Death Comes

Cargoless,
bound heavenward,
ship of the moon
~~Dohaku

My friend Joe died this afternoon, peacefully and with his family around him. The hospice nurse said he had a "zen death."

Rest in peace, dear friend. As you are in the arms of the Divine One, may God also envelope your loved ones left behind with love and comfort. Amen, amen.

Love

“There is a desire within each of us, in the deep center of ourselves that we call our heart. We were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake. It is the human desire for love. Every person on this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know love. Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in this desire.

“I think William Blake was right about the purpose of humanity; we are here to learn to bear the beams of love. There are three meanings of bearing love: to endure it, to carry it, and to bring it forth. In the first, we are meant to grow in our capacity to endure love’s beauty and pain. In the second, we are meant to carry love and spread it around, as children carry laughter and measles. And in the third we are meant to bring new love into the world, to be birthers of love. This is the threefold nature of our longing.”

May, Gerald G. The Awakened Heart. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1991. 1.

Desire for God IS God

"All your love, your stretching out,
your hope, your thirst,
God is creating in you so that God may fill you. . . .
God is on the inside of the longing."
~~Maria Boulding

This was part of the meditation I read to Joe yesterday. Tears and love keep me thinking of and praying for Joe today.

I lit two candles for him and Mary Jane at the Oblate Grotto in San Antonio this afternoon. (That is next to the school I used to attend--Oblate School of Theology.)

Pray for Joe and Mary Jane

Please pray for my friends Joe and Mary Jane. Joe is dying of cancer and today came under the care of the loving local service of hospice.

Last night Mary Jane called and asked me to spend the night with her. Joe had suddenly worsened; the doctor came to their house and said his body was starting to shut down.

MT and I stayed at their house until this afternoon. (We know each other from our Friday Renovare Group.) We were there when the hospice nurse arrived, followed by the hospital bed and oxygen. The instructions and example given by the nurse were extremely helpful. By the early afternoon, it was comforting to see that Joe was much more comfortable.

I was blessed to be there, especially when I read and prayed a meditation from David Adams' Border Lands: The Best of David Adams' Celtic Vision, with my two friends and later with Joe. He echoed some of the lines of a repetitive Celtic prayer. He agreed that God was there. I felt that to be true.

Although Joe is sleeping a great deal and eating very little, except for applesauce with ground medicine in it, he is aware for brief intervals. When he heard that his children were coming, he said, "Wonderful." Two arrived today, and the last comes tomorrow.

Hospice is so good.

Peace Prayer

Eternal wellspring of peace--
may we be drenched with the longing for peace
that we may give ourselves over
as the earth to the rain, to the dew,
until peace overflows our lives
as living waters overflow the seas.

Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings
(Beacon, 1996)

Yay for Birthdays!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
TO DEAR FRIENDS,
GRANDMERE MIMI and RUTH!!

Go and visit Grandmere Mimi and Ruth and wish them a happy day!

Who's in the Boat?

Statue of Jesus by Kent Ullberg
October 1995
Commissioned by FUMC

This statue of Jesus in the boat is in front of First United Methodist Church of Corpus Christi, TX. I was an active member beginning in 1994 and for the following ten years, until I rejoined the Episcopal Church.

Today I remembered a story about Jesus and the boat from the time it was ordered and installed in front of the church.

My good friend JT, who has since moved to Fort Worth, griped on our weekly Sunday walks on the bay front (and thus in front of the church) that too much money was being spent on this work of art and should instead be spent on the homeless and less fortunate.

Eventually, JT came to a realization that continues to get me to smile and also to realize that judging is not exactly Christ-like. She finally came to acceptance of the statue when she visualized all the people in the boat with Jesus. The immediately repulsive person she thought of in 1995 was Geraldo Rivera!

As I think of this today: "Who's in the Boat with Jesus?", I realize that Sarah Palin is there; George Bush is there; even Osama Ben Laden is there. Jesus would not exclude anyone from the boat.

What gives me the right to exclude people? Back to:

Bless ___________, change me!

It so goes along with this story of the Desert Fathers that I read today in the book the Wisdom Class is reading and discussing each Tuesday: Where God Happens by Rowan Williams. You may be familiar with this one; it's one I've always loved and needed to be reminded of!

"There was a brother at Scetis who had committed a fault. So they called a meeting and invited Abba Moses. He refused to go. The priest sent someone to say to him, 'They're all waiting for you.' So Moses got up and set off; he took a leaky jug and filled it with water and took it with him. The others came out to meet him and said, 'What is this, father?' The old man said to them, 'My sins run out behind me and I cannot see them, yet here I am coming to sit in judgment on the mistakes of somebody else.' When they heard this, they called off the meeting." (p. 20)

(originally from: Ward, Benedicta, trans. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian, 1984. 138-139.)

Perhaps I can stop judging if I remember to ask myself, "Who's in the boat?" and remember to pray, "Bless __________, change me."

(Still, I can vote for whomever I wish.)

And it is important to remember that just because I (or anyone else) is ON the boat, I (or they) have not "arrived"--it's a journey of learning to become the person envisioned by God, a journey and not a destination.

