Terrapin Station

Yet Again

I always take these tests thinking that they will come out differently. Nope.

Hat tip to Linda for this one. 

What Book I Am

You're Love in the Time of Cholera!
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Like Odysseus in a work of Homer, you demonstrate undying loyalty by sleeping with as many people as you possibly can. But in your heart you never give consent! This creates a strange quandary of what love really means to you. On the one hand, you've loved the same person your whole life, but on the other, your actions barely speak to this fact. Whatever you do, stick to bottled water. The other stuff could get you killed.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

thanks to Introspectreangel for this one! 

Umm...how would I demonstrate the loyalty by sleeping with all the people?  Do I need to reread The Odyssey?  Clearly, I also need to read this book...have read several others of his. 

Off to the library, puzzling as I go.

A Quiet Sunday

A good and very unusual day yesterday. 

Went to church at 11 - barely made it because my over-desk clock's battery is dying and I keep forgetting to change it, have no AA batteries handy...  Right now it is 7:06 but clock insists it is 6:40.  Maybe take down the clock until a battery is produced?

My favorite seminarian, Elastigirl, preached THE most wonderful sermon.  Oh my gosh.  She framed it by saying, "what if you were writing a sermon on today's scriptures?" and described her process throughout the sermon.  At the end she said, "So...what if you were preaching a sermon this week?  Because you will be...every one of you.  Wherever you go, whatever you do.  What will your sermon say?"

Tears.  So powerful. 

Went to Costco afterward, then headed north to my town.  When I arrived at home at about 2:00, there was a truck in my driveway (blocking where I park) and a young couple had torn the electric breaker box off the side of the house and were doing something to the place it came from.   

WHAT!?

A quick call to DH confirmed that he had scheduled an electrician to come out today and replace it because it was the one probably original to the house, and therefore quite hazardous.  (When we moved into this 1927 house seven years ago, there was ONE grounded outlet, with a three-prong plug.  ONE.  And it was inside the bathroom cupboard.  Needless to say, we have done a lot since then...had to.)

Hmm.  No electricity.  Quick, toss the Costco food in the fridge.  Now what to do? 

It was very, very quiet without the AC, fans, computer noise. Nice.  My regular Sunday afternoon activities include cooking for the week...scratch that.  Tidying up in the office...can't see well enough to see the papers to file them, scratch.  Vacuuming...nope.  Laundry...uh uh.  Blogging, checking email, listening to radio...clearly no. 

So I did some sweeping, and looked at the notes I took from the sermon, and thought about it.  Then DH called and asked me to run an errand out his way (he was working inside a big warehouse)  I did that, headed for exercise class.  Two classes back to back. 

Returned home at 5:45...electrician STILL there.  Still no power.  Very cute. 

Hmm, what else could I do...took dogs for extra long walk, they loved it!  Put away dishes...took a shower...read by a window. 

DH called at 7:30, asked if I had made dinner.  I said NO, still no power!  We met at a Cajun place where I had fish tacos, yum!  Returned home at 8:30, STILL no power, electrician still working.  Give me a break. 

It came back on at about 9:00.  The ice cream sure did get soft, but otherwise no ill effects that I know about. 

Very instructive, this day.  I learned several things:

• If I can't check email and blogs continuously, I imagine terrible things having happened to my loved ones and the news awaiting me there
• I've never wanted to vacuum so much as when I had no power to do it
• Silence sounds good
• The dogs don't like having someone bang on the side of the house for 7+ hours, and who can blame them?
• I am awfully lucky to have all the luxuries (they are not just conveniences) that I do. 
• I am lucky that the ability to use them went away for a little while so I could think about this.
• And that the power, and the AC, came back on by bedtime. 

Showers of Blessing

Here is what I am praying/singing today.  It's another Fisherfolk song, I'm pretty sure, but I can't find it on the Community of Celebration website.  Maybe if Theo checks in he can provide the discography?  :)

Falling, falling, gently falling,

rain from Heav'n so gently falling

on the earth so parched and thirsty

God sends down His rain

Even so, Lord, send your Spirit

Fall upon the poor and weary

Those who come to you sincerely

You'll not turn away.

I know (per the Friday Five) that many of you are in places with flooding and having terrible troubles, and others are in drought and need much more than a gentle rain.  What I am praying for us all, besides seasonable weather, is a gentle awareness of the Holy Spirit, falling over us, drenching us slowly with forgiveness, understanding, joy, blessing, healing, peace and refreshment. 

Wanna take a shower?    

Friday Five: Floods and Droughts

Sally at RevGals says:  Here in the UK we are struggling with floods, other parts of the world have similar problems without the infrastructure to cope with it, still others are badly affected by drought.... My son Jon is in Melbourne Australia where apparently it has been snowing ( yes it is winter but still!).... With crazy weather in mind I bring you this week's Friday 5...

1. Have you experienced living through an extreme weather event- what was it and how did you cope?

Nothing compared to many of you!  However, I suppose my most extreme experience would be the freeze/ice storm of...2004?  We rarely have snow in this part of North Texas, and if we do it doesn't accumulate much. More often it's ice, which turns to black ice on the roads and renders them highly perilous.  No one here has snow tires or chains, and most of us have no idea how to navigate such situations properly. 

The schools, universities, and many businesses close when this happens.  During this storm, it was at or below 7 degrees Fahrenheit for three straight days...a record for the area and certainly for me.  3 days off of work.  My old wooden house was not built nor insulated for such, and walking on the floor (even with socks and shoes on) was chilling.  We stayed in bed with electric blankets the whole time - the furnace and both fireplaces could not warm the house enough.  Crazy, man!

