I absolutely love your pasta story. As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, pasta is one of my reasons for living. Your story and song take me back to happy days in my Grandmother's kitchen watching her roll out home-made pasta in various shapes.
I've learned snow is beautiful, I've also learned at some point it will melt. Tompace one self with a shovel if needed do so . If not a shovel leaning against ba wall also provides comfort, not being in my hands. ☮️🐧
Beautiful poem about the diversity of life! It helps me in this time when so many can’t see the beauty of diverse peoples and life styles. If only we could be as accepting of those as we are of delicious types of pasta.
I thought I’d share an excerpt from a longer poem by Alexander Pope called “Windsor Forest,” which was first published in the early 1700s. It refers to nature and the omnipresence in differences: “Where order in variety we see. And where, though all things differ, all agree.” The full poem is much longer, but here’s the section that precedes the excerpt: “Here hills and vales, the woodland and the plain. Here earth and water seem to strive again. Not chaos-like, together crushed and bruised. But, as the world, harmoniously confused. Where order in variety we see. And where, though all things differ, all agree.” I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you Carrie! This entire piece is such a great resource for me to remember the humble blessings of gratitude during times when I strive in the ongoing challenges of becoming a better human. For me, it resonates about the richness of universal order and how to bring clear balance back when I’m cloudy and off the path to being my best self for all. I love how you also lifted the beautiful differences in nature, our great guide. It reminds me that I don’t have to look too far inwardly or externally for ways toward goodness, astonishment, and wonder.
" My mother’s family immigrated from Italy and so I grew up believing that noodles were to be considered the fifth elemental force…Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Pasta" Good stuff. As we say, "Pasta La Vista". :)
In my earlier life growing up I n a small midwestern very Christian town, I see now I was so flat, narrow minded and therefore judgmental. I had the opportunity, in the mid 90s, to go to a then safer Israel. It blew my Christian faith out of the water. I had to take my shoes off before entering the Muslim Dome of the Rock, where my faith had said Abraham was to sacrifice his son Issac. (When is the last time I took my shoes off at church?) I bought a “peace” pin made by a gentle Palestinian girl and saw soldiers with guns standing guard over little children walking to school. When I went home I began researching other religions and found many similarities. And many more questions. It was a difficult, mind/soul opening time in my life. I eventually came back to a fuller and deeper understanding of my faith but it was mine. There are still so many mysteries but I feel like I’m now living the questions instead of claiming I knew the answers. Someone once said: “the opposite of faith isn’t doubt it’s certainty.” Diversity gives color to the rainbow. What a beautiful world we live in.
Your narrative today seemed coincidentally timed with a rewashing of the very sweet film "Nonnas". Thanks for mentioning all the varieties of pasta, etc, etc, ETC!!!
Your writings make my Sunday complete.
Oh...and really love "Light in the Window". Becoming one of my favorites of your collection of very well written songs. Hugs to you on this very cold day. ✌️💚🎶☘️🕊
I am learning to live and move and have my being in the eye of the storm because a person at peace is a portal… a portal for the peace that surpasses understanding to swirl out of me and whisper to the world around me.
Orzo with “cheeks puffed out” and Ravioli as “carefully folded love notes” - I love these lines… how food, tradition and love is woven together. Going to sit with this today. Might even need to make some. Thank you.
Lately I have been more vocal on social media- for better or worse- I am not sure. Have received nasty comments…But some have also included information I wasn’t aware of…I realize there is so much I don’t know. I am willing to learn. And I need to fine tune my social media participation. Thanks for the ponderings…
Due to work-related rules and challenges in another "venue", I missed the entire learning curve that most of the world experienced with the "you've got mail" and general internet stuff. I'm still trying to move ahead (the most efficient way is "through"..(?)) Bravo for you to keep trying. Your good intentions and wisdom will show.
I love the line about tipping buckets of love into the dry floor boards of a weary world. Such special and creative wording, and so inspiring.
As for differences- they are exciting; as one of those trained in chemistry/science, for us it’s the differences that are aha moments and lead to treasure hunts of exploration.
I also enjoyed the comment of choice of rainbow as a favorite color. I think I may have shared this previously, but as a child, I loved seeing all the colorful yarns and spools of threads in the dime store with my mom. I spent a lots of time looking at all the shading, the variations were delightful. Like my tub of crayons I should probably recycle.
So many delightful moments like noticing the other day the sparkle of threads in the rug when the sunlight hit it just right.
My work is a New Testament professor. My play is landscape photography. I've noticed over the years that what draws my eye (& camera) is color, particularly contrasting color (you might be thinking, "duh!" :) But photographers are actually drawn by many things like texture, shapes, parallel lines, movement, silhouettes, etc. And color.) The past few days I've finally had time to edit some photos from autumn & have been delighted--again--by the colors I was able to capture. Which brings me back to the NT & my study of its continuous (yes, continuous!) stories of God including ALL people & ALL nations in God's renewing work: Jew, Greek, slave, free, men, women, high born, outcast, the daughters of a synagogue ruler & a Syrophoenician woman... The NT is clear that the colors (& shapes & textures, etc.) of people are as beautiful as the colors of autumn or sunset or bird feathers. What have Christians lost & what have we (because I am one) wrought by our failure to love & bear witness to the beautiful differences among us? Sigh. Blessings Minneapolis!
