Carpools and precision lawn mower parades

Not sure what else I wanted to say in the last post- I held onto it to edit- but I think I’ll just post it. Probably thinking about why I titled it the past and the present and then only talked about the past. Yeah- we’ll go with that.

I’m sitting in the carpool line at the moment- watching a big ol’ storm over Paris Mtn. Seen about 4-5 classic sky to ground bolts- thunder counting says they are still at least a mile away- but I’m not excited about the idea of people standing out in the driveway with walkie-talkies with lots of electricity around. The fact is that it’s to our south- which should mean it will be moving away- but no guarantees. Some will think this is associated with Tropical Storm Ernesto- and I can’t see that. I haven’t checked today, but I think the center of circulation is probably still in Fla. somewhere.

So this is a week between reunions. Next weekend is the Cheerio camp reunion. I’m looking forward to it and not. There are people to see- but those I was very closest to- not so much. I am sure I will get asked lots of questions about folks I should have been keeping up with, but haven’t really. I don’t even know what Jen’s baby’s name is! (Or anything about it really…shame heaps itself on my head, rolling off into my consciousness like a big plop of mashed potatoes with gravy on top). Of course, now it looks like it just might rain all weekend. Whoo-hoo!

There is some story George wants me to write down- and I’ve asked him twice now and forgotten it. Something that happened in Live Oak. Can’t seem to lodge it in my head. It looks like the storm s moving to our east- not so much thunder. Whoops- spoke too fast- big lighting bolt. Seems like their going to move the line now- hard to drive and type.

Now I remember the story- I asked George for a third time. When we were in Live Oak, we occasionally watched the Annual Christmas parade. Now, several times, it was only because we forgot they had blocked the road and we tried to go to the grocery store. One year, though, we actually made an effort to go, I think Burke was about a year old. We loaded up and found a spot near the Kmart parking lot. It was what I considered a typical small southern town’s attempt at a parade. City officials in the back of convertibles, pickup trucks with cheerleaders in the back, you know the lot. Then we started to notice that a few churches had ‘floats’- large flat bed trailers being pulled by big honkin’ pickem-up trucks. A few had speakers and music playing- I think one had a band- some Christmas carols. One had several people in sort of a live nativity. But one I remember well, because as they went by (each float probably averaged 2 mph) they threw hard candy out to the onlookers. Mostly they got it all the way over to the crowd, but several misestimated and candy landed on the ground and on the road- once kids figured out there was candy- it was much like the scene when the piñata breaks- kids scrambling onto the road to pick up candy off the ground. I wouldn’t have been letting my kids do that, but it didn’t seem like such a horrible thing until I saw which entry followed the church candy float. It just happened to be followed by the precision lawn mower drivers from the local lawn and garden shop- and they were all driving zero-turn-radius mowers making patterns with swirls, turns and the like- all while wearing festive Santa hats. Now, they didn’t have the blades engaged, I’m sure- but they were also so intent on executing their ‘routine’ that they didn’t exactly pick up on the fact that small children were darting out into the road ahead of them. I did not see any road carnage that day- but the potential was so high and the situation so inane I just had to laugh very hard….sick of me I know. Can’t you just imagine the headline the next day?
“Child maimed by precision lawn mower during parade” LIVE OAK.Fl. A small child whose name is withheld to protect her identity, was seriously injured when she tried to retrieve a piece of Laffy Taffy from the annual parade route and was sideswiped by a zero-turn radius mower, sponsored by John’s Lawn Equipment. Although warned not to enter into the path of the parade, citizens often ignore the warnings and cross the street in front of the slow moving floats. “Candy is what’s to blame,” said Ms Jenga Dunn, an onlooker….oh I could write the whole piece right now! For some actual articles from Live Oak that are just as amusing, but not nearly as well written- check out www.suwanneedemocrat.com. On Dasher, on Prancer, on Toro and John Deere……

The past and the future

So- for a slightly different thing- I just got back from my 20 (ish) year High School Youth Group EYC reunion. It was concurrent with the St. John's 50th reunion/celebration- so my mom came too. What a great thing. In an easy world (not a perfect one) I would write great thank you note to those who organized it, and email all those folks I finally caught up with. The truth is I might get an email/thank you or two out and that will be about it.