 

2. How important is it that we wake up to issues such as global warming?  Totally critical.  I worry much about this and am presently replacing all my lightbulbs with fluorescents...which I DO NOT LIKE...but I figure I'm darn lucky to have so many things to screw bulbs into, so I better shut up!  I'm also committed to buying my veggies at the local grower's market and NOT buying out of season things at the grocery.  These seem like very small steps.  I am working on what the next ones will be.

3. The Christian message needs to include stewardship of the earth's resources agree/ disagree?  Totally.  I will never forget going to Camp Allen (Diocese of Texas Camp and Conference Center) as a youngster in the 70's.  One of the events of every camp session's first day was to have Mel Brindley, the caretaker, come and walk us through the piney woods a bit, teaching natural history, and then he would sit us down and explain about stewardship.  What a memory: that gentle man who looked much like Grizzly Adams, explaining that God had given each one of us a responsibility to take care of this place as well as all of His creation.  We were deeply impressed by it, and I have never forgotten...down to this past week when we were snorkeling in a national park in Cozumel, and there were perfectly gorgeous, empty conch shells all over the beach.  I wanted one so much, but they were not put there for me, and as Mel would say: "if everyone took one home, soon there wouln't be any."  And my sweet Ken said the same thing.  I knew there was a reason I liked him...!

  (here is one where it belongs)

And because it is summer- on a brighter note....

4. What is your favourite season and why?  Oh, spring!  When I was a kid I used to feel so special and that perhaps God was extra kind to me by making my birthday on April 5...which is generally in the middle of bluebonnet season here. Beauty abounds.   

5. Describe your perfect vacation weather....Beach, hot, but with a breeze.  Hammock.  Water cool enough to refresh but not to chill.  Sol beer if you've got it, with límon.  (oh, wait, we were talking about WEATHER, not beverages...)

This morning

I prayed for you this morning.  Yes, you.  In church and everything.

My brother-in-law's Scout troop stayed last night in the Youth Room of our church (on their way to an early flight to Washington, DC).  I met them there last night to let them in and went back this morning to see them off. 

Once they'd left (4 am sharp) I went back into the building to make sure lights and AC were in their proper positions and that all was as it should be.  Then I went into the dark church and knelt before the side altar, where there is always a candle burning because the reserved Sacrament is kept there.  I prayed for a long time, and names kept coming...people I interact with daily, people I haven't talked to in years, family, friends, bloggers around the world, and people I do not know. 

And the prayer continues.  Bless you today.

Trust

What is trust?  According to a psychology site called Changingminds.org (subtitled "how we change what others think, believe, feel, and do"...which I have always been under the impression is unlikely to impossible!),

Trust is both and emotional and logical act. Emotionally, it is where you expose your vulnerabilities to people, but believing they will not take advantage of your openness. Logically, it is where you have assessed the probabilities of gain and loss, calculating expected utility based on hard performance data, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner. In practice, trust is a bit of both. I trust you because I have experienced your trustworthiness and because I have faith in human nature.

We feel trust. Emotions associated with trust include companionship, friendship, love, agreement, relaxation, comfort.

In a couple of situations lately, I have had trust betrayed.  Reading this description, it seems that I have been foolish and naive ... I absolutely tend to trust from the emotional end of the spectrum.  I want so badly to believe that others will not take advantage, and then wham. 

My husband says I have been spoiled in my life by having many, many trustworthy people around, and that therefore I am not cynical enough.  You know, I really am not interested in getting more cynical.  Perhaps more practical?  Perhaps more "sadder and wiser"? 

Don't get me wrong:  my operative state in life is JOY.  I am determined to live a joyous life, and to make needed changes if my situations do not become more conducive to that.  That is a big step for me, because in the past I often felt trapped in less-than-ideal situations. 

I have choices.  I have friends.  I am growing.  I am grateful. 

Love y'all.

(graphic from www.slowleadership.org)

RevGalBlogPals in the United Methodist Reporter!

The RevGalBlogPals are featured in the current issue of the United Methodist Reporter!  Go read the article here...written by a RevGalPal, Amy Forbus (the Dogblogger). 

I am very grateful for this amazing group, now two years old; and for the fact that even though we may not always agree on everything, we are all working to bring Christ's kingdom in the world in the best way we know how. 

And laughing, crying, holding hands along the way.

We are in the midst of God

I believe that I hear things God wants me to hear through songs...that come into my head at odd times. 

For instance, I am up at 4:19 a.m. stewing, and here is the song lyric that came to me...It's a real song, probably by the Fisherfolk, but I can't give proper attribution:

We are in the midst, we are in the midst,

We are in the midst of God

We love God, we love each other,

We are in the midst of God.

God loves us, God loves us, God loves every one of us

and we love God. 

We love God, we love our neighbors, we are in the midst of God. 

It is immensely comforting to me to think of it this way: not just that God is in our midst, but that we are in the midst of God. 

God is surrounding and enfolding us in time of pain and stewing.

(And "midst" is sounding like the craziest word, ever.)

Argh

A gratefulness list, because I'm having a hard time thinking of things that are NOT frustrating right now:

• My sweet husband
• My parents
• Knitting camp with my mom and niece coming up 1st weekend in August!
• Weight Watchers (I'm trying to believe it...)
• Meetup with my former boss tomorrow afternoon, woohoo!
• Funny dogs who are glad to be home from boarding place
• Funny boarding place they stayed, called "Bed Biscuit and Beyond"
• My blogfriends
• The grace of God, and Psalm 46
• Crying
• Reiki & Massage therapy
• Chiropractor
• Busy days

Thanks for reading.  Love y'all.