I'm Loving Soul Pancake

Well, I'm not an Office fan - you know, the show that stars Rainn Wilson as a quirky, weird office guy? I hear it's a great show; I've just never tuned into it. I might just have to because I really adore Rainn Wilson.

I found out about a year or so ago that Rainn is a Baha'i and I'm incredibly impressed with how he has introduced The Faith to the world using his celebrity status. He is the best spokesperson we could have - he's funny, articulate, and just a normal, non-glitzy, Hollywood kind of dude.

I am even more excited now that I watched him being interviewed by Oprah on her Soul Series radio show. Wow! It is such a great interview. Oprah has been introduced to the Baha'i Faith! I'm sure she had heard of it; I can't imagine that she has lived in Chicago and not known about the Baha'i Faith, but she gives the impression during the interview that she didn't know about it at all.

You can check out the interview too, just CLICK HERE.

So, why am I loving Soul Pancake and what is Soul Pancake?? It's Rainn Wilson's newest service to the world - his non-hippie-dippie way of getting folks talking about life's big questions by exploring spirituality without it feeling sappy or like church. It's still being developed, but you can check out the website and see what they've created thus far at www.soulpancake.com

Another Ayyam-i-Ha Celebrated!

Only one week ago, our family celebrated Ayyam-i-Ha. Starting February 26-March 1, Baha'i families and communities celebrate these "inter-calary" days with gift-giving, hospitality, and charity.

Decorating For Ayyam-i-Ha
In our home, we decorate with dolls from other lands. I bought beautiful cloth dolls at Pier One Imports one year after Christmas. One is from India and has a beautiful pink sari, another is from Scotland, another from Africa, and the other from Japan. The four dolls are displayed prominently on our mantle.

With gem color lights, the room was aglow with a warm feeling of spring approaching. We have beaded birds and a garland of felted flowers and a garland of spring flower buds strung throughout the main room. Iz and K had a delightful time hanging up our little animal ornaments on their play kitchen and play stand.

Family Party!!
We make 9-pointed star sugar cookies every year for neighbors and the children's teachers. And one of our yearly holiday highlights is our extended family party that involves all of our cousins, aunts, and of course, grandma and grandpa. Each family brings a large basket and a dozen handmade gifts to pass around to each family. By the end of the party, everyone's basket is brimming with gifts and goodies to take home. This is the 2nd year we have decided to add a chocolate fountain to the festivities.

The Ayyam-i-Ha Virtues Fairy
At our community-wide party for the children, we invited the Ayyam-i-Ha Virtues Fairy to come. She sat on her throne and invited each child to sit on her lap. They chose their own unique virtue from her sash and she told them how that virtue made them special. Each child seemed enthralled with her attention. She was magical.

Welcome to One Baha'i Mama's Blog!

It is so exciting to finally have a space to share my musings as a Baha'i mother. All of the blog posts floating in my head for a Baha'i Blog can now escape and be a part of the world wide web for other Baha'i families around the world.

Although there are not many Baha'i families in the world, we are quite a diverse lot. Thus, the name "One Baha'i Mama." This blog will reflect only the experience of one Baha'i mother and her family.

I am looking forward to sharing our experiences of our holidays, Holy Days, and daily life traditions living our lives as a Baha'i family in America. My blog will focus on myself, my husband, G, and our two young children, Iz, age 6 and K, age 3.

Stay tuned to learn of our adventures and explorations of our individual journey about living with faith in a society that wants to leave it behind.