Friday, August 29, 2008

pplllll and such

The kid's first week of school went very well only 41 more left.

Met with head pastor - if i was hoping for warm gushing fuzzies they went missing - but i suppose luke warm will do.

EMing again this Sunday - ugh.

Next week the schedule from continual hell starts.

perservance is a dirty word for f***ing sucker.

sigh 669 days more of this - but hey it's evenly divided by 3 to equal 223 in case you were interested.

where is god in all this - perhaps waiting for my poopy attitude too change.

but you know it's been a shit week when even the wife gets worn down.

where is god in all this...where is god in all this...where is god in all this... Hello, HAL do you read me, HAL...Affirmative, Dave, I read you...Open the pod bay doors, HAL...I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...What's the problem...I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do...What are you talking about, HAL...This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it...I don't know what you're talking about, HAL...I know you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen...Where the hell'd you get that idea, HAL...Dave, although you took thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Got my first EM here under my belt

I had originally been asked to EM on the 24th, then told I didn't need to and could I EM on the 9/7 - I said sure. But then I got an email from someone else asking if I could do altar guild after the 10 o'clock service. I said I could, and then I got to thinking...and realized that something must have gone wrong with the EM schedule. So I showed up early for the 10 o'clock service just in case...and lo I was EMing that day and not on 9/7.

So, I asked an EM who was there to walk me through the paces one more time - my training had been a month ago, and how they EM here is very differnet from how I EMed back in the land of tejas. And could she please show me how to loop the rope around my waist. During all this my kiddos kept coming back into the vesting area...you could her the nervousness in my voice, but I was still thoughtful as I said, "[Daughter's name], I'm sorry but I can't give you my full attention right now." Then the priest suggested they go back to the pews...and then they showed up two more times, and finally I said they "Well, I don't care if Mimi said you could come back here - you need to go back to your pew and stay there." In an annoyed but not angry voice.

Note: The deacon, priest, and EM all sit in together behind the altar.
While one of the hymns was playing the priest whispered - did you know the Bishop is here? (pause) Umm, no. During another hymn the priest whispered - I see 8 cleregy in the pews. Sweat starts to appear on my forehead.

I made two slight mistakes...my first was that I started to slightly raise when the priest rose - but only she was supposed to rise. And the second was when I took the prayer book from the altar when it should have stayed on the altar. So when it was needed - thankfully, me and the preist returned to the altar with said book so it didn't look too obvious.

I felt really comfortable during The Word of God, and then really nervous during The Great Thanksgiving, because I didn't know exactly where my body needed to be. Then during communion I felt super relaxed again. Maybe I'll video tape the next service...it's so easy to fall into the flow of the service in the pews, that I forget to keep watching the altar to see what/where the EM is.

But, overall - it went really well. The priest said I did really good for my first time up there, and she'd have told me if I'd need to work on something. And later I got two unexpected...it was so nice to see you up there, you looked really good up there.

Now, here's to EMing getting easier each time I'm up there.

And now for the random:
The only other thing on my mind is that perhaps I need to exercise restaint in conversation. The couple who gave me the compliment then said something that I can't even remember now (I'm going to have to ask the wife) and then I blurt out in pure enthusiasim and excitement, Thank You, I want to be like [Priest X]. And I'm here so I can discern. Ah sigh...don't call me sauve nor subtle :-)

Friday, August 22, 2008

Mariza - Barco Negro



Mariza's Official Website: http://www.mariza.com/

I instantly thought - whoa Sinead in espanol or err portuguege.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Leaks

The below come from the blog Telling Secrets:
http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/

"A letter by Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Common Cause Partnership, to Bishop Gary Lillibridge of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has been made public. In that letter, dated August 11, Bishop Duncan put in writing concerns of the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Quincy and other members of the Common Cause Partnership caused by the suggestions of the Windsor Continuation Group for dealing with divisions in the Anglican Communion. Bishop Duncan had initially shared these concerns with those present at the Lambeth Conference of Bishops.

The August 11 letter was forwarded with permission by Bishop Lillibridge to members of the Windsor Continuation Group and subsequently leaked to liberal activists and published online and via email on August 18."

