RAIN OR SNOW?

A Russian couple were walking down the street in Moscow one night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.

She felt a drop also. "No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied.

"No, I'm sure it was just rain," he said.

Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw their local Communist Party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "Let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing".

As the official approached, the man asked, "Please tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"

"Da; it's raining, of course," he replied, and walked on.

But the woman insisted: "I know that felt just like snow!" to which the man quietly replied:

"Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear".

Don't blame me. Blame Paul (A.).

I leave it to you, my readers, to decide what Paul (A.)'s punishment should be, because, as I see it, a simple dismissal from the stage is far too lenient.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING FOR DAVID

From Ann, whose son-in-law David, had surgery to remove a thyroid tumor. We asked for prayers for him here.

The good news from David:

Just talked to the surgeon-- benign--
no more surgery needed

Thanks be to God, the medical staff, and all who prayed. What a lovely Christmas gift!

OBAMA SIGNS REPEAL OF DADT INTO LAW

From the Advocate:

In front of several hundred LGBT advocates, President Barack Obama Wednesday signed legislation that will allow the military to lift the 17-year-old ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military. The president said the achievement marked a turning point for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocates across the nation.

“We are not a nation that says ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ We are a nation that says ‘out of many we are one,’” Obama said from the stage, where he was accompanied by Adm. Mike Mullen, Zoe Dunning, Eric Alva, House speaker Nancy Pelosi and majority leader Steny Hoyer, Rep. Patrick Murphy, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, and senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins. Collins joined the group late and was met with enthusiastic applause, and Murphy received a extended standing ovation when Obama called out his name from the stage.

The repeal of DADT is a major victory for justice and fairness. The time for ending the discriminatory and unworkable policy was long past, but perhaps, we would not have arrived at the repeal of the policy today, had the years since Clinton set the policy in 1993 proved that DADT was unworkable.

I will never forget that a number of gay Arabic languages specialists were discharged under DADT around the time we went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Brilliant! Read the New York Times to see what the DADT policy cost the US military, just in the area of Arab language specialists. And that's not to mention the valuable personnel in other service specialties.

Obama and the Congress can take victory laps for the repeal of DADT and for what appear to be sufficient votes to ratify the nuclear treaty with Russia. Thanks due to the Democratic leaders in the US Senate and House for keeping the Congress in session until their work was done and their goals accomplished.

O REX GENTIUM

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 22

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof!
O Corner-stone, that makest of two one,
come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!

Isaiah 9:7

His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 2:4

He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Text from Fish Eaters.

A LITTLE JEWISH HUMOR

 

 

Jewish Olympic swimmer

 

 

The woodpecker may have to go!

Don't blame me. Blame merry Suzanne.

CROSSING THROUGH ARIZONA

From undercovernun.

Thanks to Ann.

VOILA! - MY WEE TREE...

...is up!



Yesterday, I carried the tree down from the upstairs closet, uncovered it, set it on the table covered with my pretty red damask tablecloth, and - voila! I bought the tablecloth at 75% off, price $5.99, at an after-Christmas sale several years ago.

The tree is an upscale version of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, sparse on limbs and needles, but with the decorations, the sparseness doesn't stand out. My grandchildren laugh at my tree every year, but I love it. After Christmas is over, I put the cover back on the tree and carry it up to the closet until next year.

UPDATE ON AILEEN

December 20, 9 p.m.

This is a message from Aileen's cousin, Tammy---

Just talked with Aileen's mom and the doctors put in the trach tube. Aileen responded to her mom by blinking, and she followed her with her eyes. Her blood pressure is stable and her heartbeat as well. She still has a bit of a high temperature. Please keep praying for my sweet, precious cousin Aileen. Thank you all so much for the prayers!!!! We all love her so much and I know she is going to pull
through this.

---Blessings to all, Sally

From Ann. Sally is the priest who ministers to Aileen and Mike.

UPDATE: Prayer request from David@Montreal:

Beloved Giants of prayer & practice
It turns out my cherished cousin Frank is not to see Christmas at home.

They discovered a serious growth on one of his lungs, and he's been hospitalized, with the doctors unable to give any idea how long the treatments will take- especially with holiday scheduling.

They're going to be removing the mass and giving him treatment. The news comes via my Mam who received the call who was quite shaken by this news of her Godson, so she doesn't remember all that Frank shared with her, but she reports that his morale was good- as always- but he specificially asked that I share this news with you, the Giants and ask for your prayers for himself and for Carol.

thank-you

love-always-always Love

David.

PORCUPINES AND GRACE NOTES

From an earlier post at Wounded Bird from an email sent by Susan S.:

Fable of the porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever and many animals died because of the cold.

Some porcupines, realizing the gravity of the situation, decided to group together to share warmth.

This way they were better covered and protected ; however - the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After a while they decided to distance themselves one from the other and soon after they began to die, alone and frozen.

So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.

They learned to accept the little wounds that were caused by these close relationships, in order to benefit from what their companions offered.

It was this way that they were able to survive and thrive.

Moral of the story:

The best relationships are not ones that bring together perfect beings, but are instead ones where individuals learn to live with the imperfections of others and can still accept the gifts they have to offer.

Paul (A.) said...

Alternative moral: In order to survive you will have to learn to live with a few pricks.

"THEY HAVE NAMES"

12 U.S. Military Killed in Afghanistan Last Week
12.19.10

US Army SPC Ethan L Goncalo, 21, Fall River, MA
US Marines SSgt Stacy A Green, 34, Alexander City, AL
US Army CPL Sean M Collins, 25, Ewa Beach, HI
US Army Willie A McLawhorn Jr, 23, Conway, NC
US Army SPC Patrick D Deans, 22, Orlando, FL
US Army SPC Kenneth E Necochea, 21, San Diego, CA
US Army SPC Derek T Simonetta, 21, Redwood City, CA
US Army SPC Jorge E Villacis, 24, Sunrise, FL
US Marines Sgt Justin E Schmalstieg, 28, Pittsburgh, PA
US Marines LCpl Jose A Hernandez, 19, West Palm Beach, FL
US Army SPC Sean R Cutsforth, 22, Radford, VA
US Marines LCpl Jose L Maldonado, 21, Mathis, TX

May all who died serving their country rest in peace and rise in glory.

May God give comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to those who love the departed service members.

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

List and title of the post from The Daily Office.



My faded bumper sticker that was once bright yellow, red, and blue.