Terrapin Station

George Herbert for the win (again) - sung in church yesterday

King of glory, King of peace,
I will love thee;
and that love may never cease,
I will move thee.
Thou hast granted my request,
thou hast heard me;
thou didst note my working breast,
thou hast spared me.

Wherefore with my utmost art
I will sing thee,
and the cream of all my heart
I will bring thee.
Though my sins against me cried,
thou didst clear me;
and alone, when they replied,
thou didst hear me.

Seven whole days, not one in seven,
I will praise thee;
in my heart, though not in heaven,
I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort
to enroll thee:
e'en eternity's too short
to extol thee.

 

Friday Five, All Kinds of Random!

Rev Kjarla says at RevGals:

Hey there gals and pals,
Happy Friday to you!

Here are a few fivers to get you ready for whatever is next in your day (or keep you procrastinating for awhile before you do what you need to do.)

1.  If you were a character in a children's storybook, which storybook would it be, or what character, and why?

ooh! ooh! I want to be Eloise! 
My older sister Barbara gave me an Eloise book when I was little and I've always been entranced by this little girl who does whatever she pleases. I, on the other hand, was required to toe many lines, growing up. Just for a little bit I'd love to explore the world the way Eloise does, with my dog Weenie and my turtle Skipperdee at my side. Nanny could come if she insisted.

2.  What is something you are looking forward to this weekend?

Some study, some housekeeping, some work in my library/office to make it livable (I've been camped out in my husband's office for a long time, but I am needing a room of my own now)...and playing in the garden.

Can you see the cherry tomatoes coming?

3.  If you had an invisibility cloak for a day, how would you use it?

I would go to DC and listen and find out what the hell is really going on. Of course, no one would believe me when I told them the truth, because how do you explain an invisibility cloak?

4.  I "lose" my keys all the time.  In fact, sometimes I lose them several times a day.  It is so bad that a member of my congregation gave me "instantly remember where you left your keys intense memory-stimulating mint gum."  Is there something you misplace or lose often?

Keys. In fact, this very morning I arrived at work and realized that I didn't have them...because I walked to work, I left the keyring at the house. DUH. Fortunately my colleague was available with hers!!

We have a set-in space in our laundry room (where we always enter the house) that we call "the windowsill." It was originally where the iceman would come in and slide ice into the back of the icebox, in the kitchen on the other side of the wall. Now, of course, it's boarded up. But we have cuphooks in it and that's where all our stray keys go, and supposedly every day we put our keys there when we come in. (My keys are there now!!!) It doesn't always work that way...

5.  Use the following words in a sentence:   ladybug, rowing, diner, sloth, and knitting.

My ladybug friend has tempted me sorely, leading me to an evening of sloth in the local diner, with knitting while rowing to follow.

Friday Five: Let's Sing

Here's my Friday Five as posted at RevGals:

You know how sometimes you just want to have a hymn sing?

Well, today is that day.

Share with the group five favorite hymns or praise songs or songs that bring you close to the Spirit (that's a pretty wide net!) and why they are special to you.

Bonus if you can share Youtube videos or audio files of one or two or more.

1) This is my favorite because it speaks to my soul a new way every time I read or hear it. The text is a poem by Auden:

He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness.
You will see rare beasts and have unique experiences.
He is the Truth.
Seek him in the Kingdom of Anxiety.
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh.
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.

W.H. Auden,
For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio

In the Episcopal Hymnal 1982, it is number 463, a tune by David Hurd. I am sad that I can't locate an audio file of it anywhere. The music is appropriate to a place called "the Land of Unlikeness." If you know it, you know what I mean. If you can get your hands on the hymnal and can read music, you will see.  :) 

2) Holy Manna, which I love in the Sacred Harp / Shape Note singing versions. But some with tender ears do not love those versions. So here you go:

3) Some days, playing Taize in the background is what gets me through:

4) Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

 

5) A folk mass favorite, again from my childhood...

I Am the Resurrection by Ray Repp

Okay, and a bonus one, also folk mass material: Take Our Bread, by Joe Wise.These last two  remind me of growing up in the charismatic renewal movement in the 70's. 

Invitatory Psalm

We chanted this in church every Sunday when I was little. We were still using the 1928 prayer book. I cannot find an audio file of that tune. But I just sang it for you. 

Psalm 95. Venite, exultemus.

