Ash Wednesday - "God Be Merciful...."

"Ash Wednesday" - Carl Spitzweg

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

Luke 18:9-14

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Imposition of ashes:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Break A Leg, Governor Jindal!

Piyush (Bobby) Jindal

Dear Governor Jindal,

I saw you on the TV when you said that you will take all but 1% (give or take a percentage or two) of Louisiana's portion of the stimulus package, because you stand on the principle that the federal government is spending too much money. Some might say that a principled stand would be to refuse the entire amount. Some might say that if you take any of the money and continue to criticize the stimulus bill, then you are a hypocrite. I would never say that.

I am sooo looking forward to your eloquent words which will follow the SOTU speech. I've heard you speak live, and I'd only urge you to slow down a bit and not include a litany of facts and figures that will send most viewers reeling.

Remember, too, that many of your constituents may be drunk or sleeping off their Mardi Gras revels by the time you get your TV time. Have you forgotten your constituents? You're a traveling man now, raising money for "your next term as governor", but we're still here waiting for you to remember that you are governor of our state, which is in dire need of leadership, what with the budget deficit and all. We make allowances for you now that you are a star on the national stage, but a little TLC from time to time would be greatly appreciated by the folks back home in Louisiana.

Respectfully,

Louisiana Citizen Mimi

UPDATE: Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, of consorting-with-prostitutes fame, another brilliant Rhodes scholar, comments on Jindal's speech:

Bobby offered a compelling positive alternative to empower people and does not simply grow the government.

Yes, senator, and up is down, and black is white, etc., etc., etc.

Watch Out For The Baby!

When I posted about the king cake tradition in south Louisiana, someone in the comments asked about the danger of swallowing the baby that was tucked into the king cake by the buyer.

The funniest thing I've read today comes from Blondius Maximus, who works at a bakery in New Orleans that makes king cakes. The words are a tad more x-rated than most of what I post here, or I'd just copy and give credit. If you want a laugh and a real taste of New Orleans style talk, go read Blondius Maximus at Live Journal.

H/T to Athenae at First Draft.

PS: After today, no more king cake for you!

Very Sad News From Roseann - Please Pray

from Roseann

I am back in the hospital. Last night I started running a temp of 102 and I can't move my left leg at all. It can bare no weight and any position other than supine is beyond painful. I didn't go to dialysis yesterday because I couldn't move. When my temp spiked I called Gary and he came home to take me to the ER. He couldn't move me so he had to call the ambulance. Long story short, the nephrologist said if I hadn't come in I probably wouldn't have lived through the night. My potassium level was so high my heart was about to shut down. They put me right on dialysis at midnight and kept me on until 4:30. Also, my ob/gyn called yesterday and is concerned about a possible relapse of the cervical cancer.

If you look up "snake bit" in the dictionary it has my picture.

I'm back at St. Vinnie's.... My very favorite aide works on this wing. She sat and cried with me last night until I got it out of my system.

Not trying to be dramatic here but I don't think I have much time left on this earth. Please pray for Gary.

Love, Roseann

Please pray for Roseann and Gary.

UPDATE: Mimi, roseann is going to have a bone scan which will show up a hair line fracture if it is in the hip. she sounded better this afternoon.

Thanks for the update, Sue. A bit of better news, thanks be to God and all you pray-ers and senders of good thoughts and good wishes.

Diana Says, "Happy Mardi Gras!"

My guardian, Mimi, is not going to a parade today. Neither am I. Canines are not welcome at the parades, not even canine bishops, fully vested. My other guardian, Grandpère, is going with his son and daughter-in-law to a parade. Mimi says one parade per season is enough. I think she is already in the Lenten season. I will cut back on my treats for the penitential season, except for Sundays. Sundays are not Lent, so the humans tell me.

Have a great day. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Mimi taught me a little French.

A Short Love Story

A man and a woman who had never met before, but were both married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a Trans-continental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly.....he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold.'

'I have a better idea,' she replied. 'Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married.'

'Wow! That's a great idea!' he exclaimed.

'Good,' she replied. 'Get your own damn blanket.'

The End.

Don't blame me. Blame Doug. (Slightly edited)

And Good News From Arkansas!

From ABC24-CW30 EyeWitness News:

CLARKSVILLE, AR (AP) - Arkansas Presbyterians have endorsed a church constitutional amendment that would allow non-celibate homosexuals to serve as ordained ministers, elders and deacons.

The 116-64 vote for the rule change within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) took place after a debate on Saturday, February 21, 2009 and was greeted with silence.

The denomination's national General Assembly approved the amendment in June; the measure goes into effect if a majority of the church's 173 presbyteries approve it.

The Presbytery of Arkansas has roughly 15,300 members. It narrowly rejected a similar proposal in 2001.

The times they are a-changin'.

Thanks to Keakin, who is from Arkansas, in the comments.

