Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Friday, November 8, 2013
Memorial Page for Reverend CleArthur Jones
R.I.P. Rev.
Went Home November 1, 2013
and joined his beautiful wife Mary
We Must Have Faith
The sun will rise and shed its light
On infant days born out of night.
The grass will wave, the dew will dry
The birds will sing before they fly.
And we will wake without a sound
And start the day for which we're bound
We never know how it will be
This day we feel but cannot see.
We strive and toil to get the things
We think we need, that working brings.
And we can't help but worry more
About the things we'd like to store.
The food we eat, the clothes we wear
The friends we need--we want our share.
And maybe we, along the way,
Can help someone improve their day.
So much to do, how shall we go
Through all our days, we'd like to know
When work is done but we're afraid
Because we have bills yet unpaid.
It would be best if we recall
Our Father's gifts, He gives us all
And like the lillies our father grows
He loves us too, and clothes our souls.
And what we need give in return
Is trust that He will let us learn
His Words and lead us through the day.
We must have faith, for this we pray.
He speaks to us, the words are clear
With open hearts, our minds will hear--
Just face the Truth, hold onto Love
Dispense with fears, soar with the Dove.
The sun will rise and shed its light
On infant days born out of night.
The grass will wave, the dew will dry
And WE will sing before we fly.
--Nancy J. Bell
Spring 1991
The poem below was written for Rev. Clearthur Jones, Jr., for his birthday. He was a man who taught many about the power of faith.
It takes courage
to have convictions
And strenth
To live them.
It takes guidance
from the Father
To stay moving along
On the right road.
To do mighty works
There must be
Mighty Faith and
This I think you had.
The most we can ask
Is to do what we can
And show others goodness
Through our own lives.
Thank you for
The Inspiration.
The poem below was written for Rev. Mary Dean Jones, for her birthday. She was a woman who also taught many about the power of faith.
We each are like the shore
With a tide of people
Flowing in and out
Of our lives every day.
It takes someone special
To leave a lasting impression
And this you have done
By being a good friend.
There are riches you've given
Like the treasures of the sea
and these are LOVE
and CARING and JOY.
The sun shines on both
The good and the bad
But the good is made
More beautiful by the LIGHT.
I know you'll keep shining
And all the lives you've touched
Will be better along the way.
Thank you for being you.
The Link Below will take you to a copy of the piece I wrote to be delivered at Rev's memorial service, and delivered by my sister Laurie Anne. We always knew that Laurie Anne was always special to Mrs. Jones, and the feelings were mutual as Laurie considered herself to be as much a part of the Jones family, as a part of the Smith family. Thank you to Rev. & Mrs. Jones for all the love, and for their kind willingness to embrace "the Smith Kids." We hold those memories dear, and will continue to do so, to the end of our days!
http://sabatinifamilystories.blogspot.com/2013/11/celebrating-life-of-rev-clearthur-jones.html
Celebrating the Life of Rev. CleArthur Jones, Jr.
UPDATE 11/9/13
Added by Ralph Smith
Reverend Jones was a good man, all the years that I knew him.
The most important thing he taught me was not to worry - worry does not solve anything; it only saps your strength and wastes time. That was a tough lesson, but it has served me well for 40 years now.
Rev. was a kind man, and always served the Lord. He had everyone's respect - no one raised their hand or voice to him. Violent gang members listened respectfully to him and often took his advice. People came to him for his wisdom and understanding and never went away disappointed. He was a wonderful father and husband and neighbor. He lived according to what he truly believed and how many of us can really say that? The only dangerous thing he did was drive - he was always tired from working his job and living his ministry as well as raising his family and serving his community and he would get road hypnosis faster than anyone else I knew.
On a trip to Cedar Pointe I sat next to him on the way home and engaged him in conversation the entire way - no matter how tired he was he would come to animated life when talking about God and how we, his children, should be living our lives - taking care of each other and living a Christ-like life.
He was good-humored, intelligent, knowledgeable of scripture and human nature. He always had a smile for everyone and cared profoundly about doing the right thing.
Although it has been many years since I saw him, it was reassuring to me that he was out there - fighting the good fight and helping everyone around him. He will be missed, but his lessons and example live on - and that is the best legacy anyone can hope for.
Rest in peace reverend ClerArthur Jones.
Ralph G. Smith
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reverend Jones taught me how to believe in miracles.
Not just the miracles of the Holy Bible, but miracles we could witness for ourselves. In our lives. I say "our lives" because I'm not the only one he taught to believe. So great was Reverend Jones' faith, that he made unbelievers choke back their denials because they had to be in quiet awe of the Light, the Power, the Conviction he emanated when he spoke about "his Jesus."
Rev. didn't just speak at the pulpit, although he did do that. And he did it well.He could rock the church with his praise of the Most High and His Holy Son. He made you reach deep into yourself to confront not only the Truth of the Word, but also our QUESTIONS of FAITH. It is within our questions that we find a way to stretch our capacities to receive the ANSWERS.
He rocked the church with the singing he led in a beautiful voice that wove people together in song that testified about the POWER of a shared faith. And he rocked the church with the moments of silence he offered, as a gift, so we could fill our minds with the happy expectation that the message he had yet to utter was somehow going to be exactly what we needed to hear that day.
It was a joy to see his faith in motion because he could open our hearts and minds to the King of Heaven as truth. The Promise of our Father's Love. He wasn't stingy with it, but shared his Jesus' love with everyone.
