Off To Anaheim!

I'll be staying with Sleeping Beauty, who lives happily ever after in her castle, pictured above, but I'll pop across the street to the Hilton from time to time to see what's happening at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, with great hopes of mingling with the rich and famous.

I'm not taking my laptop, because I can't face the hassle of going through security with the damned thing. Plus, as I said to a friend, "I want to BE in the moment, rather than think of what I'll write about the moment."

Pray for a safe and uneventful trip for me, and, above all, pray for those who do the work at the convention, that the Spirit of God may guide them in their activities and that the love of God be present with them throughout the the coming days. The prayer for the convention is at the top of my right sidebar.

I'll turn off the comment function before I leave tomorrow morning until I return on Monday. Be kind to one another while I'm gone. I won't be around to keep you in line, but you're on your honor, and I will be kicking ass and taking names, once I'm home.

Au revoir, mes chers amis.

Image from Wiki.

From Roseann

I can't say enough about how badly things went today. They couldn't get an IV started because of my little tiny roly-poly veins. So they had to put in the new permacath with no sedation. Good husband Gary had a feeling something wouldn't go right so he brought me a double dose of pain med and I was able to sleep through most of dialysis.

Then the real fun began. My blood pressure dropped to 60 over 35. Is that dead? No, but damned close. I couldn't even talk. The had to put in almost as much saline as the fluid they'd removed.

They usually don't let family members stay with you in the dialysis room but they let Gary stay. Frankly I think his being there kept me alive. He held my hand and I could feel his energy. I could also feel prayer. I don't know if anyone was praying for me at that specific moment, I just know I could feel God's presence. At one point I said, "are you taking me home now?" And Gary and the nurse were like, "what?????" I didn't mean to say that out loud.

Good news is I'm home now, drugged sufficiently and full of chicken and dumplings.

Love, R

I have theory about prayer. There is no time as we know it with prayer. Before the fact, after the fact, it doesn't matter. God knows.

Please leave your comments at Give Peace a Chance.

Makes Me Think Blogging May Be Worthwhile

I just wanted to let you know that you, and a couple of others who post on Friends of Jake, have convinced me to come "home" to the Episcopal Church. I am 45 and have been away for about 20 years.

I have been feeling a kind of slow motion shove back toward the church for 2-3 years now. Its hard to explain. Reading you and the other Friends gave me the final push necessary to approach the local priest. Our priest is the son of a priest I knew and loved as a child, so talking to him has been easy (he looks just like his father, and has his love of God and people).

So, between the Holy Spirit, you, Louie Crew, +Robinson, Rev. Ed Bacon and a few people I've known since childhood, here I am again. You, and everyone I mentioned, demonstrate an approach to Christianity and Episcopalianism (is this a word?!) that speaks to my heart and soul. Exclusive, dominating, non-inclusive faith makes me despair. The Episcopal church you all talk about has more than enough room for all.

Thank you.

Mara Spilovoy
Grand Island, Nebraska

This sort of email makes me cry, but, at the same times fills me with joy. I am honored and, at the same time, humbled by the folks with whom Mara names me. Can it be that this blogging business might count for something?

THANK YOU, MARA! And thank you so much for allowing me to publish your email. May God bless you in your new Episcopal church community.

Two Welcoming Addresses GC2009

From the welcoming address of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefforts-Schori:

The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of use alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of all being.
....

Jesus’ critical decision to journey toward Jerusalem is about the city of God’s dream, Yerushalayim, the city of peace, the city of shalom, the city of God’s holy mountain, toward which the nations stream. We Christians often think the only important part of the Jerusalem story is Calvary, and, yes, suffering and killing in that place still seem to be the loudest news. But Calvary was a waypoint in the larger arc of God’s dream – it’s on the way to Jerusalem, it is not in Jerusalem. Jesus’ passion was and is for God’s dream of a reconciled creation. We’re meant to be partners in building that reality, throughout all of creation. This crisis is a decision point, one which may involve suffering, but it is our opportunity to choose which direction we’ll go and what we will build. We will fail if we choose business as usual. There will be cross-shaped decisions in our work, but if we look faithfully, there will be resurrection as well.
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From the welcoming address by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, comes a reminder to those of us from Louisiana to give thanks for the help we received from the national church:

The vision of building the “Beloved Community” in the Diocese of Louisiana, for example, has been embraced by over 100,000 volunteers and a $10 million dollar investment from contributions made to Episcopal Relief & Development for this purpose which has conservatively produced 20 times that amount in benefit to the community. Many of us are responding to God’s call to mission, but what if ALL of us did it? What if all of us did it as if our lives depended on it? Think of it!!
....