O COME, let us sing unto the LORD; * let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; * and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is a great God; * and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Praying

Rachel Hackenberg, the Prayer Fairy, says:

Today I am striving to finish packing my office at the church, in preparation for next week's move to a new state and a new job. As the shelves are slowly emptied, I find myself reflecting on the ministry that I am leaving as well as the ministry to which I am going. I wonder which books will be insightful in new ways, whether I will finally crack open that second volume of John Calvin, and what to do with the charred spaghetti pot that I use each year to burn dried palms into ashes for the start of Lent.

Most of all as I pack, I hold onto the assurance of this good news:

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to
the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am the LORD, that is
my name. The former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth, I tell you of them." (Isaiah 42:5 and 8-9, NRSV)

God knows the seasons of our lives that have passed. Indeed, God shaped us through those seasons, worked among us in those seasons, watched over us through those seasons . . . and God's sights are set upon the seasons that we cannot yet see, into which we are called, for which we are given breath!

Write a prayer of preparation for the new things that surely come to each of us, and -- better yet -- for the new things that God has in store for all of creation, the reconciliation and healing that we have not even begun to imagine!

Oh, my God,

That's what I have said a lot over the years.

What I have learned is that change is the constant.

All the years of peace and ease, and the ones of upheaval and frustration

bring me to today.

I am grateful that I am not alone in this

I thank you for speaking to me through people

about your will for me

I pray to listen more than I talk

as I look to the next days

for myself

for many friends and their loved ones.

thank you.

Friday Five from Jan

In my experience in the United States, people are either "Dog People" or "Cat People." As the graph above illustrates, not everyone is limited to those types of animals. So I am wondering about pets and experiences with them.

1. Are you a DOG or a CAT person? Or OTHER? I used to be a confirmed cat person. Now I am a manic dog lover. I still like cats!!!

2. Who were the pets of your childhood and what were they like? There were some bad experiences when I was very small with large dogs that were not properly trained or managed (leading to my initial lack of enthusiasm for dogs). My own first pet was a cat named Beauty. She was a white shorthair. Then we had a longhair, part Siamese named Silky. She had kittens and her Gandalf lived with us a while.

3. What pets do you have now? Josie and Boudreaux are our two Maltese.  Soon I hope to get a betta fish; Brandon has been breeding them. 

4. Have you ever had any unusual pets in your household or visit your home? We had lizards for a while, and sugar gliders for a while, and a ferret which was not allowed but still happened. (!!!) After he left home, Brandon had a coatimundi (which was TOTALLY not allowed but since not in my house, not my problem. But, ask about his mom's bathroom wallpaper...!)

5. What have you learned from your pets? Give one recent example, if possible.  I try to practice the thing about "treating the person you love the way your pet does." So, when Ken comes home, I get up and go with the dogs to meet him (they run, I don't always...). I kiss him hello and goodbye every time we part. I try to overlook little annoyances.  Here's a great article about it. And a great slideshow.

Friday Five from Deb (on Tuesday)

It's your road, and yours alone.

Others may walk it with you,

but no one can walk it for you.

A road in Bavaria.

Thanks to Deb at RevGals for this great set of questions!!  She says:

I reflected on this poem for a while and thought about some new "roads" that my progeny are beginning. Both are graduating (one from high school, one from college). I am also looking at a possible new "road" in a much hoped-for job. It's been a winding path to get this point!

So in thinking about our life's journey, and the rhythm of our lives, here's five questions on this theme...

1. What "road" is in your immediate future? Immediately in my past were lots of wind-y and wonderful roads in Tennessee and North Carolina, where Ken and Iwent for a motorcycle holiday.

In the future...I will be exploring some new things this summer.  I am excited that I have been accepted for the Dallas Benedictine Experience in mid-June. It's a four-day program in which "participants  form a temporary monastic community in which the day is divided into times of group prayer (called Offices ), study, light work, and rest.  The framework of each day is the corporate worship of God in the chanting of four daily Offices.

After Lauds each morning in the oratory (chapel), a short homily (sermon) will be given.

The two Experience leaders will teach the morning and evening classes in Benedictine spirituality, with discussions following the morning class.  There will be time in the afternoon for resting, reading, private prayer, and private meeting with a leader.  Participants are encouraged, but not required, to volunteer for very  light service projects, such as keeping the oratory (chapel) tidy, sweeping walkways, providing water-pitchers in the classroom, etc.  These services fulfill the Benedictine practice of balancing the day with prayer and work and of contributing to the functioning of the temporary monastic community.  The Benedictine motto is Ora et Labora  (Pray and Work).

 In keeping with Benedictine tradition, all meals are taken in silence while passages from Benedictine writings are read aloud to the community (participants) by a reader. 

Silence is observed at all times throughout the daytime and nighttime, except for class times and spiritual direction.  Silence is important to allow undisturbed prayer, spiritual reading, meditation, and contemplation."