I say "his Jesus" because when I first met Rev's Jesus, the Jesus he knew in his heart, seen through his eyes and understandings, spoken of by his tongue, was different than the one I was familiar with. He already knew me. He wasn't a statue in a cathedral who probed our guilts and flaws with recriminations. His Jesus did not require repentance and obedience in blind faith and disconnected authority held by the reins of men, or institutions. His Jesus was a living Messiah, a spark of Light booming as a first seed in a new life for me. Love in our own hearts. One who already knew us better than we knew ourselves and loved us anyway. He guided us, taught us, comforted us, and inspired us. He also corrected us when we began to stumble from our own missteps.
Rev's Jesus became MY Jesus when I opened my heart and mind to see Him. The personal Jesus, not the Jesus of the masses, not an icon leading wars, or a symbol which bled humanity's compassion because of our often misunderstood differences. He was not a puppet held by the reins of men or their designs, but one who always loves little children. I met Him as a child, and loved Him back with the open trust of a child.
Rev gave news of his Jesus away freely and lovingly. He could rail against the evils of darkness and ill-choice with all the fire I imagine belonging to the Prophet Jeremiah. But he always brought listeners (believers and non-believers alike) back to the Good News of His LOVE. There is more than enough to go around. Forever. There is not one so guilty, so lowly, or so dispiccible that Jesus would refuse to embrace.
"He's already knocking on your door, girl," he would tell me. "All you have to do is let Him in." And I did. Personally. Sincerely. And He began to remake me that day, into the child of an unimaginably beautiful Spirit. A soul. A Living God who stepped off of the pages and into my life in a very real way. I don't just believe He's there, I feel Him there. I know he's there. Yahshua, Shalom, Selah, Halleluyah.
Reverend Jones did not just speak at the pulpit and step away from his faith when church was over. He took his ministry into the streets. Into the hospitals. Into the jails and prisons. Into living rooms and kitchens, and into his car every time he sat behind the wheel.
I remember him making signs in his driveway, as a side job for businesses in the community and I would sit on the ground beside him and listen to him talk about making signs. And then he would ask me, "Do you know the story about Noah's Ark?" or, "the story about how Jesus walked on the water?" or, "the story about how he healed the blind and the sick?" And I would listen quietly, loving the stories that he told. Sometimes I'd be playing in the back yard and he'd lean on his arms over the fence and tell me stories from the Bible. And I used to wait for him, hoping to catch him doing something outside so I could ask him to tell me another story. And I was always filled by the time he had to finish up and move on with something else to do that day.
On days when he was too busy to stop and tell stories, there was the greeting that become so familiar, it was a comfort and a happiness to me all by itself. And, went like this:
"Hello, Rev. Jones."
"Hey Nancy, how are you today?"
"Fine, Rev. How are you?"
"It's GOOD TO BE ALIVE!"
It was ALWAYS good to Rev to be alive. It made me think about being alive. And, despite whatever mood I might've been in that day, I always felt better that he was alive, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reverend Jones was not just a man. He was a man AND a woman.
That's right. You heard me, but I'm going to say it again, so pay close attention.
Reverend Jones was not just a man. He as a man AND a woman.
His man was named CleArthur and his woman was named Mary Dean. There was no Rev. Jones without Mary. And his Mary was beautiful. And kind. And giving. And loving. And faithful. She helped him as a minister. She supported him as a wife and she blessed his life as mother to his children. And she bore him Kevin, and Clarether, Valerie, Salena, and CleArthur (known to us as Little Cle for many years). And they took unto themselves Janice and Chanel and raised all of the children lovingly, in the family as well as the faith.
The fruits of their unity continued to bring forth flesh and blood gifts in the beautiful multitude of their many grandchildren.
I cannot limit the number of the Jones' children to only those counted by flesh and blood because they also embraced five children who became fatherless at a very young age. They watched as the single mother next door struggled to raise these five, sometimes overwhelmed with uncertainties during the tumultuous 1970s. The lingering echoes of S.T.R.E.S.S., the '67 riots, police brutality, the assassination of Dr. King and Malcolm X were still reverberating through the streets of Detroit, exacerbating racial tensions between Black and White. Rev. Jones (CleArthur and Mary), wrapped their love around a white family. My family. "God has no respect of person and color is something MAN sees. God will only see your heart," Rev taught us.
And the Smith family was added to the Jones family...Ralph, Nancy, Suzanne, Jessica and Laurie Anne. (They even added our best friend William Johnson, who spent so much time with us that he had his own chores at the house. His own games. His own stories. His own beauty as he, a Black child, also lived the tolerance we embraced.)
When drugs and gangs and violence was coloring Detroit's own image of itself, fear and mistrust became an illness that infected many and we were not without our own fears as children.
It is as real as the Gospel Truth that our mother and all the Smith kids slept a little more peacefully, a little more soundly and feeling a little more loved because of Reverends CleArthur and Mary Jones. And through this bond, we came to form and nurture convictions of tolerance and justice and a determination to never forget the Black and White unity that carried us through our lives to this very day. We are ONE, as a unique extended family. We celebrated each others' happiness and continue to care deeply for one another, despite time and distance.
We spent so much time back and forth at each others' homes that it was hard to tell where we really lived sometimes. We knew what as in the Jones' refrigerator sometimes better than we knew our own because Mary's food was never kept from us and it was always good! (But we cannot forget Rev's famous jello deserts, either!)
