Imagine if you didn’t eat anything from noon today until dinnertime tomorrow — that’s a long time — 30 hours without food. According to World Vision, 30 hours is about the length of time many people in struggling countries have to last between meals. And even then, it’s not as if the meal those people have is particularly satisfying.
This past weekend, members of the youth group at my church held a 30-Hour Famine, fasting for 30 hours to get a sense of what it might feel like to not eat for that long.
If you’re a member of the church, or a youth who attended the event, and you didn’t see the slide show yet, please e-mail me and I’ll provide the link and password.
At the start of the event, each teen was assigned an identity within a tribe. Most people in the tribes had some sort of disability they had to deal with for most of the weekend. The few who had no disability had to pick up the slack for everybody else, carrying things for people, and taking care of those who had a hard time moving around.
For example, she was blind.
Blindness can be caused by a vitamin A deficiency, just one of the hunger-related problems the youth learned about.
Throughout the weekend, we were only allowed juice and water, but, as in many areas where starvation is a problem, the juice and water was not necessarily distributed fairly. (Even so, our young people had plenty to drink.)
To learn about the difficulties faced by communities that don’t have enough water, the water was turned off in the church building. Each tribe had to fetch their water from three long blocks away. And they had to be careful about how much water they used, conserving their precious commodity, and protecting it from other tribes.
The water they carried over in jugs was used for everything from brushing teeth and washing faces to flushing the toilets. That was challenging, and it was a good lesson for all of us to think about how much water we use every day.
The water outside was turned back on Saturday morning for a car wash. On empty stomachs, the youth worked from 9 until noon scrubbing cars and raising money for a Habitat for Humanity mission trip later this summer.
They even made their own t-shirts, decorating them using stencils and fabric paint. The one above says, “I starved so others wouldn’t.”
From home, each person brought ingredients to make stone soup. They worked in the kitchen in shifts all afternoon preparing the meal from scratch that they would eat later that night. It was torture to smell the food cooking. Sampling was not allowed.
To get a sense of the sheer number of people who die from hunger and hunger-related illnesses, the teens placed 1,200 crosses, each one representing one person who had died of hunger in the last hour, in the church pews. The kids had to keep going back to re-space the crosses in the pews, making them closer and closer together, because the boxes of crosses kept coming. Eventually, the walkways outside were also lined with crosses since they wouldn’t all fit inside.
By Saturday afternoon, energy levels were at a major low.
Once we blessed our food — and what a blessing it truly was — most of the food was gone in minutes! That was the best stone soup I’ve ever tasted!
People who came to church on Sunday morning had to move the crosses in order to sit down, and Pastor Curtis Lane Paul II, the organizer of the Famine event, used the experience to tell the congregation about the weekend.
The visual of each person holding up a cross representing someone who had died of hunger in the previous hour was very powerful.
If you meant to donate, but missed your opportunity to sponsor one of the teens, you can still send a donation to the church.
The best news is that all donations are being matched FOUR TIMES by the U.S. government, so if you were to send in a donation of $20, a total of $80 would go to help feed people in struggling nations. Make your check out to “World Vision” and mark “30-Hour Famine” in the memo field.
Please send your donation to
First Presbyterian Church
270 Woodbridge Ave.
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Special thanks to all the youth for making the commitment to work towards ending hunger. What a truly admirable thing to do. I am so proud of you all!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 2:07 pm
Memorial Day in Metuchen
is dedicated to the honor and support
of United States service personnel,
past and present,
especially those in harm’s way.
Click the picture above, or click here, for a slide show from the 2008 Metuchen Memorial Day parade and ceremony. Turn up the sound! When the show is finished, it will jump back here where you can leave a comment showing support for the troops, and thanking the parade committee. They did an excellent job!
I challenged myself this year to think of ways to capture the full spirit of Memorial Day in small-town America. Above, the names of New Jersey residents who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, are displayed at Freedom Plaza. According to memorials here, a Revolutionary War battle was fought in the area as well.
In my attempt to capture that Memorial Day spirit, I got out really early and walked around town, ending up in the old Colonial Cemetery where new flags had been placed by the tombstones of Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers. I also noticed the addition of a beautiful new memorial marking the cornerstones where the first Metuchen Meetinghouse was constructed in 1717.
