What Does Fresh, Sparkly Food Look Like? Manna Soup Kitchen of Durango, Colorado
While Durango sports techs, look to make Durango the new Silicone Valley, for sports, nutrition, nature, good mental, physical and spiritual health, goes hand in hand with the technology, remembering the very human side of the equation. Sunday morning, after a great night sleep at the Durango Community Shelter, I tripped on down the steep hills, that work my butt, going both up and down, I stopped in for breakfast, and holy shit, what a breakfast. First, because I got there early, there was cold cereal, juice, yogurt, standards of coffee, milk, etc. Just as I was getting done with that, the Chefs, wearing black chef hats, and black chef shirts, put out a few pizzas--probably donated from a local pizzaria, much appreciated, and reminded us that on Sunday, a day of rest, breakfast was served later than usual, and to stick around for that. I am a real breakfast person, so, I sat there are read The Durango Herald, with the word Durango, in cool old fashioned, cowboy, or western style font, making a newspaper that integrates the standard template, with the history and flavor of the town. Nice.
Brightest Yellow Eggs, Red & Green Salsa, Lime Green Pesto . . . Bacon, Sausage, Another Volunteer Chef's Special Pork Chops, Jon or La Pierre's Amazing Pastries!
This morning, while excited to go to breakfast at the Manna Soup Kitchen, named for the heavenly manna, that was found on the ground, each morning, as the Children of Israel, led by Moses and Aaron, while in the wilderness, and with the Lord, within a burning bush, admonished the people, to gather up just enough manna each day for their needs, and let the rest go or rot, on the ground, ensuring them that every day, their daily food needs would be met . . . and so it is with this amazing soup kitchen, and it is about to get better--I noticed, behind the shelter, that there appeared to be some sort of early preparations for a garden. So, after breakfast, amazing, useful, nutritious, fresh, clean food, with a ton of variety for all types of people, I stopped by the kitchen, to thank the Chefs, one already a chef and the other one in training . . . and just happened to ask him, if that was a garden in the workings behind the kitchen? With pride, he said, yes, we grow a lot of our own food, and serve much of what you get here, right out of the garden . . . so cool!
He went on to tell me, that last year, they, the Manna Soup Kitchen, produced about 1200 pounds of fresh food, and this year, the goal of the board, staff and volunteers, was to grow, double that amount, and grow, hopefully, 2500 pounds of food! Amazing! He told me that last year, there were between 10 and 15 families, who they gave about that many bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, from the produce of the small garden, for them to take home and use for their families! They have an orchard of roughly 6 trees, unless I didn't hear right, he, the chef, was trying to keep things going, while I was grilling him, or it may have been 16 fruit trees. They also have a beehive or honey producing boxes, or whatever the new ways of getting honey now days . . . my great-grandfather, a Utah state senator, was a honey producer, and quit wealthy, so I remember the old white bee boxes, but I am not sure what they use now. But, I was beyond impressed. I love fresh healthy foods, and gardens, are just miracles to me! On the wall, over the serving table and kitchen, is this saying . . .
Manna's mission it to provide, in the Name of and Spirit of Jesus Christ, nourishing meals and supportive services in an atmosphere and caring for those in need!
On the back of the dining room wall, there is a copy of Client's Rights, the shelter, also has a whole procedure and manual, implementing due process and equal protection matters, serving those in need, while doing it with the ultimate respect, dignity, giving notice and process, if there are any rights, rules, or things amiss . . . talk about Justice for All . . . and the implementation of really smart, ways of managing the shelter and the soup kitchen, but being absolutely non-discriminating, respectful, giving dignity to those in need, and doing a stellar job at it, beyond, belief, almost. My thoughts, as I left the soup kitchen, was how, very well, these people had protected their guests . . . a lofty label, in deed, when you really think about many, blowhards and the intolerant, who would kick a person when they are down! These people understand, the separation of church and state, but also integrate their religious beliefs, into their daily service to their fellowmen, women and children. They take you as you are, and truly treat you as their guests, suggesting, taking out the best silverware, plates, and serving special food, and that is so damned impressive, without judgment, force, hurt, but with love in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!