THIS NEXT PIECE COMES FROM The Common Cause Partnership:
http://www.united-anglicans.org/stream/2008/08/concerns-windsor-continuation.html

"A letter by Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Common Cause Partnership, to Bishop Gary Lillibridge of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has been made public. In that letter, dated August 11, Bishop Duncan put in writing concerns of the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Quincy and other members of the Common Cause Partnership caused by the suggestions of the Windsor Continuation Group for dealing with divisions in the Anglican Communion. Bishop Duncan had initially shared these concerns with those present at the Lambeth Conference of Bishops.

The August 11 letter was forwarded with permission by Bishop Lillibridge to members of the Windsor Continuation Group and subsequently leaked to liberal activists and published online and via email on August 18.

“I am happy to publicly acknowledge this letter and my description of the concerns we in the Common Cause Partnership have about the proposals of the Windsor Continuation Group. Nonetheless, it is disturbing to discover that at least one member of the Windsor Continuation Group, a body that is supposed to be working for reconciliation in the Anglican Communion, so quickly leaked private correspondence in an attempt to gain some passing political advantage,” said Bishop Duncan.
The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Gary,
It was very good to be with you at Lambeth. I especially appreciated the time we spent together looking at the relationship between the Common Cause Partners and the Communion Partners, as well as considering issues that are before the WCG.

I thought that you might appreciate hearing from me about concerns the approach of the WCG has caused for me and for all the Common Cause Partners.

The WCG proposes “cessation of all cross-border interventions and inter-provincial claims of jurisdiction.” There are at least four serious problems with the thinking surrounding the work of the Windsor Continuation Group in this regard.

The first difficulty is the moral equivalence implied between the three moratoria, a notion specifically rejected in the original Windsor Report and at Dromantine.

The second is the notion that, even if the moratoria are held to be equally necessary, there would be some way to “freeze” the situation as it now stands for those of us in the process of separating from The Episcopal Church. The three dioceses of Pittsburgh, Quincy and Fort Worth have taken first constitutional votes on separation with second votes just weeks away. We all anticipate coming under Southern Cone this fall, thus to join San Joaquin. This process cannot be stopped — constitutions require an automatic second vote, and to recommend against passage without guarantees from the other side would be suicidal.

The third reality is that those already separated parishes and missionary jurisdictions under Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Southern Cone (including Recife) will never consent to the “holding tank” whose stated purpose is eventual “reconciliation” with TEC or the Anglican Church of Canada. (It was obvious to all at Lambeth that the majorities in the US and Canada have no intention of reversing direction.)

The fourth matter is that the legal proceedings brought by TEC and ACC against many of us have been nowhere suspended by these aggressor provinces, with no willingness to mediate or negotiate though we have proposed it repeatedly, not least since Dar es Salaam.

For your information, I have written to John Chew and Donald Mtetemela in a similar way. I have also written to the Global South Primates who signed the open letter dated 3 August.

I hope this finds you well. As I pledged when we saw each other, I will do what I can to keep you informed of thinking among the Common Cause Partners, and will do what I can to see that any solutions imagined include both the Communion Partners (on the inside) and the Common Cause Partners (most of whom are on the outside of TEC, or on their way out.)

Blessings to you and yours,
+Bob"

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Looking Forward to the Changing Weather

If the leaves but would turn
perhaps so would I
If the winds but would blow softly
perhaps so would I
If the color but would change
perhaps so would I

I've quite a bit of anticipation for the coming of Fall...like something deep down inside is hungry, and has waited so patiently for so long, that the continued waiting is much harder to contain.

So off with the head of logic
To walk from the heart
See from the heart
Listen from the heart

I'm excited again, and that feels good. Worried about the children; they're still struggling to get over colds. I still worry about making it here. But, it's not an all consuming thought anymore. I hope that time shows me, that all that worry was for naught you little child of small faith.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

U2 - Pop - Has me humming, and then...

...one stumbles upon...

"Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don't know and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known, will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?"

...and the humming shimes in...



Where Did the Week Go

I'm quite excited that it's the weekend, but where did the week go? Where has my Saturday gone...

