Dr. Joseph Lowery

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand -- true to thee, O God, and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day. We pray now, O Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national and, indeed, the global fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hand, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you're able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor or the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed -- the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little, angelic Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love.

Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: Say amen --

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: -- and amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen! (Cheers, applause.)

Scrumptious Strawberry Sesame Cookies

I am in love with this new recipe for Strawberry Sesame cookies I tried yesterday!

Sweet and savory, this variation on the traditional jam thumbprint cookie is surprisingly good and super easy to make. I started with the recipe for Apricot Sesame Cookies on Allrecipies.com and varied it up so I could make it with what I had already in the house and not have to go to the store. Here's the recipe, enjoy!

Scrumptious Strawberry Sesame Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Strawberry Jam

DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in extract. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.

2. Roll into 1-in. balls, then roll in sesame seeds. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Fill with jam. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Free Margarita's at Grant Park's new Tin Lizzy Cantina!

Last night, the ladies of the Flaccidity "Book Club" made our way to try out the newest addition to Grant Park's Memorial Corridor, the Tin Lizzy Cantina. We were excited to have a new Mexican restaurant right in our neighborhood (1.8 miles from my doorstep)- it's been exhausting trekking all the way (all 2.5 miles) to East Atlanta's plethora of Mexican restaurant choices.

How can you not love a place named Tin Lizzy? After all, it is phonetically spelled the way my beloved Irish relatives pronounce the name of the legendary hard rock band Thin Lizzy. Fantastic.

But another reason you can't help but love it: the margaritas are flowing, and no one is charging - for now anyway. When I got there, Kristi and Carrie had been waiting for about 10 minutes already, with promises that the wait would be about 20 minutes. Not so much- we waited about an hour for table. We didn't mind so much though because the very friendly waitstaff would deliver directly to us fresh drinks every time they noticed we were empty-handed. Which in this group of lush ladies is often. Very smart business practice, kids. Without those margs we definitely would have headed down the block to Six Feet Under's new location.

Tin Lizzy's ambiance is lively, bustling, and loud with fun mainstream rock n' roll. As you may have gathered based on our wait time, it was slam crowded which is great for them in their first week open.

When we finally sat at our table, the manager came over to check on us and offer up whatever he could to make us happy. When I heckled him about being drunk with power, he responded that he was merely drunk with hospitality. Well played, sir. He brought us over yet another whole pitcher of strong margaritas on the house.

The food was fine- their "best-selling" fried fish taco was good but didn't hold a candle to El Myr's delicious grilled tilapia taco or Taqueria del Sol's fish taco with the incredible lemon sauce. The best thing we had was the fresh homemade guacamole. And I did appreciate that you could get your tacos on whole wheat tortillas at no extra charge.

And our bill for 5 of us eating and drinking with gluttony: $47.86. Not bad at all. And not a single alcohol charge.

All in all, Tin Lizzy's Cantina is a certainly a welcome addition to our Grant Park neighborhood. Even if I did wake up with a start at 5am with a mild headache and Bon Jovi's Bad Medicine running through my brain. Prior to that I had slept a beautiful tequila-blessed slumber.

Roses for Mom

16"x20", Acrylic, Gloss Media and Beads on canvas. Made with love for Christmas for my Mother who cultivates blossoms better than anyone and surrounds herself with their beauty.