Chocolate Nirvana in Manhattan's SoHo

"Chocolate is not a food; God decrees it is a drink." -- some Pope in the 17th Century.

OK, the quote is not verbatim, but the essence of it was conveyed at a chocolate event in a Soho artist's loft that was about 120 degrees and a scene like something out of a chocolate-drenched Breakfast at Tiffany's. Lots of young, smart Manhattanites drinking pomegranate vodka and tonics, eating chocolate, and listening to a PowerPoint presentation by the first "Doctor" of chocolate, Dr. Kristy Leissle, whose book Chocolate Planet is a memoir of traveling around the world studying the history and present of the cocoa trade routes.

Chocolate does lift the spirits, there's no doubt, but alas, Dr. Leissle attributes that more to the sugar than any special ingredient or caffeine. European aristocrats became so enamored of the cocoa drink that they petitioned the Pope of the era to allow them to drink it during Lent -- which he said God endorsed, especially since the Pope probably partook in it as much as they did.

My friends Roxanne, the "chocolate chihuahua," Maggie "MagsJoy" and I did our own little chocolate tour of SoHo, escaping the rain in the highly rated Kee's Chocolates to sample her decadent wares. We even met camera-shy Kee, a petite Japanese woman, who recommended her favorites. Then we trooped in the rain over to Vosges, a slick modern chocolate bar with mirrors, chrome and marketing panache. Famous for its chocolate bacon bar -- I kid you not -- the shop recently expanded into to-die-for chocolate ice cream treats.

Then we ended prior to the artist studio event at MarieBelle, the chocolate parlor of a more refined era. Each square is graced with a miniature work of art in natural fruit flavors -- flapper women with poodles and debonair men playing golf. The tea and coffee emporium side of the shop is a delightful haven where one can sip divine imported tea, made from loose leaves, at marble cafe tables. I purchased an exquisite tiny case that held two of the chocolates as a gift.

Chocolate may not be a cure for what ails you, but it certainly is a gift from God.

Hugging the World, One Stop at a Time

Recently on Twitter, I found a link for the Global Hug Tour, the brainchild of Gail Goodwin of Bigfork, Montana. She and her husband did a "visionquest" in which they meditated on what they would most like to do. He wanted to fly around the world; she wanted to "hug" the world.

So they collaborated to found a charity that would allow them to do both.

For the first leg, Gail's husband will fly a single engine airplane around North America as they stop to meet with people and "hug" them as part of the fundraiser. Each hug will be paid for by $10 donations that will go to a designated charity in the area. Their ultimate plan is to go on a European tour, Middle East tour, African tour and Pacific/Asia tour.

Although they've already identified many of the charities, its still early, so other people can jump on the tour, so to speak. I'm forwarding them information on Charity:Water, one of my favorite groups, which builds wells for villages in Africa and other developing areas.

I think its a great idea to bring people together, so I've sponsored a hug, and will probably sponsor more as they solidify their plans.

Harry Potter Film Brings Reality Into the Fantasy

When the first Harry Potter film debuted, my son and Harry were the same age, struggling with the issues of 13-year-old boys in making new friends and playing sports. In the latest film, events occur outside of Hogwarts School as evil wizards called deatheaters cause the deaths of people in London.

In this film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the lives of the now teenage wizards mirror those of their contemporaries in the real world as youngsters drink butterbeer to celebrate and down spirits to recover from the effects of a potion.

The Potter films are becoming grim reminders of life's threats as the years go by, and the battles Harry has to fight against the Dark Lord are now part of a full-blown war as Voldemort seeks to regain his power at any cost.

My son had been dubious about seeing yet another Potter film, but once he began watching it, I think he related so well to the characters that he enjoyed it as much as he did as a child. The first film opened on his birthday in 2001, and the later films used to come out every year about the same time as his birthday. It was a tradition for us to see them for the first four years. We missed the fifth year.

Now in the sixth film, Harry is on the brink of adulthood. The next film will take place outside of Hogwarts completely as Harry begins a quest with his friends to find the magical items that will stop Voldemort from his evil plan.

