The nature of feelings

Oedipus and the Sphinx by Ingres
Image via Wikipedia

You call me unfeeling. If you could only see
the nature of your own feelings...
--Teiresias in Oedipus Rex (Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald trans.)

One should encourage the production of Greek tragedies in our day.

I write this as a great lover of the classic Greek tragedies. If one is being performed locally, you are guaranteed my attention and interest. I have witnessed astoundingly moving productions, some elaborate and some done on a shoestring, and astonishingly bad productions. But I am always glad they are being done. There are reasons the classics are classics. They touch primal themes and timeless truths and are never out of date.

At the performances of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Vortex Theatre I spotted a notice that Oedipus was going to be performed at the Auxiliary Dog Theatre. I immediately planned to attend and got my reservations in early.

The tale of Oedipus is a fascinating one - and I speak in pre-Freudian terms here. Oedipus is a man who tries to run from his fate and ends up running headlong toward it. There are constant juxtapositions of opposites, most notably themes of truth, lies, and ambiguity; light and darkness; sight and blindness; order and chaos; salvation and destruction.

The play turns my thoughts to Ατη (Atē), "the spirit (daimona) of delusion, infatuation, blind folly, rash action and reckless impulse who led men down the path to ruin" and to Apollo, the god of truth, knowledge, and light - a ruthless deity, to be sure, as the myths demonstrate.

Oedipus is a great hero to the people of Thebes for he delivered them from the ravages of the Sphinx who prevented travelers from access to the city, devouring them if they could not solve her riddle. Oedipus solved the riddle and the dreaded creature offed herself. This feat wins him the throne of Thebes and its widowed queen. No one is aware at the time that this queen is his mother and she is a widow because he has slain his own father. All this was foretold in prophecies that he and his parents both sought to preclude in vain.

At the beginning of the play, Thebes is suffering once more. Apollo has sent a plague upon the city-state.

A rust consumes the buds and fruits of the earth;
The herds are sick; children die unborn,
And labor is vain. The god of plague and pyre
Raids like detestable lightning through the city,
And all the house of Kadmos is laid waste,
All emptied, and all darkened Death alone
Battens upon the misery of Thebes.

This is divine judgment for harboring the murderer of the former ruler. Oedipus swears to find who it is and render judgment, unaware that he is the parricide, the incestuous one, the polluter of the land.

The starting point is one of misery and desperation from which the viewer hopes to find some relief, though the salvation of Thebes will come at a high price.

One great challenge in watching a play or any artistic performance is measuring it against a truly good past experience. I saw a performance of Oedipus back in 2003 by Shotgun Players in Berkeley. We sat on bleachers and the production was done with a very minimal budget. The lead (Clive Worsley) had injured his ankle the day before and had to play with a swollen foot, necessitating last minute changes in blocking, which the director explained before the play began. I was the one person who laughed, not at the injury but at the pointed mention of "swollen foot" since that is what the name Oedipus means. It was a riveting performance nonetheless and the opening scene of the suppliants was the finest liturgical act I have ever experienced in my life. The seriousness, the desperation, the sacredness of very sound and motion were palpable. My stomach was in knots within the first five minutes. The staging was simply phenomenal.

Let us then take pity on AuxDog when I bring memories like that with me to the performance.

It was good to see the story enacted once more. Sophocles is powerful.

One must single out two of the actors, both playing the roles of older men who do not want to share what they know. Alan Hudson played Tiresias, the blind seer, who could see more than those around him with sight. Hudson captured a sense of a prophet who knows his own power, dignity, and worth and also wants to avoid being dragged into what he knows must unfold. Ominous utterances combine with wordplay as he spars with the king, hoping to say as little as necessary while being bound to the truth that Apollo gives him. The old Theban shepherd is played by Arthur Alpert who seemed truly to inhabit his part, not reciting lines but being the shepherd who had long since fled the terrible secrets and dark fate of the court to live away from the palace in peace. I sank into his skilled performance as one might collapse into a beanbag chair, grateful and luxuriating in comfort. Wynn Rowell's Creon carried dignity and seriousness that fitted the tale as well.

Unfortunately, what I experienced from the beginning and through much of the performance was a sense that the desperate, tragic reality of the story was undercut, which is why I chose the citation at the beginning: "If you could only see the nature of your own feelings."

The performance seemed to lack gravitas, to use an old Latin term for a sober weight and dignity. I heard the lines but I did not feel the emotion that matched the reality of the dramatic situation. The direction and adaptation portrayed Oedipus at the beginning as a sleazy, self-satisfied politician - and there is an element of that in Sophocles' text - but to my mind this seemed to trivialize the whole tale. This shifted from tragedy to a possibly weightier version of tabloid tale and made me uneasy.

"If you could only see the nature of your own feelings."

Many lines that evening felt read, recited, not internalized and embodied. The players knew their lines and did not miss cues, but I sometimes felt as though the horrors of the story were narrated by people who had themselves never suffered or witnessed the truly unspeakable and tragic in their lives. What I am describing is not about the anguished narration overheatedly delivered by the Second Messenger who describes the death of Jocasta and the self-blinding of Oedipus but the whole texture of the piece. I cannot help wondering what might have emerged if cast and director had spend more time pausing to consider WTF is happening here? What is being said?

I suppose that what I yearned for was to truly hear, in the actors' recitation, the emotions that matched the words, and it did not happen with sufficient frequency and consistency.

That, I hope, is a constructive criticism as my desire is for more ventures into the Greek classics, to the enrichment of actors, audiences, and the community as we ponder timeless dilemmas and our human responses to them. I could watch this part of the story knowing that Oedipus finally finds redemption and peace, though n0t in this play.

Thank you, AuxDog, for giving it a go.

--the BB

Daily Inspiration

Just head on over and read Doxy's letter to her insurance company.