Being raised Mormon, and now, non-denominational Christian, I am not quite sure what evangelical Christianity looks, like, other than what we see in the press, here on the news, and deal with in our law making bodies, but they might want to look to a few of these model places of Christianity, I know what that looks like . . . pure religion, is visiting the fatherless and the widows, feeding the needy, visiting the sick and afflicted, and clothing the naked. I am amiss to wonder, what the Indiana legislature and the people, are saying, or trying to do, when saying that no state laws, will prohibit them from practicing their religion, just who's religion are your following? If I were to do a self, analysis of the religiosity, of the Colorado, and the Indiana, legislatures, using Christ as a model, his teachings and his examples, I would have to rate, Colorado, much higher, voting to care about the wages of their fellow citizens, who might not be as fortunate, with access to educational resources and money, or from the type of homes the legislators may have come from, but they are willing to vote, to protect, those who have menial jobs, who work their asses off, and maybe a lot harder than pencil pushers, and get nowhere. We can't raise good families, if both parents have to work two and three jobs to make a living!
Indiana, what laws are prohibiting you from practicing your religion, what stops you from praying, from worshiping in your churches and synagogues, from raising your children the way you want to, but without putting your personal religious beliefs on someone else, who may not see it the way you do? Once again, if you open your doors for business, for commerce, for exchange of goods and services, you are subjecting yourself to all the laws of this nation, and your individual state, and you may want to change churches, because, if love is not your mantra, tolerance, understanding, forgiveness, and charity, then you are in the wrong fucking church! Satan or the Devil, is the ruler of this earth, he lays in wait to kill and destroy you . . . you better be able to distinguish between the forces of evil, and the forces of good, and the authors of both, because your very soul depends on it. Evaluate the sources, from man, or God, and God is love, and his government is based on the laws of love!
The Broken Heart of a Grandmother, Pleading For A Grandson!
On the cover of the newspaper, there were two defendants, charged in the shooting of another person, at the Iron Horse Inn, allegedly over the growing of marijuana. The attorney, is arguing that the bail amount, amounts to 8th amendment levels of cruel and unusual punishment. But the thing that struck me most, was the emotional plea of one of the defendant's grandmothers, stating that he had good parents, that he was happy, helpful, and caring of his little brother, who has some disease, Cerebral palsy or something like that, and what a good kid this kid was and is. It broke my heart, and shooting someone over something so, whatever, insignificant. But the thought came to my mind, that we need to teach our kids, not only to love others, but to love themselves, to not commit crimes . . . because spending the rest of your life, or a significant amount of time, in prison, is just not a loving thing to do, not only to your victim, but to yourself. You can only love others, as much as you love yourself.
Love One Another, As I--Jesus--Have Loved You; Love the Lord Your God, and Love Your Fellowmen, women and children . . . Do unto others as you would have done to you! And Jesus admonished the men, to treat each woman as your mother, and each younger woman as your sister!
POWERHOUSE . . . ELECTRIC REVOLUTION!
What I Discovered On a Pleasant Walk Along the River To the Library
P.S., I took a great walk, along the Riverfront, to the library . . . what you will see . . . a beautiful park, with a skate park, right by the river, my sons were both skaters and would have loved this, the Riverfront Community Center, with community acupuncture, Fresh off the Press, Printing, Riverfront Fitness and Oxygen Fitness 03, Little R.E.D. Community Free Library, a little cute, red roofed structure that allows you to take books to read, and it looks like a book store too. Then down the road a bit, to the Signature Salon Spa, there is a great community art collaborative, of wild, colorful, broken tile mosaic fish, swimming in an equally colorful stream, with rocks and other stream things, like flies, or a dragon fly, way fun and impressive, love all the art around town . . . then, to the awesome structure, of the Main Avenue Bridge or water walkway, so refreshing and attractive, in style, convenience, safety, beauty, leading you along the river, under the road, up to a gazebo, of gold and white, with yellow daffodils, grassy lawns, in a hilly fashion, looking like a summer concert series or free concerts for the public might be given there; on to a rock with a sundial looking emblem, with a National Golden Award, to the Durango Park & Recreation, for Excellence in Parks and Recreation . . . and I will second that . . . then to a great bridge over the water, looking at historic markers of points of interest, like the flood of the river, to 20X its normal summer run off, in 1911, but happening on several other occasions, looking across the street to the Iron Horse Bridge, where the train crosses, down the road to a marker for the Fassbinders, a pioneering couple, who provided drinking water for Durango, out of there spring on their property, altruistic and nice, good business man, and then, past the Fish Hatchery and the Wildlife Museum, on up the road to the state of the art, Durango Library!
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