a compendium of quotes on the election

praying?
getting ready to cast a ballot?
eating chocolate?
all of the above?

 first, a few from the news:

"It would certainly be less chaotic if all Americans voted pursuant to a uniform set of federally imposed procedures — if forms, machines, drop-box specifications, mail-in ballot receipt deadlines and early voting schedules were exactly the same, from county to county and state to state — but inefficiency is not, of itself, unconstitutional." - Steve Vladeck

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/11/02/harris-county-drive-through-federal-court/

99-year-old Mississippi man born on a plantation votes in election

"I remember when I couldn't vote," Dr. Robert H. Smith Sr. said.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/99-year-mississippi-man-born-plantation-votes-election/story?id=73958509

"We have one of America’s most unusual presidents ever. The coronavirus has made it one of the most unusual campaigns ever. And it’s the most tense polling day I’ve ever covered here. I have never had to walk past rows of boarded up shops to get to work on Election Day because store holders are afraid there may be violence on the streets after the vote... And the world is watching, as it always does. But because this is the Trump presidency, and everything is oversized, the amount of global attention is through the roof too." - Katty Kay

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/election-us-2020-54786937

from high school students:

“Our generation in particular is not going to be quiet,” she said. “We are immune to dysfunction and disaster. From the beginning, when we were little children, we were practicing active-shooter drills. Now we’re not even in class because of covid. We’re going to make change.” - Lauren

“I can’t believe we are dealing with this uncertainty of safety due to an election. Nevertheless, we cannot stay in shock, but have to get to work no matter who wins.” - Jocelyn

“After growing up, experiencing what the world really has to say about women, being able to understand what that means for me, seeing Kamala Harris, a woman of color, standing up there, would be the glass ceiling exploding.” - Mirette

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/these-girls-were-crushed-when-hillary-lost-in-2016-four-years-later-theyve-created-their-own-strong-female-future/2020/11/02/ee53d8d0-1d1e-11eb-90dd-abd0f7086a91_story.html

from the Washington National Cathedral's interfaith service: “Holding onto Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness,” 

“Dear Heavenly Father, we especially pray for our country as we go into this season of election. We ask you to help us to remember that we are, despite all of our troubles, a privileged people to be able to make our voices known, to choose those who would govern us. … Please be with each and every one of us, even as we are a divided people, to treat each other with respect, to treat each other with kindness, especially when we disagree, so that we might again make common purpose and common cause to be a people worthy of your grace.” - former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

“Our ideals, values, principles and dreams of beloved community matter. They matter because they drive us beyond service of self alone to commitment to the greater good of us all. They matter because they give us an actual picture of God’s reign of love, and a reason to struggle and make it real. They matter to our lives as people of faith. They matter to our life in civil society. They matter to our life as a nation and as a world. Our values matter!” 

“Whatever your politics, however you have or will cast your vote, however this election unfolds, wherever the course of racial reckoning and pandemic take us, whether we are in the valley or the mountaintop, hold onto the hope of America. Hold onto hope grounded in our shared values and ideals. Hold onto God’s dream. Hold on and struggle and walk and pray for our nation,”  - Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/11/01/national-cathedrals-interfaith-prayer-service-takes-america-on-journey-from-grief-to-hope/

and today, election day, they are still praying there all day long, as people go in and out...

"When the clock struck each new hour, the priests paused with an Election Day prayer.

“As the people of this nation decide the future of our life together, we pray for all seeking elected office and their families, for the safety of all voters and poll workers, and for the protection of all ballots cast,” one said. “Help us now and always to find new ways to work together, to mend our divisions, that we may create your kingdom on earth.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/03/us/election-day?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage#at-washington-national-cathedral-a-time-to-pray-for-the-country

A handful of my own thoughts:

On second thought, I'll just leave you to caption that yourselves.

 As we wait:

obviously I also need an edit button for Twitter

and maybe some nutella
or a  Stop'n'Shop chocolate bomb cake

and world peace

https://twitter.com/sarahrandallssm/status/1323072181644001286

and finally, from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), pp.821-822

22. For Sound Government

The responses in italics may be omitted.

O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we
may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to
other nations of the earth.
Lord, keep this nation under your care.

To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors
of States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative
authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their
duties.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our
laws in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and
foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to
fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding
and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and
justice served.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to
accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they
may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for
the well-being of our society; that we may serve you
faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.
For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as
head above all. Amen.