Bush Drills Us Ever Deeper

by Nick Anderson
Center for American Progress

Women Against Palin

WOMEN AGAINST PALIN

"This site was created to shine light on the anti-woman policies of John McCain and Sarah Palin. McCain's choice of Palin was insulting to women who care about policies that affect their lives. We, as women, will not vote for any candidate based solely on his or her gender. American women are smarter than John McCain thinks. We will take our voices and votes to the ballot box this November and vote for change that will empower the average woman. That change will not come about with John McCain and Sarah Palin."

This site also has links to latest election news articles from Reuters, AP, and Yahoo!News.

10 Reasons Why Hurricane Season Is Like Christmas

Number Ten:
Decorating the house (with plywood).

Number Nine:
Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season.

Number Eight:
Last minute shopping in crowded stores.

Number Seven:
Regular TV shows pre-empted for 'Specials'.

Number Six:
Family coming to stay with you.

Number Five:
Family and friends from out of state calling you.

Number Four:
Buying food you don't normally buy . . . and in large quantities.

Number Three:
Days off from work.

Number Two:
Candles

And the Number One
Reason Hurricane Season is like Christmas:

At some point you’re probably going to have a tree in your house!

~~~~~~~~~~

Son BJ, who is in Austin, says that his Houston house-mate told him that there is a tree on the roof of their rented house, a tree blocking their driveway, and part of the backyard fence is down. Their house is in northeast Houston.

Phone Calls

(Alexander Graham Bell makes the first phone call in 1876.)

Among friends here in Corpus Christi, I am known as someone who rarely makes phone calls. I like people to call, but somehow don't like to initiate the conversation. However, I am always glad when people call me, especially my children.

Today two unexpected phone calls were answered: from two of my cousins wondering how we are with the aftereffects of Hurricane Ike. My cousin Margaret in Calgary, Alberta, Canada called this morning. She was worried that the barrier island I took her to when she visited five years ago was Galveston Island--so glad it was much further west around the Gulf! (I am going to go and visit her on the last day of the month!)

The other call was from my cousin Jim, who lives in Blaine, WA. Of all my first cousins, with whom I've lost touch, he is the closest in age to me. The others are decades older. I am so touched that he would think of us down here. I have not seen him since my dad's memorial service in 2002.

This makes me realize at a deeper level that I need to make greater efforts to visit MY relatives when we go to WA State. We usually visit my husband's parents and his siblings there. Since my mother's death in 1992, I have seldom tried to see the four cousins who live up there. Neither have they maintained contact. Even though I always send our annual Christmas letter to them, only two of them ever respond.

I need to take a lesson from the faithfulness shown by cousin Margaret, who is my mother's first cousin. Since 1992, Margaret has consistently written multiple paged letters by hand to me every month. (She does not use the internet.) For Christmas she always writes each person a long letter, enclosed in the book she gives each one. Her letters previously intimidated me, and so I did not reply. Still, Margaret kept writing. I now write letters back to her and enjoy doing that, since I've released my guilt for not answering in kind (and quantity).

Both Margaret and Jim, as well as some friends who called me right after the knee arthroscopy, are showing me how much a phone call can mean to people. Practice makes perfect, so I had better start!

Ike Hits Land

Accuweather.com

We in Corpus Christi, TX feel most fortunate that Ike is not affecting us. Please pray for the people in east Texas and in Louisiana and Mississippi, and especially in Galveston and Houston.

Back to School Friday Five

From RevGalBlogPals comes this Friday Five:

It's time for a Back-To-School Friday Five!

1. Is anyone going back to school, as a student or teacher, at your house? How's it going so far?
After 29 years of having children at home, our fourth child MJ went off to college this year. She has been home each of the three weekends since leaving to see her boy friend. Since he's leaving for college in CA next week, MJ won't be driving back home for awhile. Then we'll really see what it's like not to have her around.

2. Were you glad or sad when back-to-school time came as a kid?
I always loved school and was glad when it started again.

With my dad in the Marine Corps and moving around a lot, I would feel stressed to be at a new school, not knowing anyone. However, I always wanted to go to school.

3. Did your family of origin have any rituals to mark this time of year? How about now?
I cannot remember any rituals.

For my children, we always took a "first day of school" picture on the front porch. This is the first year we did not do this.

4. Favorite memories of back-to-school outfits, lunchboxes, etc?
My mother always made my clothes, so I know she would have made me a new dress for the first day of school. I always had to wear saddle shoes, which I did not like as I got into higher elementary grades. It was surprising that for ONE year in high school, saddle shoes were "cool." (At least, by then I wasn't required to wear them.)

5. What was your best year of school?
I loved first grade and learning to read. I loved eighth grade with my friend Nancy in Yokosuka, Japan.

Mystery author suggestions

While elevating my knee off and on, I am still reading mysteries. Some new excellent authors I have been reading since my knee arthroscopy are listed below. The links show listings of the books by each author.

• Julia Spencer-Fleming: The Rev. Clare Ferguson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne
• Deborah Crombie: Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James
