"The Berenstain Bears Meet Christopher McCandless"

At Bitch PhD, Sybil worries that we all do not Twitter.

Right now, I worry that those of you who don't do twitter are perhaps missing a twitter trend and, more importantly, B's enthusiastic participation in it: failed children's books titles. I'd hate for you to miss these gems:

The Little Engine that Warmed Up The Whole World
Harold and the Purple Thing
How to Kill a Mockingbird
Pride and Prejudice: The Story of Pat Robertson
The Scarlet Letter and Other Cautionary Tales for Abstinence-Only Education

Now pop over to the blog to see rest of the list of gems and have a few laughs.

Thanks to that rascally Paul (A.) for the link.

Happy Anniversary To The Philadelphia Eleven!

From the Diocese of Easton:

An important date in the history of the Episcopal Church: on July 29, 1974 (thirty-two years ago), eleven women were ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in Philadelphia: Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield Fleisher, Jeannette Piccard, Betty Bone Schiess, Katrina Martha Swanson, and Nancy Hatch Wittig.

This ordination, performed by bishops who had retired or resigned, was denounced as “irregular” and these women became known as the “Philadelphia Eleven.”

Shortly thereafter, four additional women were also “irregularly" ordained: Eleanor Lee McGee, Alison Palmer, Betty Powell, and Diane Tickell. A firestorm of controversy erupted in the church: charges were filed against these dissident bishops (Daniel Corrigan, Robert DeWitt, Edward Welles and George Barrett) and an emergency meeting of the Episcopal House of Bishops was convened on August 15, 1974. The stained glass ceiling had been lifted; however, and on September 16, 1976 the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (meeting in Minneapolis) adopted a resolution to change the church’s canon law to allow the ordination of women for all three orders of ministry (bishop, priest, deacon)

The decision to ordain women remains optional in each diocese, however. Today three dioceses in the United States continue to refuse to ordain or recognize the priesthood of women (Fort Worth, Texas, Quincy, Illinois, and San Joaquin, California).

From the Episcopal Church Women's Ministries:

Minneapolis, Thursday, September 16, 1976, 2:05 pm

A momentous vote was about to be taken by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. President John B. Coburn of New York called the packed House of Deputies to order, nearly 800 deputies, with hundreds of on-lookers crowding the gallery.

A resolution, already adopted by the House of Bishops, was introduced. In the time allotted for debate, twenty-nine deputies spoke in favor, and twenty-nine spoke against. The Chair of the Committee on Ministry called for five minutes of silent prayer. The vote was taken. Everyone held their breath, and then it was official: women could be ordained to all three orders in the Episcopal Church.

"All around us people were weeping, silently reaching, touching each other. No one spoke," remembered the Rev. Alla Bozarth Campbell, one of the 1974 "Philadelphia 11" whose ordinations would now be regularized (Bozarth, Womanpriest: a Personal Odyssey, Luramedia, 1988 p 115).

Immediately after the vote was announced, representatives of groups opposed to the ordination of women were recognized, to read into the record an impassioned statement of dissent. The canon had been changed, but much work lay ahead to implement it.

Read the rest of the story of the Episcopal Church's journey to the momentous vote.

UPDATE - The names of the Philadelphia 11:

Merrill Bittner
Alison Cheek
Alla Bozarth (Campell)
Emily C Hewitt
Carter Heyward
Suzanne R. Hiatt (deceased 2002)
Marie Moorefield
Jeanette Piccard (deceased 1981)
Betty Bone Schiess
Katrina Welles Swanson (deceased 2006)
Nancy Hatch Witting

Ordaining Bishops:

Daniel Corrigan
Robert L DeWitt
Edward R Welles

Thanks to Susan Russell at An Inch At A Time for the names and to Ann Fontaine for supplying links.

Feast of Mary And Martha Of Bethany

VERMEER, Johannes - Christ in the House of Martha and Mary - 1654-55(?) - Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Readings:

Psalm 36:5-10 or 33:1-5,20-21
Romans 12:9-13
Luke 10:38-42

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
(Psalm 36:8-9)


Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’
(Luke 10:38-42)

PRAYER

O God, heavenly Father, whose Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

I've always seen myself as more Mary than Martha, and in my younger days, I patted myself on the back for it, just like the Pharisees. However, as I've grown older, I've come to see that there's too often an element of a desire to avoid work in the mix. I no longer pat myself on the back, or, at least, I try hard not to fall into the trap of doing so. Whatever the motivation, I'm not to be about the business of patting myself on the back anyway.

Image from the Web Gallery of Art.

Mishmash Of A Message

The latest missive from the Archbishop of Canterbury reflecting on General Convention 2009 is so very depressing. I resolve to put it out of my mind, but commentary on it is all over Anglican Blogland. Few seem pleased with it. "Revisionists" and "reasserters" alike are unhappy. I'm yet to read an approving commentary. I wish that I could get it out of my head.