23. For Local Government

Almighty God our heavenly Father, send down upon those
who hold office in this State (Commonwealth, City, County,
Town, ____________) the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice;
that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their
offices to promote the well-being of all people; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

24. For an Election

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers
and privileges: Guide the people of the United States (or of
this community) in the election of officials and representatives;
that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of
all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your
purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

https://www.bcponline.org/

still on my mind... Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Back in January - though it feels much more recent to me - a question was asked and a few remarks made that sparked international discussion. 

Here is one high-profile response:

In the midst of this, I read the lessons for the upcoming Sunday morning, on which I was scheduled to do supply (that is, preach and celebrate the Eucharist as a substitute for the regular priest) at a parish in the area. Apparently I am not the only one who wondered whether the president had read the lectionary in advance just to be sure he was speaking to the gospel reading at hand. 

It's still on my mind, now in Holy Week, during which we see that the Romans had a similar attitude towards the countries they were occupying and the citizens thereof. One need only consider that crucifixion was not a permitted form of death penalty for Roman citizens.  

Although I generally hesitate to share my sermons, I will share this one, as old as the topic may now be by general standards.  It's been pushed to the back burner because of more death in the news - too much death - but it seems to me that any form of attitude that makes someone "less than" is ultimately death dealing. Something to consider as Lent draws to a close, especially this week.

------

Epiphany 2B: What good can come out of Nazareth?

sermon for 1-14-18 

1 Samuel 3:1-10  (11-20) – call of Samuel

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 – glorify God with/in your body

John 1:43-51 – call of Philip, Nathanael under the fig tree

Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It’s good to be back - to begin to get to know you and to feel comfortable here. I appreciate your welcome, and I look forward to talking with you at coffee hour following the service.

Meeting and getting to know each other can be both a delight and a challenge. Imagine for a moment that you’re being introduced to someone. In the United States, one of the first things people ask is “what do you do?” That has its issues – but that’s for another day. Another question we hear is “Where are you from?” Now, the question “Where are you from” has the potential to capture so much meaning, depending on how it is answered and explored. A resulting conversation could show so much of who we are in so very many directions. Such a question and response provides a window into the other person. Where we’re from is very personal. Think of the related expression, “She knows where I’m coming from.”. It’s a feeling of being understood.

But we don’t always go there. “Where are you from?” and other such introductory questions can give us the sense that we know all about someone when in fact we have very little idea. Hearing that someone is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, or from Manhattan could lead you to very different ideas – which could be far from accurate. But you know those New Yorkers… Yankees fans, the lot of them.

Too often we think we know where someone is from, box them in, and fit them into our schema of The Way Things Are, and that’s that. Even putting people in what we think are GOOD boxes can be problematic because then we aren’t seeing or hearing the actual person, but only what we expect.

Jesus had this problem. He might have been born in Bethlehem and been a toddler in Egypt, but he grew up in Nazareth in Galilee, a poor town in a poor region. On the night he was arrested, Peter was identified as one of his disciples by his accent alone.

Jesus got it from home, too. When he preached in his hometown synagogue, people got offended. As they put it,

“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ (Matthew 13:55-56)

Which is to say, “Who do you think you are?” We know where you’re from, so we know who you are, and we’ll judge you accordingly.

Now, really, generalizations are one of the ways the brain makes sense of vast quantities of information. It is when we regard them as hard and fast definitions that we run into trouble.  It’s when we decide we know enough about people to determine who they are – and we stop listening.

And that’s one of the issues we run into in today’s Gospel.

Listen again:

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Does that sound… eerily familiar to anyone this morning?

Apparently derogatory remarks about poverty-stricken areas and the people who come from them are nothing new. Hearing it from the White House, now, that’s something else again. Worse than the profanity, to me, was the press secretary’s follow-up, which reminds me of Nathanael’s initial attitude. He spoke of (and I quote) “permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy and assimilate into our great nation.” Which, as the New Yorker pointed out, suggested “that immigrants from places like El Salvador, Haiti, Liberia, and Sierra Leone couldn’t become productive and assimilated American citizens,” which is more than a little racist.[i]

Can anything good come from Nazareth?

In the Jesuit America Magazine, Fr James Martin explains, “Nazareth was a minuscule town of 200 to 400 people, where people lived in small stone houses, and, archaeologists say, where garbage, and excrement, was dumped in the alleyways…in other words, came from a …….. place [such as that][ii]  Elsewhere in the magazine I read, “Crumbling infrastructure, inadequate health care and crippling poverty do not make a life any less valuable.”[iii] True in Jesus’ time. True now. Pragmatically speaking, these things also do not make people less likely to work hard and contribute.