I was amused today when I opened up The New York Times and discovered a story about parents' concerns about the frequent imbibing of liquor in the latest Potter film. Strangely, no one brought up other issues, like the prevalence of violence and murders. Someone might even have noted the risk of premarital sex between the characters, with all of the crushes and frisky necking going on -- even the use of a love potion that is the wizard equivalent of a date rape drug.

The last film seemed far less magical to me than the past ones. While the screenplay delivered, it left me with the feeling that the next film will have the answers, as the characters continue to search for their roles in the world and attempt to find the right answers after losing the most influential leader in their lives in a martyrdom ending.

This story also had some derivative elements that gave it more of a brooding Lord of the Rings flavor than the charm of previous Potter movies. I guess now that Harry has grown up, the innocence of those days are gone, even on film. I miss them.

MAGSJOY blogs: Best Friends Forever!

MAGSJOY blogs: Best Friends Forever!

Living in the Moment As Moments Dwindle

Today I made a solid date with my son after more than a week since he picked us up at the airport on Long Island. Somehow, every day, something would come up in terms of work or job hunting or friends and he would break our plans for meeting for lunch or dinner or a walk in the park. Some would say he lives in the moment, which is good as a general rule, but bad when it means that you will spend less than 5% of your time in a week with your mother who lives on the other side of the country now.

We extended our trip by a week so that in addition to business, we could spend more quality time with family and friends. Now we have seven more days to attempt to meet.

I suppose when I was 20 I probably spent as little time as possible talking to my Mom, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, I see it differently. Time seems to pass more quickly to me now that we're far away, and I treasure every hour we have together.

Last week we went to a barbeque with the Wasilausky's, whom we know well from church, and we were entertained all evening by their grandchildren, Molly, 6, and Sean, 3. My father-in-law was amazed at how I had so much to say and do with them, since he hadn't had the pleasure of having young grandchildren around. I should borrow them every now and then so that he gets his fill.

It brought back memories of my son when he was at that magical age of being able to express his thoughts and having such passionate opinions about animals and stories and playing. He was a big fan of Batman then (before Batman became such a dark character) and loved the movie Aladdin. He begged for a dog until I finally caved in on his 10th birthday. We did lots of things together then, especially since I was a single mother. Some of my fondest memories were of going to the beach and swimming for an entire day. He never seemed to tire of the water.

As he gets older, it seems I worry just as much about his well-being as I did then, except that I have far less control over it now. He no longer worships at church, which is typical of most people his age, nor does he spend much time thinking about spirituality and eternal life or even the consequences of his actions. Ironically, I think Proverbs in the Bible addresses such issues and states that young people are expected to behave that way -- but they must atone for it when they mature.

My son is baptized and confirmed, so all I can do is pray and ask God to watch over him. Like many other young men, I know that he is in danger of being injured by an often uncaring and brutal world. Or of injuring others because of his callow youth and undisciplined actions.

Last Sunday's scripture, taken from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians (3:14-21), is the kind of sound advice he was fond of dispensing to various outposts of Christians, like a parent to his children.

"...I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Genome Project Leader Explains DNA of Belief

Having lived for years in the vicinity of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory where DNA was discovered, I paid attention to the writings of one of the Nobel Prize winners for that feat, Francis Crick. I even read his book about searching for God, which concluded that there was no way to prove His existence scientifically.

So when I was introduced to an audio book by another Francis, Francis S. Collins, the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute -- which broke down how DNA works in the human body -- I was thrilled to find that he is a believer. This has led him to pursue analysis of the ideas involving philosophy, science and faith, and their relationship in history and in the present.

The 2006 book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, explores how religion got such a bad name in reaction to oppression by the church and government, and how thought about religion evolved into Agnosticism and Atheism by the new scientists of the 19th century -- who essentially threw the baby out with the bathwater.

From a scientific Christian like Sir Isaac Newton to Richard Dawkins, a rabid anti-God writer, Collins probes the motivations and arguments of scientists on the subject and pokes holes in the concepts held dear by those who reject God without sound reasons as well as New Earth Creationists who reject scientific findings due to narrow-minded interpretations of scripture. It is particularly interesting to hear his explanation of how Dawkins sets up straw men and knocks them down as a way of arguing against God.