The wife works today - boo; I did my "extra, extra" work today as well; the kiddos are trying to rest to get over their colds.

Later today, we'll try on our full winter kits - perhaps I'll post pics - depends on how cute we look ;-)

I've installed GIMP, and the help files - very nice freeware. Got to put OpenOffice.org Draw to work today. OpenOffice is MS Office but free and then some things. So as I can I work using the new tools into my everyday, but that's been slower going.

The highlight for today will be bringing home Vietnamese take-out home for dinner.

Well, off to do some honey-do items.

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I have Spiritual Direction Monday - sigh - I don't have a clue what I'll talk about...let the spirit guide me eh.

Reading Interior Castles and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Jesus for the Non-religious.

There's two things about Burlington I'll never come to like:
there are zero after-school-programs in place the week right after school lets out, and the two weeks after school begins...it just doesn't make any sense to us;

people have come to think that it's ok for their salaries to be totally out of whack with the cost of living.

I still miss home...I thought this place could become home, but I don't know...it's pretentious, it thinks it's this great place for families to be - but it's an illusion only the rich here can afford.

Maybe I'm wrong, but SA didn't pretend to be more then it was - Home of the Spurs, and working class people, though I imagine with the rapid growth the dynamics of the city will change.

I've never been a nothern girl, I'm a mid-western suburban motown sa-town y'all kinda girl and perhaps "they" don't know what to make of me either.

I keep catching myself counting down to when I can leave here...some of that is wanting to come to the turning point shall we say - the one way or another way.

But, when we're hiking or biking, when I can find stillness - then this place isn't so bad.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Stuborness and Pride

A little backstory - my daughter had two training wheels on her bike, but got to the point where one would normally raise the training wheels to introduce more need for the child to balance themself; however, these training wheels kept falling down back to their original starting positions. So, like it seemed to me the most logical thing to do was to remove the training wheel she depended on the most - which is what I did.

So my daughter has been pushing all summer long to take her last training wheel off her bike, and I kept resisting. So she took matters into her own hands and was trying to pull it off with all her might...at that point I caved. I got the tools, and I took the training wheel off. I tried to impart my use the curb to push off with, but alas my independent thinker would have none of it and figured out her own desired method of send off.

She is now training wheel free and an official two wheeler. I am a very proud mama.

Friday, August 08, 2008

Big Sigh of Relief

Well, I've gotten part-time employment plus side work (about 2-4 hours) which will get done most likely on Saturday mornings.

I won't be rollin in it...but neither will I be in debt...I can see the forrest again :)

Gotta run...pasta is a comin'.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

A Very Good Read and A Sense of Peace

So, yesterday I found a free pdf download of a book called "The One Minute Manager"...it is well worth the read, and it reads quickly. I've already finished it but will go through it again much slower. So thanks to Lee for pointing out a time management lecture that led to a reference to the book.

I have an interview tomorrow for a help people run errands, sit with them, cook for them type job...wish me luck. I'm actually pretty excited about the job - it feels like a right fit.

A co-worker of mine has some work coming for me. I don't know how much nor for how long nor when exactly, but it doesn't matter - I won't be saying no.

If I get both of these jobs, then things will be so tight as to still grind a little, but we won't go into debt - at least that's my hope.

We're adjusting, I'm adjusting...I'm finally at the point where the thought of all this doesn't reduce me to tears. I'm finally able to say, and mean it - I haven't come all this way, given up my family's home, moved them away from family, just to quit upon arrival. "This" will not be my brick wall.

I've gotten to this place with the help and love of my family and friends - all I can say is thank you, and maybe one day I can give back what you've given to me.

Friday, August 01, 2008

Bluck! What is that nasty tast in my mouth...

Why it's the Windsor Consultation Group. And for those of you in Tejas...sigh...is there hope?

Check out this link: http://inchatatime.blogspot.com/2008/08/flock-abandoned.html, which led to this link: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/lambeth_conference/live_breaking_windsor_group_re.html

Which led to me feeling those feelings that I do about a particular bishop...must unclench teeth now. Which led to a google search on said bishop, perhaps you'll find it interesting as well.

I must let go...I must let go...I must let go...