CARS IN HEAVEN

Folks, put down your flags for a minute, and read the following dispatch from you-know-who.

If you're from another country, disregard the instructions about the flag.

Three guys die and end up at the gates of heaven, talking to St. Peter.
 
"So," Peter asks the first guy, "how many times did you cheat on your wife?"

"None. I had a perfect marriage."

"Great," says Peter. "You get to cruise around heaven in a Mercedes. And  you, how many times did you cheat on your wife?"

"Only twice, I think," says the second guy.

"Okay. You get to cruise around heaven in a Cadillac. And you, how many times did you cheat on your wife?"

"Twelve times. Maybe 13," says the third guy.

"Okay," says Peter. "You get a rusty Ford."

Later that day, the guy in the Cadillac sees the guy in the Mercedes crying.

"What's wrong?"

"I just saw my wife."

"So?"

"She was riding a skateboard."



Cheers,

Paul (A.)

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --

(Declaration of Independence)

Why is it more difficult each year to celebrate the holiday? As my friend Fran says, "I do not feel unpatriotic, I feel 'apatriotic'."

Today I'll let Leonard Cohen speak for me with his song "Democracy".


  

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Just in time to celebrate the Fourth of July.

"MY BRIGHT ABYSS" - CHRISTIAN WIMAN

Where to begin with my attempt to write about My Bright Abyss, Christian Wiman's book, of meditations on God, life, death, poetry, Christianity?  To be honest, I don't know.  The episodes in my life that affect me deeply are often the most difficult to put into words.  Wiman's book falls into the category.  In the course of the many changes in how I view my faith and my relationship with God, Wiman and I seem to have arrived in a similar place, and I found myself saying a heartfelt, "Yes!" to nearly all that I read.  I'm not a poet, but I sometimes wish I was.  Perhaps the words would come.

Wiman's splendid book consists of a collection of brief meditations - the sort of book that's easy to put down at a convenient stopping point and later pick up where you left off without having to reorient yourself in a narrative.  Since my reading time often includes frequent interruptions, the book suits my practice well.  The two quotes below are examples of Wiman's words that leaped off  the page and took hold of me.

The frustration we all feel when trying to explain or justify God, whether to ourselves or to others, is a symptom of knowledge untethered from innocence, of words in which no silence lives, of belief occurring only on a human plane.  Innocence returns us to the first call of God, to any moment in our lives when we were rendered mute with awe, fear, wonder.  Absent this, there is no sense in arguing for God in order to convince others, for we ourselves are not convinced.

The moments of muteness with awe, fear, and wonder happen to me over and over in my life, most times when I least expect them, not frequently, but often enough to convince me that someone, something beyond myself moves me, interacts with me in a way that appears very like a loving relationship, which I choose to name a manifestation of the presence of God.  The temptation is great to want to grasp the sense of presence and hold on to it, but I've come to know that the moments are gifts for only a time, and I must let go.  Periods of silence are one way for me to be open to such moments, but silence will, at times, seem empty and bare, so there is no guarantee.  Grace - all is grace, and my part is to accept the gift of the felt presence of God with joy when comes.

To say that one must live in uncertainty doesn't begin to get at the tenuous, precarious nature of faith.  The minute you begin to speak with certitude about God, he is gone.  We praise people for having strong faith, but strength is only one part of that physical metaphor: one also needs flexibility.

The words under my blog title, "Faith is not certainty so much as it is acting-as-if in great hope," were not always true for me.  The earliest reference to the words that I've been able to find is from February 2009, which means that they've been the heading on Wounded Bird for at least four-plus years and have stood the test of time.  When I read Wiman's words, "To say that one must live in uncertainty doesn't begin to get at the tenuous, precarious nature of faith," I nod my head vigorously.

I heartily recommend Christian Wiman's book.  If you'd like to know more about the author, you may read his essay, "Love Bade Me Welcome."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - VICISSITUDES

My Uncle Eddie was a rather unsympathetic character except for his own personal woes, which, according to him, were many.  Whenever anyone complained to him, his stock response was, "That's the vicissitudes of life." What he meant was, "This is about you, and I don't want to hear any more."

Since I've been accused of being overly concerned about correct grammar usage, I do realize that Uncle Eddie's statement is not grammatically correct.  The statement is a quote, an exact quote - I know because I heard the words often.

Perhaps I should have titled the post "Uncle Eddie's Thought For the Day", but the thought is mine, though the words belong to Eddie.  Eddie was a character in more ways than I can count.

UPDATE: Len wanted to know a bit more about Uncle Eddie, the character.