Children young and old were decorating bikes all over town.
That’s Justin Manley, above. Justin is running for Borough Council and was helping children with their bikes. I used those shots, plus pre-parade shots of scouts, as the slide show introduction. So many children are involved in the Memorial Day events here, that I thought it was a realistic segue into the images of troops and veterans. It is my hope that we teach our children to appreciate the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom, including the freedom of a democratic process of elections.
I love this shot of the Metuchen High School band.
It was a beautiful day, yet difficult for shooting because of the full sun. I sought a few shady spots to get lots of variety in my pictures.
I love this one!
A float in the parade listed the names of troops who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. That can’t have been an easy float to make.
Cdr. John A. Rizzuto, left, watched last year’s Memorial Day slide show while on duty in Afghanistan with the U.S. Naval Reserve. I still have the email he sent telling me how meaningful it was for the troops to witness small-town-America from afar. Welcome home, John. We’re all glad you are safe!
Capt. Frederic Primich, of the U.S. Naval Reserve, was the Reviewing Officer and speaker at the ceremony.
Girl scouts were putting flowers on all the memorials at Memorial Park. As a mom, I can hear my mom-voice freaking out thinking, “Don’t get in front of the procession!” But my photographer-voice was jumping for joy. Photographers LIVE for photographs that tell a story. This one is a story of juxtaposition, and a moment that wouldn’t happen on any other day.
The flag-folding ceremony always makes me cry.
Youth in the Lincoln High School JROTC have participated in the Metuchen parade for years. Their dedication to their organization is obvious and I applaud them for setting a high standard for leadership and commitment.
The Metuchen Memorial Day slide show would not be the same without this face.
There were a lot of dogs in this year’s parade, escorted by members of the Metuchen Environmental Commission. This particular puppy was hanging out at the American Legion Hall after the ceremony. When I was taking the picture, the owner was saying, “It’s ok, he won’t eat your camera; he just ate 5 hot dogs.” Thus, I was not afraid!
Vietnam veterans salute their fallen comrades with the playing of Taps, following by the sacrificial pouring out of their beer.
There are a few pictures included in this year’s slide show that I took in the evening at Cloverleaf Memorial Cemetery in Woodbridge. It was an interesting way to end my Memorial Day — all alone in a cemetery. The wind was blowing thousands of little American flags by the gravestones, giving the grounds an eery sense of life, and the reality of the thousands of lives lost. I went there on the advice of one of the veterans at the parade. Thanks for sending me there. It really was beautiful.
I love how those Cloverleaf pictures add a sense of drama to the end of the slide show.
Memorial Day is a highlight of living in Metuchen. Presented by the Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce, the parade and ceremony requires many volunteers and many hours of work in preparation.
If you have a moment, please leave a comment below thanking veterans and their families for all they have sacrificed for our country. And be sure to thank the Memorial Day Parade Committee for all their hard work!
May God grant us peace and protect our troops,
~julie
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 5:30 pm
Click the picture, or click here, for a fun slide show of MY family! I’ve been really busy lately, and missing my boys so much, that I took lots of pictures of our day.I have to admit, I was following my family around like serious paparazzi, using the flash like lightening on continuous burst shooting. The picture above is THE MOST PERFECT “MAMARAZZI” PICTURE EVER! I love it!
I was trying to prove to a photographer-friend that sometimes a little fill-flash is just right. In the slide show, almost every single picture I took outside used fill-flash. Not all of them are perfect, but keep in mind, every picture shown is straight out of the camera with no tweaking in photoshop.
Take this picture, for example. The flash is set so low it barely makes a difference. It looks perfectly natural, and yet, there’s just a bit of sparkle on the plum. (That plum came off our purple leaf plum — the one that some people swear is a fruitless variety. Uh huh.)Tree fans — also note that there’s a new picture in the slide show of a zelkova at Borough Hall. We lost one last year, but the remaining 13 are looking great this year!