--the BB

906

In addition to the Department of Defense, today we note deaths for the DEA.
10/27/09 AP:
DEA identifies 3 agents killed in Afghanistan
The Drug Enforcement Administration has identified the three agents killed Monday in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the agency's first fatalities in its counter-narcotics operations in that country. They were
Special Agent Forrest Leamon,
Special Agent Chad Michael and
Special Agent Michael Weston.
The men were assigned to the agency's fight against the opium trade in Afghanistan, which often funds insurgent activity.

10/27/09 DoD:
Army Casualty Identified
Pfc. Devin J. Michel, 19, of Stockton, Ill., died Oct. 24 in Zhari province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

10/27/09 DoD:
Army Casualty Identified
Sgt. Eduviges G. Wolf, 24, of Hawthorne, Calif., died Oct. 25 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her vehicle with a rocket propelled grenade. She was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

10/27/09 DoD:
Marine Casualties Identified (4 of 4)
Capt. David S. Mitchell, 30, of Loveland, Ohio....assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton...died Oct. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

10/27/09 DoD:
Marine Casualties Identified (3 of 4)
Cpl. Gregory M.W. Fleury, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska...assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton..died Oct. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

10/27/09 DoD:
Marine Casualties Identified (2 of 4)
Capt. Eric A. Jones, 29, of Westchester, N.Y...assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton..died Oct. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

10/27/09 DoD:
Marine Casualties Identified (1 of 4)
Capt. Kyle R. Van De Giesen, 29, of North Attleboro, Mass...assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton..died Oct. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

10/26/09 DoD:
Army Casualties Identified (2 of 2)
Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, of Lehi, Utah....assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo...died Oct. 23 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

10/26/09 DoD:
Army Casualties Identified (1 of 2)
Spc. Eric N. Lembke, 25, of Tampa, Fla...assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo...died Oct. 23 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.



I put this, the first of my trackings of military fatalities in Afghanistan, on 28 June 2008.

Johnny One Note

I realize I have not been posting about other things, like health care, war and war crimes, torture, FISA, the arts, and the other usual topics lately. You could say I have been a bit preoccupied.

Here are some updates on what preoccupies me.

This evening I attended a lovely house blessing. One of the co-presiding priests was a chum from my days at CDSP (the Episcopal seminary in Berkeley). Nice to see her again. She is retired and I am trying to keep the green-eyed monster at bay.

As I was getting ready to leave the event and begin my long drive home the sweet lady who is making our fair linen and burses told me she will also have a white frontal ready for us for this Sunday as we celebrate the feast of All Saints. I had pulled out fabric last night, thinking to make one. Now I don't have to.

Another friend from San Gabriel has pledged six wastebaskets (dustbins for English-speakers).

In my mailbox was a gracious and generous check.

In my e-mailbox was a note from the rector of my home parish saying he was looking for more prayer books and seeing if parishioners could help with other items on the wish list.

Today the diocesan treasurer's office is looking into things like "does the heating work?" so we don't freeze in the sudden change of temperatures here. (I had not even checked it yet and we anticipate scattered snow showers today.)

Every day there are new blessings, new acts of love and support, for mission and ministry. It is only as we participate in mission and ministry (and it does not have to be our brand or flavor, I speak broadly here) in our specific corners of the world that become part of tikkun, the restoration and healing of the world.

We must act, speak, bear witness, and struggle on larger stages also but it is the close, concrete, particular acts that embody what we yearn to become.

I hope, this evening, that y'all yearn to be what we are made to be: channels of compassion, healing, justice, peace, truth, light, and love.

In the current tight economy I don't want to confront anyone with a begging bowl for this ministry. My own income is from a secular job and this is about a movement of the Spirit and the People of the South Valley and up toward the West Mesa in Albuquerque, NOT about any one priest. (I wince when loving people call this "my" church; you know what I mean, I trust.) If this is about me, I should stop right now.

We are venturing where the diocese, struggling with many larger challenges at the moment, cannot afford to make any substantial investment.

So, because some have asked, if anyone wishes to contribute, they may make checks payable to the following:

Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande

4304 Carlisle Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87107

And earmark them for "Our Saviour, ABQ."

Only if you want to and can afford it, OK?

If what you can afford right now is "only" prayer, that is more precious than gold and makes a difference. Without the prayers of many this simply will not happen and I and others involved are immeasurably grateful for every prayer offered. Thank you.

--the BB

Keepin y'all posted - wish list updated

Gracious offers of assistance continue to come in and we are blessed by the opening of so many hearts. We are currently pursuing the sign out front and hope to have that in place very soon. I am working on the gathering of resources for both worship and community ministry. Among my sundry belongings, once I dig them out, are a lectern-sized lectionary (RCL) and a Spanish altar book.

Here are some wish list items (if you don't ask, you don't receive):

• A lectern
• A pillar or small-surface side table on which can be placed...
• A nice bowl for a font
• A vacuum cleaner
• Waste baskets (we have only one and many rooms that need them) we now have 8
  
• Folding or stackable chairs for the church hall
• The Book of Common Prayer 1979 (we now have seven)
• Bibles for Bible study down the road
• Spanish Bibles (ditto)
• Musicians and instruments
• Effective means of communication with the community
• NEW: an iron and ironing board
  

And always, always prayer that we may listen for and follow the Spirit and open our hearts to the people of the community.

I also ask your prayers for those who have felt they needed to leave the Episcopal Church, the community that once worshiped in this space. May everything they do for the reign of God be blessed, may they be channels of grace to others, may God heal anger and bitterness in all our hearts, and may we all move forward that Good News may be proclaimed by many voices and in many manners.

There is more than enough room in this part of town for every ministry God can raise up. Approximately 52,000 people with no church affiliation live in two adjoining zip codes.

Blessed God, you make all things new: Guide us as we seek your will for a new community of Word and Sacrament, that it may be leaven for the world's bread, and wine of delight for hearts in need; a gathering strong for service and glad in praise; and a people listening and responding to your presence in their midst; through Jesus our Redeemer and steadfast companion. Amen.

