Hoping for a cure ...

Life . . . 

The diagnosis did not come as a surprise, but it did come as a disappointment.  Diabetes had been in the family gene pool--and I was aging.  So, like most things in my life, I decided to tackle it head on.

My first venture into the world of diabetes was to attend a "Super" conference.  I managed to drag my husband along thinking we'd learn to manage this disease together.  The conference was an even bigger disappointment than the diagnosis.  The message I received was basically, eat what you want and just give yourself more medicine.  Really?  And the lunch--it was full of simple carbohydrates!  Needless to say, I wasn't impressed.

Although I've been told that a cure for diabetes is always being sought, I have begun to wonder--and not just about diabetes, but many other "chronic" diseases, too.  Let's face it, diabetes is BIG business.  The testing, the meds, the snacks--like Glucerna.  I was surprised to learn that several of their products--like their mini snack bars contain High Fructose Corn Syrup! (See their website, which lists product ingredients).  That's a real no-no for those living with diabetes. Even though their product ingredients suggest that the bars only contain 2% High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), why would a product targeted to diabetics contain it at all?  Ever read the ingredients on certain products marketed to diabetics?  If I can't pronounce it, I'm not sure I want to eat it.

Over the years, I've learned to manage pretty well--yes, I do test.  I've learned what I can and can't eat (and oh, do I miss bread!), learned that exercise makes a huge difference, and learned that friends really do help out.  I try to do the things I know to do: pray,spend time in contemplation, reduce stress in my life, grow my own vegetables, cook at home, eat lots of salad, exercise when I can, feed and play with my goats, dream about my future chickens and find something to laugh about every day.  And did I mention dark chocolate?  In moderation, it really helps.

To all those diabetics out there: don't just test, but question!  Question products marketed to you--especially food products.  Are they really helping you manage your disease, or are they keeping you dependant on the BIG business that has become so much a part of the world of medicine.  Take charge of your health! And to the great friends who helped me get on a good path--THANK YOU.  I may one day have to take medicine, but for now, I'm grateful I've learned what works best for me!

Our little piece of Paradise

For the better part of almost 2 weeks, I have been on vacation.  It hasn't really been a "staycation," although we have spent most of our time at home.  One day we visited The Apron Museum in Iuka, MS and I learned so many things about aprons I didn't know.  It was a step back in time, and I am likely to go back to the museum.  Another day, we visited the Tupelo flea market--it wasn't exactly what we expected, but a fun day out.  And then on another outing, we visited the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery.  A wonderful experience; a great museum and lots of good information as we ponder fish in our backyard.  We even enjoyed lunch on that day at The B.T.C. Old Fashioned Grocery.

But aside from our littel day trips, we've mostly been home.  Home . . . it's a place we often take for granted.  Many of us are so busy making a living and buying stuff that we're hardly ever home; we don't have time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.  Being home these days has made me hunger for more.  We have worked in our vegetable and flower gardens, played with and cared for our mini-alpine goats,cat and dog,  cooked more from scratch (including a chocolate pie for the mister!), kept the house neater,  had REAL conversations, read more and relaxed more than any recent vacation I remember.  There has been time for deep prayer and soulful meditation.  Time to enjoy God's bountiful creation. Time to listen to the music of my generation and remember Woodstock nation's call to getting back to the garden.  Time to reflect on where I've been, and where I'm going.  I will return to my position well rested, but with a hunger for home and our little piece of Paradise.

Robert Frost once wrote, "Home is the place where, whey you have to go there, they have to take you in."  Maybe that's true.  But I think Dorothy ( of the Wizard of Oz fame) got it right when she said "There's no place like home."

Dreams can come true

Since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of owning goats.  My father always wanted a goat, so that may be the reason I found an interest in them.  And now, they are gracing my back yard--two mini-alpines--a brother and sister!  The little buckling soon to become a wether, and the little doeling we will breed later so that we can realize our dream of milking.  It's an adventure--and a learning curve.  So far so good!

I like the rhythm of the day -- feeding and watering (and one day milking) twice a day--it is like the rhythm of prayer in the Episcopal Church--Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.  I am grateful for the opportunity and the call to prayer.

Next,  we will choose a name for our little place--such serious thought.  Then on to planning for a few chickens and hopefully a worm composting adventure!  Life is good!

