“On my birthday I want to go to the spa and pick out my nailpolish and your nailpolish….You have to wear what I choose for you..”

Color choice for Mama..sort of Goth meets TidyBowl

Lady Gaga

Post college, I could not get enough Naomi Wolf and Katie Roiphe, not because I agreed with everything they preached in their new wave of feminism, but because they were talking a language that was relevant to my generation.  They had a refreshing honesty about female independence.  Yet it seemed completely devoid of any faith perspective.

Then I met Lilian Calles Barger.  Not only did she bridge the world of intellectual feminism and faith together for me, but she refused to be trapped into all the big church-based questions that so many in my world got stuck on — “Can women lead in the church?”, “What is their proper ”role’?, etc.  She rightly pointed out that so many in the faith community are navel gasing and talking amongst themselves — yet have nothing to offer to the broader academic community when it comes to feminism and its tenants.  She dared to ask, “Why would (or should) we recommend wholesale rejection of feminist ideals without engaging thoughtful feminist academics on the basis of ideas?”

It’s Lilian who’s worked tirelessly to create a third way of feminism and faith discussion that avoids preaching, platitudes, and easy answers.  Classic Lilian….in one of her blog entries from the summer: 

“ Why can’t we get beyond this dicotomy between motherhood and work? Women, like men, have been created for two God given purposes, relationships and creative work. They are NOT mutually exclusive.”

Since she founded the Damaris Project in 1997, she has launched salons across the country to create forums for open, honest discussion about culture and feminism.  Lilian has also gone on to write books on our view of the body and the role or experience of Christian feminism. I love her unending quest for Truth.

Sunday’s Style section had an odd piece on her — at once acknowledging the duty portion of her role as first lady in hosting more traditional “women’s issues” events — such as around Breast Cancer and mentoring —  and simultaneously showing how much more effective and warm she is when she comes out from behind the podium.  The Robin Givhan article suggested that Michelle’s first year lacked focus…  I disagree…Yes, she tried to do a lot, and honestly, that is one thing I like about her.  She’s not afraid to try a lot of new things as she finds her way as First Lady.  Yet even her key ”pet” issue, promoting healthy childhood and family eating, got a TON of traction and attention. 

It’s probably no big surprise that I often find myself on the opposing political side when she takes to the airwaves and whitehouse.gov videos in an attempt at amplifying her husband’s policy (read: healthcare) agenda.  However, in most settings, she comes across to me as refreshing and fun.  Here’s my top 4 list of things I love about Michelle:

4) Her honesty about finding balance in managing work and family — while always putting her family first.   Sure, she now has a lot of help so probably no longer has to manage the tasks that many of us do, including laundry, makeup, packing lunches, errands, and shopping.  However it wasn’t always this way for her.  She often refers to times when her husband was off politicking and she was the one who had to find a way to manage the essential meeting at the office while tending to a sick child at home.  It may be because she still has young children that she seems to “get” the tug-of-war struggle that most working parents feel.

3) Her kitchen garden!  This has been an amazing hit — it almost seems crazy that the White House inhabitants haven’t created or magnified the benefits of a White House garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden plot during WWII!   Not only does it tie nicely to Michelle’s platform on healthy eating, but it allows her to bring in everyone from local children to the Iron Chef America crew in order to get the message across.   Her team has done an amazing job of creatively promoting the garden.

2) Her inclination to tease…starting with her husband.   We first saw this right after Obama was elected and the incoming First Couple sat down with Barbara Walters.   Babs asked then President-elect Obama what chores he did around the house.  Obama started to wax poetic about finding relaxation in washing the dishes.  Calling bull*&%@ on him for the world to see, Michelle said bluntly, “Really, when you have last washed dishes?”  So busted.  Of course she’s much more cautious now, as it seems people didn’t like how she would pick on him.  I found some of her “he doesn’t pick up his socks” comments just plain real.

1) Her style!!    Yes, I said it.   I am always looking to see what she is wearing!!  Very shallow yes — that is if you think fashion is shallow – - I actually don’t.   Like no First Lady since Jackie Kennedy has one taken such an interest in fashion (publicly).   Although she has some misses and people make fun of the JCrew get-ups as if JCrew precludes her form truly being a fashion diva, I actually think this all makes it more real.   What woman doesn’t hit and miss sometimes if they are truly adventurous with fashion?   Yes Jackie had the storied relationship with Oleg Cassini.   Yes, Laura Bush stuck pretty much with Oscar de la Renta.   All perfectly fine, perhaps wise and safe.  You could argue that these women knew what worked for them and didn’t drift far from their ”uniform.”     But, Michelle is young enough and her personality vivacious enough that she’s willing to explore.  In in the process, she’s given new life to the State Dinner Red carpets…. and, since Inauguration, kept us guessing as to ”who” she’d wear next.   One need only to read Robin Givhan’s 2009 summary on fashion hits and misses to see that Michelle is all over the BEST of the year.  

So, we’ll see what 2010 brings…My vote is for less of the President and more of his wife!

