This morning Mom and Daddy and I went to church at the little mission in Carrabelle, FL where they attended during the 9 years they lived here.
The fellow who is now the Vicar there, Fr. Harry, was actually a cousin of mine by marriage at one time...but I had never met him. He preached a wonderful sermon on forgiveness. I needed to hear it.
The first part of the sermon came before the service began...when he reminded the congregation that the note in the bulletin that "Silence is observed after the reading" meant SILENCE, and prayerful consideration of the reading, NOT getting out your hymnal for the next thing on the agenda!
Forgiveness...I have always felt a little badly toward Harry because he left my cousin Grace under bad circumstances. (And, but, who hasn't behaved badly? including me?). Forgiveness in this case between the parties affected is many, many decades old and long and well settled. It was a true gift to me to receive such fine teaching from his heart and the Eucharist from his hands.
My dad said something in the way to church this morning (something ABOUT the Episcopal Church, which he and mom have recently left) that hurt my feelings and made me angry. I responded in anger, but I don't believe he noticed...either that I was hurt or that I had made an angry response. He is 81 after all. I was grateful for the opportunity to pass the Peace before Eucharist and beg his pardon. He seemed very puzzled. That's okay. It was hurting me, not him.
My sister Nancy and I had a kerfuffle this morning. I can't remember the last time we have been angry with each other. I didn't like it. We apologized to each other.
This is why it's good to not live with my extended family all the time...! but I sure do love them when I am. Nancy the teacher and aspiring principal had to go to Marble Falls, TX this weekend for a one day seminar in her principal prep Master's program.
She said that her professor asked them to think about fractals as a metaphor for new ideas in the classroom. Fractals, in case you don't know, are patterns that repeat themselves infinitely, and in the repetition, create something new. (Okay, you mathematicians, that's probably the most reductive definition in the world...roll with me here...)
I, today, am also very interested in fractals as a metaphor for the Body of Christ...in the world, the church, countries, denominations, churches, dioceses, other bodies...between family members...
think about the RevGals Ring as a fractal...something that started out looking one small way, which continues to grow and add to itself and change...
the planners of the Big RG Meetup in 2008 will be meeting in Atlanta in early July 2007 to discuss who, what, when, where that event should be. Keep praying that God's perfect design for us will be revealed.
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