There could be lots of catchy and cute messages swimming "like sugarplum fairies" in my head right now.
I considered a David Letterman-esque "Top Ten Reasons for Buying Salsa Mama for the Holidays." I thought about changing the words to "Jingle Bells" to spread the salsa message. I thought about describing a vibrant scene of my "salsa sleigh" arriving at your doorstep with a bag of (not toys!) pints and pints of delicious, freshly made salsa.
But let's face it, it's that time of year when we all have grand plans, but....
So in lieu of a song and dance, I'm spreading a very simple (love that K.I.S.S. principle!) message of Christmas cheer and especially gratitude for all that we have.
My son wrote a message to Santa the other night and told him that he loved him very much. It was so touching to read his words. Honestly, as a kid, I don't remember ever "loving" Santa, but certainly expected him to bring presents. My son's innocent and open heart reminded me that we need to spread the love into all parts of this season. Keep the joy in your hearts!
With that, I thank you for the joy that you bring me as I hear about your celebrations, your gift-giving, and your recipes.
Many blessings this Christmas season!!
Erin
THE SALSA MAMA MISSION
Salsa Mama is ON A MMMMMMMISSION!!!!
The simple mission: To serve the community with love, one pint of salsa at a time, by donating half of the profits from each sale to a local charity or family in need.
1 Peter 4:10 "As each one of us has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."
IT IS ONLY WITH GRATITUDE....
I ran across this quote today by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who says,
"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that
it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."
The message is easy; we all know we should be grateful. The hard part is training our brains (and those of others) to associate "richness" with giving instead of receiving. Have any of you ever tried to explain to your kids that writing thank you notes is the most important part of their birthday or that giving Christmas gifts to others is more special than receiving their own? Yeah, we have all tried it....and what do we get in return? Blank stares? Whining? Resistance of some kind or another, I would wager. Our human nature in "ordinary life" (as Bonhoeffer calls it), associates richness/happiness/fulfillment with receiving material goods, praise, status, etc... What would it take for us to shift our thinking in a dramatic way so that Bonhoeffer's quote doesn't just sound good, but actually feels all comfy and at home in our genuinely grateful hearts??? I bet the Joplin tornado victims and volunteers could help us here. They might have a story or two (or three hundred) about how their ordinary life exists no longer, and what remains is a rich life, full-to-the-brim with gratitude. Immediately after the tornado, waves of volunteers came out of nowhere, handing out barbecue sandwiches, sorting through debris, helping in countless ways. Groups from Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church (my parish) have gone twice to help in Joplin (see article), witnessing first-hand not only the devastation but the renewed hope in those who have lost everything. To the above right is a picture of the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Joplin. Thankfully, their parish priest survived the destruction but they will need to rebuild their church, starting from scratch. We can't all physically travel to Joplin, but we can each do something of value to help, especially pray for the health and strength of those who survived. The Salsa Mama sale from June and July 2011 will support the Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, who has already helped thousands of individuals and will play a large role in rebuilding St.Mary's.
As always, thank YOU for support of the various charities throughout the year!
"This year, I Relay for...."
It's Relay For Life time again, and it's amazing to think that a whole year has passed. This year I Relay for many reasons, but first and foremost in memory of Ann Schierts. If you didn't know Ann, spend some time with the blog she created during her battle with cancer. It is updated now by her husband, Hal whose words will inspire you. Hal, Zoe and Grace have been so blessed by the many acts of love and kindness so many of you have shared with them.
My personal page on the Relay For Life of Kaw Valley website will help you understand other reasons I have for Relaying. Here is a picture of Mark's first survivor lap in 2009. What an amazing sight to see him walk down the hill with the other survivors to CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, and FIGHT BACK against cancer.
Every single day it seems we hear of a new diagnosis. If you would like to donate to the ACS's efforts, I would love to have your support, either by buying salsa (half of the profits will be donated) or by going straight to my donation page. I would LOVE to hear your reasons for supporting the cause, and suspect that you have more than a few.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN the Relay as a committee member or team captain!!!!!! Please join us. Contact me if you are interested.
