STORY OF THE DAY - QUIET LITTLE FILMS

finally has figured out there aren't
enough quiet little British films around
to protect her from the real world

I couldn't resist posting this one Story of the Day.

From StoryPeople.

MERRIE OLDE ENGLAND YET AGAIN

Yes, England again. I was in Merrie Olde England just two years ago, and, for a very brief spell, just last year on the way to Scotland. I'll be in the South for the greater part of the time this trip.

My best price for flights seems always to land me in Manchester, which is fine by me. It's a nice, manageable airport; going through immigration is usually pretty quick and uncomplicated; and the train station is connected to the airport, handy for the ride to London. Besides, I dislike both Heathrow and Gatwick intensely.

Blogging will be light until Friday, when I leave, at which time I will turn off the comments while I'm gone. As my friend Ann said, "Enjoy your time in 'real' without much 'virtual'." That's what I intend to do, as I will not have a computer with me.

Below are a couple of the places I will go.

The Royal Opera in London

The Cobb at Lyme Regis

I'll return near the end of July.

Photo of the Cobb from Wikipedia.

UPDATE: I'm bumping this post up to be the last before I leave tomorrow to explain where I am and why the comments are turned off.

WOW, MR CATOLICK!

Check out Mr CatOLick's latest photoshop. It is powerful.

ROWAN, I COME IN PEACE

After a quickie election by acclamation, ordination, and consecration, I will be in England shortly to establish the Mission in the Church of England (MitCoE) dedicated to the conversion of the leadership of the church to the way of the Gospel and away from their ways of bigotry against LGTB pesons and misogyny toward women.

Rowan, you may raise your eyebrows at the irregularity of my ordination and consecration, which took place on Facebook, when the rabble chose me as flying Bishop of MitCoE by acclamation in the old way of the early church. If Kenya can do irregular ordinations, why not consecrations of bishops chosen by acclamation on Facebook? Our method extends far back in church history to the "faith handed down". Remember: I did not seek the office; the office sought me.

I hereby serve notice that while I am in England, I will be wearing my mitre, not carrying it under my arm. I will remove it only to shower and sleep.

Signed,

Bishop Mimi

Don't blame me. Blame James Holloway for the photoshop and for this entire concept. If you're his Facebook friend, you may blame him personally.

THE OWL IS AFTER ME AGAIN

Within a week during my evening walk, I've had two close encounters with a creature very like the barred owl pictured above, when the bird landed on the ground quite close to me. The owls are wonderful to look at, but after my experience a year or so ago of having one fly straight for my face, turning away only after I screamed when the bird was very near, I'd rather look from a distance.

I read that owls have poor eyesight, and they often mistake human hair for small animal prey. My white hair must appear attractive to them, so I will start to wear a cap when I walk after dark. Humans have had to receive emergency treatment for owl scratches on the head after the birds attempted unsuccessfully to carry them off. I welcome the owls in my neighborhood. I wish I could see more of my owl in the daytime, because it is a magnificent sight, but I don't want its claws in my hair, and I don't want the bird in my face, so it's cap time for me.

Photo from Wikipedia.

GAY SOLDIER'S PARENTS FIGHT MARRIAGE BAN

The death of Andrew Wilfahrt in Afghanistan moved his parents, Lori and Jeff, to advocate for marriage equality.

H/T to MadPriest at Of Course, I Could Be Wrong... where I first saw the video.

UPDATE: Thanks to Murdoch Matthew in the comments for the link to an article about Andrew in Stars and Stripes.

Lori and Jeff Wilfahrt, Andrew’s parents, have the milquetoast looks of middle-age Midwesterners: gray hair, rimmed glasses, apple-pie ordinary. Yet make no mistake: These lifelong Minnesotans might be the most powerful force to join the same-sex marriage movement.

In a state that has produced GOP presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty -- who have made careers fighting gay marriage -- these parents of an American hero present a major challenge to the establishment.

They'll take their battle to the Supreme Court, if that's what it takes. To the Wilfahrts, denying gays the right to marry is discrimination against a group to which their son belonged.

Lori and Jeff look like giants next to the likes of Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty.

UPDATE 2: From Mike in Texas in the comments comes a link to a moving story about Andrew at CNN:

A lover of literature, Jeff always brings a collection of William Wordsworth. He flips the pages to "Expostulation and Reply." He sits on the marble stone commemorating his son and reads aloud. Lori sits on the ground nearby.

He gets to the last verse and chokes up:

"Then ask not wherefore, here, alone,
Conversing as I may,
I sit upon this old grey stone,
And dream my time away."

Jeff stands quickly, touching the grey stone with his hand, as if reaching out to his beloved son from beyond the grave. He trembles and cries. "I can never get through the last paragraph," he says. "What the hell's wrong with me?"

