-masse throughout the country... and Luo are killing Kikuyu around the country... within the last day.. mass killings have begun.. In Lou towns Kikuyus have begun killing Luos.. locking Luo social clubs while people are inside and burning them down... over 50 Kikuyu women and children sought refuge in a church after their homes were burned and an angry mob of youth locked them in the church and set fire to it killing 35... those who escaped were met on the outside with the mob... beaten... and burned to death in a kitchen garden outside the church... decimation of neighborhoods, slums, and villages where supporters of either candidate are being burned to the ground.. with people inside.... This is only a small fraction of the injustices being committed....

Yet these atrocities are reminiscent of the beginnings of the Genocide which took place in Rwanda (The next Door neighbor to Kenya)... My Mother In Law in Kenya received word from a friend in government that Kibaki was about to be announced the winner off the election and that she should rush to the grocery store because it was about to get very bad... she sent my cousins to the store to buy what food she could afford... that night 3 local social spots where my family would regularly hang out were locked up and burnt down with people inside... Luckily my family was all at home anticipating the violence to come...They are locked in their small apartment.. 2 small bedrooms in a stone apartment structure. They have a small security gate before the front door which they have padlocked shut... My brother in law... lost track of his family when their neighborhood was attacked, people killed, and burnt to the ground... he ran around searching all night and luckily he was able to locate them... they rushed to my mother in laws home... He, His Wife, and Small children had to pass through streets littered with bodies... there are now over 14 people in this tiny apartment... they only have food for a couple more days... the stores are dangerous if impossible to get to... most stores have been shut or ransacked so there is no food anyway... what food is left is being sold at very high costs...

Gunshots are heard round the clock and throughout the night... I paint this picture to give an idea of the severity of the situation... I watch and feel helpless... Many who have watched Hotel Rwanda can remember that feeling of "What did we / could we have done to prevent this..." This is a similar situation... I am not sure of the best remedy for it.. but it is apparent that something needs to be done before the violence, civil unrest and massacres extend any further...

How can I sit by and watch another Rwanda or Somalia take place without so much as opening my mouth... and the fact that my family is directly involved impels me to act with determination. Things may get better on their own... maybe in a few days... a few weeks... a few months... but for each day it doesn't... lives are lost.. families shattered.. and we inch closer to genocide... how many times did people assume that it would probably work itself out in Rwanda or Somalia.... and thereby delay their own action... inaction enabled a spark to become a flame and a flame to become an inferno.

I am writing to my congress people in Los Angeles... imploring them to press the US govt. and the UN to intervene... The only way to ensure my family's safety is to ensure peace in Kenya...

Please take a moment to do something... write to your congress person or call them and urge them to address the issue of the unrest in Kenya with haste... Each day that passes people are dying and being ripped from their homes... only 250 people have been documented killed so far... thousands injured and over 70,000 made homeless in 3 days... This does not include those who are fleeing and are undocumented by the statistics.

I mentioned hotel Rwanda.. and the vivid picture it painted which brought us all a bit of shame... now picture your family in that hotel... being left to die as other countries get their own people out... this is more than a movie... My family is at serious risk... and I am praying for their safety.

Please take a moment and help be a part of bringing about peace... not only for my own families but for all of Kenya... And Above All Pray For Them...

Sincerely, Jon and Auntieclare

P.S. Please forward this to anyone you know and are willing to share it with....

Click here to write your representative.

SITES WITH INFO ABOUT THE SITUATION IN KENYA:
BBC Africa
Daily Nation
Guardian Unlimited
CNN World

Click here to write your representative.