Salena may not remember this, because she was very little at the time, but one summer all the Smith kids knew we had to keep an eye out for her because she loved to eat pickles and she would walk right into our house, open the refrigerator door, reach into our jar of pickles and run out of the house with a pickle in each hand before we even knew she was there! She never took anything else and we got such a kick out of it that we would tell her, still pulling in the driveway from the store, the moment our mother bought a new jar, so she'd know.
We're pretty sure that Salena learned how to count and how to do subtraction, because of our pickles...starting with the number in the jar and minus two: one for each hand! She could tell us at any given time how many pickles were left in the jar, even when we were outside playing. "Hey ya'll only got three more pickles. Is your mama gonna get some more soon?" We'd check and sure enough...there'd be three pickles left. We stopped wondering how she knew. She just always seemed to know. And that was OUR Salena. Any other kid trying that stunt would've had a real problem because we would've tried to hurt them!
When we all meet together again at the table, we'll be singing, eating and sharing a most precious love..for an eternity. We, the Smith Kids and our mother, know the Reverends Jones will be saving a special place for us at their table. At our table. Our family table. Yahshua, Shalom, Selah, Halleluyah.
We don't know altogether why we must suffer the pain of separation dished to us by this world, but I do know one thing. It will not last. It will only be for a time. And the seeds planted so long ago will come to an everlasting fruition, in eternal bloom, after which, there will be no more separation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, please take Rev Jones into your arms and carry him gently back to his Mary and let him rejoice in full Spirit with the Jesus he has always loved. Please, as you make your decisions regarding the Judgment of his life, to remember how he served You, and Loved You, and Shared You. Let it be noted that on THIS DAY, I speak on his behalf as a righteous man who helped lead me to you, as he did so many others. And please forgive him for any of his inequities and shortcomings and bless Him with the Promise about which He so often spoke. In his honor, I ask this in Jesus' Name, and in the Holy Hebrew Name, as He called Himself: Yahshua.
Good Bye for now, Rev. We'll be seeing you in the Kingdom. And, Thank You. And Thank You. And Thank You, Again...for Everything.
Rev. Nancy J. Bell
Added by Ralph Smith
Reverend Jones was a good man, all the years that I knew him.
The most important thing he taught me was not to worry - worry does not solve anything; it only saps your strength and wastes time. That was a tough lesson, but it has served me well for 40 years now.
Rev. was a kind man, and always served the Lord. He had everyone's respect - no one raised their hand or voice to him. Violent gang members listened respectfully to him and often took his advice. People came to him for his wisdom and understanding and never went away disappointed. He was a wonderful father and husband and neighbor. He lived according to what he truly believed and how many of us can really say that? The only dangerous thing he did was drive - he was always tired from working his job and living his ministry as well as raising his family and serving his community and he would get road hypnosis faster than anyone else I knew.
On a trip to Cedar Pointe I sat next to him on the way home and engaged him in conversation the entire way - no matter how tired he was he would come to animated life when talking about God and how we, his children, should be living our lives - taking care of each other and living a Christ-like life.
He was good-humored, intelligent, knowledgeable of scripture and human nature. He always had a smile for everyone and cared profoundly about doing the right thing.
Although it has been many years since I saw him, it was reassuring to me that he was out there - fighting the good fight and helping everyone around him. He will be missed, but his lessons and example live on - and that is the best legacy anyone can hope for.
Rest in peace reverend ClerArthur Jones.
Ralph G. Smith
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reverend Jones taught me how to believe in miracles.
Not just the miracles of the Holy Bible, but miracles we could witness for ourselves. In our lives. I say "our lives" because I'm not the only one he taught to believe. So great was Reverend Jones' faith, that he made unbelievers choke back their denials because they had to be in quiet awe of the Light, the Power, the Conviction he emanated when he spoke about "his Jesus."
Rev. didn't just speak at the pulpit, although he did do that. And he did it well.He could rock the church with his praise of the Most High and His Holy Son. He made you reach deep into yourself to confront not only the Truth of the Word, but also our QUESTIONS of FAITH. It is within our questions that we find a way to stretch our capacities to receive the ANSWERS.
He rocked the church with the singing he led in a beautiful voice that wove people together in song that testified about the POWER of a shared faith. And he rocked the church with the moments of silence he offered, as a gift, so we could fill our minds with the happy expectation that the message he had yet to utter was somehow going to be exactly what we needed to hear that day.
It was a joy to see his faith in motion because he could open our hearts and minds to the King of Heaven as truth. The Promise of our Father's Love. He wasn't stingy with it, but shared his Jesus' love with everyone.
I say "his Jesus" because when I first met Rev's Jesus, the Jesus he knew in his heart, seen through his eyes and understandings, spoken of by his tongue, was different than the one I was familiar with. He already knew me. He wasn't a statue in a cathedral who probed our guilts and flaws with recriminations. His Jesus did not require repentance and obedience in blind faith and disconnected authority held by the reins of men, or institutions. His Jesus was a living Messiah, a spark of Light booming as a first seed in a new life for me. Love in our own hearts. One who already knew us better than we knew ourselves and loved us anyway. He guided us, taught us, comforted us, and inspired us. He also corrected us when we began to stumble from our own missteps.
Rev's Jesus became MY Jesus when I opened my heart and mind to see Him. The personal Jesus, not the Jesus of the masses, not an icon leading wars, or a symbol which bled humanity's compassion because of our often misunderstood differences. He was not a puppet held by the reins of men or their designs, but one who always loves little children. I met Him as a child, and loved Him back with the open trust of a child.