In the farther, but near-term future...we shall see.

2. Where have you been "traveling" a lot lately -- and are you going back there? Interesting. I have been mentally traveling back over the years, especially because this year is my 30th high school graduation anniversary. Therefore, it's also time for the 30th reunion. I will not be physically going back there...I don't need to. But, watching (via FB) the lovely daughter of one of my HS best friends graduate, go to prom, etc., with him not here to see it, is very poignant. 

3.  Who are your fellow travelers? My husband Ken. Valerie, Amy, Martha. Laura and Helen. Many of the RevGals and other friends.  Deb and Debra and Diana and Mom and Sarah.  And you, if you are reading this.

4.  Who are the unintentional companions (or hitchhikers) that you find on the road with you? I met a great girl at the motorcycle retreat this weekend who gave me much food for thought.  Cindy is her name. 

5.  As a family, we always recite "the traveler's prayer" -- a tongue-in-cheek petition as we pull out of the driveway ("Lord, whatever we have forgotten, may it not be important!") What have you forgotten lately, and did it matter?  Hum. On this last trip, forgot my ActiveLink, the WeightWatchers version of a FitBit, which I normally wear everywhere (even to bed). So I have no idea how the activity of the trip stacked up. Sitting on the back of a motorcycle is not that active, except you have to be paying attention on the many curves in the road. Ah well, I didn't go to get exercise!  :) So, I guess it didn't mattter. 

BONUS: Share a photo of a road you've traveled. Or of traveling companions who have made the journey special. Or perhaps there's a song or another poem that suits your journey. If so, please share! 

Here is a picture of me with the view from the Blue Ridge Parkway: 

And here is a pic of the Tail of The Dragon, an 11-mile stretch of road containing 318 curves that we rode up and back:

Friday Five.

Thanks to Karla at RevGals for this Friday Five, played on Saturday;

Hey there gals and pals!
Happy Friday Five....and although I don't have a theme for this Friday, I do have five questions for you to ponder upon:

1.  If you could hear what someone is thinking for a day, who would you choose, and why?  Barack Obama. Because I (living in the Big Red State) know a lot of people who think he is thinking evil things, and I don't believe it.

2.  If you were trapped in a tv show for a month, which show would you choose, and why?  That 70's Show. I'm a hippie born too late.

3.  If you could do any job in the world for a day, what would it be? Captain of a small sailboat.

4.  What are you loving right now?  GREEN GREEN GREEN in this world. And my tomato plants.

5.  Use these words in a sentence:    bless, cheeseburger, chihauha, skipping, Georgia.

My chihuahua, Georgia, was skipping toward a cheeseburger. She stopped to bless it.

 

New Bishops Under the Sun

Some things I saw at church today, in my new church home in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, that were new ones on me, and in a wonderful way:

1) The Bishop gave a Children's Sermon.

It's fairly uncommon, in my experience, for there to be a Children's Sermon in Episcopal churches. But there sure enough was one today, and it was by Bishop Rayford High, visiting for confirmation and reception of new members. 

The kids came streaming into the building mid-service, lined up in front, and sang "I've Got the Joy." Then they all sat down in the chancel, and Bishop High did a Children's Sermon explaining to the kids about the special things he wears and has as the bishop...a ring, a crozier, a pectoral cross, a mitre (he did a hilarious bit about putting his mitre on backward, and pretended to demonstrate "hooking" a child around the neck with the crozier). Then he let kids try on the mitre:

(Note RG Lauren in the background)

In the talk to the kids, he said that men were bishops, and there were lady bishops, too!  I rolled my eyes a little at that, but bingo! When the kids came to sit down and color during the rest of the sermon, the 2 young ladies next to me colored their bishop as...a woman!!!!  With strawberry colored hair.  :) 

2) Then, when he called up the candidates to be confirmed or received, he invited family and friends to come up and stand behind them and lay hands on them as he prayed. Maybe this has been going on everywhere, but it's the first time I've seen it, and the symbolism of  it was marvelous to me: a bishop who invites others to join in what is (in this denomination) a strictly Bishop-ly act. 

He said that he knew there were a lot of candidates (almost 2 dozen) and that he knew that would mean a lot of coming and going, but that would be okay, we could wait, and the Lord would not mind.

:)

Love. It.

What we are doing today

Ken is ... lighting things on fire:

I went to a photo shoot with 2 gorgeous girls (I didn't plan to have my own picture taken):

photo by Nat Chittamai

Josie is sitting in the sun:

and Boudreaux is yawning:

Tonight: maybe we'll go see Iron Man 3!