Friends Who Write Books

Marisa's new book came out on April 1. I went to her reading at our local bookstore; it's fun to be a fan when it's your friend who's the star.

I'm reading it, liking it, and feeling proud.

Forty Years

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
 Can you tell me where he's gone?
 He freed a lot of people,
 But it seems the good they die young.
 I just looked 'round and he's gone.

Still Floating

I'm back from the RevGals Big Event, but I am still floating. Thank you, each of you who were there on the aft deck, for warm conversation, laughter, deep honesty, and total acceptance. Thank you, each of you who were at home, for keeping the fires burning and for allowing me to leave without worry or guilt -- well, not too much worry and guilt, anyway, and what there was came from me, not from you. The lessons of our time together at the RevGal BE will continue to make themselves known some time to come.

First, thanks for the swag, ladies. I am festooned with jewels -- my beautiful BE bracelet and heart necklace can make an appearance at the office, as can the felt mouse and Ticonderoga #2 pencils. The mardi gras beads, however, will have to stay home. An Anglican Rosary rests on my desk at home and at work. There is a place for each of the gifts chosen so that I will come across it as I go through my day. Unfortunately, the Fun and Sail Card and its nifty holder had to be removed from my car; they won't give me a Pina Colada at the local drive-thru and it just made me too sad. The nifty holder now holds my parking lot pass.

Our wonderful retreat leader, Mary Marcotte, gave us "words to walk" during our retreat. My word was hope, and I have continued to walk with it at home. On the ship, my focus was on what hope meant, and how I lived with hope or brought hope or found hope or had hope for others or myself. As I have walked it these last couple of days, I realized that while we were aboard ship together, I felt hope. Hope has been far away recently, but thanks to the women at the Big Event, I walk in hope.

Here are a few things I learned (or re-learned) on the trip:

• Make new friends and keep the old.
• For better or worse, sometimes we're 12.
• Geo-caching is a source of profound joy.
• Red state, blue state? Who cares, really?
• The Lido deck is not just a state of mind. It's a real place.
• Temporary tattoos don't hurt; they're not permanent; but they might mark you forever.
• I've never slept as well on dry land as I did on that boat.

So, my word was hope, and hope is in my heart. While we were together on the last night, I told the group that I had a hope for each of them, and I will share those in a future post. Stay tuned.

Breaking News From the Episcopal Church

This Just In from Episcopal Cafe --

Episcopal Church named "official denomination" of Major League Baseball

Here's some exciting news that's breaking this first day in April:

As a part of opening week festivities, Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced today that the Episcopal Church has been designated the Official Denomination of Major League Baseball. The move was announced today in a teleconference with reporters.

"Faith oriented promotions have increasingly become a part of many minor league team," Selig said. "We felt that it was time to tap into this important demographic."

"We also want to reinforce our family friendly image while at the same time reaching out to a wide cross section of life-styles, incomes and tastes," Selig said. "We are pleased that the Episcopal Church will join us in this first partnership between a major sport and a church."

Many denominations were considered for the endorsement. Some traditions did not make bids for theological reasons, but unnamed sources described the behind the scenes competition as intense.

"The Baptists and Catholics both made strong bids," said a baseball official familiar with the negotiations. "And it is true that both traditions brought strong numbers to the table." Few commentators expected the Episcopal Church's bid to be as strong as it was.

Selig said that Episcopalians bring the right mix of arcane tradition, an appreciation of minutiae and a tolerance for long stretches of relative inaction that make them "a good fit for us."

"We believe that Episcopalians understand the nuances of the game and won't meddle with our traditions too much."

As part of the agreement, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori said that a Suffragan Bishop for Baseball will be appointed. A name will be presented at a special House of Bishops meeting called for the purpose in May. The ministry of the Suffragan Bishop for Baseball will be to coordinate the ministries of the church in the baseball environment.

"The designation of Official Denomination will be a boon to our evangelism," said the Rev. Jan Nunley. "Reflective MLB logos will soon appear as a part of the well known Episcopal Church Welcomes You signs in front of every Episcopal Church and along many streets in towns and cities across the US."

Observers also noted that the designation will also help the public differentiate Episcopal Churches from other churches that have recently appropriated the Anglican "brand" for their own use.

"The Episcopal Church encompasses many nations that differ along language and cultural lines—from the Dominican Republic to Taiwan--but we all share a love for Baseball," Nunley said.

"Theologians and poets have long described how the rhythms and traditions of baseball speak to us on many levels," Jefferts Schori told reporters. "Baseball shows us the presence of God in everyday things, that sublime combination of individual and team effort which reminds us of the Body of Christ and in the end God wants us all to come home."

Saying only that the marketing possibilities have "yet to be worked out" neither Selig nor Jefferts Schori would comment on rumors that pre-packaged Holy Communion and box-score editions of the Book of Common Prayer would be offered at kiosks at major league parks.

While some religious and sports commentators expressed skepticism at the move, and some wondered if the Presiding Bishop had the canonical authority to establish such a relationship, others were more forgiving.

"Baseball and Jesus." Nunley said. "They go together like peanuts and Cracker Jack."

Great news for a great day.