“I spent a lot of time listening to the words of the Christmas music we played at home today while waiting for Riley to come home.  I am stunned as if I was hearing it for the first time, at the absolute miracle of my heavenly Father sending His son into dire circumstances to grow up and become the suffering servant and sacrifice for my sins.   As a parent, we continuely ache to subject Riley to treatments that cause him pain, which he doesn’t completely understand, but that will result in his healing. The love of God is just beyond words. So, please drink deeply from the well of joy and glad tidings that is Christmas–emmanuel, God with us.”

Merry Christmas.

There are many others, but one of my mentors who comes to mind is State Rep. Katie True.   In short, she rocks. From her I have learned the following:

 – what fantastic customer service looks like  (in part, thanks to her right hand, Barbara Kauffman)

 – how to tell someone no with humor and kindness 

 – when to be blunt

 – how to articulate what the gal next door is feeling

 – how to keep your promises  (Katie term limited herself and always stuck to that commitment)

 – how to choose a few issues and really own them — she’s done this consistently on womens issues, childrens’ issues and in the fight against drugs

 – the importance of sticking to conservative principles but in a way that still allows you to be a bridge builder and catalyst for change

The Lancaster New Era just had a great editorial on her impact.   All the usual suspect Lancaster County white boys are lining up to take her spot, but they won’t be able to fill her shoes…  Two of my favorite quotes from the Editorial:

“Over the years, True’s tireless advocacy for children and families sometimes put her at odds with House leadership. She is a conservative, but one who has put principle above blind obedience to party.”

“Because of True’s work, children are safer in their schools and women are safer in their homes. All Pennsylvanians owe this remarkable legislator a note of thanks for making Pennsylvania a better place to live.”
 

By most accounts, last night’s event was  pretty standard Washington fare .. fancy house of an Ambassador, political jokes at the expense of both parties, accomplished speaker.   But what broke through all the fluff was the small (yet powerful) voices of  Monica, of Angelique — those lives transformed through Romanian Christian Enterprises (RCE). 

I have not known suffering in my life, nor have my children… nothing remotely close to the kind of evil visited on poor, disabled, abandoned children in that country.  For more than 15 years now, RCE has served them, clothed them, taught them, LOVED them, and often placed them in loving families —  in Romania.  Their work is so powerful and impact so great that not only do the local politicians support RCE, but the Romanian Federal government has given it its blessing and partnership. 

The organization is living out the life essence of the Hebrew man Job.  When we think of Job, we know he suffered, but we forget how he served…. Here from Job 29:12-17:

“I^(L) delivered the poor who cried for help,
   and the fatherless who had none to help him.
^13(M) The blessing of him who was^(N) about to perish came upon me,
   and I caused^(O) the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
¹⁴I^(P) put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
   my justice was like a robe and^(Q) a turban.
¹⁵I was^(R) eyes to the blind
   and feet to the lame.
¹⁶I was a father to the needy,
   and I searched out^(S) the cause of him whom I did not know.
¹⁷I^(T) broke^(U) the fangs of the unrighteous
   and made him drop his prey from his teeth.”

Each year, in Romania alone, nearly 5000 children exit the state system.  They are essentially released to the streets, seemingly destined to perpetuate the cycle of hopelessness and hurt that has been visited on them.   Evil spreads.  Yet mercy spreads too and there is hope.  There is a wideness to God’s mercy that is wider than the sea.  But it begins with those who are faithful.  God is using Romanian Christian Enterprises — and frankly the skills and dollars of people thousands of miles away  — to bring healing. 

Lord give me just a fraction of Job’s heart  — your heart — and mercy.

here are a just a few paragraphs from the story…

Microsoft’s New Cloud Computing

Quentin Hardy, 10.29.09, 10:20 AM EDT
Forbes Magazine dated November 16, 2009

Out of the blue: Microsoft’s new operating system will run through all computers in its giant data network.

From Seattle to West Hempfield township, Lancaster County, Windows 7 Parties are taking place all  over…honestly, I should have launched it here at the House of Klause — not only because I am loving it (I work for Microsoft, what do you expect), but because my Mac husband has been using it longer than me (on one of his 7 machines) and loves it… Here are some direct quotes…from me and from him… guess which one is from whom..

“It’s fun to shake the screens have all but one disappear”

“It’s 64-bit goodness rocks”

“The Sticky Notes function (start, all programs, accessories, stickynotes)”

“It starts up wicked quick”

“Stability, reliability, security”

“The new tool bar allows me to manage about 50 windows at once!”

Yes, some of these are from the very guy who made my life difficult this week by re-launching White House.gov in Drupal/Open Source.  (big sigh…)   But I digress.    Just for fun, here are some glowing stories on Windows 7…

— First is my colleague Kristin’s summary blog post on some of the cool stuff happening around the launch…she highlights a very cool campaign that our citizenship team launched called “7 ways to change the world’ — looking specifically at how Windows 7 features can benefit the work of non profits and governmental efforts to address the world’s challenges.

— eSchool News: Schools give Windows 7 favorable reviews

— Wall Street Journal – A Windows to Help You Forget….“After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It’s a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers.”

– Wired — Seven good reasons to switch to Windows 7…..“Because no matter how comfortable you are with XP, you do deserve an OS that’s both newer and better, and Windows 7 will deliver.”

— CNET – Microsoft Windows 7 (Professional)…CNET editor’s rating: Outstanding