I deliver salsa every Friday, so send me your orders! Thanks so much for your support for the various charities Salsa Mama has helped this year, and for your enthusiasm for the salsa itself! I love hearing your stories about recipes, your efforts to hide your salsa from your husband, wife or kids (ha!) and the many confessions I get each month about "accidentally eating the whole container in one sitting." Hey...I love it too or I wouldn't be making it!
Blessings to you this SPRING!!!!
My personal page on the Relay For Life of Kaw Valley website will help you understand other reasons I have for Relaying. Here is a picture of Mark's first survivor lap in 2009. What an amazing sight to see him walk down the hill with the other survivors to CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, and FIGHT BACK against cancer.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN the Relay as a committee member or team captain!!!!!! Please join us. Contact me if you are interested.
I deliver salsa every Friday, so send me your orders! Thanks so much for your support for the various charities Salsa Mama has helped this year, and for your enthusiasm for the salsa itself! I love hearing your stories about recipes, your efforts to hide your salsa from your husband, wife or kids (ha!) and the many confessions I get each month about "accidentally eating the whole container in one sitting." Hey...I love it too or I wouldn't be making it!
Blessings to you this SPRING!!!!
Are you a DUNKER or a SCOOPER?
This Sunday, Mark visited Barb's Kolache Bakery (the BEST!) and came home with an assortment of our favorites---a meltaway, some cinnamon rolls, some sausage and cheese kolaches. He tried a little bit of everything as he was unpacking the box and insisted that I try them too. "No, thanks honey, but I'm going to sit down and enjoy it," I answered, as I heated my coffee (again!) in the microwave, got out the paper, and prepared to sit down for my highly anticipated moment of pure Barb's Kolache bliss. His answer was "I AM enjoying it!" This got me thinking...we don't all have to enjoy our treats the same way.
Around this time, I received an email from my friend Francine who was feeling a little *guilty* because her husband Cory missed out on most of the pint of salsa she had just bought. [Let me interject here, I get these types of confessions often. It's not just you, my dear friend!] She and her youngest son are "dunkers" as she described, while her husband is a "scooper." They love it equally, just enjoy their treat differently. Hmmmmm, this reminded me of the very same conversation I had had with Mark about enjoying our kolaches.
So here's my question....are you a dunker or a scooper with your Salsa Mama salsa? I am sure you may both dunk and scoop, but what is your primary method of eating salsa? No, this is not earth shattering information, but I am curious. Email with your simple answer in the subject line and I'll enter your name in a drawing for a free pint of salsa this Friday.
I had so much fun with the movie line contest that I thought I would do another. By the way, the answer to the question about "Help me, help YOU" was from Jerry McGuire!
Stay warm, enjoy your many blessings, and thanks for supporting this month's sale for the Little Sisters of the Lamb!!
Around this time, I received an email from my friend Francine who was feeling a little *guilty* because her husband Cory missed out on most of the pint of salsa she had just bought. [Let me interject here, I get these types of confessions often. It's not just you, my dear friend!] She and her youngest son are "dunkers" as she described, while her husband is a "scooper." They love it equally, just enjoy their treat differently. Hmmmmm, this reminded me of the very same conversation I had had with Mark about enjoying our kolaches.
So here's my question....are you a dunker or a scooper with your Salsa Mama salsa? I am sure you may both dunk and scoop, but what is your primary method of eating salsa? No, this is not earth shattering information, but I am curious. Email with your simple answer in the subject line and I'll enter your name in a drawing for a free pint of salsa this Friday.
I had so much fun with the movie line contest that I thought I would do another. By the way, the answer to the question about "Help me, help YOU" was from Jerry McGuire!
Stay warm, enjoy your many blessings, and thanks for supporting this month's sale for the Little Sisters of the Lamb!!
Call Her Mama (Nozake, that is...) Read on to understand what this means!