All this turmoil, mind you, was happening on the day before the anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. Furthermore, Martin Luther King Day is tomorrow. And if nothing else, the events of this past year show you that racism is still one of the biggest problems we have in this country, and we don’t seem to want to deal with it.

But we don’t need to be racist to consider this issue. Can anything good come out of Nazareth/Haiti/Africa/the Midwest/the South/California//the Middle East …. the other political party? It’s not always demonization. It can even feel perfectly affable. We just KNOW who that person is. So we don’t listen. We can’t see. We don’t try because our minds are made up.

But sometimes we know we have limited vision, and we’re more like Nathanael. “Come and see,” said Philip. And Nathanael did. With a mind sufficiently open to change. What he thought he knew was wrong and he, being without guile/deceit, didn’t hesitate to say so. And thoroughly! “Rabbi, you are the Son of God!” he exclaimed. “You are the King of Israel!”

I want you to notice something here.  What made him change his mind is that HE had been seen and known and understood when he hadn’t even noticed Jesus nearby.

“When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Being seen and known and understood can be life-changing.

Jesus may even have heard his remark about Nazareth – but it didn’t matter. He didn’t dismiss Nathanael as an ignorant so-and-so. He didn’t even wait to be introduced. And this is wonderful.

God doesn’t wait to be noticed. YHWH comes to Samuel before Samuel knows him. In Psalm 139, the poet sings, “You have searched me out and known me… when I was still in my mother’s womb…”

 God knows us already – understands us – calls us by name.

The good news is that we, too, are capable of responding to the invitation to come and see. We can also extend the invitation like Philip. We can work to see, hear, and understand others without waiting for them to do the same, refusing to dismiss people as incorrigible. God did it for us, being born among seemingly incorrigible humanity and in a poor, hick town to boot. We can work for those who are constantly facing this kind of dismissal – or worse – on a day to day basis.

And we, like Samuel, can learn to pray, over and over, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

“Where are you from?” we ask.

It’s still a good question. Just depends on what we do with it.

---

[i] John Cassidy, “A Racist in the Oval Office,” The New Yorker, January 12, 2018   https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trump-shithole-comment-racist-in-the-oval-office

[ii] James Martin SJ, “Father James Martin: Why we should welcome people from countries Trump just insulted,” America Magazine, https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/01/12/father-james-martin-why-we-should-welcome-people-countries-trump-just

[iii]  Wyatt Massey, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/01/12/why-president-trumps-comments-dont-reflect-haiti-i-have-come-know  via @americamag 

not again

Went walking late this afternoon. Have some lovely photos. May share them later.

On my way to the car, I noticed the flag was at half staff. Hadn't seen it before.  I wondered which of the latest disasters it was for... so many lately. Thought of all the people dealing with the aftermath of the hurricanes and earthquakes.

I hadn't read the news - yesterday was so very full. 

I read it a while ago. Started to post something on Facebook, but what is there left to say. Why? I've asked that. No good answers. Contributing issues, naturally. But after all is said and done, I'm left with grief for all those people and their families and loved ones. I'd like to ask when it will stop. Never? But what little we can do, we must. Meanwhile, we grieve and we pray - and we seek wisdom.

sermonating with bug eyes

Another sermon, more intense prayer required. The news and the texts alongside each other are just wild. Is the news a distraction? A must-deal-with item? Do I laugh or cry? How do I preach without getting political? Where do I even start among so much?

Here are some excerpts from the texts for this coming Sunday:

Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,
“He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
and again,
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile.”
So let no one boast about human leaders.  (1 Cor 3) 

(Yes, this is church leadership, but still...)

Do not resist an evildoer.
and
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  (Matt 5)

The Leviticus passage, too, offers a wealth of possibilities.

Now this Russia business - a year's worth of contact, a Russian sub hanging out off our shores, and more.

Seriously...

As I was celebrating the Eucharist this morning, I suddenly heard the words of Eucharistic Prayer B anew and had a sudden wash of peace even in the midst of the turbulence echoing in the back of my mind from the waves of bad news coming out of DC.

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.  (BCP p. 368) 

Anamnesis... None of this is new to God. We didn't make ourselves worthy first in order for him to come to us. The Incarnation didn't happen in the midst of all being well. Corruption? Treason? God knows about it. God can work despite it, and has, and will. And so we can have real hope. Not cheery optimism. Hope.  As it says in Hebrews, "For we have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul."

https://twitter.com/SistersOfStMarg/status/831859361572073472

And so, in peace, let us pray to the Lord, saying, "Lord, have mercy."

morning meditation with sharpies

Seriously.