It was fun finding a balance between listening and talking- and with a live band (nice thought with old EYC members and all- but hard to talk over) most conversations got no farther than spouses, children, home towns and jobs. There were the occasional "Do you remembers" but not as many as I thought- and besides 1 other scrapbook from the library I think, I was the only one that brought pictures. I have to resist the urge to think about how I would have run the event and just focus more on how much I enjoyed it.

I think it was fun to also see the older crowd, who were supposed to be in another room, gravitate to our area- lots of parents and advisors too. It will be interesting to see what re-connections are made, if any- for we all live hectic lives and most have kids and jobs. I particularly liked to see the old advisors- especially Beth L. I miss them! I don't think I did a very good job explaining what an impact they had on my life- so maybe I can do that by email. It was always good to see Paul- Wendy too-didn't realize they'd been off on mission field.

Hated to have to leave this morning and come back to St James- promised Debbie we'd do the song "Abre Los Cielos" from Ecuador. It went surprisingly well. I really need to tie up all the loose ends from that trip- and that's a subject for another blog.

In some ways, reunions are so hard- because you have to rekindle a relationship based on who you were 20 years ago. It was hard not to think of myself as 17 again- at least, not to think I was being viewed as a 17 year old again. In other ways, this was a perfect community for a reunion- those who were with me at the start of my faith journey- who nurtured me, led me, supported me and sent me out. What a wonderful thing to return and revisit. I do wish there had been more time- or maybe more structured activities- a quick game of drop the ashtray? Maybe more like do you love your neighbor. Then I really would have felt 17 again!

Rant on, Part 2

So it’s time to finish that rant. I hope to write more frequently than I have so far- but life does have a tyranny of the urgent. (I think that’s a fancier way of saying the squeaky wheel gets the oil). So here we are with this socially sensitive and justice minded group of people. They wouldn’t presume to export democracy- or support a war that alleges to foist one culture’s values upon another culture. AND YET this same group of folks, in the name of inclusivity and sensitivity to a particular sub-set of American culture, has said to the other cultures associated with it within the Anglican communion, “We know more than you. We are prophetic and farther along in our understanding of God’s ways. We will take this course of action- ordaining gay clergy and bishops, and blessing gay marriages- and you should accept it and allow us our choice in this matter.” My only feeling towards this is horror when I consider how amazingly arrogant it is. Because of the nature of the Anglican communion, we are intertwined with other cultures- all under this self-identification as Anglicans. And yet, when the VAST majority of Anglicans world-wide say that the ordination of homosexuals does not reflect their views and understanding of what God has called them to do, PECUSA simply shrugs and says “You are from a backwards culture- you don’t know as much as we do- we are smart, rich, well educated Episcopalians. You are poor Africans or Asians surrounded by animist cultures that just don’t know how life really is.” (reference the Bishop of Newark’s remarks concerning the chicken dinner at Lambeth 1988).

Admittedly, no self respecting Episcopalian would ever say that sort of thing. And yet, it is just this inability to step outside our own culture and see ourselves from a different perspective that is the very behavior we decry in the international policy of US politics. Arrogant- that is my rant. To say to the rest of the Anglican communion that we disagree with you is one thing- to say that we are right and we won’t apologize for stepping outside the norms- that is another thing. To say to bishops who struggle to stay alive amidst Muslim populations who will kill anyone caught in homosexual behavior “Part of your church that you are trying to represent sees this behavior as laudable.” I mean, I can’t imagine what the average Muslim thinks when they find out that Anglicans in the US are ordaining active homosexuals. I’m not trying to say that the Muslim perspective on homosexual behavior, or women for that matter, is right and that I agree with it. But when I put myself in the place of someone trying to explain Christ and the church to a predominately Muslim culture- oh my goodness! What a mess. And to have my brethren in the US be totally unsupportive….even working against me. The same could be said for electing a female presiding bishop.