• Lisa See: Red Princess Mysteries (plus other novels)
• Henning Mankell: Swedish Inspector Kurt Wallander

And of course, these authors I have long loved:

• Dorothy Sayers: Lord Peter Wimsey
  
• P. D. James: Commander Adam Dalgliesh
• Elizabeth George: Scotland Yard detective Thomas Lynley
  

There are other excellent authors, but these are my favorites at this time in my life!

Ike is moving northeast!

"Hurricane Ike will continue to intensify before making landfall along the Gulf Coast in Texas late Friday. The storm has potential to cause widespread destruction, including in Houston and surrounding Harris County."
AccuWeather.com

Well, we're looking like we're going to be okay here in Corpus Christi, but those in the Houston and Galveston areas need our prayers! (Like Jody at Quotidian Grace) CB will not board up our windows after all. We continue to watch the weather sites to see what irrational Ike will do!

I worry about 23 year old son BJ and his dog Troy who live in northwest Houston. I am relieved that he's now talking about going to Austin.

MJ is happy that she can come home this weekend from San Antonio. This is the LAST weekend that she and her boy friend CS can be together. He leaves for Stanford University on Tuesday. It had been looking like she would have to stay in San Antonio in "safety" until now.

It's not time to relax for anyone on the Texas Gulf Coast yet. Watching, waiting, and praying.

Female Running Mates

Ellen DeGeneres joked on the premiere of her tv show "Ellen" on Monday:

"Who knew John McCain and I would have something in common.
We both chose female running mates."

(Corpus Christi Caller-Times, September 10, 2008, 2A)

Ever since I read this in today's newspaper, I have been chuckling about it. It's nice to be laughing about something while we worry about the direction that Ike is taking!

Ike on Wednesday

" Hurricane Ike has emerged off the western coast of Cuba and will re-strengthen into a major hurricane as it tracks through the Gulf of Mexico. Landfall is expected early Saturday morning near Corpus Christi, Texas. "
~~AccuWeather.com
And for information about preparing for a hurricane, go here.

Well, many houses have windows boarded up, but not even 50% yet. CB plans to do that tomorrow, depending on where Ike is projected to hit. If Ike is 100 miles north of Corpus Christi, then he says we won't have to worry much. We'll decide on Thursday night whether we'll leave or not.

I took our furry cat Gracie to the vet today for a check-up so that I could get tranquilizers in case we leave. She is an indoor cat. She will be traumatized to be not only OUT of the house, but in a vehicle with two dogs! But how you get a pill down a cat, I don't know.

There's a slight feeling of panic in various places. I remember that from preparation for other storms when going to the supermarket HEB--with small children, I started grabbing various foods that I never used, fearing the possibility of no power. With so many people piling their carts full of "necessities," I felt compelled to do the same.

The fear is almost palpable in some places.I went to First United Methodist Church for our weekly lectio divina group, and staff members were preparing offices for the storm. Metal shutters were already over the church's windows. The five staff workers I spoke with were leaving town today.

Only one other person came to lectio today. She and her husband plan to stay, especially as they have a small generator in case power goes off. They (and we) are feeling somewhat confident, because our houses are over 50 years old and have already been strong enough to withstand other hurricanes (specifically Celia in 1970). However, CB and I do not have a generator.

The scripture selection for today's lectio was hurriedly chosen before I took the cat to the vet. It turned out to be comforting and helpful today:

Romans 14:6-8

14:6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

14:7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.

14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

Umbrella Today?

It's the simplest weather report ever! Will you need an umbrella today? Just enter your ZIP code and Umbrella Today will give you a yes or no answer. You can also sign up to get a text message by phone on days you will need an umbrella. Apparently, it only works in the US.

Thanks to Miss Cellania.

Which way? Ike?

Artwork: "Indecision" by a Filipino surrealist painter Jon Jaylo.

Artist's Site: http://back2basic.multiply.com/

Back and forth. . . .projections for Ike are going north, which we would like, but those in Galveston and Houston would not. . . Now the range of possibility is between Corpus Christi and Galveston. No one knows for sure until the time gets closer to landfall. Tomorrow CB says they'll board up the windows on the Habitat for Humanity house they're building. For our house, we'll see on Thursday if it looks necessary.

Hurricane Ike

Weather Underground

The projected path of Hurricane Ike looks like Corpus Christi at this time. "8 AM Saturday" is about where Corpus Christi is on the map. We'll leave with our two dogs and cat if this is the case, but there is lots to do to prepare, though we haven't started yet. We still have stored up water from the last scare (Dolly).

God fills all things

God is not only in heaven, but everywhere,
and God fills all things.
God communicates according to the particular conditions of
God's listeners, desiring to lead them all up little by little.

— St John Chrysostom, Homily 27 on John 3, 4th c CE

Thank you to JN 10:34 for these beautiful and profound words from St. John Chrysostom.

Anglican Church Obsessed with Gays--Tutu

Thanks to my daughter AE for sending me a link to the BBC article that quotes Archbishop Desmond Tutu as saying that the Anglican/Episcopal Church is so obsessed with the gay issue that world poverty is not a priority.

"Archbishop Desmond Tutu has accused the Anglican church of allowing its 'obsession' with homosexuality to come before real action on world poverty.

