MAXINE SEZ...

Thanks to Doug.

Grandpère and I are going to my son's house for dinner, and we supply part of the meal. If I say so myself, I make a damned good sweet potato casserole. Now I will attack the broccoli casserole...wearing my bra.

A BLESSED AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Collect of Thanksgiving Day

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

For the Beauty of the Earth

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.

I AM DOOMED!

My number of page loads yesterday was 666, THE MARK OF THE BEAST!

AN OBSERVATION ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Have you ever wondered why foreigners have trouble with the English Language?

Let's face it: English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant,
No ham in the hamburger,
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England,
French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted,
But if we examine its paradoxes we find that
Quicksand takes you down slowly,
Boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing?
If the plural of tooth is teeth,
Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth?
If the teacher taught,
Why hadn't the preacher praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables,
What the heck does a humanitarian eat?
Why do people recite at a play,
Yet play at a recital;
Park on driveways and
Drive on parkways?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy
Of a language where a house can burn up as
It burns down,
In which you fill in a form
By filling it out,
And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers,
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all).

That is why
When the stars are out they are visible,
But when the lights are out they are invisible,
And why it is that when I wind up my watch,
It starts,
But when I wind up this observation,
It ends.


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

I have long pondered these matters, Paul (A.). Thank you - at last! - for answers.

A video update for your pleasure, with thanks to Eleanor in the comments.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

From the Associated Press:

Count your blessings this Thanksgiving. It's good for you.

While it seems pretty obvious that gratitude is a positive emotion, psychologists for decades rarely delved into the science of giving thanks. But in the last several years they have, learning in many experiments that it is one of humanity's most powerful emotions. It makes you happier and can change your attitude about life, like an emotional reset button.

Especially in hard times, like these.

Beyond proving that being grateful helps you, psychologists also are trying to figure out the brain chemistry behind gratitude and the best ways of showing it.
....

Preliminary theories look at the brain chemistry and hormones in the blood and neurotransmitters in the brain that are connected to feelings of gratitude, Emmons said. And the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is also associated with positive emotions like love and compassion, seems to be a key spot, especially in Buddhist monks, Emmons said.

However it works in the brain, Emmons said there is little doubt that it works

Always back to brain chemistry, but that's fine. There are those who must know not only that thankfulness works for the good but also the why of it.

I'm thankful for finding the article in my newspaper this morning, because I've been weighed down by the vast number of problems in the world, in the country, and in the church, most of which I cannot affect for good or for ill, and I have neglected to pay attention to all that is good in my life, especially the people. As the article suggests, I need to end each day by naming the people, the events, and the stuff of my life for which I am thankful.

St Paul reminds us:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:4-9

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.
Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

JESUS AND MO - EYES

Click on the cartoon for the larger view.

From Jesus and Mo.

STORY OF THE DAY - SOLID EFFORT

It's taken me a long time to get here, he
said, so I don't really care if it's wrong.

Change the he to she and you have me.

From StoryPeople.

ST JOHN'S CHURCH, HEALEY, NORTHUMBERLAND, WINS ART IN RELIGIOUS CONTEXT AWARD

From the Guardian:

A tiny church high above the Tyne valley has beaten off competition from the likes of Canterbury Cathedral to win this year's Art in a Religious Context award from the charity Art & Christian Enquiry.

The biennial award was made for two commemorative stained glass windows commissioned for St John's church, Healey, in Northumberland, by artists Anne Vibeke Mou and James Hugonin.

[Anne Vibeke Mou's window] is a sheet of glass covered with thousands of tiny impact marks made by hitting the glass with a tungsten point, creating swirling, cloud-like forms which can be seen from the outside of the church as well as from its interior. A hard frost can affect her window, giving it an extra layer of depth.

[James Hugonin's] window is made of small rectangles of glass, some transparent and some translucent, mainly red, blue, yellow and green. Although totally abstract, a double helix form can be made out in the patterns of colour.


Since I tend to side with the little guy, I'm pleased that St John's Church won over the likes of Canterbury Cathedral. A brief history of the church may be found here.

Andrew Gormley's 'Iron Man', which hangs in Canterbury Cathedral, was amongst the other finalists.

Pictures of the windows are from Art & Architecture Journal Press.

Photo of the church from geograph.

Thanks to Ann V. for the link.

48 YEARS AGO TODAY PRESIDENT JOHN F KENNEDY WAS SHOT AND KILLED

Padre Mickey is an inspiration to us all. He shared his memories of the day he heard that President John F. Kennedy was shot and invited those of us of a certain age to share our memories. I think the good Padre meant for us to share at the Dance Party, but, with all due apologies, I choose to share my memories of the day here at Wounded Bird.

On the fateful Friday afternoon, I was at work at the Mobile Public Library in Mobile, Alabama. Grandpère called my office from Spring Hill College to tell us that the president had been shot in Dallas. Within a short time, we learned that President Kennedy was dead.

Upon first hearing of the president's visit to Dallas, I was apprehensive because emotions ran high against him there as in many parts of the South, including Mobile, where we lived at the time. It's easy in hindsight to wonder about things done and things left undone, like the bulletproof bubble-top which was not used on Kennedy's car. The story is that the president wanted the bubble left off.

That weekend, Grandpère was scheduled to report to his duties in the US Army Reserve, therefore he was gone for most of Saturday and Sunday. I spent the weekend in front of the TV, crying off and on throughout the two days. I left the apartment to go to church Sunday morning, and then it was back to the TV.

And then on Monday, Lee Harvey Oswald, who was declared by the Warren Commission to be the lone assassin of the president, was shot and killed by Jack Ruby in front of the TV cameras as he was being transferred to jail from police headquarters.

Below is a video of Walter Cronkite, along with the staff of the local news affiliate, reporting the news of the shooting and death of President Kennedy.



Picture from Wilipedia.

PRAY FOR LESLEY'S MUM AND ALL WHO LOVE HER

From Lesley's Blog:

Mum – may she rest in peace

I can’t believe she’s dead.

I can’t.

Surely she is sufficiently irritated with how slow and inefficient everyone is to still be alive and harang us?

If you had to choose between mum being the quick and the dead, she is definitely the quick, and impatient in spades.

For goodness sake, she has never laid down in bed during the day, ever.

How can she be lying in a bed in hospital? Still…. like very still indeed… so still she can only be dead.

What a shock when our loved ones die suddenly. We have no time to prepare. Sorrow follows whenever our loved ones pass, but grief and shock coming together are more difficult to bear.

How lovely that Lesley and her Mum spent enjoyable hours together on the day she died and that she did not suffer. Still...its incredibly hard on those who are left behind.

I extend my love, prayers, and sympathy to Lesley's family, friends, and all who love Lesley's Mum. Lesley, her husband, Alan, other friends, and I shared an hours long lunch when I was in England. Both are lovely people, and I feel privileged to have met them.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Lesley's Mum. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. And this we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.