Let me touch on the election of Katherine Jefferts-Sciori for just a second. I have no knowledge of this person- I haven’t read anything she’s written or even know that much about her. So, that is out there. What I think is that about 90% of the delegates and people in the church at large saw her as the token female on the slate. Since we talk a lot about inclusivity and such- it would look bad if our entire slate of PB candidates was all white 50 something men. And the slate was a lot of white 50 something men- plus Jefferts-Schiori and one Hispanic. Taken along with her experience (she has only been ordained a little over 12 years) and her diocese (one of the smallest and not very representative of the church) I don’t think many saw her as a serious candidate. And what happened? The portion of the church that likes to be ‘prophetic’ and ‘cutting edge’ and in my opinion likes to stir up trouble- they saw a chance to make yet another statement to the international Anglican communion without issuing a statement from committee. (A statement that resembles someone thumbing their nose). And once Jefferts-Sciori got a foot in the door so to speak- people jumped on the train and away it went. Now, I’ve already said I wasn’t there and I don’t know much about it. But if I understand blogging just right- it doesn’t matter- it’s my opinion. Feel free to comment.

So, my major complaint with PECUSA is that they are unbearably arrogant, insensitive to anyone who doesn’t think as the majority does, ready to discount, or even oppress anyone who doesn’t agree with the majority rule. Doesn’t sound so open minded and inclusive after all, does it? There again I have written more than enough for a day (or a week as the case may be). So now what?

the latest rants; installment 1

So my latest rant (and by far the largest) has been over my on-going relationship with the Episcopal church-USA. There have been the headlines with stuff about gay ordination and so forth and so on. My basis for ranting is a rampant hypocrisy and a lack of vision that astounds me. Steve Taylor has a line in a song that says "You're so open minded that your brain fell out." It has always made me chuckle- and partly because I have seen it in action.

A little background- the national Episcopal church is a small bunch- we number 2 million nationwide. That represents something like less than 1 % of the US population. Within that narrow margin are several divergent opinions- but they can be boiled down to two or three at best. And every three years, they get together to vote on what the majority of them think. It is unfair to use broad brush strokes on any group- but I do so after watching "the majority" rule. Over the past 30 years most Episcopalians could be characterized as middle class, well-educated, socially liberal (more democrat than republican) but fiscally conservative (more republican than democrat). Given that they created their own insurance company to handle the assets and retirements, they have in large part, focused more on larger American social policies. (so they focus more on the socially liberal part since the fiscal conservatism is taken care of) They are usually found on the side of the democrats- and I mean that in a good way. )I also firmly believe that Jesus really meant what he said by things like "feed the poor" "Love your neighbor" and "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me." My rector has a bumper sticker that says "I'm pretty sure that when Jesus said 'Love your enemies' He meant don't bomb them") There seems to be a preponderance of Episcopalians in the northeast (the legacy of the 13 English colonies) and they are by in large liberal folks.

So you end up with a church full of social activists- people who are interested in setting right those things wrong in the world- standing up for the oppressed- respecting the dignity of every human being. These aren't bad things...they just fall short in practice. The Episcopal church was one of the first in the world to ordain women, they have effected change in the condition of coal miners, taken stands on holding conventions at hotels with racist views (Adams Mark) and embraced those who stand outside the norm- those with AIDS, divorced persons, etc. etc. etc.

I think if you did a survey, a majority of Episcopalians would be against the war in Iraq- and you'd hear them say "Its not right for us to force our views of democracy and societal norms on other cultures- we need to respect their right to self-determination and to decide their own destiny. "

I just realized how long I've been ranting. I will have to make this into multiple entries. So that's enough for now.

Lets get started

Well...I've been blogging in my head for years now, and my friends and spouse have been victims of my verbal blogging...so now I inflict it on the rest of the world~ oh yeah. I guess my title tells a lot of the story. I get a good deal of grief for my theories on life, on the existence of Iowa, on my book ideas- you get the picture. So, now I have a place to put all that and spare my husband the pains of always having to agree with me, because, I make really good sense sometimes! Always a little behind the curve, but never resistant. Alrighty then.