"'God is weeping' to see such a focus on sexuality and the Church is 'quite rightly' seen by many as irrelevant on the issue of poverty, he said.

"It may be good to "accept that we agree to differ" on the gay issue, he said.

"Archbishop Tutu was addressing a conference of church leaders organised by the Christian charity Tearfund.

"The Church says its work on poverty tends to be overlooked."

Go here to read the rest of the article by Robert Pigott.

Mysterious Mystery Malady--Reading!

Since my knee arthroscopy, I've been reading and reading. Once I read all the Julia Spencer-Fleming mysteries, I had to find more. Following a link on one of those pages on Amazon connected with her, I found a new author--Deborah Crombie. I keep checking out her books from the public library and have almost read them all. Since I've read about eight of her series about Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, I got too tired of listing them on the sidebar. I may be reading the last one the library has here and so am branching out to two different authors, recommended by friends:

• Henning Mankell, whom Judy recommended: Faceless Killer
  
• Laurie R. King, whom Nancy recommended: The Beekeeper's Apprentice

I'll see if these are new authors I want to follow.

I can walk without crutches or a cane now. The stitches were removed on Thursday. I was admonished by the doctor to listen to my body and elevate my leg when pain occurs. That seems to happen most often in the late afternoon and evening. Plus, I'm exercising with weights on my feet a couple times a day.

God's Will

I've been annoyed by the references to "God's will" by Palin in her past, referring to the war in Iraq and the Alaska pipeline, among other things. It's easy to blame anything and everything on "God's will."

I still remember my last priest and spiritual director saying that "God's will is God's Presence." I do not believe God's Presence is promoting war, but the the Holy One is there whether I acknowledge that or not.

The question is not WHY (It is God's will), but WHO IS WITH ME/US??

And from comments, I must add what Fran wrote:

God's will is about love for all of God's children.
God initiates all and we either respond. Or not.

Blogging!

My dear husband CB resurrected the ancient laptop, which had not been used for over two years, this morning. It is slow and non-compliant, but easier for me to use than the regular desktop computer where I find I cannot sit with my legs bent for more than 5-10 minutes.

I am slowly trying to visit blogging friends. So much to catch up on that I probably won't ever be able to read.

I'll be by eventually.

Breath Prayer/Jesus Prayer

I miss being at the computer, especially visiting blogging friends. It would be a lot easier if I had an internet-friendly laptop, but I don't. It is difficult for me to sit at the computer with my knee bent; I cannot be here long. But I get a little bit better every day.

Just a note about the Jesus Prayer. (I wrote about it before here.) It is much like a breath prayer, which could also be like a mantra. The Jesus Prayer is

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.

People shorten it in many ways, especially leaving out the "sinner" part.

Here is some info about creating your own breath prayer, which I have left over from a class I taught:

The Breath Prayer

In the book "Into The Light", written by Ron Delbene, there is a chapter on The Breath Prayer. This intercessory prayer form can be used not only in our daily routine and prayer life, but also during times of anxiety, fear, distress, frustration, during surgery, times of illness or for the dying.

Scripture on Prayer

Prayer helps us to be centered and brings order and a sense of comfort to our lives. Jesus promises that "I am with you always" (Matt. 28:20). Through prayer we reach out to a God who deeply loves and cares for us. To pray is to speak to a loving Father who is present in our midst. The breath prayer assists us to 'pray without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17). In the Letter to the Ephesians the Apostle Paul encourages us to 'pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.' (Eph. 6:18) The breath prayer is a self-discovered prayer that comes naturally from within each of our hearts and our personal response to Almighty God.

Discovering Your Breath Prayer

Step One
Sit comfortably and be still and calm. Close your eyes as you enter into God's loving presence. Perhaps you can recall your favorite passage of scripture that places you in the proper frame of mind such as "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10)

Step Two
With eyes closed, imagine that God is calling you by name. Hear God asking you: "(Your name), what do you want?"

Step Three
Answer God directly with whatever comes honestly from your heart. Your answer may be no more than a single word such as comfort or love or forgiveness. Your answer might instead be a phrase or brief sentence, such as "I want to feel your forgiveness" or "I want to understand your love." Whatever your response, it will be at the heart of your prayer.

Step Four
Select your favorite name for God (God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, Father, Spirit, Shepherd…)

Step Five
When you combine your name for God with your answer to God's question of "what do you want?", you have your own personal breath prayer.

For example:

• What I want is comfort; my name for God is Jesus; and my breath prayer is Jesus, let me know your comfort.
• What I want is rest; my name for God is Shepherd; and my breath prayer is My Shepherd, let me rest in thee.
• What I want is God's presence; my name for God is Lord; and my breath prayer is Lord, lead me to the light of Christ.

Recovering!

Thank you for prayers for my knee arthroscopy and for healing. They must have helped because I managed to stay awake throughout the 1 1/2 hour procedure, watching the monitor most of the time to see what was being done. Though I must admit I had to close my eyes every so often. The worst moment was when I saw the doctor's clippers and HEARD the clipping! Another time to have my eyes closed.

