Thought For The Day From A Friend Fran

George Bush is like the national Katrina. The aftermath is devastating beyond imagining.

I don't post email messages without permission. If the owner wants to claim this one, I shall acknowledge her.



Pictures from About.com.

Dog Logic

 

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. - Anonymous

 

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. - Josh Billings

 

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking
your face. -Ben Williams

 

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. - Andy Rooney

 

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. -Mark Twain

From my brother-in-law, who would die for his Corgi, Zoey.

Guess Who?

 

Take your guesses as to which grown-up, whom many of us know virtually, is pictured above in the scene from the past. I'm inclined to think that this one is too easy, but, of course, I could be wrong. I'll leave it for 24 hours for you to guess, and then I'll say who's right, or, if no one gets it right, then I'll tell you who it is.

"Nothing Happened" Says Ruth Gledhill

Ruth Gledhill of the Times Online (UK) writes about the meeting of the Archbishop of Canterbury with the GAFCON primates of Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Southern Cone and says "nothing happened" at the "summit".

Ultimately, it comes down to a question of identity.

Who, or what, is The Communion?

And I'm not sure that Jesus himself could answer that one.

Mark Harris at Preludium has done a splendid job of keeping us informed on the new Anglican "province" of North America. The Archbishop of Canterbury threw cold water on the idea that the new "province" would soon become the 39th province of the Anglican Communion by noting that there is a process to be followed which would "take years".

After reading the GAFCON statement, Mark says:

But still the hope remained that the GAFCON Primates meeting in London would recognize the ACNA as a Province on their own. Not so, it appears.
....

The careful reader will note that (i) GAFCON recognizes ACNA as a "province in formation." There is no recognition of The Anglican Church of North America, no mention of its having a provisional Archbishop or Archbishop in waiting or whatever. There is no recognition of a Province by GAFCON Primates themselves. Rather the GAFCON Primates statement essentially is an argument for such a Province. The closing paragraph is still clear about the GAFCON Primates condemnation of TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada. But, they could have nonetheless recognized the Church - the Anglican Church of North America - and they did not. So the end of December 5 brings no proclamation that a new Church or a new Province has been recognized. It is an "initiative."

Oh well. Not soon, after all.

If you're interested in following the story, Mark is an excellent source.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM LOUISIANA IF....

1. You measure distance in minutes.

2. You've ever had to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.

3. You use 'fix' as a verb. Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store '

4. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

5. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

6. You know what a 'DAWG' is.

7. You carry jumper cables in your car...for your OWN car.

8. You only own five spices:
Tony Chachere, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and ketchup.

9. The local papers cover national and international news on one page but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

10. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

11. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a little warm'.

12. You know all four seasons: Deer Season, Duck Season, Crawfish Season, Summer.

13. You know whether another LOUISIANIAN is from, north or south, as soon as they start talking (speaking).

14. Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as

'goin Wal-martin'
or
'off to Wally World'?

15. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good gumbo weather. YEP!

16. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop...it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.
Example: 'What kinda coke you want?' (Comment: I call them all soft drinks; Grandpère calls them soda pop.)

17. Fried catfish is the other white meat.

18. We don't need no stinking driver's Ed...if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.

19. You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends from LOUISIANA (and those who just wish they were).

Not EVERYONE can be a LOUISIANIAN, it's an art form and a gift from God.

Geaux TIGERS!

Part 2 of the email from my daughter. I separated them in deference to those of you with short attention spans.

Feast Of St. Nicholas

Gentile da Fabriano - from his series of four panels, "Stories of St Nicholas of Bari", 1425

Readings:

Psalm 78:3-7 or 145:8-13
1 John 4:7-14
Mark 10:13-16

PRAYER

Almighty God, who in your love gave to your servant Nicholas of Myra a perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea: Grant, we pray, that your Church may never cease to work for the happiness of children, the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor, and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

James Kiefer has an excellent biography of St. Nicholas at the Lectionary, which ends with this comment:

We may note in passing that the picture of him as roly-poly is a late development. Early stories indicate that he was generous to others, but not given to self-indulgence. Indeed, even as an unweaned infant, he fasted regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays....

Then, go read Padre Mickey's wonderful biographical post on St. Nicholas, which explains the painting.

Also, Kishnevi wrote a lovely letter to two young friends about St. Nicholas.

Image from Wiki.

Why Some Women Have Dogs And Not Husbands

1. A dog is always willing to listen to you—without trying to solve all your problems.

2. Dogs will eat anything you give them—happily and without complaining.

3. Dogs don’t have mothers-in-law who find fault with everything you do (or don’t do) for their “precious boy.”


4. A dog will never ask if he can buy a boat.

5. Dogs do not spend 5 hours playing golf.

6. Dogs are happy to watch romantic comedies, rather than football.


7. Dogs are loyal. Even if they hump your best friend’s leg, they will do it in front of you and not try to go home with her.

8. Dogs will never complain about how much you spend on personal grooming.

9. A dog will never contradict you in front of your child or give you small appliances for your birthday or Christmas.


10. A dog will never use all the hot water and leave soppy towels on the bathroom floor.

11. Dogs think you are just as attractive now as you were 20 lbs. ago.

12. A dog will kiss you when you are crying your eyes out—not accuse you of being “manipulative.”

13. A dog does not believe he can fix anything just because he has a Y chromosome. His manhood will not be threatened when you call a plumber.


And last, but not least:

I4. You can neuter a dog anytime you want.

Original Counter-post by Doxy, seconded by me.

Doxy writes beautifully at Wormwood's Doxy

National Cathedral will host Inaugural Prayer Service

From Jim Naughton at the Episcopal Café:

President-elect Barack Obama has accepted the Washington National Cathedral's invitation to host a prayer service in honor of his inauguration on Wednesday morning January 21. Details to come.

(And no, I can't help you get tickets.)

How lovely!

About the tickets. If I nagged Jim, like the widow in the parable of the unjust judge, might he not see that helping me get a ticket is the right thing to do, just to get me off his back? It's in the Bible.

The Gift Of Love Will Endure

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I am just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging beautifully adorned table, but do not show love to my family, I am just another cook.

If I work in the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing homes and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of he way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure!

Thanks to Susan S.

Rusty, The Wonder Dog

 

Above is the oil painting that my son gave Grandpère for his birthday the year after Rusty died at the age of nine from lymphoma. When he had to be put down, we all cried, but GP cried and cried and cried. Rusty is buried in our back yard, and there's been talk (fantasizing) of digging up a fragment and having him cloned. Although he had no pedigree, he was a noble dog, perhaps an unacknowledged bastard son of a royal line.

Unlike our present dog, Diana, who hates cats, he was friendly with our cats. At one point he co-existed with six of them. I know that some of you don't like hunting, so you may want to stop reading here. He was a natural retriever. He was so good that he sometimes retrieved game that belonged to others. Diana? Well, that dog don't hunt, although she was deliberately named after the goddess of the hunt.

UPDATE: Rusty was a stray that appeared in the neighborhood. Our neighbor across the street began to feed him, because he was such a nice dog, but he seemed to prefer our house. He went off every night, and he'd return in the morning, tired and dirty.

When we and he decided that he would be our dog, we took him to the vet for an exam and shots, and the vet told us that he had venereal disease. Then, we knew what he was doing with his nights. I had never heard of a dog having venereal disease. He was treated and neutered, and that was the end of the nightly carousing.

Several people asked us if he was a short-haired collie. That was the first I'd heard of that breed, but he does have a collie's long nose.

I had written these words in the comments, but then I decided to add an update to the post.