Here’s another great example of a picture that benefited from fill. It was about 3 in the afternoon and the sun was very bright. Without a subtle flash, the shadows on Bradley’s and Gabe’s faces would have been much darker. The fill lightens them up just a tad without making the picture look like it was taken with an on-camera flash.
Speaking of Bradley, he won the Memorial Day poster contest for the 7th grade! Yay Bradley!All of the winning posters are displayed in the window of the Metuchen Savings Bank downtown. Bradley’s is a detailed split screen drawing, war on one side, Arlington Cemetery on the other.It says, “From war… to memory. But something never fades.” (His poster is hard to see in the window because it doesn’t quite fit the window opening.)I’m so proud of him!
Bradley’s friend, Gabriel Francobandiero, won the contest for the 6th grade. Gabe’s was chosen as the overall winner! Congratulations, Gabe! His design will be used on the cover of the Memorial Day Ceremony program.If you’d like to come to Metuchen on Monday for the parade, here’s some details:The parade starts at 10 a.m., rain or shine, at the Pearl Street parking lot. It travels north to Middlesex Ave, then turns right on Main Street, right on High Street, and right on Lake Avenue. The parade ends at Memorial Park, and will be followed by a brief ceremony.By the way, I fully recommend Memorial Day events in Metuchen. It is a highlight on our calendar, and puts us on the worldwide map as a small town that won’t forget the sacrifices that give us so many freedoms.
We love downtown Metuchen! There are so many fun things to do. What’s the Scoop is our favorite place for ice cream.
Variety Village is our favorite place for just about everything else! In case you haven’t heard, there’s going to be a new owner soon.I was in the store today and Tommy (the owner, always smiling, above) was telling me about the expected changes. Tommy, I know for a fact that my kids will never forget the joy of walking downtown to go to Variety Village. It’s so sad that you’re leaving, but I wish you well on your new adventures, whatever they may be.
Back at the Shaver yard, here’s another “mamarazzi” picture. I love it, fill-flash and all!
Speaking of fill-flash, this picture simply would not have worked without it. When you’re working with children, you have to be prepared for anything! And believe me, they don’t give you very many second chances if you miss the shot the first time. (Well, at least my kids don’t.)
Gregory took this picture! Didn’t he do a great job? This one is a prime example of a picture taken at the worst time of day — high noon in full sun with half the subject’s face in shadow. Yuck! But, thanks to Gregory’s subtle flash, the picture isn’t a total loss. I get precious few with me in them, and even fewer with Bradley actually smiling! Thanks, Gregory!
See ya’ll at the parade on Monday!
Peace,
~jules
P.S. The fun day you see in my family Memorial Day weekend slide show was created entirely on foot. I did not spend a dime on gas or get inside a car except to look for my missing flash.
I LOVE LIVING IN METUCHEN!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 12:01 am
This is Boggy, the frog that lives in the courtyard at Bradley’s school. The kids in the Environmental Club begged me to take his picture. Here you go!
The courtyard sundial: “Time began in a garden.”
As I was walking through the school on the way to Edgar field to watch the Metuchen Shade Tree Commission’s planting of new trees, this artwork in the hallway struck me as appropriate for an Arbor Day greeting.
What’s it like to be a root system? Only one way to find out.
Even the Mayor of Metuchen, Thomas Valhalla, left, came to watch the Shade Tree Commission and the planting of the trees! We are very proud of our town’s distinction as a Tree City USA.
Every tree was carefully documented and measured, even going so far as to plot its precise position using a GPS locator. If these trees aren’t batted too many times with baseballs, they will be the focal point of many a science lesson over the next several decades. The plan is that the children will take the trees’ pictures every year, and document their growth.
I love this stuff! Click here for the red sunset red maple in my yard.
Lots of children from the Edgar School Environmental Club (that’s Bradley in the blue striped shirt!) and the YMCA were available to help with the digging…
…there are SIX shovels in this picture!
That’s the tree that was planted next to the bleachers — a red sunset red maple.
It will grow to around 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide! (I have faith.)
I did not lift a finger except my shutter finger, but these guys were working! Bradley loves Environmental Club! I am so proud of all the kids. They worked really hard! And they listened carefully to the adults’ directions and lessons on planting trees.