Rev gave news of his Jesus away freely and lovingly. He could rail against the evils of darkness and ill-choice with all the fire I imagine belonging to the Prophet Jeremiah. But he always brought listeners (believers and non-believers alike) back to the Good News of His LOVE. There is more than enough to go around. Forever. There is not one so guilty, so lowly, or so dispiccible that Jesus would refuse to embrace.
"He's already knocking on your door, girl," he would tell me. "All you have to do is let Him in." And I did. Personally. Sincerely. And He began to remake me that day, into the child of an unimaginably beautiful Spirit. A soul. A Living God who stepped off of the pages and into my life in a very real way. I don't just believe He's there, I feel Him there. I know he's there. Yahshua, Shalom, Selah, Halleluyah.
Reverend Jones did not just speak at the pulpit and step away from his faith when church was over. He took his ministry into the streets. Into the hospitals. Into the jails and prisons. Into living rooms and kitchens, and into his car every time he sat behind the wheel.
I remember him making signs in his driveway, as a side job for businesses in the community and I would sit on the ground beside him and listen to him talk about making signs. And then he would ask me, "Do you know the story about Noah's Ark?" or, "the story about how Jesus walked on the water?" or, "the story about how he healed the blind and the sick?" And I would listen quietly, loving the stories that he told. Sometimes I'd be playing in the back yard and he'd lean on his arms over the fence and tell me stories from the Bible. And I used to wait for him, hoping to catch him doing something outside so I could ask him to tell me another story. And I was always filled by the time he had to finish up and move on with something else to do that day.
On days when he was too busy to stop and tell stories, there was the greeting that become so familiar, it was a comfort and a happiness to me all by itself. And, went like this:
"Hello, Rev. Jones."
"Hey Nancy, how are you today?"
"Fine, Rev. How are you?"
"It's GOOD TO BE ALIVE!"
It was ALWAYS good to Rev to be alive. It made me think about being alive. And, despite whatever mood I might've been in that day, I always felt better that he was alive, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reverend Jones was not just a man. He was a man AND a woman.
That's right. You heard me, but I'm going to say it again, so pay close attention.
Reverend Jones was not just a man. He as a man AND a woman.
His man was named CleArthur and his woman was named Mary Dean. There was no Rev. Jones without Mary. And his Mary was beautiful. And kind. And giving. And loving. And faithful. She helped him as a minister. She supported him as a wife and she blessed his life as mother to his children. And she bore him Kevin, and Clarether, Valerie, Salena, and CleArthur (known to us as Little Cle for many years). And they took unto themselves Janice and Chanel and raised all of the children lovingly, in the family as well as the faith.
The fruits of their unity continued to bring forth flesh and blood gifts in the beautiful multitude of their many grandchildren.
I cannot limit the number of the Jones' children to only those counted by flesh and blood because they also embraced five children who became fatherless at a very young age. They watched as the single mother next door struggled to raise these five, sometimes overwhelmed with uncertainties during the tumultuous 1970s. The lingering echoes of S.T.R.E.S.S., the '67 riots, police brutality, the assassination of Dr. King and Malcolm X were still reverberating through the streets of Detroit, exacerbating racial tensions between Black and White. Rev. Jones (CleArthur and Mary), wrapped their love around a white family. My family. "God has no respect of person and color is something MAN sees. God will only see your heart," Rev taught us.
And the Smith family was added to the Jones family...Ralph, Nancy, Suzanne, Jessica and Laurie Anne. (They even added our best friend William Johnson, who spent so much time with us that he had his own chores at the house. His own games. His own stories. His own beauty as he, a Black child, also lived the tolerance we embraced.)
When drugs and gangs and violence was coloring Detroit's own image of itself, fear and mistrust became an illness that infected many and we were not without our own fears as children.
It is as real as the Gospel Truth that our mother and all the Smith kids slept a little more peacefully, a little more soundly and feeling a little more loved because of Reverends CleArthur and Mary Jones. And through this bond, we came to form and nurture convictions of tolerance and justice and a determination to never forget the Black and White unity that carried us through our lives to this very day. We are ONE, as a unique extended family. We celebrated each others' happiness and continue to care deeply for one another, despite time and distance.
We spent so much time back and forth at each others' homes that it was hard to tell where we really lived sometimes. We knew what as in the Jones' refrigerator sometimes better than we knew our own because Mary's food was never kept from us and it was always good! (But we cannot forget Rev's famous jello deserts, either!)
Salena may not remember this, because she was very little at the time, but one summer all the Smith kids knew we had to keep an eye out for her because she loved to eat pickles and she would walk right into our house, open the refrigerator door, reach into our jar of pickles and run out of the house with a pickle in each hand before we even knew she was there! She never took anything else and we got such a kick out of it that we would tell her, still pulling in the driveway from the store, the moment our mother bought a new jar, so she'd know.
We're pretty sure that Salena learned how to count and how to do subtraction, because of our pickles...starting with the number in the jar and minus two: one for each hand! She could tell us at any given time how many pickles were left in the jar, even when we were outside playing. "Hey ya'll only got three more pickles. Is your mama gonna get some more soon?" We'd check and sure enough...there'd be three pickles left. We stopped wondering how she knew. She just always seemed to know. And that was OUR Salena. Any other kid trying that stunt would've had a real problem because we would've tried to hurt them!