Dawkins' last diatribe was a bestseller, which once again shows how easily people can be deceived when presented with arguments by scholars who have a philosophical axe to grind, in spite of the lack of evidence for their case.

Collin's compelling book presents one of the finest explanations for why anyone should keep an open mind about God, especially as science begins to discover the origins of both the universe (and how it appears to have been created) and the origins of our inner universe, which are far more complex than any 19th Century nonbeliever ever could have imagined.

Lots of News, But Focusing on the Good

Sometimes it helps to be a Christian to gain the long perspective on life. Those who know the Word know that everything works toward the good when you have God in your life. So when you have weeks that aren't so wonderful, you can remember how you've been blessed and know that you will be again if you live according to His law.

Lately, Andy's health problems have been occupying a lot of our time with tests and new medications. But on the positive side, we've discovered a neighborhood where we want to live and some house prospects that are appealing, after six months of searching for the perfect combination at the right price.

Also, we celebrated our sixth anniversary (10 years together in total) this past weekend at the Royal Palms resort in Phoenix. Unfortunately, the temperature happened to hit 115 degrees, so outside activities were out of the question, but dinner at the world-class restaurant, T. Cook's, helped to make up for that. While the hotel was lovely to look at and the staff was pleasant, there were other issues that made it a less than perfect stay, like a mechanical banging noise that woke us up about every 20 minutes all night. Andy thinks it may have been overtaxed air conditioning units. Whatever the cause, we weren't exactly perky the next morning. Yet, it was a nice getaway, and the staff tried hard to make it up to us by giving us a complimentary breakfast and a break in our room price.

Recently I joined a health club, and have been enjoying having state-of-the-art facilities for a bargain basement price compared to New York. The club is open 24/7, unlike the last one I was in, which would close without warning some days. It's a much more copacetic environment here in Prescott. Much more conducive for working on the body, mind and spirit.

Tonight we're having what will likely be a weekly Bible study. It will be a good time to soak in the power and beauty of the teachings and maybe get a "Word" on our ongoing work.

Happy Fourth of July From Cherry, AZ

Jackson's Death Exemplifies Need For Life Of Faith

Last week's deaths of celebrities Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and even pitchman Billy Mays held a mirror to public beliefs on life and death.

By the very nature of his fame, as well as his untimely passing at only age 50, Michael Jackson's death had the greatest impact worldwide.

In my corner of the world, reactions from friends varied tremendously. Some essentially said "good riddance" to a pedophile; some judged him a spoiled brat and addict; some were saddened by the passing of a talented performer; and some were distraught because of some connection with his music or life with their own.

When Princess Diana died, I grieved disproportionately because I had identified with her as a single mother whose life paralleled my own in some ways. She married a few years before I did and she divorced a few years after I did. I wept for her passing at such a young age, leaving two young sons behind. The sudden and horrifying way that she died also haunted me.

To me, Michael Jackson's life was his tragedy as much as his death. His incredibly long and painful fall from grace as an accused child molester, his obsession with changing his appearance and his apparent unrelieved loneliness all exemplified how heights of wealth, fame and popularity did not bring him joy. If anything, most aspects of success in his life did the opposite.

Judging by accounts of his final years, it is apparent that he was a shadow of a man who could not live with himself and even found it impossible to sleep at night. He was tormented by demons that may have been literal as well as figurative. When Jesus cast out demons, he saved people from their own spirits of evil, and blessed them with peace. Jackson needed to seek forgiveness for his sins to obtain that kind of healing.

According to accounts from a Christian news service, friends of Jackson who ministered to him a few weeks before his death said that he had sought spiritual guidance and help in becoming a better Christian. Whether or not he was saved by Jesus, Jackson's addiction may have made it impossible for him to change his life before it was too late.

Farrah Fawcett, by contrast, became far more spiritual before her death. She clearly drew strength and solace from her faith in Christ.

Some Christian groups see the consecutive deaths of these stars as an opportunity to reach the Hollywood community, which is rife with people who need saving from their egocentric lives. Whatever the reason for the timing, I hope that it does give people the chance to see that a life without God is ultimately an empty one that leads to death, while one that has God in its center leads to Life and, in the end, Eternal Life.