Once planted, every tree was given a quick watering. It’s supposed to rain this weekend. Perfect!
This shot is WAY over-tilted but I still like it because I love seeing all those kids working so hard to plant trees.
Now THAT’S a nice action shot!
I guess I’m not the only person drawn to baby leaves.
I don’t know all the details, but I overheard that a total of eight trees were planted: red maples in the field, and some other varieties in the parking lot circle.
Will the leaves grow much bigger this year? We’ll have to come back in a month or two to find out.
That’s a dogwood in the parking lot circle. (”Oooooh! Not a redwood!”) Other trees planted here include magnolia, redbud and maple.
The trees were photographed with a person in the shot for scale.
Time out for a reality check: I need to get on my soapbox a minute. These little trees are planted in the pathway of children running to get on the bus after school. If the trees are going to survive, they need a barricade to keep kids from trampling them! (Pardon my ignorance if a barricade is already in the plan.)
May you live a long, happy life, little dogwood!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:14 am
LOOOOOONG-time fans of the City of Nouns might just remember Grill Hobstein. Yesterday, just after I’d returned from walking Gregory to school, he called my cell. “Mommy,” he said with remorse in his voice, “I forgot my lunch.” So, off I went, lunchbag in hand and camera around my neck. The picture above shows downtown Metuchen in the distance. You can tell where “downtown” is by the puff of white trees. That puff of white trees is better-known in MY house as “Grill Hobstein.”
You see, way back in ancient times when Gregory was 3, he would mumble things, and one time he mumbled “Grill Hobstein” over and over and over until we finally figured out that he was trying to tell us that something smelled yucky.
What was it that smelled so bad it needed its own name?
A-HA! Blossoming pear trees! Ew! Grill Hobstein, dude!
Been to downtown Metuchen this week? The pear trees are beautiful, no? At the same time, you might be wondering, “What is that smell? Did somebody leave rotten fish out somewhere?”
No rotten fish. It’s just Grill Hobstein. Bradford pears, aristocrat pears, ornamental flowering pears in blossom smell yucky. Yet another reason to plant anything else.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:36 am
This is Wally’s senior year, and his last year performing with his younger sister, Sammie, in the high school productions. I’ve known Wally and Sammie for many years, watched them grow up, so seeing both of them performing with such skill, grace and maturity was a bit shocking, and quite endearing too. The whole cast did an excellent job!
As a gift to Sammie and Wally, here’s a little one minute slide show. The final photograph in the show, taken as the lights were dimming for the last time, is my absolute favorite.
Turn up the sound, click here, and enjoy the show!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 1:06 pm
We’ve been watching all week to see if the dogwood might blossom in time for Easter. Considering the fact that she normally blossoms around the middle of April, I figured there wasn’t much chance this year. But we watched anyway, just to see if there would be any sign of life in the winter bud. While she has looked pretty much the same every day in terms of bud-opening, or not opening, she certainly is colorful when we look closely!
The picture above was taken before the sunrise Easter service at my church, at around 6:30 a.m. The golden color is the light in the dining room glowing in the window. She’s not blossoming in time for Easter, but true to my promise, look for a picture a day until she does blossom!
The rest of the pictures below follow in chronological order, generally, through my Easter Sunday, starting with the sunrise service in the church cemetery, above.
That’s Bradley singing in the choir — he’s the tall one in the center in the tie. I promised him that every year after he sings at the sunrise service, I’ll take him to Dunkin’ Donuts. That’s worth getting up at 6 for. No?
The light was beautiful.
But man, it was COLD! Somebody said it was around 30 degrees when the service started.
Love the light in this one too.
In between services, I took the obligatory boys-dressed-up-for-Easter picture. Gregory just LOVES having his picture taken. He sang at the 9 o’clock in a robe three sizes too small. Next year, I promise, Gregory will have a robe that fits.
My choir fully appreciates Brenda, our director/organist, especially after the later services on Easter Sunday when she plays that Toccata for the postlude. I always know it’s Easter when I hear that Toccata. And I love to hear Amy sing “Was It a Morning Like This?” I especially like the lyrics, “Did the grass sing? Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?” Thanks, Amy and Brenda, for being such a big part of Easter for me!