Lori stands, too. The two stare at the headstone. Tears still streaming down his face, Jeff says, "It's just the shits." He whispers again, "It's just the shits."

They want people to know their son wasn't a "gay soldier." He was a great soldier who happened to be gay. Above all, he was a citizen.

A remarkable man, his epitaph reads.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Today we celebrate the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that signaled our break from England, the document that offered great promise to the citizens of the United States.

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.

Lofty words, indeed. Have the promises of the Founding Fathers been fulfilled? Some yes, but not all. We have a way to go. And there's a game of brinkmanship being played out in Congress which could lead to grave consequences for us, the citizens, and for the future of our country.

What did the Founding Fathers really say in the Declaration of Independence? In the Washington Post, E. J. Dionne explicates the Declaration for us and relates its meaning to the present situation today in the Congress.

Our nation confronts a challenge this Fourth of July that we face but rarely: We are at odds over the meaning of our history and why, to quote our Declaration of Independence, “governments are instituted.”

Only divisions this deep can explain why we are taking risks with our country’s future that we’re usually wise enough to avoid. Arguments over how much government should tax and spend are the very stuff of democracy’s give-and-take. Now, the debate is shadowed by worries that if a willful faction does not get what it wants, it might bring the nation to default.

This is, well, crazy. It makes sense only if politicians believe — or have convinced themselves — that they are fighting over matters of principle so profound that any means to defeat their opponents is defensible.

Read it all.

Have a happy Fourth of July, anyway!

UGH! NOT AGAIN

From the New York Times:

An ExxonMobil pipeline running under the Yellowstone River in south central Montana ruptured late Friday, spilling crude oil into the river and forcing evacuations.

The pipeline burst about 10 miles east of Billings, coating parts of the Yellowstone River that run past Laurel — a town of about 6,500 people downstream from the rupture — with shiny patches of oil. Precisely how much oil leaked into the river was still unclear. But throughout the day Saturday, cleanup crews in Laurel worked to lessen the impact of the spill, laying down absorbent sheets along the banks of the river to mop up some of the escaped oil, and measuring fumes to determine the health threat.

Yes, again ...and again, and again and again.

Clean up the mess, guys.

Thanks to Ann.

FROM DAVID@MONTREAL

beloved Giants

as corny as it may sound,
sitting here, having given heart-felt thanks for the life, ministry, and brave articulate example of our Kirstin

i'm very mindful of what an extraordinary circle of grace and faithful lives we've all been a part of in accompanying our treasured friend

our loose, loving interconnectedness via the internet, which has been a source of grace/love/prayers/strength and support to so many over the years, and the incredible network which grew to surround our Kirstin-

'by their fruits' Scripture tells us- and i can't help but feel that what the Holy Spirit works/worked through this blessed interconnectedness says something of how/where our Church is called to grow.

so this morning, i'm deeply, profoundly grateful for each one of you - remembered by name, with gratitude and love

I am sending out one great Montreal hug- a group hug, in dear Kirstin's honour as we hold the memory of her, her life and example close to our hearts

and strive to live Life even more intentionally, more......... unconditionally present in our slow waltz with Ruach, all to G-d's greater glory.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Group hug))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

thank-you my beloved Giants

love always-always Love

David@Montreal

Thank you, cher David. You made me cry, but that's okay. I've been teary throughout the day anyway.

Love to you.

GOOD NIGHT, SWEET KIRSTIN

From Andee:

Kirstin died a few minutes before 8 p.m. After a day of many of us singing to her, she is now singing with the angels. Rest in peace, my little one.

And the angels sang thee to thy rest, dear Kirstin.

From Kirstin at Barefoot and Laughing:

And this will be the psalm at my memorial:

The Rev. Virginia Going, “Today”

Let me live today.
Let me be open to the miracle of this day.
Let me breathe the best of today.
Let me not miss the heart of today.
Let me find the gift of today,
hidden like a jewel in rubble of care, duty, and detail.

Let me pause to hear
the steady beat of the heart of God—
hoping, aching, sorrowing, expectant, patient,
despairing heart of God.

Listen, listen.
Do you hear it?
Ever so faint but steady, steady,
rhythmic organ, strong muscle,
thumping, beating, pumping, sustaining, encompassing,
wildly dancing heart of God.

Let me live this day, aware, open, listening, breathing, alive.

Also from Kirstin's blog: The Indigo Girls - "The Wood Song"



I send prayers, love and blessings to all who cared for Kirstin, especially to an angel named Andee.

May God give comfort, consolation and the peace that passes understanding to keep the minds and hearts of all who love Kirstin.