Fandom Friday – Shoshannah Stern and Off The Grid

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Credit to Stands. (c)2018

Shoshannah Stern is an actress, in theatre, television, and film. She played hunter, Eileen Leahy on the hit show on The CW, Supernatural. The Supernatural cast and fans are known for their various charities, especially for actor/activist, Misha Collins’ Random Acts.

The All You Need is Love campaign will run for the next seven days. Items will begin shipping the third week in May. Proceeds from this campaign will go to Off The Grid, a non-profit that provides access to survival tools in high risk and remote areas all across the world. One of those survival tools is for the deaf and hard of hearing who are often forgotten about during emergency communications.

Shoshannah herself is deaf; her first language is American Sign Language. She is currently co-starring (and co-writing as well as having created) This Close, a series currently appearing on the Sundance Now streaming service. This Close is a modern day drama showing the universal story of friendship, love, and life where the two main characters (and others) just happen to be deaf.

New York Times article on This Close

Here’s their official trailer:

April: Quiet, Rebirth, Reassessment: Reflection

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​I reassess how things are going at various times throughout the year. I think some of that attitude is due to therapy, the constant thinking on how I’m doing, how I’m feeling, what’s new, what’s stale, etc.

I usually start with Rosh Hashanah and look back again at New Year’s. 

Spring is another good time to reassess how things are going, personally, professionally, spiritually, whatever needs assessing. I’m constantly assessing and reassessing my prayer life (when, how, what’s working, what’s not), my family life (discipline, family time, housekeeping, vacation plans, if any), and my writing life (outlines, content, major changes). Those are probably the three biggest for me.

What in your life needs a reassessment?

Ask yourself these questions:

Is this still working for me?

If not, what is it that’s not working?

What changes will help me move forward?

What can I do to do/be better? (Sometimes, it’s simply a minor thing, like getting up half an hour earlier or even wearing a favorite scarf or pin.)

The sun is shining more, the winds have died down, and it’s a bit warmer out (not this year in the Northeast, but we can hope for the coming change). It’s a good time to make changes when we’re coming out of our winter shell.

What changes will you make this month?

Sundays in Easter – 3rd Sunday

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Readings:

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
Ps 4
1 John 2:1-5a
Luke 24:35-48

Reflection

Prior to formally studying Christianity, I had a biased view and no understanding of Mary Magdalene. My Christian friends never spoke of her except in the hushed tones of the black sheep of the family and it isn’t until more recently that she is given her due as oe of the original disciples of Jesus.

Without her ministry, who knows when the apostles, locked away in hiding would have heard of the risen Christ.

She is the proof that women have been at the forefront of Jesus’ discipleship and witnessing.

I’ve told my own witness story a few times. I still find it a little unbelievable and if it hadn’t happened to me, I’m not sure I would embrace it as I do my own story. One thing I appreciate in telling it when I do is the response to it. There is joy and an underlying amazement; there are comments of bravery for sharing, and I do suppose that there is some level of courage to share something so intimate, unsure of the reactions. Most people not politely, but when talking to someone who truly understands, there is a shorthand of speech sounds and nodding heads and smiles.

Everytime I witness I gain something, and additional confidence to refine and retell and try to imbue it with appropriate meaning for both myself and the listener.

Journal Prompt

Witness

Prayer

Open our eyes to witness,
Our ears to hear others witness,
Our mouths to speak of our witness,
Our hearts to feel and our minds to understand our witness and the witness of others.

April: Quiet, Rebirth, Reassment: Recipes

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The beginning of April saw Passover fill that first week. Passover is the Jewish holiday commmemorating the Jews escape from slavery in Egypt. Part of the observation is forgoing all bread in favor of unleavened bread: matzo. When it came time to run, there wasn’t time to bake the bread, and so they took it as it was.

With kids being picky eaters, it can be difficult to suddenly simply remove a staple from their diets such as bread. It’s not just bread. It’s cereal, oatmeal, muffins, bagels, and I could spend hours listing all the ways they claim that I’m torturing them.

This year we tried two new recipes. Continue reading