My yoga friend Cheryl and her husband, Jeff, spent three weeks in South Africa this July as part of a missions trip organized by Oceans of Mercy. This trip included a visit to Jennifer Agee, a woman who holds a very special place in our hearts. Jennifer was the director of ABC Adoption when 6-day old Matthew joined our family in 2004. In 2009, Jennifer and her family moved to South Africa to share the love and hope of Christ in a community devastated by AIDS. You may remember that the Agees in Africa was one of Salsa Mama's first fundraisers (June/July 2009). What a beautiful coincidence, this connection between Cheryl and Jennifer! The world is small, indeed.
Stories told through the Agee's blog continue to inspire me. Lucky enough to see this love in action in person, Cheryl and Jeff returned home from South Africa viewing life through a different lens. Already a generous family, they are now even more passionate about making a difference. I am so thankful that a simple salsa sale will allow you to help them as well. Thanks so much, Salsa Mama friends!! Let's give hope to these children, feed them and nurture them.
Please take a few minutes to read Cheryl's words below and to visit the Agee's blog. It's emotional, it's inspiring, and yes, even difficult to read. I have to admit, this whole project has shaken me up in many ways. Seeing Cheryl's pictures for the first time brought waves of tears to my eyes as I allowed myself to truly process the stories she was telling me. We all have SO MUCH while some children in the world are THRILLED to get a fresh orange slice with their one meal a day at the soup club.
I know that we are bombarded daily with requests for donations, with our own hardships, and there are plenty of people in our own zip code who desperately need help. I have chosen this sale for this population at this time because, well... it's right in my heart. If you've read this far, it may be right in your heart too. And by the way, you don't even need to buy salsa to support this cause. The Oceans of Mercy website is just a click away!
Below are Cheryl's own words about her trip and some inspiring pictures of the work they did.
Stories told through the Agee's blog continue to inspire me. Lucky enough to see this love in action in person, Cheryl and Jeff returned home from South Africa viewing life through a different lens. Already a generous family, they are now even more passionate about making a difference. I am so thankful that a simple salsa sale will allow you to help them as well. Thanks so much, Salsa Mama friends!! Let's give hope to these children, feed them and nurture them.
Please take a few minutes to read Cheryl's words below and to visit the Agee's blog. It's emotional, it's inspiring, and yes, even difficult to read. I have to admit, this whole project has shaken me up in many ways. Seeing Cheryl's pictures for the first time brought waves of tears to my eyes as I allowed myself to truly process the stories she was telling me. We all have SO MUCH while some children in the world are THRILLED to get a fresh orange slice with their one meal a day at the soup club.
I know that we are bombarded daily with requests for donations, with our own hardships, and there are plenty of people in our own zip code who desperately need help. I have chosen this sale for this population at this time because, well... it's right in my heart. If you've read this far, it may be right in your heart too. And by the way, you don't even need to buy salsa to support this cause. The Oceans of Mercy website is just a click away!
Below are Cheryl's own words about her trip and some inspiring pictures of the work they did.
"I have to admit, I used to get irritated when our missions pastor would tell us, "You are incredibly wealthy!". Come on, I'm comfortable, Schaun, not rich. Until I spent three weeks in South Africa. An incredible trip. The physical beauty is breath-taking. Individual kindnesses are awe-inspiring. And the need is devastating. A whole generation of South Africans have been wiped out by HIV/AIDS. And their children will be the second unless we help. Grandmothers and twelve year olds are heads of house, with no income and too many to care for. Oceans of Mercy has developed Soup Clubs, where "Mamas" (South African term of respect for older women) volunteer to feed orphaned children. Oceans supplies the ingredients and these Mamas supply the love. A small initial outlay of $200 purchases a small camp-stove, large pots and propane tanks. $100 provides the groceries to feed fifty children every day for a month. Oceans also looks for other ways to invest in these children's lives. An increasing number of these Soup Clubs are located next to schools, so the children are encouraged to get an education, and they can stay and do homework in the safe environment of the Mama's home. One Soup Club is located in an area where it is not safe for an outsider to be in the evenings. We would like to provide books, very expensive in South Africa, for the Mama to have in her home for the children to read. If you have time, less than 5 minutes, go to www.CallHerMama.com and watch a short video about one of these heroes.
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