The parallel you draw between pasta shapes and the diversity of existence is profound. What strikes me most is how the poem moves from the tangible—those carefully folded ravioli love notes—to the impossible people who perplex and annoy us, suggesting that our capacity to appreciate variation in one domain might teach us to embrace it in others.
Your childhood realization about color resonates deeply. When we're forced to collapse infinite variety into a single "favorite," we lose something essential. The real richness comes from holding the whole spectrum simultaneously, from acknowledging that orecchiette shaped like a child's ear and rigatoni's ridged tubes both have their place, their purpose.
What you're describing isn't just tolerance of difference but active wonder at it. The challenging people aren't obstacles to work around but invitations to dig deeper, to learn something we couldn't access through comfort alone. That's a harder practice than celebrating botanical diversity, yet the poem suggests they're fundamentally the same gesture—recognizing that variety itself is the source of nourishment, whether in our marinara sauce or in our communities.
I am reminded of that impossible task of choosing a "favorite" thing. As a young child, I recall being pressured to choose a favorite color. I hated the question, and I never wanted to choose one color. Eventually, after many trips to our beloved Science Museum, blending and refracting light, I began to say "white, because it's all the colors combined." But I didn't really prefer the color white; I just couldn't choose the rainbow.
Now, as an adult, the "get to know you" surveys are occasionally passed around at work. I usually just ignore them, but I was pressured to fill one out recently. A snarky part of me reminded my inner child that now, I am an adult, and no one can force me to place myself in that box. I can honor the rainbows and diversity in all forms, inside and out.
Favorite color? Rainbow
Something you dislike? Questionnaires about "favorite things"
I always had a hard time with favorite color….color is such a delight to the eye and spirit. The tans, oranges, ochres and reds of autumn…the spring green buds, luscious brown earth, vibrant violets of the redbuds in spring, the lush deep greens, yellow sunflowers, shiny red tomatoes of summer, the icy blue of the frozen pond, the brilliant head of cardinal in the snow….how does one choose? Maybe the choice is all of the above, what is delighting me in the very moment, what makes my heart warm or leap as I gaze upon it! Thanks Mischa!
I absolutely love your pasta story. As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, pasta is one of my reasons for living. Your story and song take me back to happy days in my Grandmother's kitchen watching her roll out home-made pasta in various shapes.
I've learned snow is beautiful, I've also learned at some point it will melt. Tompace one self with a shovel if needed do so . If not a shovel leaning against ba wall also provides comfort, not being in my hands. ☮️🐧
Beautiful poem about the diversity of life! It helps me in this time when so many can’t see the beauty of diverse peoples and life styles. If only we could be as accepting of those as we are of delicious types of pasta.
I thought I’d share an excerpt from a longer poem by Alexander Pope called “Windsor Forest,” which was first published in the early 1700s. It refers to nature and the omnipresence in differences: “Where order in variety we see. And where, though all things differ, all agree.” The full poem is much longer, but here’s the section that precedes the excerpt: “Here hills and vales, the woodland and the plain. Here earth and water seem to strive again. Not chaos-like, together crushed and bruised. But, as the world, harmoniously confused. Where order in variety we see. And where, though all things differ, all agree.” I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you Carrie! This entire piece is such a great resource for me to remember the humble blessings of gratitude during times when I strive in the ongoing challenges of becoming a better human. For me, it resonates about the richness of universal order and how to bring clear balance back when I’m cloudy and off the path to being my best self for all. I love how you also lifted the beautiful differences in nature, our great guide. It reminds me that I don’t have to look too far inwardly or externally for ways toward goodness, astonishment, and wonder.
" My mother’s family immigrated from Italy and so I grew up believing that noodles were to be considered the fifth elemental force…Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Pasta" Good stuff. As we say, "Pasta La Vista". :)
“Or” may be the second most important word after “With.”
A beautiful and moving poem. Your gifts and hard work have birthed poetry that touches my spirit deeply . Thank You.
In my earlier life growing up I n a small midwestern very Christian town, I see now I was so flat, narrow minded and therefore judgmental. I had the opportunity, in the mid 90s, to go to a then safer Israel. It blew my Christian faith out of the water. I had to take my shoes off before entering the Muslim Dome of the Rock, where my faith had said Abraham was to sacrifice his son Issac. (When is the last time I took my shoes off at church?) I bought a “peace” pin made by a gentle Palestinian girl and saw soldiers with guns standing guard over little children walking to school. When I went home I began researching other religions and found many similarities. And many more questions. It was a difficult, mind/soul opening time in my life. I eventually came back to a fuller and deeper understanding of my faith but it was mine. There are still so many mysteries but I feel like I’m now living the questions instead of claiming I knew the answers. Someone once said: “the opposite of faith isn’t doubt it’s certainty.” Diversity gives color to the rainbow. What a beautiful world we live in.