So right here, right now, let us begin. Let us invest our love in the Holy Spirit, and set our hearts on mission with everything we have. Where we have already begun, let us intensify our efforts. Where there is need unmet, let us begin new ministry. Let us listen deeply to one another at General Convention. Let us learn a new leadership art that we can develop here, then take home with us and use if it works for us. For, we are the Episcopal Church and we have the community, the liturgy, the history, the intellect, the resources and the passion to make an historic and effective impact on the world’s suffering. This is our moment. Let us claim this moment and let us celebrate this moment. Then let us go back out into the world together – and do it.

Thank you.

Pray For Tigger And my Son And His Family

This morning my son ran over Tigger with his car by accident. Tigger had begun to have neurological problems once again, and probably could not get out from under the car quickly enough. He ran under a shed which is very low to the ground, and my son is trying to get him out now to take him to the vet, if he is not already dead. Grandpère went over there to try to help him.

You may ask why a sick cat was outside instead of in the house. Tigger was a stray and is still part feral. He hates being in the house and yowls constantly when he's inside. Only the family can hold him and cuddle him. He's not a mean cat, but he moves away when others try to pet him.

If Tigger is still alive, he will probably need to be put to sleep. My son feels terrible about the accident. Tigger has been with them for 12 years. My grandchildren are due to return to their dad's house today and will take this quite hard.

UPDATE: The deed is done. Tigger has gone on to the sweet bye-and-bye. He was injured, and the ear problem was back, putting him off his equilibrium again. It was time. May he rest in peace. Pray for my son and for my grandchildren who will hear the news this evening.

R.I.P. TIGGER

You were a good friend and companion for twelve years. We'll see you in the sweet bye-and-bye.

♫ Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He'll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory! ♫

Busy, Busy, Busy

Not much time for posting or visiting blogs today. I'm in a rather frantic last-minute rush to get a million things done before I leave tomorrow morning for Anaheim. I'll come back to say "Goodbye" before I leave.

Anglo-Catholics Not Impressed By FoCA

Headline from the Church Times Blog:

Anglo Catholics unimpressed by the FCA launch meeting

The Church Times Blog provides several links to the opinions of Anglo-Catholic bloggers who attended the meeting at Westminster.

Lost In Translation

My day is under construction, too.



It's a simple solution for a common problem.



Yes. It's best to close the door.



I've found that wringing in coleslaw doesn't work for me, either, but I had to learn the hard way, by trial and error, without instructions.



Well, I wonder. I'm of two minds about this sign. It's a warning to customers, but about what?

Thanks to Ann.

President Obama - Always Gracious

For those of you who have missed the news on the President, he is currently on a trip to Russia. Today, after a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama took a moment out of his official schedule to go out on his hotel's balcony and wave to Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.

From Doug.

Gonzo Has A Job!

From the Austin American-Statesman:

Alberto Gonzales, who resigned as the Bush administration’s embattled attorney general nearly two years ago, has lined up a fall-semester teaching spot at Texas Tech University, the university confirmed today.
....

Lawrence Schovanec, interim dean of Texas Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted saying: “Judge Gonzales brings a unique experience to our classroom. His career in law, government and public service will provide our political science students a rich perspective of the executive branch and issues and challenges facing our nation. ”

There’s no hint in the announcement that Gonzales had difficulties as attorney general.

You can't buy a "rich perspective" like Gonzo's for mere money. He must have a soft spot in his heart for Texas Tech to grace their campus with his presence. I wonder if the students will heckle him in his classes.