Mark Harris at Preludium shares his reflections on the ABC's reflections, which are well worth reading. The words below, taken from Mark's post, brought forth a rueful smile even in the midst of the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The essay is a mishmash of reheated sausage, dry toast and a dropped egg or two. Hardly a good breakfast here in the US, and for that matter a sorry mess of a breakfast even in England.

Yes.

Sue-z Update (ongoing)....

From JimB:

We did CAT scans today. What we did not do is get any results. Sue-z is still retaining a lot of fluid, her feet and legs are swollen and we do not know what is going on. I suspect there will be a flurry of new tests and some new meds in the morning.

FWIW
jimB

Jim, I'm sorry. Prayers continue for Sue-Z and for you and your family.

You Couldn't Script This

Also from Doug.

If A Dog Was Your Teacher...

...you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people rub your head.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Thanks to Doug.

"Video Wrap-up Of GC"

From Lisa at My Manner Of Life:

Thanks to Susan Russell for drawing attention to this fine video by Jim DeLa (Director of Communications, Diocese of Southwest Florida). As Susan writes, "You could just cue up this 6-ish minute video in the Parish Hall on Sunday, do a Q&A after and call it a day on the "What did they do at General Convention" Forum!"

The video has already made the rounds of many of the blogs, but here it is again, at 6 minutes plus, if you have not seen it and care to watch.

A Great Big Thank You!

Ever since I returned from Anaheim, I've wanted to post about the very hard work of the members of both houses at GC. I'm late, but you know how the saying goes - BLTN. It was no vacation at Disneyland for the bishops and deputies. In addition to the regular sessions of the two houses, there were endless committee meetings which started early in the morning and others that lasted late into the night. A good deal of the work of the convention was moved along with the help of the committee meetings.

From my heart, I thank all deputies and bishops for their dedication and hard work at the convention. Most of them returned home exhausted. Being on the premises, I witnessed their diligence firsthand, and I gained insight into the great gifts that they contribute to the well-being of our church.

Several delegates who have served at more than one convention told me that GC09 was one of the best-organized in their experience. I thank those who worked for months, and even years, before convention to ensure that the actual work of the meetings proceeded smoothly.

Bishop Katherine and HOD president, Bonnie Anderson, deserve a good deal of credit for the calm, assured, and fair manner in which they conducted the meetings of the two houses.

And last, but not least, because the convention could not have happened without them, I commend the many volunteers who gave so generously of their time and presence. In my dealings with volunteers, in nearly every case, I found them to be helpful and unfailingly polite and patient.

Thank you all! Virtual hugs and kisses to all, including those of you whom I don't know and will never know.

The Things I Do For My Grandchildren

 

Do you want to hear about my day? I know that you do. I know Lindy does. Lindy said at Facebook that she lives for the minutiae of my life, and I believe her, because Lindy ia a truth-teller. Here goes.

My grandson (or part of him) is pictured above, proudly wearing his T-shirt that his dad bought for him. He had the persistent ear infection that I mentioned in my prayer request. Thanks be to God, the ministrations of doctors, and the prayers of all of you, the infection is much better.

The doctor who treated him at urgent care on Friday night, told my son that he should see his pediatrician today, my first destination after I picked up my grandchildren at their house. My granddaughter, the little mother to her brother, made the doctor's appointment. I would have done it, but she wanted to do it herself. After his pediatrician pronounced his ear free of drainage and visible infection, the children wanted Blizzards. If there's anything I can't resist, it's a Blizzard. I don't need a Blizzard, but if I'm in Dairy Queen, I will have a Blizzard. We each had our Blizzard.

After we slurped our Blizzards, we came to my house for an hour until it was time for GS to go to his handwriting class. Then I was off to drop him at the handwriting class, which lasts an hour, and then on to my son's house, which is nearer to the location of the handwriting class. After about 45 minutes, I left to pick up GS at his handwriting class, returned to his house, and waited there for my son to get home from work. Then I came home.

When I was much younger and had young children, I disliked running around and dropping children here and there and everywhere. That was NOT one of my favorite activities as a mother. It made me cranky. Now here I am approaching a quarter century the three quarter-century mark on this good earth, running around and dropping children off again. I don't know how or why, but I'm doing it with a good deal more grace than in my younger years. It was exhausting then, and it's exhausting now, but I do it, for the most part, with good humor. Isn't that amazing?

About my grandson's T-shirt - my husband and my sons are responsible hunters, and my grandson will likely join them when he is of age. I eat and enjoy what they kill on their hunts. I won't listen to complaints about hunting from any meat eaters. Vegetarians amongst my readers are free to complain. If you eat meat, I won't listen. At my house, the game is there, and I eat it and enjoy it. Eating game seems more humane to me than eating plastic-wrapped meat from the market.