I remember Eddie calling his wife and my aunt, "Evaaa, bring me a glass of water," as he sat in his chair. She would. Eddie was puny and had asthma, but we were never quite sure how sick he was - surely not too sick to get a glass of water. Eva coddled him, and maybe she was right to do so.

Eddie's major claim to fame was that he once played with the New Orleans Pelicans minor league baseball team back in the day before a man had to be a hulk to play baseball.  Also, he proudly carried the name of an old New Orleans French family.

Before she met Eddie, Aunt Eva dated a Baptist gentleman for 20 years, but they never married because Dukey (real name John Blank) would not agree to raise their children Roman Catholic. When it was nearly past time for them to have children, Eva was suddenly swept off her feet by Eddie, and they eloped. Eddie was divorced, and, of course, there could be no church wedding, but suddenly that was not so very important to Eva. We never could figure out what was so attractive about Eddie to cause her to do such a thing.  Perhaps she was intrigued by taking on the old French family name, for there was not a whole lot else about Eddie that the rest of the family considered impressive.  He may have been a bit of a wit, but I can't remember any specific witticisms.

THANK YOU, WHOEVER RECOMMENDED "THE BEST OF YOUTH"

"The Best of Youth" was originally conceived as a four-part Italian miniseries.  When the series was shown at Cannes, it won an Un Certain Regard award.  How French.

The format on Netflix consisted of two three-hour videos, which I enjoyed very much.  The first episode was a bit slow, but, after about half an hour, I was caught up in the story and fond of the characters.  I must have ordered the videos upon the recommendation of someone or other, because I can't think how I would have chosen the set all on my own.  Whoever it was, I thank you, for I spent a pleasurable six hours with the Caratis family. Though I loved all the characters, I especially loved la Mamma, Adriana.

IT'S NOT THE GUNS - PARTS 6 AND 7

A teenager in Marrero died Sunday after being shot in what the shooter said was an accident.

Christian Cardon, 23, told investigators he didn’t know there was a bullet in the chamber of his new AR-15 semi-automatic rifle when he pulled the trigger early Sunday morning.

A single shot fired, striking 16-year-old Trey Stahl, of Marrero, in the neck, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Col. John Fortunato said.

Stahl was pronounced dead at the scene, Fortunato said.

Cardon, 23, 1718 Gulf Drive, Gretna, was booked into Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on one count of negligent homicide.
....

It was the second time in a week that a child has been killed in what authorities are calling accidental shootings.

Brandajah Smith, 5, shot herself in the head with a .38 caliber gun June 23 after her mother left her locked and alone in her house on North Galvez Street.

Brandajah’s mother, Laderika Smith, 28, a convicted thief and prostitute, was booked with second-degree murder in the child’s death.
....

Louisiana has the nation’s second-highest rate of childhood gun deaths, after Alaska. In 10 years, more than 1,000 children were killed by bullets in the state — 739 were murdered, 224 committed suicide and 89 were killed accidentally.

In a country with weak firearm laws and a state with some of the weakest gun laws in the country, is it any wonder that the accidental shootings are all too frequent?  The National Rifle Association blathers on about the mentally ill with access to guns, lack of enforcement of present weak gun laws, and the warning that enactment of stronger gun control laws will result in only criminals having guns.  But what's the NRA's solution for stupid and irresponsible people who own guns?  I'd guess the group would suggest their usual solution - more guns with fewer restraints.  How many deaths will it take to bring us to our senses?

HAPPY CANADA DAY! - BONNE FÊTE CANADA!

May God bless all my dear Canadian friends. Have a lovely day!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY FROM PAUL (A.)

It's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they always take things
literally.


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

HAPPY GAY PRIDE DAY!

 

Empire State Building in New York City

UPDATE FROM THE COMMENTS:

Murdoch Matthew

We've never seen such a turnout in New York City -- crowds from 40th Street to the end of Christopher Street three-deep at least, often filling sidewalks. We were in the first of the march when people were fresh, and it was three miles of screaming. We doubled back to watch the rest of the march across Tenth Street from the Church of the Ascension (which served water with lemon to Marchers), and it was quieter. Sprinkles began at 3pm, not enough to dampen anyone seriously, but it thinned the crowd a bit by 5pm. The march began at noon and ended at six. A celebratory day.

The Episcopal Church was in the last section, with the bishop on the float. The Riverside Church brought up the rear, just in front of the police cars and street sweepers.

MY FAVORITES FROM THE COMICS IN THE NEWSPAPER

Zits

Pickles

UPDATE: A list of the comics I read on Sunday besides the two above:

Peanuts
For Better or For Worse
Garfield
Curtis
Snuffy Smith
Dustin
Doonesbury
Dilbert
Sally Forth


I thought you'd like to know.   :-)