Best Oscar Speech Award To Sean Penn

As he took the stage to accept his prize for playing slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk, Penn gleefully told the crowd: "You commie, homo-loving sons of guns."

He followed with condemnation of anti-gay protesters who demonstrated near the Oscar site and comments about California's recent vote to ban gay marriage.

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think it's a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that support," Penn said. "We've got to have equal rights for everyone."

From the AP via The Advocate.

Note: The video stopped and started for me on the first play, so, if that happens, I suggest that you let it play through once, go do something else, then come back to watch without interruptions.

“Life Is Uncertain”

From Georgianne:

I am sending this to a few friends just because it is a great story.

Those of you who know me well know that I don’t really believe in a benevolent god or even a sense that there is a balance of good and bad in the universe that puts things right or helps us make sense of insanity. I have gone 'round the world and god is nowhere to be found.

“Life is uncertain”

But, every now and then just being alive and in the right place at the right time makes sense.

Where do I begin?

My good friend’s daughter has been waiting for a heart transplant for three years. I have known the family since the children were babies. They are my soul family. One of the kids came down to Florida to watch my dog while I went to Folk Alliance. Of course, the insanity is that as soon as I am unavailable and the youngest daughter is out-of-town, a fatal accident occurs in Chicago, the heart is alive and beating, and the match we are waiting for is rushed to the transplant center in Minneapolis. I am in the air and out of comms, Carla is alone in Florida…you get the picture. Carla had been afraid to leave Minneapolis for the last three years for obvious reasons, but she came down to Florida to watch my dog...

The good news is that I get back to Florida just as Sunny is being prepped for surgery and we are all in touch, and in the emotion of the horrible moments of waiting, Carla (whom I have known since she was 4) tells me that she cried for a year after I got married, because she really believed I would end up lost to the family forever. Of course that never happened, but kids worry, and here we are 30 years later going through the most intense experience ever.

We are still waiting and Sunny is not out of the woods, but we are all together, even though some distance is separating us right now. Carla has decided to stay with me for a few days until Sunny wakes up. She feels too fragile to travel.

But the circle is even wider.

My daughter had suggested I go see a singer at the folk conference that she “knew I would love.” So, I go hear this singer, and my daughter was correct. It is music that is not self-centered, but life affirming and loving in every sense of the word. It is “god-like.”

This singer reaches out to me as I am leaving, stops me, and says she is “moved somehow” to give me her CD. I do not know this person, but a connection is made. I explain about my daughter and she knows her because of the music business.

It gets better.

While Carla and I were waiting for news about Sunny’s new heart, we play the CD.

Here you go:

“Before You Leave”

by Ellis:

“Every star at night is a beating heart
That someday will fall
Young and old they are bright
And make a grand exit

I know life is uncertain
Nothing’s turned out like we planned
I want to do something
Maybe just hold your hand

I know life is uncertain
Things don't turn out like we planned
And I want to do something
I'm not sure if I can"


Sometimes life makes sense and we all meet up in the right place and at the right time.

GN

UPDATE: we are still waiting but heard sunny opened her eyes and smiled and she is PINK now!!!

Thanks be to God! Please pray for Sunny and her family and friends.

UPDATE 2, from GN in the comments:

Thank you all so much. Update is that Sunny is on "slow recovery," but all OK so far.

I looked on Ellis' site and here are lyrics..turns out she is giving song away because it was written for friend of hers who died of cancer...I did not know this. ~GN

US Military Advisors In Pakistan

From the New York Times:

BARA, Pakistan — More than 70 United States military advisers and technical specialists are secretly working in Pakistan to help its armed forces battle Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the country’s lawless tribal areas, American military officials said.

The Americans are mostly Army Special Forces soldiers who are training Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops, providing them with intelligence and advising on combat tactics, the officials said. They do not conduct combat operations, the officials added.
....

Despite the political hazards for Islamabad, the American effort is beginning to pay dividends.

A new Pakistani commando unit within the Frontier Corps paramilitary force has used information from the Central Intelligence Agency and other sources to kill or capture as many as 60 militants in the past seven months, including at least five high-ranking commanders, a senior Pakistani military official said.

It seems to me that we fight the same wars over and over in different countries. Is the secret involvement in Pakistan really paying dividends? Are they truly capturing or killing the leaders of the Taliban and Al Qaeda? I don't know. I have very little trust in reports of this sort. The 70 advisers and specialists are, I'm afraid, the thin-entering wedge to a war in another country.

Yet the main commanders of the Pakistani Taliban, including its leader, Baitullah Mehsud, and its leader in the Swat region, Maulana Fazlullah, remain at large. And senior American military officials remain frustrated that they have been unable to persuade the chief of the Pakistani Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, to embrace serious counterinsurgency training for the army itself.

We can't police the whole world. Seems to me that I've had that same thought quite a few times over the years.