Litany for Gun Violence Prevention offered for use

Candle from vigil for Orlando Victims
Duxbury, MA

Giver of Life and Love, you created all people as one family and called us to live together in harmony and peace. Surround us with your love as we face the challenges and tragedies of gun violence.

For our dear ones, for our neighbors, for strangers and aliens, and those known to you alone, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.

God of Righteousness, you have given our leaders, especially Barack, our President, the members of Congress, the judges of our courts and members of our legislatures, power and responsibility to protect us and to uphold our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

For all who bear such responsibility, for all who struggle to discern what is right in the face of powerful political forces, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.

God of Compassion, we give you thanks for first responders, for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, and all those whose duties bring them to the streets, the lobbies, the malls and the homes where the carnage of gun violence takes place day after day. Give them courage and sound judgment in the heat of the moment and grant them compassion for the victims.

For our brothers and sisters who risk their lives and their serenity as they rush to our aid, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.

Merciful God, bind up the wounds of all who suffer from gun violence, those maimed and disfigured, those left alone and grieving, and those who struggle to get through one more day. Bless them with your presence and help them find hope.

For all whose lives are forever marked by the scourge of gun violence, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.

God Who Remembers, may we not forget those who have died in the gun violence that we have allowed to become routine. Receive them into your heart and comfort us with your promise of eternal love and care.

For all who have died, those who die today, and those who will die tomorrow, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.

God of Justice, help us, your church, find our voice. Empower us to change this broken world and to protest the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Give us power to rise above our fear that nothing can be done and grant us the conviction to advocate for change.

For your dream of love and harmony, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.

All this we pray in the name of the One who offered his life so that we might live, Jesus the Christ.  Amen.

- by the Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Episcopal bishop of Maine - via the Episcopal News Service (you will also find a link to an entire liturgy on this page) http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/06/14/litany-for-gun-violence-prevention-offered-for-use-in-sunday-services/

grey and white bird ID help, please

Scusset Beach

Today is #NationalBirdDay and also my free day - our community "sabbath" day of rest. So of course I went out to see some. Thought about staying home due to the gale warning, but that would have been far too sensible for a beautiful day, so out I went, though not for the full day.

Scusset Beach breakwater - these tourists told me it was too windy, so I decided to exercise some caution and not go clambering out to the end of it. Another time...

terribly disappointed not to be able to swim or scuba dive after all

Even the Eider is having his down ruffled.

First excitement - I think I have seen a horned grebe.  I *may* have seen one from a very great distance last month, but now I'm realizing there are several possibilities. I'm a beginner at this, so still a bit easily puzzled.

Here is my grebe. I think.

Now here is the other bird. Or birds.  I thought they were all the same type of bird, so I wasn't being careful. Now that I get it home, however, I see that one does not seem to have quite the same beak/bill and the one I think might be a loon doesn't seem to have red eyes, either. But it could be a trick of the light or my wishful thinking (another new bird!).

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

whose wife?

Sermonating again... And very, very slowly.

 It's all about trick questions. Except it isn't; it's about resurrection.

There's a reason I laughed at this cartoon, which came from United Methodist Memes via Episcopal Memes.  If you aren't on Facebook, it won't make much sense, but suffice to say there is a riddle with many details, the purpose of which is to make you change your profile picture to a giraffe when you get it wrong.  The answer to the specific question isn't really the point of asking it.  Just like tomorrow's gospel passage.

Luke 20:27-38 - Proper 27C

Wish me luck.

Or better yet, send up a prayer.

I don't want to have to wear a giraffe face with my habit when I go to an unfamiliar church to preach tomorrow.

Archbishop Justin Welby on Prince George's christening

baptism water

In a short video released today, the Archbishop of Canterbury speaks on baptism on the occasion of the upcoming baptism of Prince George, Will and Kate's baby.

Kate, Will, baby George
 I love the picture of Will enjoying holding his son.

Some of my favorite lines:

"The great good news is that God doesn't care who we are."

"God's love is offered without qualification, without price, without cost, to all people, in all circumstances, always."

And I love the words he quotes at the end from the Church of Scotland's baptismal liturgy for children.

God's grace is given before we can respond.
For you Jesus Christ came into the world:
for you he lived and showed God's love;
for you he suffered the darkness of Calvary
and cried at the last, 'It is accomplished';
for you he triumphed over death and rose in newness of life;
for you he ascended to reign at God's right hand.
All this he did for you,
though you do not know it yet.
And so the word of Scripture is fulfilled:
"We love because God loved us first."