I’m not saying a word.
The senior choir sings at two indoor services on Easter. In between, we are treated to omelettes courtesy of Ramon. (I paid for mine with a picture.)
My omelette was delicious and there were NO BUGS!
All joking aside, Ramon, you are the OMELETTE KING of the Easter feast! Thanks!
After church, I went hunting for proof of spring. Found it in one little tulip on the verge of blooming in my backyard…
…Found it in the games of wiffle ball too…
…and in the bird watching.
Found spring in the outdoor child supervising.
…And more wiffle ball.
I love this picture of all my boys.
Did I mention the G-rex loves having his picture taken? (Not really, but he LOVES being on the blog so I promised I’d get a post done for him as long as he gave me a nice picture! Yay!)
Was it a beautiful day or WHAT?!
Name that park. (That’s TOO easy!)
It’s still cold enough for ice skating.
Bradley is the man of many colors today. From choir boy in a tie at sunrise, to bird watcher, wiffle player, military virologist (yeah, don’t ask, trust me on that one)…
…to slurping jello through a straw in the evening.
I love my family!
Thank you to all my blog readers for taking this “Walk Through Holy Week” with me. I’ll continue to update you on the dogwood until she blossoms. I have faith that she will eventually show us her colors, reminding us of her Easter story, even if Easter has come and gone so early.
Peace, my friends,
jules
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 10:28 pm
This is my new favorite “unportrait” of Bradley and Gregory! Love the angles, the light, the sky, the clouds, the honey locust trees, the depth, everything! COOL! We were out all afternoon playing on this beautiful Saturday before Easter, and I took lots of pictures of my sweet boys. LOVE YOU, GUYS!
Later on, as I started to edit the pictures in the waning light of sunset, I was talking to my mom on the phone — she lives in Charleston where the dogwoods are in full blossom and I’m SO jealous — and she asked me if I knew why Easter is so early this year.
By the way, here’s today’s dogwood mugshot. (And some more randomly scattered throughout this disorganized post.) My dogwood is not going to blossom by Easter morning. But we knew that already and can still appreciate the Charleston dogwoods, thanks to my friend, Jill.
So anyway, the timing of Easter for us Western Christians (as opposed to Eastern Orthodox Christians) is based on a complicated formula of the Gregorian calendar, as in Pope Gregory XIII. (My Gregory will like reading that one!)
Generally speaking, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox.
But that’s not entirely true.
Because the “full moon” of which we speak is not the ACTUAL full moon, but an ecclesiastical full moon, which just means that it’s the full moon as determined from tables, and not necessarily the exact date of the astronomical full moon.
But, thankfully, that table of full moons is pretty close to the astronomical one. Phew!
So, Easter falls on the first Sunday…
… following the ecclesiastical full moon…
…that occurs on or after…
… the day of the vernal equinox.
This ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation. (Day 1 of a tabular lunation corresponds to the ecclesiastical new moon.)
(Got a headache yet?)
… And since the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21…
… that means that Easter can never fall before March 22 or later than April 25.
The vernal equinox occurred on March 20 this year, and the ecclesiastical full moon occurred on March 21, so, happy Easter tomorrow!
Just remember, you can’t go by the astronomical full moon…
… because there are differences between the astronomical full moon and the ecclesiastical one. Lunar motion is a complex system!
In 1962, for example, the astronomical full moon was on March 21, 6 hours AFTER the astronomical equinox. The ecclesiastical full moon was on March 20 and BEFORE the ecclesiastical equinox on March 21. If the date of Easter was determined by the astronomical full moon, Easter would have been on March 25 in 1962. But following the rules, Easter was not until the Sunday that came after the next ecclesiastical full moon on Wednesday, April 18. So Easter Sunday fell on April 22 in 1962. My brothers, Steve and Bill, age 2 and 4 then, would have had a grand and fully warm Easter that year!
And I most definitely have a headache!
