I love the Academy Awards. The red carpet, the trash-talking about gowns and hairdos, the hush of cramped anticipation before the winner is announced – and oh yeah, the stars in all their glory. Larry & I are having our First Annual Oscars party tonight and I am throwing down the food, y’all. He’s ecstatic that he gets to oversee an entirely overcomplicated voting system and I’m thrilled I get to introduce a whole new crop of friends to my legendary lentil, kale, sausage soup!

But in the midst of lusting after Louboutins, I’m worried about Libya, New Zealand and Wisconsin. Deeply worried. Which makes me feel kinda Nero-esque – partying while people are being shot for protesting in Libya, crushed by aftershocks in New Zealand, and right here in the good old Midwest, stripped of their collective bargaining rights (not the mention the chance to see another season of Two and A Half Men — although that might be a blessing).

Today at church, the sermon was my mom’s absolute favorite – and of course, a timely rebuke to all my obsessing about my upcoming party… “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on …Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ^…31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?…. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

So for SURE I’m going to stop being superficial and write about all those big, troubling things in the next day or two. But today, I’m just going to be grateful that I get to have a party … and that so many of you wrote to me with your suggestions for my blog 2011! I was really touched by that …although I have to tell you that I’m absolutely not going to be the Consumer Terrorist. I tried it for the week (whilst trying to get one stinking DVR to work) and I can tell you with great certainty – it did not make me a nice person. At all. Turns out I don’t have the slightest ability to keep my happy attitude when I’m being angry at Comcast & the vendors of the world. The gospel was entirely right – worrying about the pixels you will get and seeking better TV reception is the path to Satan’s doorstep (or worse, channeling your own inner demon). So … it’s back to giving and being glad.

Lilies of the field.

Happy Sunday, Happy Oscars & Happy lilies, everybody!