--the BB

Heart thread - 10/26/2009

My friend Steve writes:

I feel bad that I haven't kept you in the loop, but I've had so much on my mind, that I haven't been online much. Kellee had her hip replacement surgery on Oct 13th. This was her 15th surgery on the hip and we finally had got a new one! When she was 9, she broke the hips in a gymnastics class and had 14 surgeries on the hip between the age of 9 and 11. For 30 years she has been in pain. Now we're already seeing signs of less pain and better movement. She is recovering well as each day passes. She can now get in and out of bed by herself and even though she is still using the walker, she continues to get stronger each passing hour. We have been blessed to have friends, sister's and anyone available to come help when I'm not home to assist in any way possible. She should be using the walker for another week or so and then we hope to move to a cane. Total recovery is 6 weeks. I can't believe how after 30 years of wear and tear on these hips, the surgeon was able to do this in under 2 hours and tell me that she was fine and will recover nicely.I thought that Master Sommelier's are special and neat to look up to and admire, but surgeons change people's life and make things better for years to come. Keep her in your prayers and I'll keep you updated as her healing progresses.

Steve has been training as a Master Sommelier. He has a great love of wine and sharing that knowledge. May Kellee's new hip give her freedom and ease from pain.

For the Diocese of San Joaquin that just held its convention and moves forward with challenges.

For Mark (Марко Фризия), who is recuperating and grieving at the same time. He has finally been able to put up a couple of new posts.

For the repose of Fr. Ed Hinds of Chatham, NJ. (Elizabeth writes of him here and Mimi has an update here.)

For Roseann, for Myron, for Mother Sandra, for Frank.

And for all the others we have been remembering (the list goes one and on).

--the BB

Sunday morning church

Our prelude, via The Lead:
Bruce Springsteen with the Seeger Session Singers at LSO St. Luke's, London offer "O Mary, don't you weep."

Gospel
Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Remembering what we're here for:

Q. What is the mission of the Church?
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

Q. How does the Church pursue its mission?
A. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.

Q. Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
A. The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.

Let us pray:

Blessed God, you make all things new: Guide us as we seek your will for a new community of Word and Sacrament, that it may be leaven for the world's bread, and wine of delight for hearts in need; a gathering strong for service and glad in praise; and a people listening and responding to your presence in their midst; through Jesus our Redeemer and steadfast companion. Amen.

--the BB

886

10/22/09 DoD:
Army Casualty Identified
Spc. Kyle A. Coumas, 22, of Lockeford, Calif., died Oct. 21 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

10/17/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski, 28, of Rantoul, Ill., died Oct. 16 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 293rd Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), Fort Stewart, Ga.

10/17/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats, 32, of Fredericksburg, Texas, died Oct. 16 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas.

10/17/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Anthony G. Green, 28, of Matthews, N.C., died Oct. 16 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas.

10/19/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Oct. 15 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison, Jr., 34, of Blairsville, Pa.;

Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., 28, of La Mirada, Calif.;

Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and

Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, of Lancaster, Pa.

10/20/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23, of Moreno Valley, Calif., died Oct. 17 in Argahndab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

10/21/2009
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. David R. Baker, 22, of Painesville, Ohio, died Oct. 20 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

4351

10/19/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. Daniel J. Rivera, 22, of Rochester, N.Y., died Oct. 18 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

10/21/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza, 26, of Mission, Texas, died Oct. 19 in Qwest, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Today's report

Two friends and I schlepped tables from Canterbury to Our Saviour this morning. We also unloaded the items I had been collecting in my car (Bible, prayer books, lessons from the early church that can be read at Morning Prayer on Sundays I am not there, more coffee hour supplies, another icon . We toured and discussed, looking at things that need to happen, thinking about the near approach of Advent. Making a note of maintenance that needs to be done. And just plain cleaning. Pondering the wish list. A press release about All Saints' Day worship went out.

A top priority is a new sign. Monday we will be exploring getting a huge sign (see post below) out front. We will work on flyers, radio PSAs, etc. - the initial steps to getting the word out.

I am marshaling resources for English classes for Spanish speakers and was looking at Spanish explanations of English grammar this afternoon.

Plans are afoot for tea with the regional dean in a week so she and I can meet each other (I promised to bring the madeleines).


I also took freshly picked tomatoes (cherry and small yellow pear-shaped ones) to new neighbors moving in down the block. Nice folks.

Began re-reading Sophocles' Oedipus Rex as I ponder the production of Oedipus we saw last night.

Took not one but two mini-naps. (+Maya, please take note: a presbyter trying to heed a bishop.)

Dinner with our monthly potluck group earlier this evening. Lovely food and delightful company.

Returning now to Thebes.

--the BB

A guy's gotta dream

This is the huge sign I want to put out front. Time to see what it would cost.

I first heard about this opportunity twelve days ago.

The outpouring of love, prayers, and support is amazing.

God has sent us a lay couple who want to see this church stay open. The husband led Morning Prayer last Sunday and cleared weeds out front today. He does prison ministry. The prisoners are now praying for us and wishing us well.

San Gabriel's congregation is willing to help us have a "miracle day," a time of sprucing up. Someone from that congregation is making burses to match our chalice veils and a fair linen.

Fellow bloggers are praying and sending wishes. They are sharing ideas. They are asking what our wish list is. One is interested in making an offering.

Friends are volunteering to serve as acolytes when they visit.

Another friend wants to underwrite ten Prayer Books and help tutor in English.

St Thomas of Canterbury is donating five used Prayer Books and tables. Another parish might have some folding chairs they could send our way and are looking into that. A friend who doesn't even do church is bringing her pickup to help schlep tables.

Amid casual conversation this evening I realized how close All Saints is. Drawing on my experience in Oakland, we will celebrate Los Días de los Muertos at the same time. I will prepare an ofrenda in the church and we hope to get out a press release to the local paper saying all are welcome to remember loved ones in community.

I can hardly wait to start English classes and offer weekly Spanish Eucharist.

And we are upheld by prayers across the nation and around the world.