I loved your poem Holy Macaroni🥰
Your narrative today seemed coincidentally timed with a rewashing of the very sweet film "Nonnas". Thanks for mentioning all the varieties of pasta, etc, etc, ETC!!!
Your writings make my Sunday complete.
Oh...and really love "Light in the Window". Becoming one of my favorites of your collection of very well written songs. Hugs to you on this very cold day. ✌️💚🎶☘️🕊
I am learning to live and move and have my being in the eye of the storm because a person at peace is a portal… a portal for the peace that surpasses understanding to swirl out of me and whisper to the world around me.
“A person at peace is a portal”. I love that. Thank you Carrie.
Orzo with “cheeks puffed out” and Ravioli as “carefully folded love notes” - I love these lines… how food, tradition and love is woven together. Going to sit with this today. Might even need to make some. Thank you.
Lately I have been more vocal on social media- for better or worse- I am not sure. Have received nasty comments…But some have also included information I wasn’t aware of…I realize there is so much I don’t know. I am willing to learn. And I need to fine tune my social media participation. Thanks for the ponderings…
Due to work-related rules and challenges in another "venue", I missed the entire learning curve that most of the world experienced with the "you've got mail" and general internet stuff. I'm still trying to move ahead (the most efficient way is "through"..(?)) Bravo for you to keep trying. Your good intentions and wisdom will show.
I love the line about tipping buckets of love into the dry floor boards of a weary world. Such special and creative wording, and so inspiring.
As for differences- they are exciting; as one of those trained in chemistry/science, for us it’s the differences that are aha moments and lead to treasure hunts of exploration.
I also enjoyed the comment of choice of rainbow as a favorite color. I think I may have shared this previously, but as a child, I loved seeing all the colorful yarns and spools of threads in the dime store with my mom. I spent a lots of time looking at all the shading, the variations were delightful. Like my tub of crayons I should probably recycle.
So many delightful moments like noticing the other day the sparkle of threads in the rug when the sunlight hit it just right.
Ahh yes, to all of this…yes!
My work is a New Testament professor. My play is landscape photography. I've noticed over the years that what draws my eye (& camera) is color, particularly contrasting color (you might be thinking, "duh!" :) But photographers are actually drawn by many things like texture, shapes, parallel lines, movement, silhouettes, etc. And color.) The past few days I've finally had time to edit some photos from autumn & have been delighted--again--by the colors I was able to capture. Which brings me back to the NT & my study of its continuous (yes, continuous!) stories of God including ALL people & ALL nations in God's renewing work: Jew, Greek, slave, free, men, women, high born, outcast, the daughters of a synagogue ruler & a Syrophoenician woman... The NT is clear that the colors (& shapes & textures, etc.) of people are as beautiful as the colors of autumn or sunset or bird feathers. What have Christians lost & what have we (because I am one) wrought by our failure to love & bear witness to the beautiful differences among us? Sigh. Blessings Minneapolis!
Amen Mitzi.
The parallel you draw between pasta shapes and the diversity of existence is profound. What strikes me most is how the poem moves from the tangible—those carefully folded ravioli love notes—to the impossible people who perplex and annoy us, suggesting that our capacity to appreciate variation in one domain might teach us to embrace it in others.
Your childhood realization about color resonates deeply. When we're forced to collapse infinite variety into a single "favorite," we lose something essential. The real richness comes from holding the whole spectrum simultaneously, from acknowledging that orecchiette shaped like a child's ear and rigatoni's ridged tubes both have their place, their purpose.
What you're describing isn't just tolerance of difference but active wonder at it. The challenging people aren't obstacles to work around but invitations to dig deeper, to learn something we couldn't access through comfort alone. That's a harder practice than celebrating botanical diversity, yet the poem suggests they're fundamentally the same gesture—recognizing that variety itself is the source of nourishment, whether in our marinara sauce or in our communities.
I really appreciated Carrie 's poem and I appreciate your comments about the poem. You put into words some of how I felt about the poem. Thanks
I am reminded of that impossible task of choosing a "favorite" thing. As a young child, I recall being pressured to choose a favorite color. I hated the question, and I never wanted to choose one color. Eventually, after many trips to our beloved Science Museum, blending and refracting light, I began to say "white, because it's all the colors combined." But I didn't really prefer the color white; I just couldn't choose the rainbow.
Now, as an adult, the "get to know you" surveys are occasionally passed around at work. I usually just ignore them, but I was pressured to fill one out recently. A snarky part of me reminded my inner child that now, I am an adult, and no one can force me to place myself in that box. I can honor the rainbows and diversity in all forms, inside and out.
Favorite color? Rainbow
Something you dislike? Questionnaires about "favorite things"
I always had a hard time with favorite color….color is such a delight to the eye and spirit. The tans, oranges, ochres and reds of autumn…the spring green buds, luscious brown earth, vibrant violets of the redbuds in spring, the lush deep greens, yellow sunflowers, shiny red tomatoes of summer, the icy blue of the frozen pond, the brilliant head of cardinal in the snow….how does one choose? Maybe the choice is all of the above, what is delighting me in the very moment, what makes my heart warm or leap as I gaze upon it! Thanks Mischa!