My nextdoor neighbors have done the most amazingly whimsical decorating for Christmas. Over 20 “blowups,” lots of lighted figures, lights on trees and on the house -it’s beyond “too much.” It’s absolutely magical! Definitely got my Christmas psyche moving. But I am sidelined by thoughts of the local poverty. Sorry. This isn’t going to be an uplifting blog because my thoughts just keep going back to things I’ve been reading and hearing. Jason Brudereck’s series of articles in the Reading paper that compared the poverty in Reading with that of Flint, Michigan – well written and very thought-provoking. Recently I read a statistic that I’ve read before – 1 in 4 children in this country go to bed hungry every night!!!! That’s beyond my comprehension. One of my grad students who is also an assistant football coach at Reading High School tells me that after football practice they give the players supper – because many of them won’t get supper when they get home. Some of the players are young fathers and have to babysit their young children after school. Unless they can get babysitters, they bring the children along to practice – and supper is also given to the players’ children. “We know we’re saving these kids, but we never know whether or not they’ll make it through another week at school, or if their lives will become so complicated that they’ll be out on the streets,” said my student.
In one of Jason Brudereck’s columns he mentioned that people in Flint didn’t think that the arts, colleges, and upscale restaurants that came into the city were helping the poor very much. That also got me to thinking. I love the Reading Symphony concerts we subscribe to. I love eating at Judy’s on Cherry, at the Peanut Bar, at Dan’s. I love going to the Goggle Works and seeing a film in the wonderful little theater, or visiting the artists’ studios. I love going to the Miller Center for all sorts of great performances – there’s a jazz concert this Sunday I’m definitely looking forward to. But within half a block of all those places are hungry children, people who can’t afford to enjoy the performances or food I come to the city to enjoy, and I’m not sure what my patronage of the restuarants and the arts is doing for those children. We suburbanites come into the city for great food and entertainment – then we leave. (Some suburbanites have told me the never come into the city because it’s too dangerous! I’m never very polite in responding to those remarks.) The gentrification has made some sections of Reading truly lovely, but it’s also driven the poor from those areas without improving their lives.
I’m feeling a serious need to think of some ways to help the poor – especially the children – in Reading. It’s an overwhelming problem, and one person … can I make a difference? When Mother Teresa was asked how she thoughy she could help the poor in India because there were so many, many more than she could ever help, she said, “I help one at a time.” I guess that’s what I need to think about. One at a time. A way to help to feed one child….I invite each of my wonderful women who blog to help me find a way to make a difference. And to forgive me for not spreading the Joy of Christmas in this blog, as was my original intent when I started to dig out the decorations on Sunday.
One child at a time! One child every day until Christmas – and one child every day thereafter -I’m going to try to find a way to do that. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated – and I’ll keep you posted about my success.

It’s almost time for me to start cooking. I love this day! After the shopping and “putting away” is completed – not my most favorite jobs – I honestly love Thanksgiving and cooking the dinner. I’ve cooked just about the same menu in Pennsylvania, Texas (Dallas, Midland, and Austin), Colorado, Wyoming, California, and four times in Bologna, Italy. (Turkeys were much smaller there and came complete with heads and feet.) I’ve introduced my mother’s Berks County potato filling to people in all those places, mostly resulting in new fans of PA Dutch cooking! My stuffing recipe is more Italian, and a “newcomer” to the menu I started to create almost fifty years ago. Actually, the stuffing’s my favorite – mushrooms, chestnuts, Italian sausage – yum! Pumpkin pie, green beans, dried corn supreme, and on and on. This year it’s just Barry and me. I’ll scale down the amounts I cook, but he loves my Thanksgiving cooking, and that makes all the work almost fun!
But the day’s about mindfully counting our blessings. I’ve accumulated so many that I couldn’t begin to list them all. My children and my grandson – the biggest blessings of my life – what I’m most proud of – what I love more than my soul could ever express given even infinite time to do so. Barry – ! Wow! What he’s done to make me believe in love and in myself! I am so grateful for our love and commitment to each other – stronger than ever after almost 35 years. Friends – true friends – old and new. Jamie – you’re making this all possible. Jane, Ellen, Christina, Sheila – thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And my Albright students – all of them – and the ones I gave an opportunity to leave class early yesterday afternoon since it was their last class before the holidays. None took advantage of my offer – they chose to stay and chat until the class had officially passed it’s end, and I had to send them out! I think so often how lucky I am to be here…now! I’m thankful for so many things – large and small – I am SO happy I’m living the age of indoor plumbing, central heating, dishwashers…and that I can afford those things. Just the luck of the draw that I’m not starving in Somalia! Wow! Blessings abound. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all who may read this. Hey! I’ve a new blessing – the blog! Wow! Who knew?! Time to cook those giblets!

