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.

BLUE CHRISTMAS - THE LONGEST NIGHT

Tonight, many churches will celebrate "Longest Night" or "Blue Christmas" services. From Episcopal Life.

During these shortest days and longest nights of the year, many Episcopal Church congregations are offering services meant to bring comfort to those who struggle to find the joy of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

Often called Blue Christmas or Longest Night services, many take place the evening of December 21, the night of the winter solstice, and are designed for people who are coping with loss. Those people hear the Christmas song that describes "the most wonderful time of the year with the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you 'Be of good cheer'" but instead feel they are living the lyrics of the 1957 hit "Blue Christmas" when Elvis Presley sings "I'll have a blue Christmas without you, I'll be so blue just thinking about you."

My friend, Elizabeth Kaeton, is quoted in the article. Elizabeth says:

"It's probably one of the most pastoral things I do at Christmas," said the Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton.

Kaeton places the rationale for offering a Blue Christmas service squarely within the message of Christmas. Noting that Episcopalians proclaim in The Book of Common Prayer's Preface of the Commemoration of the Dead (pages 349 and 382) that "life is changed, not ended," she said. "I think this message gets carried into this service in a way that Christmas sentimentality doesn't."

"If we really understand why Christ came to us, then you really have to think about death and eternal life," she said.

Amen.

We hold before God:
those for whom life is very difficult;
those who have difficult decisions to make , and who honestly do not know the right thing to do.

We hold before God:
those who have difficult tasks to do and to face, and who fear they may fail in them;
those who have difficult temptations to face, and who know only too well that they may fall to them, if they try to meet them alone.

We hold before God:
those who know that they can be their own worst enemies.

We hold before God:
those who have difficult people to work with;
those who have to suffer unjust treatment, unfair criticism, unappreciated work.

We hold before God:
those who are sad because someone they loved has died;
and any who are disappointed in something for which they hoped very much.

William Barclay

From Celtic Daily Prayer.

Elizabeth posted a lovely Blue Christmas service at her blog, Telling Secrets. Working with rector, Max Wolf, and director of music, Alex Helsabeck, the three produced a lovely service for All Saints Episcipal Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Picture from Adventus.