Villefranche-sur-mer v.2

Dear Friends,

As New Years' Day comes to a close here in France, I have been thinking about how things are different when we are here.

First, since we grocery shop everyday, we tend to buy only what we need and use everything we buy. For example, today virtually all the stores were closed, but we discovered on our walk that one of the boulangeries was in fact open.  So we had to stop in to buy some dessert for a dinner that would be made from things we had purchased on our first day of provisioning.  Tonight for dinner we used the leftover sauce with leek, onions and potatoes along with some carrots and a frozen chicken breast to make a wonderful one pan meal.

We added a simple lettuce salad with Jane's balsamic vinaigrette dressing and a bottle of wine for a perfect meal.

Of course we had to finish with the wonderful desserts we had purchased at the boulangerie.

Fortunately the stores will be open tomorrow so we can provision again, although we saved the leftover sauce that now has in it potatoes, green beans, carrots, leeks and onions although not much of any one of them.  We will have a great soup for lunch tomorrow.  

Since we walk everywhere to shop and buy primarily local products, our carbon footprint (ignoring the airplane flight to get here) is really quite small and since we throw out very little we can feel very smug about how we are treating the planet.

The other thing that I have been thinking about while we are here is the need to be inclusive of all people.  Even in this small town, there are a wide variety of people with different ethnic backgrounds, but there is a sense of harmony. 

Last night we went to dinner at a restaurant that was organized by our landlady.  In addition to us, there was another American couple from St. Louis who visit Villefranche several times a year, a Canadian couple that also visit several times a year, a couple consisting of a woman born in Amsterdam and her husband who was born in Australia who now live in Turkey but have just bought a place in Villefranche, a French woman who lives in Villefranche, and our landlady and her husband both of whom are American but met in and now live in Villefranche. Amazingly enough all of us shared relatively close political views.  In a way we were all the same - white, financially well off, educated and politically liberal; but our life experiences were very different.  

We all simply accepted each other and had a wonderful evening.  Wouldn't the world be a better place if we always accepted new people and were inclusive.  My New Years' Resolution is to be more inclusive in how I live my life.

Thanks for reading and please comment,

The Unabashed Liberal

Love and Compassion

Dear Friends,

On this Christmas Eve, the letter reprinted below reminded of the true meaning of Christmas and the universality of the saying "love thy neighbor as thyself" which is said in so many ways in so many different religions and by so many people.  The letter from multiple Muslim leaders in Minnesota was published in the Star Tribune today (here).  I hope you will take the time to read and reflect on it.  I hope that all of you will join me as I try harder to live my life with love, compassion, justice and inclusion.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal

A holiday letter from Muslim leaders in Minnesota

Two faiths, one hope — for peace

By Multiple authors DECEMBER 23, 2015 — 7:34PM

To our Christian brothers and sisters:

Out of our shared love for the Messiah, Jesus, Son of Mary, Peace Be Upon Him, we greet you with peace and joy during your celebration of his life.

The Bible refers to him as the Messiah and describes the annunciation, his miraculous birth and his numerous miracles.

The Qur’an refers to him as the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary. It teaches about his miraculous birth and how his mother Mary was honored above all the worlds. Muslims are instructed to invoke peace upon him whenever his name is mentioned.

The Qur’an narrates the story of the angel who visited Mary, saying “O Mary, indeed God has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of all the worlds.” (Qur’an 3:42)

The angel said, “O Mary, indeed God gives you good news of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary. He will be honored in this world and the Hereafter and he will be among those closest to God. He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and he will be of the righteous.” (Qur’an 3:44-45)

She said, “My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?” The angel said, “Such is God; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (3:47)

The Qur’an describes how the baby Jesus, immediately upon birth, looked up to his mother and comforted her: “Do not be sad; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be contented.” (Qur’an 19:24-26)

The Qur’an describes many instances in the life of Jesus: how he preached the worship of God and compassion to people, how he healed the leper, how he healed the blind, and even how he brought the dead back to life.

Our two religions, Christianity and Islam, which both profess love and reverence for Jesus as a central figure in each of our religions, constitute over half of the population of the world.

Mercy and compassion, charity and love are the divine attributes that the Christmas season evokes among Christians. A mother’s devotion, a child’s love, and the promise of God’s mercy and grace in the coming of Jesus to us are sentiments that Muslims can share and appreciate.

In the Bible, we are told that Jesus, in response to a question about the most important commandment, is said to have answered: “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is similar. You should love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40) Jesus added that those whose hearts are filled with such love of God and neighbor live not far from the kingdom of God. (Mark 12:34)

Similarly, the Qur’an teaches us that to “worship God being sincere to Him in faith, to incline towards the truth, to establish prayer and to give alms to the poor is the essence of the religion.” (Qur’an 98:5) “ ... And you should forgive and overlook: Do you not like God to forgive you? And God is The Merciful Forgiving.” (Qur’an 24:22)

The Prophet Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him, taught: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

In the words of St. Paul, let us put on the armor of light which is the teaching of God that we are to love one another that we might together better confront the dark that lies within some human hearts which are far from God. (Romans 13:12)

As Jesus taught so movingly, let our lights so shine together before all people that they may see our good works which glorify our God in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Jesus taught us that we should not live by bread alone but by every word of God. (Matthew 4:4)

Thus, we applaud the good hearts and loving deeds seeking to please God in His mercy and compassion that are befitting for us not only during this Christmas season but also every day of every year. Let all people, Christians and Muslims, who love Jesus, peace be upon him, come together to practice what he preached. Let peace and goodwill spread among us all.

We invite all our Muslim brothers and sisters of goodwill to join us in this open letter at this Christmas season and throughout the year as peace and joy, love of God and neighbor, are to be with us always.

This article was submitted by Imam Asad Zaman, Muslim American Society of Minnesota; Dr. Odeh Muhawesh, Imam Hussain Islamic Center; Shaykha Tamara Gray, Rabata/Daybreak Bookstore; Dr. Tamim Saidi, Masjid Al Kareem; Fedwa Wazwaz, Engage Minnesota; Dr. Shah Khan, Islamic Center of Minnesota; Dr. Onder Uluyol, Islamic Resource Group; Zafar Siddiqui, Al Amal School; Imam Sharif Mohamed, Islamic Civic Society of America — Masjid Dar Al-Hijrah, and Owais Bayunus, Islamic Center of Minnesota.