It’s finally here! The day our son and his girlfriend (whom we LOVE) arrive from CA for a short visit. The spaghetti sauce and meatballs have been made and are ready for dinner; the house has been tidied up; the flannel sheets are on the beds; my lesson plans for the rest of the week are made. Can hardly wait to give and get lots of hugs! Hoping Matt and Melissa’s PHL experience is a good one. Of all the airports I’ve been through, PHL remains the most …hmm…how can I put this in the most politically correct term?…the most unpredictable. Yes, that’s a good word! Whenever I depart or arrive in PHL, it seems I’m there at a time of serious construction! I’ve been rained on while walking through the jetway. I’ve been groped thoroughly when my two titanium hips set off bells and whistles at security. (I think many of the attendants were in line getting hamburgers when the “How to be friendly” class was being taught.) I’ve arrived at the busiest times when all the women’s toilets were closed for cleaning, and all the women on the arriving flights were in need of relief and not caring whether the toilets were clean or not! But the funniest experience I’ve had at PHL happened last year when I was traveling alone to CA. I’d entered security, the bells and whistles are going off as expected, and I was ready to give my standard response to the man standing guard. That morning he was a rather small, not-too-young man who looked rather bored as he leaned against the screening device that was making so much noise. “I have two titanium hips and an underwire bra, ” I instantly told him. And then, with not a moment’s pause, he looked at me and said, “Money well spent!” I laughed all through the subsequent pat-down and all the way to the gate. I hope the kids find something to laugh at as they wander through PHL this afternoon.

Just read that only 22 percent of the registerd voters in Berks County actually voted in yesterday’s election. Sad! I’m from a long line of women voters, beginning with my greatgrandmother, Martha, who was a suffragette. My grandmother, Bessie, hobbled to the polls on two canes just before she died, and my mother, Margaret, submitted absentee ballots from her assisted living residence. I’ve voted in five states and cast absentee ballots from Italy. So in my family, women vote! I’m still an idealist who believes one vote can make a difference. The 78 percent who didn’t vote yesterday certainly could have made a significant difference.
Not a good news morning. As a Penn Stater, I bleed blue and white. I thought I was too old and wise to have a hero toppled. Guess there’s no limit to being disillusioned.
But on a much brighter note – my son and his girlfriend are coming from California next week for a visit. We’re VERY excited!!!! I’m going to let all my thoughts focus on that instead of the first two subjects.

Incredible weather! No one around here has ever experienced anything like this in October! And no one’s ever going to have experienced a gathering of five fabulous females like those of us chatting on “That’s What SHE Said!” We met for the first time on Saturday – the day the snow arrived! There’s something serendipitous about that! Looking forward to all we can chat about! And after we get that tree moved that’s blocking our front door, I’ll actually be able to get out in the world again!. Hope Christina, Ellen, Sheila, Jane all got home safely – and that their front doors are more accessible than mine! But the power’s on, and we’re warm and cozy! Blessings abound! (If we don’t get that tree moved, the Treat or Treaters won’t be able to get that ton of candy I bought yesterday. That, however, is not going to be a blessing as my sweet tooth has been luring me away from my Weight Watchers healthy eating lifestyle for the past few weeks! That candy has GOT to go – one way or another, but not via my mouth!)
Happy Halloween!