three things we love
Samantha Power and her Pulitzer Prize winning book: The Education of an Idealist
I am almost done with the Pulitzer Prize winning powerful memoir The Education of an Idealist written by Samantha Power, which showed up in my mailbox one day as a gift from an old dear friend and I can't tell you how much I am enjoying every page of it. Power is a master storyteller in the Irish tradition and living testament in defiance of the statement "you can't do it all." Beginning as a gutsy war correspondent during the Bosnian war, she became a champion against ethnic cleansing and went on to Harvard as an expert in genocide prevention. She subsequently played various roles under the Obama administration including senior and trusted special advisor to the President, member of the National Security Council and ultimately United Nations Ambassador. The memoir takes us through her whole life up until now (she is only 50), beginning with her birth in Ireland through a real behind the scenes look at the workings of journalism and governmental agencies as seen from the inside. We travel with her throughout her world, meeting with all types of people, leaders and civilians alike, sharing her references and mentors, and we are at her side as a mother, wife and human rights activist. She recounts her life story in a very personal manner, writing with humor and humanity, and I loved the many interesting and intimate details of her relationships, most notably her deep friendship with Barak Obama and her poignant connection with her father.
Icing on the cake: Ms. Power has just been confirmed this week to head up USAID, and in that huge role, will oversee the distribution of billions of dollars in foreign humanitarian aid. All the power to this committed, passionate, determined, and compassionate individual.
Samantha Power is a mother, wife, human rights activist, civil servant, marathon runner, and author.
Delicious chocolate dessert recipe made with dark chocolate and saltine crackers (or matzoh) courtesy David Lebovitz and Marcy Goldman
You can count on my favorite niece Maia to bring our family’s favorite dessert to all our holiday and social gatherings. In fact it is so good and so addictive that it goes by the name “Crack.” Here is the recipe from the highly acclaimed pastry chef David Lebovitz. (Please note that you can substitute saltines for matzoh.) Make this recipe if you dare. Or as they say, just rub it directly on my thighs…
And while I am on the subject of family recipes, here's one more favorite from my wonderful cousin Joanne Kahn. It will get us preparing for the warmer weather, and it is definitely a lot better for the waistline:
GAZPACHO SOUP
(serves 8-10)
combine 3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 cups tomatoes, chopped (about 4 tomatoes)
2 cups cucumbers, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4/cup fresh chives, chopped
1/3 cup veg oil, chopped (just kidding)
1-2 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon tabasco, depending on how spicy you want it
1 32 oz. bottle of clamato juice.
Chill and enjoy.
And for those who are not purists, here are a few variations on the Gazpacho theme from the website Brit + Co.
Gazpacho Soup has its origin in southern Spain
Teacher teaches a valuable lesson to students about kindness
This is making the rounds on facebook. Thought it was worthy of posting here:
One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.
Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in
Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.
The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?' he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked about you a lot.'
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.
'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said. 'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'
All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'
Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.'
'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'
That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.
painting of the week
I love the long horizontal format. It has an elegance to it that attracts me. I have been working on this series of bird scrolls for a number of years in various iterations, originally loosely inspired by an exhibit of Chinese calligraphic handscrolls I saw at the Metropolitan Museum quite a few years ago. And since my husband, Gert Mathiesen's passing, red birds have a special meaning for me.
Featured Mother's Day gift and one of our top sellers: Cutting board that doubles as a Cheese Board. Available through our artSHOP
Self Portrait going grey in the time of Covid…
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.