Ah, the prayers. This is where God works on all our hearts and we see possibilities.

O God, who inspired your apostles in Jerusalem to pray and fast to discern your will: Send us your Spirit, that we may learn what you would have us to do and the words and witness you would have us offer, that your Kingdom may come and your power be revealed in the South Valley; to the glory of your Name. Amen.

You know, I think this is of the Spirit.

--the BB

I love a prepared Senator who won't take shit

You go, Senator Franken!

This ain't comedy any more. He's serious. And so is the issue.

--the BB

Why I love the Rude Pundit

"Facts are to Ann Coulter as coyote piss is to deer."

She really is pathetic. Rude reminds us how pathetic.

--the BB

Update on Jack

Niece Paula writes:

Home from Fresno, dad is home from hospital. Stress test didn't indicate any heart issues, so we still don't know what sent him to the hospital on Monday. Well, except that his kidneys are far worse than we thought. Thanks everyone for the thoughts, kind words, and prayers. You all are the best!

Come on in, the water's fine!

"Anglicanism: Offering personal ordinariates for disaffected Roman Catholics since 1549."
---the Rev. Jan Nunley

Lifted from a comment by Clumber at Wounded Bird

Heart Thread - 09/21/2009 - updated

I ask your prayers for my brother-in-law Jack and my sister Shirley.

Came to this rather late and saw this from my niece Paula on Facebook:

Quick trip to Fresno this noontime. Dad in the hospital with heart issues. As my grandma Hallie use to say...getting old sucks.

✜ ✜ ✜

Actually the saying was, Getting old sucks and it's not for sissies. Ended up not being heart issues, at least the blood work doesn't show that. He is in kidney failure and his white blood count is way low along with his blood platelettes. He says he feels fine this evening, but has the ugliest of headaches, no wonder after 7 nitro pills on the way to the hospital and they still have him on a nitro patch. Hoping to talk to the dr tomorrow. My mom is pretty much wheel chair bound and house bound, doesn't get out much, so i need to be here to take care of her until my dad gets home from the hospital.

✜ ✜ ✜

Dad still in the hospital. Looking into the heart issues, but he is in kidney failure. He feels fine and says he wants to come home but the drs say no -- more tests. Blood pressure is still quite high, white blood count is extremely low, as is his platelets counts.

✜ ✜ ✜

Thanks everyone. Just got back from the hospital. Blood pressure is down, still monitoring him however his kidney dr did say dialysis is in his near future. Dad doesn't like the sound of that.

UPDATE on Jack from Paula:

Dad had 2 nuclear stress test today on his heart, then a big meal full of fats and then another test around dinner time. Results tomorrow as to any heart issues.
...
Good note: His "bad kidney count" is down another 3/10ths so that's a total of 7/10ths since being admitted. Count is still at 2.8 which is nearly doubled what it was in Feb and in Feb his kidneys were only functioning at 22%. He looks fine and feels fine and is ready to come home and get a good nights sleep.

For Joel

I've had coffee. Mr. Witty has had cookies and a leak. Now off to take Mr. Watson for an early morning MRI to see about his thymus.... all with regard to his myesthenia gravis diagnosis and all that....[It's Margaret]

Open for business

Pieces come together, bit by bit.

St Thomas of Canterbury, the parish next to the University of New Mexico, is donating five used Prayer Books and as many tables that they are not using.

The mission church of San Gabriel hopes to help us with a "miracle day" to spiff things up.

A lay person led Morning Prayer last Sunday and is eager to see this church stay open and happen. He is going to cut down the weeds around the signs out front. We will be celebrating a birthday after Eucharist this Sunday. I picked up some more supplies at Costco after work. I can donate a couple of Prayer Books from my library, plus an icon of the Rublev Trinity and a Bible.

Someone who sews is willing to make a fair linen and some burses for us.

Lesson handouts for the next four weeks have been prepared.

I am trying to see if I can start teaching English classes on Thursday nights one week after Thanksgiving.

So many possibilities.

Keep praying, my friends. We are trying to do a church plant with almost no money and nothing but faith.

There are folks who would like to see the diocese sell the property. Pray that their hearts may be turned.

Lots going on; blogging is light this week. Dinner out tomorrow.

--the BB

Heart thread - 09/10/19

For the repose of the soul of Irene. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

For a bit over a year my dear friend Diane has lived with an elderly lady named Irene, a gracious soul who never lost interest in life and the larger world. Today Irene left us.

For Diane and all who mourn.

For Norman, Karen, Steve, an unnamed friend, Mother Ruth, and Cany. For all affected by H1N1 and any other influenza. (Details at OCICBW)

For those with disturbed dreams and lives out of joint, for our sick society, and for those who hope and help and heal.

For those who struggle to survive and those who lose that struggle.

For those caught in adversarial situations.

For the faith communities of St. Alban's, St. Peter's, St. Aidan's, St. Cuthbert's, Santísima Trinidad, El Buen Pastor, St. Michael and All Angels, San Gabriel, and Our Saviour - all the places I have served as priest.

For the people of Sudan, Niger, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Canaan.

For those who labor for a climate treaty.

For health care reform that serves the people, not insurance companies.

For Mother Sandra, Marsha, and Mark (Mapko) in their continued healing.

For Mary Beth, and Eileen who has asked prayers for her:

Hi All…I’m crazy busy this week – commuting back and forth to a Leadership Conference in North Jersey..fun fun fun!
However, Harl reminds me that people are still reading this blog, and have been praying for Mary Beth (for which I am most thankful/grateful), so a quick update is due.
She is doing well – they have had her up and walking around, and there is talk of her being discharged some time this week. There is still concern for sight in one of her eyes – apparently the optic nerve was involved and there does still seem to be some residual complications from this. So far her memory seems to be intact, which was also a concern.
The issues with her sight have her a bit down, but overall, things could have been much worse. Keep her in your prayers for continued recovery and to keep her spirits up. Thanks and hugs to all!

With gratitude for musicians, artists, poets, authors, dancers, storytellers, and fools for God.