I tried to pray the Jesus Prayer during the knee twisting and cutting. What is interesting was at one point, the doctor told me, "Whatever you're thinking, keep thinking that." That seems to be an affirmation of the effect of prayers. Maybe I was more relaxed then; I don't know.

So far it has all been better than I expected. The second day (Thursday) was the most painful, but I had also been told that that would be so. Each day I am feeling better. However, today I was so energized that I walked too much with crutches, and so now my knee is hurting again. My husband rigged up a seat by the computer, so I can sit with the keyboard on my lap.

Thanks to Songbird's suggestions, I have been reading Julia Spencer-Fleming books ever since I got back home. I'd checked out two of her mysteries from the library before the surgery, and then dear CB has gone to the library twice to get two of her other books. Surprisingly, I am even reading them in the order that they were written! (You can see the titles I've read by looking at my sidebar under "Books I've read in 2008.")

Today MJ (who came home from college for the weekend) bought me the last two books at Barnes and Noble, because the library doesn't have these copies. I figure I'll donate them to the library when I've read them. I am so enjoying reading mysteries as I recuperate; I am not much of a tv watcher and haven't managed to log onto the computer until today. I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to read fiction!

Annoying time change!

Here's hoping there will not be another time change for the knee arthroscopy scheduled for Wednesday morning. The doctor's nurse called to check the time with me, which is a good thing. If she hadn't done this, I would have shown up at the hospital THREE hours too early!

So now the procedure is scheduled for 10:30 am, with husband CB taking me there two hours earlier. More time to worry and/or be hungry and thirsty! On the bright side, we can sleep later in the morning, and this will be easier for CB.

This is kind of like expecting a baby: I keep hearing horror (and a few good stories) about arthroscopies of friends, relatives, and others people have known. It is a good reminder to me about what not to talk about to people having medical "events."

Knee arthroscopy

This time tomorrow morning this will be happening to me.

I'm glad the procedure will be early in the morning; I have to get to the hospital at 5:30 am, with the knee arthroscopy scheduled for 7:30. Maybe I'll be home by noon on Wednesday!

I got a note from a friend who reminded me of Psalm 121:8:

The Lord will protect your going out
and your coming in
from this time forth and forever more.

A good word and prayer for each of us, especially for those we love.

Sorting through books

I am cleaning out boxes that were packed in 1991, before we moved from Corpus Christi, TX to RI! I think they've been sealed since then. The only reason these boxes were taken down from the closet shelf was that about three weeks ago everything on that long shelf above clothes had to be removed, because insulation was going to be blown into our attic. MJ and boy friend CS moved all the boxes into big brother BJ's old room, where they've stayed despite a visit with BJ staying in there.

Most of the boxes contain books from when I taught second and third grades in VA and OR. I've filled two bags of "teacher" stuff that I'm giving to a friend, who may just throw them away--but that's up to her. (I tend to be a pack rat, which is probably obvious to you.) I am filling those little boxes again with children's books that I'll donate to the Brandeis Book Sale ladies. And of course, there are some books I cannot part with--for the someday grandchildren I'll have.

Some treasures I found:

• The slides of Japan my dad sent for AE to show in school. He kept asking where they were and I didn't know. Too late now.
• Two books of poetry husband CB gave me early in our marriage.
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that my mother's cousin Margaret gave me when I was in second grade.
  

I am running true to form--getting something accomplished before a deadline-- like a trip, people visiting or surgery. The out-patient knee arthroscopy is happening this Wednesday, so that must be why I decided to finally tackle this! (And there are still more boxes in the room to the left of the chair.)

Hammock View

Lying In A Hammock At William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota

Over my head, I see the bronze butterfly,
Asleep on the black trunk,
blowing like a leaf in green shadow.
Down the ravine behind the empty house,
The cowbells follow one another
Into the distances of the afternoon.
To my right,
In a field of sunlight between two pines,
The droppings of last year's horses
Blaze up into golden stones.
I lean back, as the evening darkens and comes on.
A chicken hawk floats over, looking for home.
I have wasted my life.

~ James Wright

... It's that last line. I have wasted my life.

Thanks to Jaliya at Pushing Fifty for this wake-up poem.

Is evolution only a theory?

Marc Simont (born November 23, 1915 in Paris) is an artist, political cartoonist, and illustrator of more than a hundred children's books. Marc, inspired by his father, Spanish painter Joseph Simont, began drawing at a very young age. Mr. Simont settled in New York City in 1935 after encouragement from his father, attended the New York National School of Design, and served three years in the military.

Marc's first children's book illustrated was published in 1939, and since then, he has received the Caldecott Honor for his illustrations of Ruth Krauss' The Happy Day and the Caldecott Medal for A Tree is Nice, by Janice May Udry. He also illustrated most of the Nate the Great books, as well as the book Top Secret.

He and his wife, Sara Dalton, currently live in West Cornwall, Connecticut.