Signs of Hope, Signs of Spring Friday 5

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Sally writes:
It has been a difficult week here in Dowham Market, and yet in the sadness there have been signs of real hope, young people, often criticised have shown us how caring and amazing they are. It has also been a strange week; it snowed for almost the first time this winter, and yet many of the spring bulbs are blooming, and the trees are blossoming!

I believe that if we look carefully we can see signs of hope all around us.... as for signs of spring... well you tell me....

Bluebells in my garden, before the snow!

What have you seen/ heard this week that was a :
1. Sign of hope?

The top of my desk! It's the first time I've seen it in awhile. And, lo and behold, as soon as I got the desk cleared off, the building manager arrived to tell me that my office will be re-painted by the end of the week. The first coat is on, and it feels like a new place to work.


2. An unexpected word of light in a dark place?

"Yes, I'll help with that." I've heard this all week long. On Monday morning, I groaned to Garden Girl, "I have so much to do that I'm going to implode!" She wisely suggested that perhaps I could actually ask for help. Well, duh. I have a pretty high IQ, but not much common sense sometimes. I made a list of everything that needs to be done and then started doing two things -- asking for help and asking to be let off the hook. I still have a list of projects on a pile of index cards an inch high, but it all feels more manageable.

3. A sign of spring?

Garden Girl's garden, of course. We're on the Garden Tour in May and there are lots of projects going on even during the cold and rainy winter, but the mud is beginning to yield to grass and the bulbs are sending out shoots that will bloom as the season changes.

And graduation plans! In May, Nashy graduates from college and Shiny graduates from high school. Lots of celebrations are in my future.

4. Challenging/ surprising?

I'm on the Search and Discernment Committee in our parish and we will call a new rector in a few weeks. The quality of the candidates is outstanding, and the process has been a surprising renewal for me as we visit other churches and listen to candidates speak thoughtfully about ministry.

The 2008 Trying New Things Challenge is also in full gear. I'll post an update on my first acting experience in the Vagina Monologues and will fill you in on the Next New Thing very soon.

5. Share a hope for the coming week/month/year....

I'm hoping for peace. There is so much suffering in the world, much of it institutionalized by our government -- the war, the U.S. prison system, Guantanamo. Every day, I pray for peace in the world, for wisdom for our leaders, for energetic action by our citizens.


Bonus play... a piece of music/ poem guaranteed to cheer you?

All the music I'll hear over the next few days. In January, I took a solemn oath that my world would be filled with live music this year, and so far it's happening. Tonight, the whole family, even the eight-year-old, will see the Little Blue State Symphony performance, where my son's chorale will perform, singing Mozart's Requiem. Tomorrow, Wonderful Local Music School for Kids will have a fund-raiser featuring a performance in a beautiful and intimate venue by a local jazz/blues/folk musician who was nominated for a Grammy this year. Sunday, after a visit to one of our candidates for Rector, and therefore a chance to hear an unfamiliar choir, I'll attend a salon where a friend who is a playwright is staging a partial reading of his latest work, performed and written in collaboration with his wife, a concert pianist. Then later in the week, I get to see k.d. lang in concert. And stay tuned here for news of the drumming circle at our house!

Spring is in the air!

Vermont Voters Indict Bush and Cheney

Voters in Marlboro and Brattleboro, Vermont, passed articles of indictment against George Bush and Dick Cheney. Now, that's what I call a voter initiative!

I wonder what happens if the Brattleboro Police Department tries to serve the warrant. Is there an inter-agency contract between the Department of Homeland Security and the Marlboro Police Department? Does this mean that the President and Vice President can't come into Vermont without getting arrested? What about skiing in 2009? The mind boggles.

Heavenly Friday Five

Singing Owl writes this week's Friday Five~

I am in Seattle assisting with family stuff and preparing to attend a memorial service (Saturday) for my sister who died of complications of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

I am not grieving much, since the shock and tears and goodbyes and losses have been many and have occurred for a long time now. I am mostly relieved that my wonderful sister and best friend is free from pain and confusion, and I am thinking of eternity. That sounds somber, but I don't mean it to be. I decided to have a little fun with the idea. So how about we share five "heavenly" things? These can me serious or funny or a combination of the two.

What is your idea of a heavenly (i.e. wonderful and perfect):

1. Family get-together

I'd love a family gathering where my parents could be with my children. I'd love to know my parents as old people. They both died much too young.

2. Song or musical piece

When I get to heaven, I hope I can sing. Here on planet Earth, my voice won't do what my ears tell it to do, so I don't sing unless I'm alone in the car. If I can sing along, I'll be happy.

3. Gift

Travel, tickets to any kind of live performance, cashmere.

4. You choose whatever you like-food, pair of shoes, vacation, house, or something else. Just tell us what it is and what a heavenly version of it would be.

I want the perfect jeans -- a pair of button fly, boot leg, low-rise jeans that have been washed enough to be soft, but not so much that they sag; a crisp white cotton blouse; a black cashmere sweater; a colorful French silk scarf tied around the handle of a soft coffee-brown leather satchel; a pair of red silver-buckled loafers from Milan, and hips slim enough to pull it off.

5. And for a serious moment, or what would you like your entrance into the next life to be like?

What, from your vantage point now, would make Heaven "heavenly?"

Given my family history, I'd like my entrance into the next life to be when I'm really, really old! What would make heaven "heavenly?" Forgiveness.