--the BB

If we have no leverage we are wasting our breath

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who is deeply involved with congressional Democrats in trying to merge the various committee proposals, also appeared to set aside the public option.

''It's not the defining piece of health care. It's whether we achieve both cost control, coverage, as well as the choice,'' Emanuel said.

--NYT (Associate Press)

Rahm, baby, it IS the defining piece of health care REFORM, and I think YOU are a big reason the overwhelming desire of the public for it is not swaying the Senate the way it should.

Have I mentioned how very sorry and disappointed I am that Obama picked you for his adviser?

--the BB

Ring around the capitol, Santa Fe

Ring around the Roundhouse;
A pocket full of rice;
Marriage Equality for everyone;
Now wouldn't that be nice??



Video by my friend Michal Anne who was there on behalf of us all.

--the BB

A page view or two

I believe Mimi and I just pushed this puppy past 70,000 page views this evening. A friend in Berkeley just started blogging (in his 80s, way to go!) and has two posts up. My garrulous typing style has put up 3,353 posts to date.

Thanks to the visitors who come here.

--the BB

Just a tidbit from my archives

The Questions Journalists Dare Not Utter
Letterman uttered. McClatchy:

...there were two much better, more revealing moments in the interview. The first came when Letterman was pressing McCain about his efforts to tie Barack Obama to Bill Ayers, the Chicago professor who founded the Vietnam-era Weather Underground group whose protests included bombings of government buildings. Letterman pressed home the obvious point that Obama was 8 years old when Ayers was engaged in anti-war activities.

Then Letterman noted that we all have associations in our lives that we can't really control, and the viewers thought, Well, here's where Letterman brings up the Keating 5. But Letterman had a better McCain association to recall:

Weren't you once at a fundraiser at G. Gordon Liddy's house? Letterman asked.

If McCain could have gone any paler, he would have. He stammered. Then, mercifully for McCain, a tragedy for television viewers, Letterman cut to a commercial.

Still waiting for closure

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- A special counsel is focusing on whether Vice President Dick Cheney played a role in leaking a covert CIA agent's name, according to people familiar with the probe that already threatens top White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis Libby.

Hace veinte años

17 October 1989

Padre Mickey posted his reminiscences of the Loma Prieta Quake and invited others to share. You may read his comments here. I am pasting below what I put in comments at his site.

I was chatting with coworkers when the building began to shake. A native Californian, I was blase for a few seconds then said, "this feels like a big one." For a second longer I was grateful to be in a doorframe when I remembered the glass in the transom over our heads. Peter, another really big fellow, and I dived under a small table. When the shaking stopped everyone exited the building. Facade had fallen off the brick building across the streets and there was a cloud of cement dust. I held on colleague as she was shaking terribly. Another shouted, "my child" and hurried off in her car. We saw black smoke rising in downtown Berkeley - a tire fire in an auto shop. We all then headed home, totally unaware of the larger picture.

I took surface streets instead of freeway. All the traffic lights were out and people were taking turns in intersections. People were incredibly gracious and cooperative. I got home rather quickly. The only damage in the house was one vase that had hopped off a bookshelf and shattered. I was able to call family. I waited for Bill.

It was hours before he got home as he had to take a bus, instead of BART. I tried to stay positive but was a bit of a wreck until I heard his key in the door. He took the car and gave one of his coworker's a ride to the BART parking lot in Richmond so she could get home.

I worked for a biotech firm. There was major damage in the labs. We stayed home a few days. One friend had driven home on the Cypress Freeway before it collapsed. Some friends were at the World Series. Everybody had a story. I doubt any of us have forgotten where we were and how that day unfolded for us.

❧

Those at the World Series returned to the East Bay by way of the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin then across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the north end of the East Bay. It took many hours.

One coworker lived in the Marina, the area in San Francisco build on landfill that had so much damage and fires. We could not reach her and were terribly concerned. She also had a loft just blocks from work where she had her art studio. We finally learned she was there and not in San Francisco at all. Blessedly, her apartment in the Marina was not damaged as so many had been.

--the BB

An interesting retrospective

Five years ago today Ron Suskind had an article in the New York Times Magazine titled "Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush." It makes for fascinating reading as we ponder the Bush years and the current state of the Republican Party.

It is the article where we encounter this now-famous passage:

In the summer of 2002, after I had written an article in Esquire that the White House didn't like about Bush's former communications director, Karen Hughes, I had a meeting with a senior adviser to Bush. He expressed the White House's displeasure, and then he told me something that at the time I didn't fully comprehend -- but which I now believe gets to the very heart of the Bush presidency.

The aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''

The article concludes thus:

Can the unfinished American experiment in self-governance -- sputtering on the watery fuel of illusion and assertion -- deal with something as nuanced as the subtleties of one man's faith? What, after all, is the nature of the particular conversation the president feels he has with God -- a colloquy upon which the world now precariously turns?

That very issue is what Jim Wallis wishes he could sit and talk about with George W. Bush. That's impossible now, he says. He is no longer invited to the White House.

''Faith can cut in so many ways,'' he said. ''If you're penitent and not triumphal, it can move us to repentance and accountability and help us reach for something higher than ourselves. That can be a powerful thing, a thing that moves us beyond politics as usual, like Martin Luther King did. But when it's designed to certify our righteousness -- that can be a dangerous thing. Then it pushes self-criticism aside. There's no reflection.

''Where people often get lost is on this very point,'' he said after a moment of thought. ''Real faith, you see, leads us to deeper reflection and not -- not ever -- to the thing we as humans so very much want.''

And what is that?

''Easy certainty.''

This was weeks before the 2004 election when serious corruption in Ohio led to Bush inhabiting the Oval Office for four more years.