~~~~~~~~~~~
I believe that God uses some form of evolution in creation--it's God's business, and I don't really care how it is done. Looking at it literally using the Jewish and Christian Bible trivializes the magnificence of the universe and the continuing creation, in my opinion. There is so much more, beyond the images and our comprehension.

Thunderstorms

Lots of thunderstorms this week. A loud one is overhead right now, so our elderly blonde cocker Baillie is sitting under my chair as I type. The most recent thunderclap was very loud for deaf Baillie to even hear (or sense?) it! She learned from her departed "sister" black Lab Licorice to fear thunder. Though Licorice died about three years ago, Baillie still does not like storms.

Joe Biden and LGBT

Go and see what Joe Biden's views/votes are on LGBT issues:

Obama-Biden '08 Pride?

Marriage Equality

The way I found this video on marriage equality was through Fran first, thanks to Susan Russell who found it at California Faith for Equality. This is beautiful. How I wish marriage equality was "legal" in every state in the USA. I want my daughter and her partner to have the same privilege as her brother and his wife to be married. I believe that both are unions of heart, soul, body and mind.

Mission Accomplished

Despite some mini-disasters beforehand, MJ is settled into her dorm at Trinity University in San Antonio, and we are back in our quiet house (unless the dogs bark) in Corpus Christi.

CB stayed at home awaiting the garage door repairmen, while MJ and I drove off in my car early in the morning. Her dorm was scheduled for move-in at 9:15 am; we got there ten minutes early and were directed into a parking garage to wait for ten minutes. We drove up and around the winding parkade after another car and turned around on the fifth floor and came down again. Then we were allowed to drive forward and wait in line.

It is a tradition for students and staff (in the maroon shirts) to help incoming freshmen move in. With my erratic knee, I so appreciated all these people carrying MJ's boxes and bags to her dorm (at the end of the block to the right) and second floor room. By the time I got to her room, she and her roommate from Nashville, TN had already made their beds.

There are big live oak trees outside the dorm on each side. Pretty view! This dorm is the last one in a string of lower campus dorms and so only has another building on the other side (with a tree in between the buildings). We also saw a yellow cat walking around and learned that there are 52 cats on campus!

While MJ was at meetings, I took her old phone to the T-Mobile store at the mall and easily had a new sim card put into it with her old number. The snazzy phone that DC and AA gave her for graduation has disappeared. It may have been left at the bank when she had a paper notarized, but a day later none had been turned in. (MJ kept her phone on "silent," not even on "vibrate," and so it could not be heard when ringing--but then it may not have been near us at all.) At least, she has a working cell phone with the old number.

CB met me in the stadium parking lot with MJ's car, which he had driven north to SA through heavy thunderstorms. We took MJ out to dinner at one of AE's and my favorite restaurants Twin Sisters and had a good dinner and nice time. THEN we reunited MJ with her car and said "goodby" and drove home, arriving here at 10:30 pm. Nice to finally get here! And there was little rain on the drive home.

A forgotten picture of the Schwan's truck!

Remember when the Schwan's truck backed into the rental car while I was stopped at a red light in Bellingham, WA? I forgot that husband CB took a picture of my friend and me after the accident report was finished. JDR lives in Connecticut and came for her high school reunion at the original Bellingham high school, and CB and I went to the second high school's reunion. (Ours was the "upstart" high school; we were in the first graduating class.)

MJ goes off to college!

Trinity University, San Antonio, TX
(New photo after taking MJ there!)

MJ moves into her dorm at Trinity University Friday morning. We will be leaving our home at 6:30 am to arrive at the appropriate time for her particular dorm. She is all packed.

Several complications have entered her leave-taking though. First, MJ lost her cell phone, the new one her oldest brother DC and wife AA gave her for her high school graduation gift. We've searched the house high and low. Possibly it was left at the bank today, but that cannot be determined until tomorrow when we're in San Antonio.

But now it looks like not ALL of us will be in SA. While I made a sudden trip to HEB (supermarket) for a few last-minute things for MJ, both CB and MJ heard a loud BANG. Only when I got home and tried to get the garage door to rise up did we realize that a spring broke that keeps the door stationary. It is impossible to raise the door. Luckily, one car is outside. MJ's car is in the garage and so she cannot drive it to school.

The solution to the problem is that I will drive MJ and her stuff to Trinity in the morning, while CB stays to get the Overhead Door people here to fix our door. When it is operational again, CB will drive the older car up to San Antonio to meet us there. That way MJ will have a car to drive, especially to drive home next weekend when boyfriend CS is back from his vacation.

And maybe CB will find the lost cell phone and bring it with him later in the day to grieving MJ. That would solve the first problem.

I am trying not to be superstitious about bad things going in a series of THREE.

Books I read on vacation (and still am)

Thanks to recommendations from bloggers, I took three books on vacation with me, plus I bought one while I was in WA:

• Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy by Jeffrey Feldman, which was recommended by Quaker Dave.

I wanted to leave this book for my daughter AE to read in Seattle, so I steeled myself from highlighting with yellow, which I usually do, much to her disgust. I actually took notes on this book in a little blue spiral notebook. So here are a few quotes:

"18th Century German military historian Carl von Calusewitz wrote, 'War is politics pursued by other means.'" (59)

"At the beginning of the 20th Century, Teddy Roosevelt broke the iron grip that industrial barons held over the rest of America; a few decades later, Franklin Roosevelt broke the grip of banking barons. In those waves of progressive reforms, a new era was ushered in whereby government stood between citizens and the private interests that sought to exploit." (71)

". . .the Bush administration chose to switch the public debate to the logic of hidden threats by arguing that Al Qaeda was not a network of individuals linked through a chain of responsibility, but an evil force lurking beneath the surface of all nations hostile to American interests. . . . so the logic of hidden threats leads to a radical form of government sponsored secret violence based on the idea that only a hidden cure can defeat a hidden threat." (168-169)

"Constant talk of murder, treason, gunshots and terrorism whip up the emotions and pulls people's attention away from analytical thinking. Public engagement becomes passive observation, participants become audiences, and conversation becomes entertainment. As John Dewey observed, sensationalism shuts down our curiosity about the relationship between things by overwhelming us with a focus on raw, isolated, and shocking events." (177)

• When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin, which was suggested by Yolanda.