When we all meet together again at the table, we'll be singing, eating and sharing a most precious love..for an eternity. We, the Smith Kids and our mother, know the Reverends Jones will be saving a special place for us at their table. At our table. Our family table. Yahshua, Shalom, Selah, Halleluyah.
We don't know altogether why we must suffer the pain of separation dished to us by this world, but I do know one thing. It will not last. It will only be for a time. And the seeds planted so long ago will come to an everlasting fruition, in eternal bloom, after which, there will be no more separation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, please take Rev Jones into your arms and carry him gently back to his Mary and let him rejoice in full Spirit with the Jesus he has always loved. Please, as you make your decisions regarding the Judgment of his life, to remember how he served You, and Loved You, and Shared You. Let it be noted that on THIS DAY, I speak on his behalf as a righteous man who helped lead me to you, as he did so many others. And please forgive him for any of his inequities and shortcomings and bless Him with the Promise about which He so often spoke. In his honor, I ask this in Jesus' Name, and in the Holy Hebrew Name, as He called Himself: Yahshua.
Good Bye for now, Rev. We'll be seeing you in the Kingdom. And, Thank You. And Thank You. And Thank You, Again...for Everything.
Rev. Nancy J. Bell
Monday, July 22, 2013
Will the Real Civil Rights Movement Please Stand Up
Passive Resistance and Non-Violence
UPDATED
During the Civil Rights Movement, Reverand Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated passive resistance. Non-violence. But he never advocated lack of action, or lack of discussion. King’s teachings and leadership are far more than a Black History Month poster story, or the reminder that Black protest should never hurt White people or their property. Everything else seems to be lost on most casual users of his name.
King protested not only for the Voting Rights Act and the dissolution of the official Jim Crow laws and practices especially in the South, but he also advocated protests against the Vietnam War and poverty. Before he was able to attend the assembly he orchestrated through his leadership and organized movement structure, the Poor People’s Campaign, he was murdered. Protesting and petitioning for action, discussions, marching, singing and being seen and heard, King was able to guide anger and angst into positive action. It is his TEACHINGS that still inspire, when they are understood.
One of the reasons of his success, beyond the value of the changes he was working to make, was the methods of passive resistance and non-violence. This was true of not only face to face actions, but also in the words we used when confronting obstacles and even aggression. We hold ourselves to a higher standard and regardless of the understanding of those who observe us, we will stand our ground. Getting hit with a brick is a distraction from the goal, and we will not bow down to an attempt to derail our progress. We will continue on with the strength of our convictions and the belief that America provides We the People Politics for a reason…
What reason more would parents have to come together than the well-being and very lives of our children? How many dead kids are enough to become an “appropriate conversation?” How many times will “race-baiting,” and accusations of hate turn us from our goal? The answer is NONE!
We gather in this discussion, those of us who grieve, because we believe that we can have a more perfect union, and it starts with our children. Trayvon Martin was not the only unarmed youth shot by adults in authority. We believe Americans can do better than that. We believe America must do better than that. Long after Zimmerman’s name has grown moldy and forgotten, Trayvon Martin will still be dead, and we will still remember.
For those of you who ARE interested in learning more about the methods of peaceful protest, including civil and organized discussions, we can continue talk, but share ideas about how to enhance not only skills and understandings, but also a sense of good will among those who care. Peaceful protest by not becoming engaged in conversations with those who throw verbal stones for the sake of disrupting our progress.
We should not have to worry about assembling to discuss our concerns about our nation. I have witnessed several strands of ugliness intruding upon the rest of our good intentions and I will give little heed to that tiny, distracted part of this discussion. The worth of this discussion is now established. Let the conversation with SUBSTANCE ensue. Change lay in the hands of America.
Let’s Get Started:
Keep the goals in mind. Our kids matter.
Keep the goals in mind. We do not accept lies about ourselves to carry weight in our beliefs.
Keep the goals in mind. We will not let racial disagreement derail forward progress.
Keep the goals in mind. The children must live.
Keep the goals in mind. The children must be safe.
Keep the goals in mind. Illegal murder and legal murder is not the same.
Keep the goals in mind. Don’t debate that which doesn’t matter (such as derogatory opinion)
Keep the goals in mind. Remember to value YOUR life and let love and family help you to remember why we do what we do is coming directly from Our Higher Angels.
Keep the goals in mind. Our combined voices are our strength.
Here is a cartoon that we shared during my upbringing in Detroit, to teach us why social activism is important to a community and to a nation. Nothing has changed to make this obsolete.
To leave here with good vibes, as we used to say, chill with some good music. Music was not invented by accident.
Pluralistically Yours,
Nancy Bell
Civil Rights Movement is NOT Dead
We just entered a new chapter
First Used in University of Phoenix LINKEDIN discussion.
About the Author: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-bell/30/231/855
First Used in University of Phoenix LINKEDIN discussion.
About the Author: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-bell/30/231/855
Friday, June 28, 2013
A rose is a rose, but what about dandelions?!
I love life and I
love the balance and beauty of nature. Zooming in to see the intricate details
of subtle beauty, as well as the panoramic vistas of the natural world. My
introductory "Make-It project" will be a simple dandelion, in its
moment of peak bloom. An oft over-looked simple beauty, dandelions were the
first flowers I gathered for my mother and the first flowers my children
gathered for me, so it has it's own special sentimentality for me.
Often mistaken as a weed, this flower also formed a source of food among the Italian family members I grew up around, as we cooked the new tender greens as a vegetable, or in a salad. We connect through its staple as a spring food among the peasant ancestry from which my famly descended. We connect to our roots through this simple and amazing flower.