I realize the issue of whether he was actually elected in 2004 is a matter of debate but I believe it was stolen. Again.
--the BB

The GOP has it covered

--the BB

Heart thread - 10/17/2009 - updated

From Mimi we have a Myron Update:

Good Morning Everyone,

Myron spent the last evening in the ER at Christiana because of abdominal and back pain. An ultrasound was performed and a significant amount of sludge was seen in the gall bladder. The doctors decided to wait for several hours then repeat the ultrasound and it was determined he would in fact need to have the gall bladder removed. At this point the gall bladder is too inflamed to remove so they will wait a couple of days until it calms down a bit before surgery. An endoscopy will be done at the time of surgery to make sure there are no stones in any of the ducts.

Thank you all for your continued good thoughts and prayers.

Sue

Strengthen your servant Myron, O God, to do what he has to do and bear what he has to bear; that, accepting your healing gifts through the skill of surgeons and nurses, he may be restored to usefulness in your world with a thankful heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Prayers for Mimi and her upcoming cataract surgery, that it will all go well and that she will have peace of mind through it all.

When my mother had her surgery, I watched the procedure live on TV from a camera fitted with a microscopic lens. At the time, I thought that Dr. B. must be quite sure of his skills to permit a family member to observe, and I was impressed with his dexterity and speed in the operation. Just last year, in "New Orleans Magazine", Dr. B. was rated the best ophthalmologist in the neighborhood by his peers in the profession. He was a pioneer in our area with the small-cut cataract procedure, and I should have chosen him from the beginning. I believe that the mix-up at Ochsner turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

After lunch, GP and I headed over to the office (me driving), and, to make a long story short, my surgeries are scheduled for Nov. 9 and Nov. 23 by a doctor I know and in whom I have great confidence.

The bit of bad news is that I have early-stage dry macular degeneration in both eyes. For now, the treatment is a vitamin supplement, which I already take, and which obviously didn't prevent the condition from developing in the first place.

For Roseann and Gary, ongoing prayers. I have not seen an update on this surgery.

On Monday the 12th, I will have vein graft surgery. This is being done for dialysis purposes. I don't want to do it, there is significant risk of bleeding and clotting, but my doc is insisting. With the catheter I have now the risk of infection is great. It is not a matter of IF and infection but WHEN. So what's a girl to do.

For Eileen's cousin Mary Beth:

Mary Beth made it through her surgery well, but she is in ICU, and her brain is still quite swollen. It will be several days before any damage to her brain can be assessed – the aneurysm was apparently deep and her surgery was quite invasive, so there are concerns about her vision and possible cognitive functions. Her doctors report she is young and strong though, and so they have hope she will make a full recovery.

Many thanks to those of you who have been praying for her.

For Mother Sandra as she continues to heal and recuperate:

Mother Sandra is still at Kindred Hospital and continues to slowly progress in her healing. This will be a lengthy process of unknown duration and it is expected that she will continue to be at Kindred for awhile. Where she will go after Kindred will be dependent upon her healing and strength at that time.

For Bishop Marc who has run into a major complication after surgery for prostate cancer:

Saturday evening, continued difficulty breathing and slightly elevated temperature. Sheila and I decided to go to the emergency room. During a 15-hour stay in the emergency department at UCSF it was determined that a blood clot had broken away from veins in my lower left calf and made its way into my lungs – I had an extensive pulmonary embolism, with one large clot in the pulmonary artery, and smaller ones branching out through the lungs. I was eventually admitted to the hospital, after being put on blood thinners, and was discharged on Sunday evening.

This surprising event means that my recovery has been extended a bit, but I’m still in fact recovering. I’m back under the careful, tremendously competent eye of my primary care physician who mercifully shows me no mercy, and have the best help possible in Sheila.

For the diocesan conventions of California and Rio Grande (and any others) this weekend. May the Holy Spirit guide and renew.

Are you familiar with Ellie's blog Does Not Wisdom Call? If not, pop on over for some lovely meditations and art. Consider it a Sabbath treat to yourself. Please say a prayer for Sister Ellie as you do.

MadPriest is not back so you know he's up to no good. Pray for him anyway.

Mark is healing from sundry injuries and can use our prayers.

Jane battles deadlines and a fresh bout of respiratory crud and a shot of the Holy Spirit's eloquence and healing combined would not be amiss.

Last Tuesday was the 33rd anniversary of the loving commitment of Elizabeth and Ms Conroy. That calls for celebration and prayers for blessings on their years ahead. May they be many, rich in love, health, and joy.

For Marsha who had surgery on both feet on Wednesday:

As promised, I want to let you know about Marsha's surgery today. I just spoke with her: she is back home, the surgery went well, she ate half a sandwich, Max is being an excellent nurse, and she has no pain. Alleluia!

For Joe struggling with many challenges.

Happy Birthday today to my high school classmate Nancy Boghosian and to my U.S. Representative in Congress Martin Heinrich.

For Frank and Carol, for Susan, for Karen, for Kathy.

For the raising up of a new and vibrant congregation in the South Valley at Our Saviour.

For peace in Pakistan where the military has begun a new ground offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan.

For wisdom and long-term thinking with regard to Afghanistan.

For the people of Zimbabwe.

For the elimination of hunger as we are mindful of World Food Day.

A joyous Diwali to all who celebrate it.

For those threatened by bushfire in central Queensland and those who fight the fire.

For the talks between India and China.

For the people of Guinea and an end to the crisis there.

Voting in Botswana has just come to an end; for the people of that nation.

For legitimate and respected government in Honduras.

For universal health care in the United States and for all who struggle for it.

UPDATE:
For Ralph and Susan.

Still moving/settling in, and dealing with mounting health complications for both of us.

Stay tuned, and humor us with prayers if they come naturally. Seems likely that we’re gonna need them.

--the BB

OMG, it's a Republican

Isn't it amazing how bullies are really all WATBs?

How dare you expose my meanness, my bigotry, my economic rape of the poor? If you demand the same rights I have, you are treading on my rights! I'm the victim here! I'M THE VICTIM!

Why is everyone so mean to meeeeeeeeeeee?

In the category of "we can dish it out but we can't take it...."