This form of these words comes from the Church of Scotland.

http://www.westendchurchnyc.org/ChurchAlive/OurSundaySchedule/SacramentsandMembership/Baptism/tabid/31611/Default.aspx 




If  you'd like to read an article on the video, here's one:
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/10/22/archbishop-justin-on-the-royal-baptism/

The BBC is also covering it:
"The Archbishop of Canterbury has said he hopes the "extraordinary" baptism of Prince George will inspire others to seek the same ceremony."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24615297   

Now, for those of you in the know, please enlighten me.  Is there or is there not a difference between baptism and christening?  I had heard they were not interchangeable, but here they seem to be used as synonyms. Anyone?  Is the UK usage different from that of the US (not that I've really heard it used on this side of the pond)?

on the stories of others

The post linked below is worth your time to read. It is two posts, actually, one embedded in another. They're about writing about Haiti. How much can one say? understand? When does the listening help to heal? When does it become better to listen and not tell? When must the story be told - and how must it be told when it is not yours? These writers find their own lives entwined with these stories, and yet they must always be separating the threads of their own lives, their own perspectives and biases, their own pain, from that of others whose story needs to be shared. When do we choose, and how?

So now I'm wondering what will it be like for me to try to blog from Haiti again. Will I want to make my entries completely separate - my story and the stories around me? I can't see how that is possible. I can only tell a story through my own eyes. But then, I have it easy: I'm not a journalist. I'm not a semi-professional blogger. I can only share what I live or what I have heard - and much of what I hear there will not be mine to share. So much pain. As this blogger points out, there is a responsibility that comes with writing, especially stories such as these. I will need to pray for the grace to respond wisely.

I am grateful for this blog entry, and I hope you will find it thought-provoking as well. Here it is: http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2011/07/telling-stories.html

on being a princess

There is an interesting article posted on NPR this week about little girls who suddenly must be princesses: Saving Our Daughters From An Army of Princesses. This mother is considering whether her daughter is choosing to be a princess or being railroaded into it... I suppose it's appropriate to use the term railroaded because when this child went to nursery school the first day in her favorite train engineer outfit, carrying her Thomas the Tank Engine lunch box, a little boy yelled, "Girls don't like trains."  Not long afterward, she wouldn't even wear pants to school. 

I find this disturbing.

Now, I don't believe that dressing up as a princess is a bad thing.  I dressed up as a princess for Halloween at least once, and I remember that at 5 I loved to draw princesses with ball gowns with big puffy sleeves.  I even had a Cinderella watch.

I also have to say that I am quite sure that playing princess is not impossible to combine with a little more rough-and-tumble activity.  One of my goddaughters, who has three older brothers, loves her pink and sparkles and princess outfits.  Or she did; I think she may be getting a bit old for that now.  But she could (can?!) also play in the mud with the best of them.   I have a picture of her dressed in a pink princess outfit and sitting on a toy motorcycle. That's my goddaughter, all right.  And I love it.

I've always been, however, a bit more for the unusual princesses in children's books.  I have always loved, for example, The Paper Bag Princess, in which the princess rescues the prince from a dragon with great creativity.  I enjoy The Ordinary Princess, though it is not as far from a typical, traditional princess story.  I also seem to remember a fantasy book of my sister's in which the princess hasn't much use for being married off to the first prince her parents can find and so goes off to be the librarian for a local dragon for a while.  When princes come to rescue her, she usually manages to get rid of them, since at least at first they seem to be no one any self-respecting young woman would care to marry.  I believe she learns to be a wizard and otherwise take care of herself as well, but I don't remember the details.

And then there is the musical Once Upon a Mattress, which, when I was in the high school orchestra playing for the show, made me laugh all the way through it from the beginning of rehearsals to the end of the performances.  (Good lines included, from the princess, "Does your mother ever say anything other than 'You swam the moat?!'?" and, from the prince, the song "I'm in love with a girl named Fred.")

Perhaps I like the humor in all of them.  Perhaps I like the unfussiness of these princesses and their can-do, independent attitude.  I assume most real princesses are much more like this than like Disney or fairy-tale princesses.

Just think Princess Leia in the original Star Wars movies (minus the appalling scenes with Jabba the Hut, which I prefer to forget for so very many reasons) rather than Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty.

