My Hope

  This year doesn’t feel so Christmassy.  Parties are out.  Large Christmas plays or pageants may be super spreaders and grandparents may not be able to attend.  It’s hard readjusting our expectations with traditions that mean so much to us.  I get it.  The last two Christmases our family had to redefine what Christmas looked like to us.     In 2018 we had recently arrived in Lebanon and we were adjusting to life in a new country away from friends and family.  We had been surprised that while Thanksgiving is obviously and American holiday, Black Friday sales are worldwide.  This was definitely to our advantage as we were appreciative for the deep discounts on appliances we needed to purchase for our apartment.   Our neighborhood in Beirut was primarily Muslim sandwiched between two Christian neighborhoods.  We were walking distance from lights and enormous trees, so some scenes ...

Sweat shops and child labor are not things I typically think about but I can’t shake them from my heart and mind. I recently found out that more than one of the children in the neighborhood started working at the age of eight before coming here. Eight… that’s two years older than M. I feel like it’s a battle to get her to clean her room… how on earth would she be ready to hold down employment in two short years? I know that part of her lack of responsibility is a direct result of my American mothering and catering to her needs, wants and whims. I’m trying to change that. But really, what eight year old is ready to work? I know the families sought this employment out of need. If you have to feed your family, you do what you have to do and everyone pitches in. I read this article a while back and my mind keeps wandering back to it again and again. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/11/i-had-to-wear-pampers-many-poultry-industry-workers-allegedly-cant-even-t...

My friend doesn’t think I cook. By her standards, I don’t really. She has questioned me on more than one occasion if I cook daily. I tried to explain that generally yes I do but it depends… sometimes we eat leftovers. The things I cook most often are tacos, spaghetti, salads, or some baked meat with steamed vegetables or beans and fresh fruit. Every now and then I’ll make a chicken pot pie or casserole of some sort, but I know we eat healthier when I keep it simple. That being said, I can generally whip up dinner in 30 mins to 1 hour max. Her meals take 2-3 hours. While there are some dishes that have long cook times, there’s also a lot of prep work in many dishes. I got to help make kibbeh one night while I was visiting. I couldn’t believe the process!! Granted, she was making a large batch for a gathering the next day but still, it was quite labor intensive. In order to get the desired texture and consistency, the bugler wheat/chicken mixture was processed through a mea...