This was the book I read on the flights to Seattle. It was easy reading, touching, and I even cried a few times. The story is about a little girl who needs a heart transplant and the man who can save her who is emotionally wounded from his own losses in life. I don't read much fiction anymore, so this was a good one for the plane ride.

• The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, which was the one I bought at Fred Meyers in Bellingham and had been mentioned by a Corpus Christi friend and also KA, daughter AE's partner.

This book is the most personally monumental one that I've read recently. Learning how corn production, sponsored by the government, infiltrates all our food and lives is still reverberating in my mind.

"When food is abundant and cheap, people will eat more of it and get fat. Since 1977 an American's average daily intake of calories has jumped by more than 10 percent." (102)

"Most researchers trace America's rising rates of obesity to the 1970's. This was, of course, the same decade that America embraced a cheap-food farm policy and began dismantling forty years of programs designed to prevent overproduction." (102-103)

"Yet since the cleverest thing to do with a bushel of corn is to refine it into 33 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)." (103)

"That at least is what we're doing with about 530 million bushels of the annual corn harvest--turning it into 17.5 billion pounds of high-fructose corn syrup. Considering that the human animal did not taste this particular food until 1980, for HFCS to have become the leading source of sweetness in our diet stands as a notable achievement on the part of the corn-refining industry, not to mention this remarkable plant." (103)

Learning (again) how farms, even "organic" ones are run, is disheartening. Hope is given with people like Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in VA--go read about this amazing family and place!

• The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Jeff Sharlet, which was reviewed by Sherry.

This is the only book I haven't finished reading. It's a very thick book and reminds me of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein, which is still only half-read at my house. (Daughter AE told me every person in America should read this book after she read it. Ironically, it was given to her by our Canadian cousin, but then Naomi Klein is a Canadian news reporter.) Both are heavily documented with much historical evidence. However, Sherry found it much easier to read; I suggest you go and read her review!

Pictures from our trip to Washington

Our first day in Seattle, MJ and I spent the afternoon at Pike Place Market.

Daughter AE who lives in Ballard (in Seattle) took us to a park near her home and here is MJ being silly.

This is a picture of me with three friends of over 40 years--we went to high school together. The blonde with glasses is TFJ who always opens her home along with her husband to our family. She had a lunch for the four "girls," which was so nice because the two others did not attend our high school reunion. Those in the picture are: JJ, TJF, SF, and me. (JJ and TJF were bridesmaids at our wedding in 1971.)

Here are MJ and CB on the ferry to Victoria. This was during the hot spell in the Northwest, so we really enjoyed the cool winds off the water on the ferry.

This is the Sunken Garden at Butchart Gardens in Vancouver Island.

The Rose Garden at Butchart Gardens.

Boulevard Park, Bellingham, WA
MJ at Boulevard Park

This is me with my dear friend NM, who was also a bridesmaid in our wedding. We always go out to breakfast with NM. For the past few years we've gone to the Old Town Cafe, which is behind us in the picture.

CB's parents had a family gathering on the Saturday before we left. It was quite warm, even for a Texan as there's no air conditioning in the house! The newest member is three-week old baby Hailey, the first great-grandchild for CB's parents. The two with the baby on the left are CB's younger sisters. Then there's me, MJ and her cousin CT. CT's mother is the second from the left.

A few hours after the family gathering ended, CB and I went off to our 40th high school reunion! The invitation said "dress for a party," and we were more dressed up than many of the other people there. Guess it depends on what kind of party you go to for your attire!

The reunion was okay, but our friends did not go except for TJF. It seemed that most of those we knew in the honors classes in high school did not attend. That was disappointing. Most of the people there had stayed in Bellingham. We would have been the ones who had come the furthest away, except for a former cheerleader, who has lived the last 35 years in Australia as a teacher and principal. We are not sure if we'll go to another one, since we live so far away. (However trips like the one I made for NM's wedding four years ago are totally worthwhile.)

The Price of Sugar

The most current Sojourners magazine points to a 90-minute documentary "The Price of Sugar":

"After watching The Price of Sugar, a film by Bill Haney, you'll think twice about that sweet stuff you put in your coffee. The 90-minute documentary follows the work of Father Christopher Hartley, a Spanish priest who lives among Haitian sugarcane laborers lured to the Dominican Republic by the promise of employment. In reality, the Haitians work under armed guards, with little food, housing, health care, or wages. Where does most of the harvested sugar end up? The U.S."

You can watch the movie trailer here or down below:



As I am addicted to sugar, this is good for me to know more about.

Home Sweet Home

I am so happy to be home. When I looked for an image about "home sweet home," I suddenly remembered this favorite children's book. I so believe that children like the books the reader is enthusiastic about. I was always energetic about reading these old classics, like The Little House, Ferdinand, and Make Way for Ducklings, among many others, and my four kids liked them, too.

I remember my parents telling the story about me returning to their home after a trip to visit relatives when I was about three years old: I would go to each piece of furniture and stroke it, saying: "Nice chair. Nice table. Nice desk."

It is really wonderful to be back home, even when our old cocker is found in the kitty litter box--even when I have to clean up the mess from that! Even when it is hot and humid. And despite all the balloons (transferred from MJ's bedroom) amidst the piles of books in my office:

I'm glad to be visiting blogs again. Thanks for welcoming me back.

Home!