And in all honesty, I can say that if I had it to do over, I would still get up in the middle of the night to watch Princess Di marrying Prince Charles, even as badly as it turned out.

So what's the problem?  I guess, following ten years teaching in a boarding school for girls, that I am concerned that this separation between boys and girls so early on is not only trying on identity and having fun with dressing up, but also limiting in options.  As long as our girls can dress up as princesses AND dress up as train engineers without being made fun of, I'm happy.  I am just sad that it doesn't seem to be as automatic as one might think.  And pity the poor boy who is being made fun of for stepping out of assigned gender roles (just google Princess Boy if you don't believe me).  I was pleased - I think - to note that at least  Disney World's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has packages for boys.  I wonder what they'd do if a boy wanted to be a princess or a girl wanted to be a knight. Hm.

I am also wary because the need to be a princess is much more culturally important among little American girls than it used to be thanks to the ever-present marketing of Walt Disney.  There was a recent article about this in the NYTimes, I think, but I can't find it.  However,  How Disney Princess Works is rather enlightening. But these little girls seem to be enjoying a Perfectly Princess Tea at Disney World: Be a princess for a day at Disney World.  And they say you can go to another place to be a pirate.  I bet they do let girls be pirates, at least!  I think I would have enjoyed all three costumes, to be perfectly honest, with or without marketing. I just don't remember anyone talking about being a princess when I was little (back when the earth was cooling, you know, just before the era in which princesses and knights fought dinosaurs instead of dragons).
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Of course, I'm not a mother.  And neither was the author of the article above which sparked this post when she first developed her opinions.  As she put it, "Oh, how the mighty fall."  It's easy to have opinions when you don't have children...  And then when you do, they have their own personalities and opinions, right from the start.  It rather reminds me of the old comic strip "Cathy" when Cathy's feminist friend Andrea has a daughter who chooses a Bride of Rambo Halloween costume.

You mothers of girls out there, reading this, I'd be interested in hearing your take on this. Comments from experience?

wings like a dove

So many random thoughts involving wings this evening...

When Sr. Mary Gabriel takes a pick to the ice in the birdbath and then adds hot water, why do the birds risk taking a bath? I understand why they and the squirrels are pleased to have water to drink, and they have been splashing around and having a marvelous time, but it is so cold out! It looks for all the world like one of those hot tubs at a ski resort, so I can imagine the appeal, but they can't go inside to dry off afterward.  Anyone understand avian biology enough to enlighten me? 

"Oh, that I had wings like a dove. I would fly away and be at rest."  This seemed an appropriate verse quite a number of times in the past couple of weeks.  Thanks be to God, tomorrow is our sabbath rest day, and I plan to enjoy it!

And speaking of flying away, I am wondering if the two sisters scheduled to fly out of Haiti to Boston on Tuesday are actually going to make it back that day.  I've done a news search, and as far as I can tell, all flights are still grounded.  Actually, I'm still wondering if they have been able to return home from their conference out of town or if the roads are still blocked.  Please pray for Haiti, all of you, as well as for their safe travel.  May the Holy Spirit be like that dove of peace there.

Finally, the girls putting on our church Epiphany pageant have decided to make wings for the angels.  Can anyone tell me how one might go about making them?  I did find the following directions, but they are on the complicated side and not quite like an angel's as usually depicted:  Mommy Blessings: Fairy Wings Tutorial. Some creative adjustment, perhaps?  Since we (the parish) had a break-in this week and had all our copper water pipes stolen, we are definitely not in any place to be spending much (if any) on these, so I am hoping someone out there will have suggestions for me.  Please, if you have any idea, no matter how crazy, leave me a comment!

sartorial and theological challenge

Words fail me...

PacMan stole - oh my...

Yet I have to wonder
--whether or not Ms. Pacman is eligible for ordination, or only Pacman himself 
--if I should be reflecting theologically on the maze of life, the path of life, on Jesus as the Way through Pacman's Maze
--whether the textile artist that created this prayed through its creation and, if so, what that prayer was like
--if I should be admitting that I actually remember playing Pacman in a video arcade, though I couldn't remember the game itself to save my life.

So, dear friends, a challenge:
If you were going to design a stole with a game as the theme (video, board, or other)*, what would you choose and why?  Chutes and Ladders, perhaps (with angels ascending and descending)?
Extra points for titles and theological reflection.

*No need to explain why you would ever want to do such a thing - although since I can't really imagine why the stole above was created, perhaps there should be points for that, too!

Found at http://badvestments.blogspot.com/2010/08/back-to-future.html via Facebook.