Thanks be to God!

Headcovering part two

The book was on the shelf; I'd received it as an ordination gift.  Never read it--just sat there, until a colleague used it for an opening meditation at a recent meeting.  Later, after a long week, I took the book from the shelf and thumbed my way through--finally resting on and savoring on a meditation/poem.  The book is called Prisms of the Soul: Writings from a Sisterhood of Faith, edited by Marcy Darin.  I believe it is out of print now (1996); but worth the trouble to find a used copy.

It was the poem by Patricia Flower Vermillion that caught my eye; in her poem "Learning to Make Easter Bread" I caught a glimpse of the woman I aspire to be.  A line in her poem struck me deeply,

I don't understand
this old woman who listens
to Puccini, wears black stockings
and aprons, covers her head
with cotton scarves
tied at the nape of her neck.

The woman signs herself before risen dough and braids three strands into one.  And the poet says she dances!  She dances (does she also have a tambourine--remember Miriam!)

How many years will it take
how many do I have,
to learn to sing Puccini
and to dance, to dance?

Thank you, Patricia Flower Vermillion!  I hope to wear  black stockings and aprons and cover my head with cotton scarves (as I explore headcovering), and yes . . . I hope to dance--and learn more about Puccini as I journey with Jesus!

2014 is on the horizon!  Watch for coming changes in this blog!
My companion saint for this year is Hilda of Whitby.
My chosen word is simplicity.

May God grant me the wisdom to do it!

Domestic LIfe

The latest issue of "The Christian Century" magazine published a cartoon that is a part of the New Yorker Collection (which can also be seen at www.cartoonbank.com) that caused me to reflect on my life.  The cartoon is a depiction of the sacrifice of Isaac.  Abraham is holding the knife and with outstretched arms looking up to the heavens he says, "Must I sacrifice family for career?"  It's a good question to ask for all of us, but especially for those of us in ordained ministry.  And maybe more for women than men, but I know some male colleagues who also wrestle with this issue.

I recall several years ago listening to a female rabbi sharing her story, although I can no longer recall her name.  She talked about being at the Synagogue celebrating a holy day when she longed to be with her family--who was celebrating at home.  It is a dilemma.

The Domestic Life is still very important to me.  I find myself longing for simplicity; finding joy at home through many traditional things make a house a home.  How to combine the priestly lifestyle with the longing for simplicity?  Perhaps you are asking these same questions.

So, I'm creating a wish list--to help revive the Domestic Arts in my own life--a way to slow down and be with my family a little more often.  My wish list includes:
Dairy Goats
Chickens
Gardening
Sewing
Building a back yard labyrinth
and time to sit in the porch swing with my beloved.
And time to also think about the Domestic Church (that's the subject for another time).

Create your own wish list.  And remember, as Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz said, there's no place like home.

Welcoming

I've been reflecting on what it is to be a welcoming community.  Many churches today speak of being welcoming, of hospitality.  What does it mean to be such a community?

A couple of weeks ago as I was making a pastoral call at our local hospital, I happened to have the radio on to NPR, and heard a piece that captured my attention.  It was on "Cowboy Church."  You may want to listen, too: http://www.npr.org/2013/09/01/217268202/cowboy-church-with-rodeo-arena-they-do-church-different

That same week, I received notice of an article posted by the Episcopal News Service (ENS) regarding biker/motorcycle blessings.  It may be found here:
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/08/28/born-to-be-bikers-motorcycle-ministries-reach-out-to-under-served/
I was interviewed via telephone for this article because in one of my previous parishes, I celebrated a biker mass and blessings.

At another one of my parishes, I wanted to extend hospitality  by hosting a monthly Tea and calling the program HospitalTEA.  Each month the menu would vary according to the season.  Monies raised would be donated to welcoming ministries.  It remains just a dream, still, but perhaps something for my future

I've often heard it said that God loves you just they way you are, but refuses to leave you that way.  As I ponder welcoming and hospitality, I also reflect on a God that bids us come . . .

"Just as I am,  without one plea...
O lamb of God, I come, I come."

Welcoming gives way to surrender; surrender to transformation.

How does your community welcome--and whom do they welcome?  What are your hospitality ministries?