We got home a little before midnight last night (Monday). MJ found her room filled with balloons, streamers and a "Welcome Home" sign left from her boyfriend CS. (He and his family left on a vacation yesterday, so they won't see each other before she goes to college.) What a sweet surprise!

Our flights from Seattle, Oakland, and Dallas were all late, which turned out to be beneficial, since we were on all of them. All turned out well with our bags arriving when we did in Corpus Christi last night! YAY!

Eventually we rode a taxi home and got here at about midnight. It is good to be home.

Connecting in more ways than one!

Before I left TX, a friend from 10th grade called me up to see if I was coming to the 40th high school reunions in Bellingham. JDR lives in Connecticut, and we last saw each other in Seattle in 1972 before she moved to the east coast.

We decided that we would walk around Lake Padden together, so I picked her up at her brother's house. As we sat together in the rental car, waiting for the light to change for a left-turn, SUDDENLY the Schwan's truck in front of me started backing up!! I yelled and honked the horn, and the truck plowed into the car. The driver of the truck and I both got out to look--no damage on the truck, but the bumper of the gray Impala was scraped and dented, with the Washington license plate folded in half and lying on the pavement. He said, "I know I shouldn't have done that."

This is my first accident! So we both called the police and were told to relocate. With the policewoman stopping traffic we went from the left-turn lane to the right road into the funeral home parking lot. The next hour in the heat ensued--80 degrees F. The police officer who arrived in his squad car chastised me for not having an insurance card with me, since we assumed that our own car insurance would cover any eventuality. (Besides, who ever has an accident??)

I was glad that JDR was with me and that soon husband CB arrived. (We were about a mile from his parents' house.) Eventually, the police officer filled out his report and gave me a copy. We had a nice chat. It turns out that the Schwan driver was a manager training a new worker--now how NOT to get into an accident! I also learned from the police report that the driver was born one year before we graduated from high school, so I probably look like his mother! Poor guy.

After that hour, JDR and I finally drove to Lake Padden and walked around it. It's shady enough that it was quite pleasant and beautiful. Through the accident and our walk, JDR and I reconnected and plan to stay in closer touch than merely exchanging annual Christmas cards.

The Connections:

• CB took a picture of JDR and me in front of the Schwan truck, so I'll post that picture when we return to TX.

• The "good" thing about spending an hour in that funeral home's parking lot is that this memory may diminish the one that hits me each time we drive by it--Seeing the body of my dad lying on a table with only his underpants on. I'd flown in from TX when he died; he wanted to be cremated; they took him like that and left him like that. He was white and cold. I hope a new connection to that place will dominate my memory now.

• If you hadn't guessed, I'm also calling the accident a "connection" between the two vehicles! (And of course, with JDR.)
  

Friday Five: Fall Transformations

How quickly can I do this before we set out for activities here in WA? I'll try very quickly. . . .

Mary Beth proposed the RevGals Friday Five today on "Fall Transformations." Fall is my favorite season, but does not occur in south TX, so this will be fun in an abstract sort of way.

For this Friday's Five, share with us five transformations that the coming fall will bring your way.

1. MJ goes off to college--the empty nest finally arrives at our home.
2. Both husband CB and I are committing to losing weight. I think this will work better for us when we are trying to live healthier together!
3. Fall (even though it's hot in Corpus Christi) brings the atmosphere of school starting. I would definitely be transformed if I wrote my papers to earn my master's degree in Theology at OST. There's also the final Shalem paper to finish, which I hope to do on my return to TX next week.
4. Exercise to recover from the knee arthroscopy--and to continue on the road to health.
5. Follow the leadings for prayer more consciously than I have done on vacation!
   

Bonus: Give us your favorite activity that is made possible by the arrival of fall.

In south Texas, I guess I would say that cold fronts start reaching us every so often in October--that could be considered "fall"--then windows can open and it is fun to be outside! (These days are always reminiscent of summer days in Bellingham.)

Canada--and 800th post!

This is the Peace Arch Park, which is the division between Canada and the USA on Interstate 5. As my four children were growing up, we'd visit here each year. They always loved to stand where half of their bodies would be in one country and the other half in the other.

We drove this way to catch the ferry to Victoria. It was hot (80 degrees F.) and sunny there. We had fun, and I will post about it when I have more time.

This is also my 800th post! I mistakenly told someone that it would be 1,000. I am relieved that I have not posted that much yet.

I appreciate the comments you have been leaving me while I am in Washington State. I don't have the time to visit blogs these days, but will return to blogging routinely in Texas next Tuesday.

Friday and Saturday nights are our high school reunion activities. Tomorrow night is a casual get-together, and Saturday's is the more formal event which will include dinner and dancing.

Lake Padden

MJ and I just got back from walking the three mile loop around Lake Padden, pictured above. I was a little worried that my knee would hurt, but I only had a few twinges going up some hills. I was slow and cautious about going downhill. It is 72 degrees F. and beautiful! MJ got to see how people around here get out to sunbathe when it gets sunny, even if it's in the 60s!

The first time I ever walked around Lake Padden was in July 1992, the day after my mother's funeral. Husband CB suggested it; going for a long walk there helped give me some comfort in its beauty. It's odd that I'd never walked there before; I'd only heard about the Lake Padden Golf Course, not the park surrounding the lake.

Tomorrow we're going to Victoria!