Quick Takes

Today we celebrated now-Five Year Old's birthday with a baseball party at McCoppin Park. It was really fun to be out in the fresh air where the kids could run all around on the grass, the hill, and the path through the bushes, as well as some low-key tee-ball. Robin did a great job decorating the cake to look like a baseball diamond. (No photos to post yet, we still use film.) She also had the brilliant idea that, instead of a goody bag of cheap junk, we would give away a real baseball, a box of crackerjacks, and a few baseball stickers. The kids were excited!

• Update on grace before mealtime: Tonight while Robin was speaking a prayer, Five Year Old licked the macaroni and cheese on his plate. It reminds me of Kathleen's original article about grace that sparked my post, in which her baby just couldn't resist that good food in front of him.
  

• This morning a "flashmob" spelled out the word "impeach" on San Francisco's Ocean Beach. That's San Francisco Friend David Hartsough in the red jacket in this picture on the Chronicle's website.

• This event follows Thursday's vigil for peace outside the Federal Office building. There was a special turnout by the Declaration of Peace in support of Lt. Ehren Watada, who is facing court martial for refusing to deploy to Iraq. Twenty-eight people were arrested for trespassing, of some 150 people who attended; probably the largest vigil yet. Here's the Chronicle's report. I highly recommend SFMike's Civic Center blog, which has lots of great photos. I appreciate his faithful witness to the witness for peace. [WARNING! Post contains Unitarian jokes!]
  

Well, time to put the children to bed and figure out more details of the lesson I'm teaching at First-Day School tomorrow. It will have something to do with leadings, and God calling Samuel, and I'm not sure what else...