Often mistaken as a weed, this flower also formed a source of food among the Italian family members I grew up around, as we cooked the new tender greens as a vegetable, or in a salad. We connect through its staple as a spring food among the peasant ancestry from which my famly descended. We connect to our roots through this simple and amazing flower.
To pick
dandelions for consumption, we always chose new greens from
"undistrubed" areas of the yard or fields. Before the greens get
flowers, they are tender and although slightly bitter, become much tougher and
more bitter once they have a flower stalk, so we don't use them like that.
Steam them (as greens, until tender) and brown some garlic in oil and toss the
cooked greens with the oil and add some salt. (the salt takes away the
bitterness, but don't overdo it). In a salad, it tasts less bitter than endive.
Sharing food ideas helps people to connect the world round, even when the food
is discovered right under your own noses!
P.S. I don't know if any of you have ever played these games, but we had games for our dandelions, too. First, there is the "Santa Claus" flower that it becomes, and making a wish before you blow it goes into the wind and it is your hopes that the wishes will come back fulfilled. Second there was the game of putting the dandelion flower under someone's chin and if you see yellow strongly reflected, it was proof that you like butter! Third, if you hold the stem, and snap the flower off with your thumb, the saying that went with it was "Mommy had a baby and her had popped off." It may seem macabre, but no moreso than Ring Around the Rosie (originally: Ring Around the Rosary, a child's game to understand the number of deaths related to the Black Plague).
About the Author: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cultivatingmygarden/
P.S. I don't know if any of you have ever played these games, but we had games for our dandelions, too. First, there is the "Santa Claus" flower that it becomes, and making a wish before you blow it goes into the wind and it is your hopes that the wishes will come back fulfilled. Second there was the game of putting the dandelion flower under someone's chin and if you see yellow strongly reflected, it was proof that you like butter! Third, if you hold the stem, and snap the flower off with your thumb, the saying that went with it was "Mommy had a baby and her had popped off." It may seem macabre, but no moreso than Ring Around the Rosie (originally: Ring Around the Rosary, a child's game to understand the number of deaths related to the Black Plague).
About the Author: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cultivatingmygarden/
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Simple Spaghetti Basil Sauce With Meatballs or Seafood
A simple basil sauce, adding meatballs before serving.
One of the biggest questions about how to come up with this recipe is determining the amount to make, considering that whenever possible, we make enough to have left-overs the next day for lunch! Or to serve as a side dish with something else the next night for dinner. This feeds 4 people well, with enough left over to work into another meal.
Simple Basil Sauce (can be used like this or by adding meat/seafood)
5-8 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or a little less if olive oil)
3 cans tomato sauce (29 oz cans)
2 TBLSP basil (dried or fresh)
2 tspn oregano (dried or fresh)
1/4 tspn black pepper
1/4 tspn garlic salt (or garlic powder)
pinch of salt (to taste)
OPTIONAL: May also add a couple of bay leaves, a pinch of rosemary, a pinch of thyme
1. Brown peeled garlic cloves in oil, until a golden brown on all sides. Mash with fork once after browning to expose more surface of garlic to oil, and continue to brown again. DO NOT BURN!
2. Add tomato sauce all at once and stir well. Add basil, oregano, black pepper, garlic salt and salt.
3. Bring to medium boil, stir well and lower heat to low-medium to simmer. Keep covered except while stirring, occasionally (every 10-15 minutes).
4. Cook about an hour, until oil rises to the top of the sauce and IS DARK. If it is still golden, the tomato sauce is NOT cooked yet. When it is cooked enough, it does not taste acidic.
NOTE: It is important that you do not scorch the sauce because it will ruin the taste throughout the pot. It is also important for you to completely stir the sauce, making sure it does not stick on the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the meatballs (see recipe below) and continue to cook 10-20 minutes to allow the meatballs to absorb the sauce flavor. Serve over spaghetti
NOTE: About 1-1 1/2 lbs of spaghetti to go with this amount of sauce. Set 1/3 of the sauce aside to add to the top while serving (especially for left-overs the next day because the spaghetti will absorb its sauce over time). Mix the rest of the sauce in with the spaghetti.
NOTE: SAUCE AMOUNTS vary with the tastes of the individuals and the extra sauce is there to accomodate these differences.
NOTE: If you drain the pasta and run a little cold water on them, they will absorb less of the sauce and your dish will have extra sauce. Hot pasta with sauce immediately added to it after draining will absorb all the sauce you give it.
Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef (I prefer ground chuck but humburger or ground sirloin can be substituted)
1 med-lg egg
1/2 cup Progresso Breadcrumbs (Italian style)
2 tspns garlic salt (or garlic powder)
2 tspns of black pepper
OPTIONAL: Add minced fresh mushrooms and/or minced green onion to meat mixture-to taste ~1/4 cup total added to meat to keep meatballs intact.
OPTIONAL: a small amount of milk (~2 TBSP) may be used in place of the egg.
1. Mix egg and breadcrumbs with ground meat. Make sure it is thoroughly blended, but do not handle the meat any longer than you need to mix it.
2. Pull meat into your hand, bringing your fingers down to your palm and removing the meat that squeezes out. Use this as your measuring method as you "match" about the same amount of meat in your hand for each meatball. They do not HAVE to be exact, but they cook much better if they are roughly the same size.
3. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet or other oven pan, close together but NOT touching. Cover with foil and place in pre-heated oven set to 350°F for about 40 minutes. (a little longer for bigger meatballs, a little shorter for smaller meatballs). Cut one meatball to make sure that it is cooked through before adding to sauce, ready to serve.
4. Drain and add to sauce. Let the meatballs cook about 10-20 minutes longer to absorb the sauce flavor.
ALTERNATIVES: Basil Sauce Base --used to make Seafood Sauce
CLAMS:
You may make the basil sauce as described above, but instead of adding meatballs, you may INSTEAD add 2 cans baby clams (10 oz each). You would open and drain the juice of the clams into the sauce while it is cooking right after adding it to the garlic oil. DO NOT ADD the clams until the sauce is DONE cooking. The clams do not have to be in the sauce more than 5 minutes to be cooked. Overcooking the clams makes them rubbery! Seafood flavored sauce is BEST over Angelhair spaghetti because the sauce is thinner and holds on better to the thinner spaghetti.
OPTIONS: We have used fresh clams by dropping them into boiling water. Once open, pull the clams out of the shell and scoop together and add to sauce once the basil sauce is cooked. 5 minutes is all you need to completely cook the clams. Overcooking makes them rubbery.
ANCHOVIES:
Even if you do not like the taste of anchovies on your pizza, the taste of anchovies added to your sauce is mild and very tasty. For anchovies, we typically use one can of anchovies to one can of sauce. The anchovies are added to the already cooked basil sauce and cooks for another 15 minutes. During that time, the anchovies completely dissolve into the sauce and this mild sauce is ready to eat. One pound of spaghetti will go with one can of sauce/one can of anchovies. Inexpensive and easy to make.
One of the biggest questions about how to come up with this recipe is determining the amount to make, considering that whenever possible, we make enough to have left-overs the next day for lunch! Or to serve as a side dish with something else the next night for dinner. This feeds 4 people well, with enough left over to work into another meal.
Simple Basil Sauce (can be used like this or by adding meat/seafood)
5-8 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or a little less if olive oil)
3 cans tomato sauce (29 oz cans)
2 TBLSP basil (dried or fresh)
2 tspn oregano (dried or fresh)
1/4 tspn black pepper
1/4 tspn garlic salt (or garlic powder)
pinch of salt (to taste)
OPTIONAL: May also add a couple of bay leaves, a pinch of rosemary, a pinch of thyme
1. Brown peeled garlic cloves in oil, until a golden brown on all sides. Mash with fork once after browning to expose more surface of garlic to oil, and continue to brown again. DO NOT BURN!
2. Add tomato sauce all at once and stir well. Add basil, oregano, black pepper, garlic salt and salt.
3. Bring to medium boil, stir well and lower heat to low-medium to simmer. Keep covered except while stirring, occasionally (every 10-15 minutes).
4. Cook about an hour, until oil rises to the top of the sauce and IS DARK. If it is still golden, the tomato sauce is NOT cooked yet. When it is cooked enough, it does not taste acidic.
NOTE: It is important that you do not scorch the sauce because it will ruin the taste throughout the pot. It is also important for you to completely stir the sauce, making sure it does not stick on the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the meatballs (see recipe below) and continue to cook 10-20 minutes to allow the meatballs to absorb the sauce flavor. Serve over spaghetti
NOTE: About 1-1 1/2 lbs of spaghetti to go with this amount of sauce. Set 1/3 of the sauce aside to add to the top while serving (especially for left-overs the next day because the spaghetti will absorb its sauce over time). Mix the rest of the sauce in with the spaghetti.
NOTE: SAUCE AMOUNTS vary with the tastes of the individuals and the extra sauce is there to accomodate these differences.
NOTE: If you drain the pasta and run a little cold water on them, they will absorb less of the sauce and your dish will have extra sauce. Hot pasta with sauce immediately added to it after draining will absorb all the sauce you give it.
Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef (I prefer ground chuck but humburger or ground sirloin can be substituted)
1 med-lg egg
1/2 cup Progresso Breadcrumbs (Italian style)
2 tspns garlic salt (or garlic powder)
2 tspns of black pepper
OPTIONAL: Add minced fresh mushrooms and/or minced green onion to meat mixture-to taste ~1/4 cup total added to meat to keep meatballs intact.
OPTIONAL: a small amount of milk (~2 TBSP) may be used in place of the egg.
1. Mix egg and breadcrumbs with ground meat. Make sure it is thoroughly blended, but do not handle the meat any longer than you need to mix it.
2. Pull meat into your hand, bringing your fingers down to your palm and removing the meat that squeezes out. Use this as your measuring method as you "match" about the same amount of meat in your hand for each meatball. They do not HAVE to be exact, but they cook much better if they are roughly the same size.
3. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet or other oven pan, close together but NOT touching. Cover with foil and place in pre-heated oven set to 350°F for about 40 minutes. (a little longer for bigger meatballs, a little shorter for smaller meatballs). Cut one meatball to make sure that it is cooked through before adding to sauce, ready to serve.
4. Drain and add to sauce. Let the meatballs cook about 10-20 minutes longer to absorb the sauce flavor.
ALTERNATIVES: Basil Sauce Base --used to make Seafood Sauce
CLAMS:
You may make the basil sauce as described above, but instead of adding meatballs, you may INSTEAD add 2 cans baby clams (10 oz each). You would open and drain the juice of the clams into the sauce while it is cooking right after adding it to the garlic oil. DO NOT ADD the clams until the sauce is DONE cooking. The clams do not have to be in the sauce more than 5 minutes to be cooked. Overcooking the clams makes them rubbery! Seafood flavored sauce is BEST over Angelhair spaghetti because the sauce is thinner and holds on better to the thinner spaghetti.
