The votes are finally counted in Mississippi and Alaska and Democrats won two more Senate seats.
That makes it 55 to 45!
Plus, even a bigger % in the House.
OK, show me what you can do come January....
Can the Dems keep Trump in line?
Can they reverse some of the messes he's made?
Can they turn us back toward a real democracy?
I hope and pray they can.
Come on Democrats, make it happen!'
It's that kind of day.
I did go to the store for the large salad I'll make for dinner.
I got Bern some very specific potato chips. I had to look for nearly 10 minutes to find them. Do we really need so many brands and types of chips? Or so many kinds of soda--though they didn't have Polar Ginger Ale in the size I wanted?
I wrote my sermon this morning.
It's starts out in a way I've never started a sermon in the decades I've been preaching.
I will start by saying: "I didn't like today's Gospel..."
And it's true.
It's Matthew 24.13-40 and is the story of a rich man leaving on a trip and gives 3 'slaves' part of his wealth. The one who got 5 talents earned 5 more for his master. The one who got 2 earned 2 more. The least capable of the three got 1 talent and buried it so he wouldn't lose his 'master's' money.
The first two were highly praised when the master returned but the third was cast out into a place where there is 'weeping and gnashing of teeth'.
The reason I don't like it was that I was a social worker before I went back to seminary to be ordained.
I saw how hard and humbling poverty is up close.
Matthew's story rewarded those who made money and punished the one who didn't.
But in Jesus' ministry it was the poor that he reached out to most.
I don't get where the gospel for Sunday fits with the Jesus I love and worship.
I just didn't like it....
The three of us from Trinity were waiting for the Bishop to join us on line--though G. couldn't hear us though we heard him fine.
Then A., the Bishop's assistant in stuff like this, came on to tell us the Bishop couldn't make it. He was on the road somewhere.
She apologized for the Bishop, though only B. and I heard her.
B. was calling G. to tell him when I signed off.
Luckily I signed off before heaving a huge sign of relief....
A. said she'd set up another time.
"No problem," I told her.
And it wasn't...
The Bishop is visiting Trinity in December, so, I have a video call with him at 4 today.
Luckily, the Wardens will be on too.
I get anxious with bishops one-on-one.
I respect and admire them but prefer to do that from a distance!
We'll see at 4 how it goes.
Wish me luck....
My primary care doctor used to be a middle-aged woman I didn't like.
But she moved to another office.
Now it's a middle-aged Black man who I really like.
Today was (I don't remember the name of the procedure) but it only involves vital signs and questions. Not even a urine sample, and I came so ready to give one I had to go to the bathroom before I saw the doctor!
My blood pressure was 130/50, which I was told is fine. Everything else was normal.
The doctor said he didn't like these (whatever they call them) exams because nothing happens except questions.
'Rainbow, lake and chair', the nurse told me and I repeated it.
A few minutes later I was asked to say it again and I did.
I also had to draw a clock and mark it at ll:10--which I did.
Not much else happened except to set up my next visit and refer me to a sleep doctor who could either give me another C-Path machine or prescribe an option to the machine.
I didn't like the visit either.
But I really like my new doctor.
He told me I was very alert and happy.
I agreed.
(Maybe I really am....)
I talked on the phone to my cousin, M. today.
She and I realized that we were the only relatives we were still in touch with. I was the youngest and she was second youngest of 16 first cousins with Aunts and Uncles on our mothers' side of the family that added up to 10. As far as either M. or I know, almost all of those folks are dead now.
Then she asked me, "when we were in Anawalt" (the town in southern West Virginia where we grew up) "did you ever imagine you'd live in Connecticut most of your life and I'd live in Baltimore?"
It took me off guard.
I thought for a moment and said, "if you had asked me at 12 whether I would be an Episcopal priest living in Connecticut, I would have said, 'what's that and where's that?'"
I wouldn't have known an Episcopalian then and Connecticut would seem like it was on another planet.
Both M's and my mothers were school teachers but our fathers hadn't finish high school and both served in WWII.
M. became a teacher too and to my amazement, I have 3 post graduate degrees. The last in a D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry) so it's okay if you call me Reverend Doctor Bradley.
But just once, please!
Life is strange.
I'm sure you agree.
I hope I don't bore you talking about church--hey, I am a priest! OK?
It was good.
People liked my sermon, 5 or 6 wanted to talk about it.
I preached about 'oil in my lamp' and like the idiot I am, I had decided before church not to anoint for healing.
After my sermon I realized how dumb to talk about oil and not use some.
So before the postlude I told people they could be anointed before coffee hour.
Almost everyone stayed to be anointed and, surprising me, went back to their seats until everyone had been anointed. Really great of them.
Problem was, R., who anoints me, felt bad and left after the sermon. I called her when I got home and she said she was better and though she might need to leave with stomach problems from all the meds she'd been taking lately.
I almost pooped my pants during the prayers of the people and left at the Peace to go to the bathroom. I got back just as announcements were over.
Pooped in clerical vestments might require a bishop to come cleanse them.
Don't want that....