"Elder Bush Decries Lack of Civility in Politics"

Look, you spawned the little shithead that fucked over our country; take some responsibility, Poppy. I may be, and I am, a foulmouthed ranter who thinks your family is nothing better than an organized crime group, but I didn't foist Junior on this nation, OK? I'll sit in the balance with your "civility" any damn day.

As Hoffmania observes:

And that said while not naming by name any right wing nut like Beck, Savage, Hannity, Levin, Limbaugh, Gallag...

...oh, forget it. They LIKED his ugly kid. Some things just explain themselves.

--the BB

When the perps are behind bars, I will let this rest

This is too delish:

“It cannot be suggested that information as to how officials of the U.S. government admitted treating (Binyam Mohamed) during his interrogation is information that can in any democratic society governed by the rule of law be characterized as ’secret’ or as ‘intelligence’…”

--Paisley Dodds for the AP (full article here)

What is this all about? In a nutshell:

In a stunning and refreshing decision, the British High Court has overruled the British government’s attempt to suppress torture evidence on the US and British treatment of Binyam Mohamed.

See bmaz's article at emptywheel.

“In our view, as a court in the United Kingdom, a vital public interest requires, for reasons of democratic accountability and the rule of law in the United Kingdom, that a summary of the most important evidence relating to the involvement of the British security services in wrongdoing be placed in the public domain in the United Kingdom.”

The British High Court shows the world how torture is considered in a real legal system.

Yes!

--the BB

You're parasites

You will not see anything this exciting on any other program. Stay till the end.



God bless Rachel for speaking the truth to people who behave as total scumbags.

"I think you're really bad for the country."

--the BB

Movie night at Desert Farne

A couple weeks ago I came across my VHS copy of Sordid Lives. A tacky, funny, moving movie. I had forgotten how moving. Yes, when Olivia Newton-John sang "I'm coming home" in the church I got all soppy.

Still trying to get over the hair on the deceased's sister. I may have been traumatized, though not as much as Brother Boy by Dr. Eve's tatas.



--the BB

Three cheers for the courts!

If you would like to keep up with some exciting developments in the courts, visit Emtpywheel.

Bmaz has some great posts up today. You can read Judge Jeffrey S. White:

Considering the delay in disclosure thus far in this matter, the current administration’s pointed directive on transparency in government, and the public’s renewed interest in the question of legal immunity for the telecommunications companies that participated in the warrantless wiretapping program while considering currently pending legislation repealing the amendments to FISA, the Court finds that the public interest lies in favor of disclosure. This Court has already found, when deciding the motion for preliminary injunction in this case, that “irreparable harm exists where Congress is considering legislation that would amend the FISA and the records may enable the public to participate meaningfully in the debate over such pending legislation.”

Preach it, Your Honor!

Also, Judge Vaughn Walker ain't buyin' the bullshit the Prop 8 proponents are slinging:

A federal judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss a legal challenge to Proposition 8, concluding that the ongoing courtroom battle over California’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage must be resolved in a full-blown trial.

On the judicial front I am, so far, rather disappointed in the Obama administration. News like this encourages me in the belief that the courts may speak up on behalf of the American People and justice when Congress and the White House posture and dally.

I also loved yesterday's smackdown of Oily Taint.

--the BB

Heart thread - 10/14/2009

We remember Mimi who has an appointment today with an optometrist to start the process for having cataract surgery. May peace surround her and may things progress smoothly toward clearer vision.

For Fran and Jane R and PJ and all who have way too many tasks to do and not enough time to do them in.

For MadPriest and the Mrs while they are away.

For Mark (Mapko) who mourns and sorts out life without Nikolai.

For The Cunning Runt who is " moving and setting up a new phone system and dealing with some rather serious health issues."

For diocesan conventions this weekend for the Dioceses of California and the Rio Grande.

For continued healing for Bishop Marc.

Recovery for the Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus will take a little longer than originally hoped, and he will not be in attendance at the 160th Convention of the Diocese of California this Friday and Saturday. Bishop Marc will make his presentation to the convention by video. For more personal information about Bishop Mark’s health status, visit his blog: bishopmarc.com.

For Joe.

I sent this to David@Montreal yesterday and share it here with y'all:

Since the Holy Spirit is described in Corinthians as both the giver of diverse gifts and the source of unity, my "beatific vision" is one of ever-increasing complexity with ever-increasing interrelatedness. One one level, of course, that is simply the reality of what already exists in God, yet I believe it is not static but ever unfolding, growing, and dazzling in the divine imagination. No wonder we have to run to catch up, while we must also be still and just know awe.

--the BB

It's not the Republican Party; it's who runs things

Buhdydharma spells it out for us in simple terms:

Why was Bush able to ram his agenda through so easily? Because his agenda was the agenda of the Ruling Class.

Why can't Obama get his agenda through?

Because his agenda directly attacks the Ruling Class.

Think about all the pushback and who lies behind it.

Click on the name above to read it all.

--the BB

Take names and kick ass

Why do they hate women?

Why do they obstruct justice?

Why do they condone violent rape?



They have two things in common:

They are all male.

They are all Republicans.

--the BB

Dear Senator Reid

Now would be a good time to enforce some party discipline in your caucus. If you cannot, why not just fucking resign?

Love and kisses,
the BB

Jane Hamsher puts it more politely:

Either you’re going to enforce caucus discipline or you don’t have a party. You have instead a collection of self-interested narcissists, each one with the ability to derail any legislation they don’t like. Every Senator who derives their political power from membership in the caucus is thereby granted the power to torpedo any piece of legislation from coming to a vote, with no consequences. It’s an outrage.

873

10/13/09 DoD:
Marine Casualty Identified
Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Taylor, 27, of Bovey, Minn., died Oct. 9 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

10/13/09 DoD:
Marine Casualty Identified
Lance Cpl. Alfonso Ochoa Jr., 20, of Armona, Calif., died Oct. 10 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

10/12/09 DoD:
Army Casualty Identified
Spc. George W. Cauley, 24, of Walker, Minn., died Oct. 10 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device on Oct. 7 in Helmand province. He was assigned to the 114th Truck Company of the Minnesota Army National Guard in Duluth, Minn.