OPTIONS: We have used fresh clams by dropping them into boiling water. Once open, pull the clams out of the shell and scoop together and add to sauce once the basil sauce is cooked. 5 minutes is all you need to completely cook the clams. Overcooking makes them rubbery.
ANCHOVIES:
Even if you do not like the taste of anchovies on your pizza, the taste of anchovies added to your sauce is mild and very tasty. For anchovies, we typically use one can of anchovies to one can of sauce. The anchovies are added to the already cooked basil sauce and cooks for another 15 minutes. During that time, the anchovies completely dissolve into the sauce and this mild sauce is ready to eat. One pound of spaghetti will go with one can of sauce/one can of anchovies. Inexpensive and easy to make.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Family Cooking - Part 3 - Pasta Fagioli Soup & Cream of Asparagus Soup
Nancy's Pasta Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
1 large can of tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1 pig's foot - split in half
1 Tblsp oil to fry 4-5 pieces garlic
1 can red kidney beans (dark beans better, but can use the light beans)
1/2 lb ditalini (can substitute "soup mac" pastina)
salt and pepper to taste
1-3 stalks celery
basil and oregano to taste
Boil pig's foot for 10 minutes and drain (to clean)
Fry garlic in oil (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, and celery. Let cook about 1/2 hour.
Add pig's foot and cook about one hour.
Add beans and 2 cups water. Cook another 1/2 hour until pig's foot is tender.
Cook ditalini, drain and add to the pot. Be sure it is soupy...add a little water if it isn't.
NOTE 1: Ham hocks or neck bones can be used by those squimish about pigs feet, although the pigs feet works the best for seasoning. (I have made pasta figioli for guests cooked with pig's feet and withheld serving any of the actual pigs feet if they were uncomfortable about using pigs feet.)
NOTE 2: Suggest it be served with a tossed salad, fresh garlic bread and red wine.
Makes about 4-5 servings
Paul's Rich Asparagus Soup
1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 quarts rich chicken stock
3 pounds asparagus
1 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 large fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and cut into fine dice
In large heavy saucepan or soup pot, melt butter, add onions and garlic and cook over low heat until wilted but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add chicken stock and heat to boiling.
Trim woody ends from asparagus and cut stalks into 1-inch pieces. Reserve tips. Add asparagus stalk pieces, parsley, carrots, basil, tarragon, salt, pepper and cayenne to boiling stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes.
Remove soup from heat and cool slightly. Process or blend (food processor with steel blades or electric blender) until smooth; strain through medium-sized sieve to remove woody fibers.
Return soup to pot and reheat. Add reserved asparagus tips and simmer until tips are tender, about 10 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with diced tomato.
Makes about 8 servings.
NOTE 1: Buy asparagus that are thinner, if possible, because there is less of a woody end and they tend to cook faster as well. To clean hold woody end between 2 fingers and hold with other hand about in the middle and gently bend. Where it snaps shows you how to eliminate most of the woody ends before cooking.
NOTE 2: Serve with garlic toast and white wine.
Ingredients
1 large can of tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1 pig's foot - split in half
1 Tblsp oil to fry 4-5 pieces garlic
1 can red kidney beans (dark beans better, but can use the light beans)
1/2 lb ditalini (can substitute "soup mac" pastina)
salt and pepper to taste
1-3 stalks celery
basil and oregano to taste
Boil pig's foot for 10 minutes and drain (to clean)
Fry garlic in oil (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, and celery. Let cook about 1/2 hour.
Add pig's foot and cook about one hour.
Add beans and 2 cups water. Cook another 1/2 hour until pig's foot is tender.
Cook ditalini, drain and add to the pot. Be sure it is soupy...add a little water if it isn't.
NOTE 1: Ham hocks or neck bones can be used by those squimish about pigs feet, although the pigs feet works the best for seasoning. (I have made pasta figioli for guests cooked with pig's feet and withheld serving any of the actual pigs feet if they were uncomfortable about using pigs feet.)
NOTE 2: Suggest it be served with a tossed salad, fresh garlic bread and red wine.
Makes about 4-5 servings
Paul's Rich Asparagus Soup
1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 quarts rich chicken stock
3 pounds asparagus
1 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 large fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and cut into fine dice
In large heavy saucepan or soup pot, melt butter, add onions and garlic and cook over low heat until wilted but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add chicken stock and heat to boiling.
Trim woody ends from asparagus and cut stalks into 1-inch pieces. Reserve tips. Add asparagus stalk pieces, parsley, carrots, basil, tarragon, salt, pepper and cayenne to boiling stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes.
Remove soup from heat and cool slightly. Process or blend (food processor with steel blades or electric blender) until smooth; strain through medium-sized sieve to remove woody fibers.
Return soup to pot and reheat. Add reserved asparagus tips and simmer until tips are tender, about 10 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with diced tomato.
Makes about 8 servings.
NOTE 1: Buy asparagus that are thinner, if possible, because there is less of a woody end and they tend to cook faster as well. To clean hold woody end between 2 fingers and hold with other hand about in the middle and gently bend. Where it snaps shows you how to eliminate most of the woody ends before cooking.
NOTE 2: Serve with garlic toast and white wine.
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