So for my mom, down in Charleston with the blossoming dogwoods, here’s a pretty bud for you and the gift of answering your question, “Why does Easter fall so early this year?” (Information gleaned from the United States Naval Observatory and various calendars and astronomical tables.)
Above, that’s my dogwood from the point of view of the squirrel-proof bird feeder looking up at the sky.
Incidentally, here’s a little Julie tidbit for all my loyal blog readers…
… my mom was BORN on Easter Sunday! Her name is Easter! Her birthday won’t fall on Easter again until 2018, on which date, she says, she will turn 4 years old.
…Because thanks to leap year and the ecclesiastical moons and the vernal equinox and the… oh never mind… I have to be at church at 6:40 a.m. GOODNIGHT!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 8:17 pm
At last night’s Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service, the bell in the Sanctuary tolled 33 times in complete darkness, once for each year of Jesus’ life on earth. After the last bell, and a moment of silence in a crowded Sanctuary, the pastor lit the Christ candle, symbol of hope for what is to come on Easter morning, and yet we leave the Sanctuary in darkness, speaking little, if at all, to our friends as we headed toward Good Friday.
Instead, we listened to the profound silence.
As I was walking into the church last night, the sky was beautiful against the trees and clouds. Can you see the moon? (Bottom center.) Bradley and I have always thought of pink clouds as being a symbol of hope, so I thought it was interesting that I’d be walking into church last night and notice pink clouds.
This morning Bradley and I watched the alternate DVD version of the movie “I Am Legend” with a different ending from the theatrical one.
SPOILER ALERT. Not to worry. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, my discussion will not spoil if for you, so keep reading.
A voiceover in the alternate version says, “You are not alone. There is hope. Keep listening.”
That’s the message of Easter! Because I committed myself to writing about Holy Week, I’ve been listening very carefully, and watching with an open mind, waiting for inspiration.
The great thing is: It was there all along! All I had to do was open my eyes and ears.
I hear it in the seasons, too, watching the trees. Above, today’s dogwood mugshot.
We’ve been watching her all week. And even though I’m pretty sure MY dogwood won’t blossom in time for Easter morning, the dogwoods SOMEwhere are blossoming!
In fact, just today, my friend, Jill, in Charleston, took pictures of her blossoming dogwood and posted them on her blog JUST FOR US! See? Keep listening and watching.
There is hope!
Coming tomorrow on my walk: don’t know yet. I’m still waiting for inspiration.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 4:05 pm
The title of this post should have been “A Day of Random Reflections” because that’s what it’s turned out to be. My life has a weird randomness to it that has my head spinning.
I’ll start with the first pictures of the day, taken around 2 a.m. at the Metuchen train station, above.
That truck was too tall to fit under the train trellis. It rammed into the bridge and sheared off the top of the cab.
I’m just letting you know in case you heard a really loud crash some time last night and wondered what it was.
I thought the parking sign was interesting covered with rain drops and glowing in the streetlight. The randomness of the little reflections combined with “24″ as in round-the-clock randomness — see? That sign is my life.
Ever since I got my new camera, I wondered if I could take a picture of the church courtyard at night with no flash, and actually get a decent shot. It worked!
First thing this morning, I checked on the dogwood.
Still not much movement in the blossoming department, but the pictures are challenging my graphic edgyness. I like the one above for it’s random focus, yet nicely spaced intervals.
I took this one of Bradley working at the computer, trying to see if I could get a cool reflection in his glasses. Ah, not so cool, but I still like the picture. It has a graphic composition of balanced corners that I like.
To complete the circle of randomness, I went to the Concert for Peace at Gregory’s school today. That’s Gregory, the tall one in the tie.
Above, and below: random pictures from the concert.
(Wide angle lens.)
(Sisters.)
Just after the bow at the end of the concert. (He bowed into her head!)
I’m heading out the door in a minute. My choir is singing at the Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service at church, my favorite worship service of the whole year, and the one which will end my randomness for the day. The church will grow darker as the service progresses through the story of Jesus’s last night, ending with the Sanctuary in complete darkness, the symbol of the darkness of the tomb. And then one candle, the Christ candle will be lit…
Coming tomorrow on my walk: Hope.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 5:41 pm