A garden, a casserole, a challenge

Is this evening a semblance of normalcy?

I came home and watered the back yard. Noted more leaves falling, more green tomatoes, some ripe ones, pondered the yard work I should have done yesterday when the day was beautiful. But I didn't, did I, Blanche?

I threw together a casserole of ham, noodles, eggs, cream, green chiles, cheese, bread crumbs. Not heavenly but not bad. Good use of what is in the house.

I'm not running off anywhere tonight.

Tomorrow we have our inaugural healing Eucharist at San Gabriel, to be a regular feature on second Tuesdays. I look forward to that. The masters for the liturgy and the proper lessons were printed yesterday and I can have copies made at lunch.

Today at lunch I wolfed down a really tasty cheese sandwich (good bread full of what berries and stuff and extra sharp Vermont cheddar, nothing else) and drove to Diocesan House. There I turned in the keys so someone else can cover Our Saviour this coming Sunday while I am back at San Gabriel. I did a pep talk for diocesan staff as they ate their lunches and politely listened. Actually, I think they catch the possibilities. They also confirmed that in the entire SW quadrant of Albuquerque there are only the Cathedral Church of St John and Our Saviour.

According to the city's website, Albuquerque's population is 860,000. Now, I know that the SW quadrant does not hold 1/4 of that, we are still more sparsely populated than the rest of the city. But let's pretend for a moment that the SW does have 215,000 people in it and only two Episcopal Churches.

Would it be rude to point out that the money in ABQ lies in the opposite direction (the NE heights)?

Or that the motto of the diocese is "we are a missionary people" when San Gabriel is the only mission started in many years, and it was started by a parish?

Yep. Very rude.

Consider it a challenge.

Time to act like people who really believe their lives have been changed by God's love. To act like people who really believe God loves all creation. To act like people who are called, empowered, and commanded to be part of the healing of the world.

And you don't have to be a fundamentalist to believe and act like this. Liberals can do it too. And trust me on this, ABQ does not have a superfluity of progressive and inclusive churches.

Anyone care to dream dreams and have visions?

Just saying.

--the BB

Canadian Thanksgiving- news of Frank

David sends us this moving news (on Canadian Thanksgiving Day):

dearest Giants of Prayer & Practice
Just in from a long walk with Willie the blessing daschund, and the phone was ringing
Frank, my very dear cousin, fighting lukemia with genetic therapy with an imprefect genetic match had called Mam when he couldn't get me on the phone.
Late last week he and Carol were headed into Vancouver for one of his twice-weekly days of outpatient treatment at the hospital, when all of a sudden Frank felt an incredibly sharp pain and tearing deep inside his calf.
The pain persisted all the way to the hospital where he was admitted as an emergency.
Turns out two pieces of cartelarge had become so brittle from all of the differant treatments Frank's been undergoing and twoe rogue pieces of cartelage were circulating in his body via the blood. Minor piercing of the lungs, some damage to the heart but thankfully no damage to either major veins into or out of the heart. The pain in his calf was indeed a tear of some seriousness which is being left to heal itself.

After the situation had been normalized, apparently the head of the whole cancer program came in to shake Frank's hand- to tell him how he couldn't understand, how with all Frank's been through, and now this, that he's still alive. To quote' you should have been dead, several times over.'
Carol said, with tears in his eyes, Frank told the doctor he was being kept alive by prayer alone- 'It's my cousin's gang of saints' (that's you guys)
Apparently the doctor at first misunderstood, thinking Frank and Carol might be Mormon, until Frank explained we're Anglican/Episcopalian/ RomanCatholic/Buddhist
Frank apparently waxed quite lyrical about the bunch of you, and by the time he'd finished the doctor was shaking his head, smiling with tears washing his own cheeks.

Litterally Frank's first call when he got home today, was to try and get me, and then to talk with Mam, to say thankyou, thank-you, thank-you to the Giants & to ask for your continued prayers.
To quote my beloved cousin, he's never felt so loved in his whole life, and that's saying a lot, as he had two wonderful parents (an only child) who adored the beautiful human being they'd been given.

I'd also ask for prayers for my sister Susan, who has spent the Thanksgiving week-end in hospital following a minor stroke with complications- tests still being run on the second day as they haven't quite got it all figured out.

Thanksgiving and continued prayers for Frank and his wife Carol and those who minister to him. Also fresh prayers for Susan and all minister to her. And for David and his whole family.

What a great bit of news to come home to this afternoon!

--the BB

A redeemed people

Our friend David@Montreal shared with me a comment that I want to pass along to a wider audience, the suggestion that

...just possibly what the Holy Spirit is doing during these troubling times is calling us to finally live and act [as] a redeemed people instead of an imperial machine.

Amen to that, Brother David, amen to that!

Planting a seed

On behalf of TEC and the Episcopal Diocese of Rio Grande it was my privilege to open the doors and preside at Holy Eucharist this morning.

I did not have time or resources for a whole new sign but I did get our logo out there, and the word "Episcopal."

The church as they left it; the church as it looked this morning.

The new frontal is made of green African fabric that has been waiting in my fabric collection for a worthy purpose. It was just the right size to hem and hang on the altar too. A friend picked up flowers. I brought in my Ethiopian processional cross for the occasion, though it is safely back home now.

Attendance: a hefty 4. An offering was taken and will be turned in to the diocese.

Someone from the break away group parked next door and watched to see who and how many showed up. If we are threatening, we must be doing something right.

Afterward my friend and I went to the 66 Diner and had retro comfort food: meat loaf for me and chicken fried steak for her, both with mashed potatoes and gravy.

So, we have a building (two in fact) but no church (the people). Pray for God to raise up leaders with the hearts of missioners, for wise and creative and effective communication and outreach. There is opportunity here.

Rehydrating and resting this evening.

Blessed be Godde.

--the BB