West Virginia University beat Texas in Austin today 42-41.
WVU scored the last touchdown on a 33 yard pass with 16 seconds to go to make the score 41-40 Texas.
Away from home (far away from home in Texas) West Virginia went for a 2 point extra point and got it on a pass from Will Greer to David Sills.
But Texas had called a time out before the pass.
So, after the time out, WVU went for 2 again and Greer ran it in.
Texas somehow got two plays after the kickoff but couldn't score.
GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!
The Mounties are 7-1 with three games left. (Their game with NC State was cancelled by the hurricane.)
Texas Tech at home, Oklahoma State away and Oklahoma at home.
I'm such a fan I don't know if I can live through 3 more games.
GO MOUNTAINEERS1111
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Friday, November 2, 2018
A day late
(wrote this last year for Halloween)
Tomorrow is Halloween, the day before All Saints Day. There's a cartoon
on a bulletin board at St. Andrew's, Northford, that shows a bishop with
miter and crosier starting toward an Episcopal Church beside a sign
that says, "All Saints Day--Bishop visits".
Two kids on bikes are near him. One says, "Hey, dude, great costume!" The other says, "doesn't he know Halloween was yesterday?"
In the Celtic world (which exists only in patches though it used to cover all the British Isles, some of France and some of Scandinavia) the end of October and the beginning of November is 'a Thin Time' when the barrier between this world and the next is permeable and can be crossed. The dead wandered the earth in the Thin Time. Once Christianity came, lo and behold, All Saints day fell into the Thin Time, so on All Hallows Eve, those from the other side of life came through the gauze between the living and the dead and wandered the streets looking for gifts.
That's where trick or treat and the costumes came from. All Hallows Eve shortened into Halloween and ghosts are among us.
I hated it as a child. I had 300/20 vision and couldn't wear my glasses under the masks and there were few streetlights and people ran by making spooky noises and I was terrified though I did like the candy the next few days.
In Latin cultures the big day is November 2--All Souls Day--a day to remember all the dead. For folks in Central and South America they have picnics beside graves of loved ones and believe they commune with those who've gone before.
A thin time in either case--a time to be aware of how porous the barrier really is.
I use these days to remember those I love but see no more. A Thin Time for me--Celt to the core.
My Mom and Dad, all my Aunts and Uncles, several cousins, and a lot--I mean 'a lot' of folks I served as a priest by celebrating their passing over.
I averaged nearly 50 funerals a year at St. John's in Waterbury. Since I was there 21 years that may be close to 1000. Many of them I didn't know at all or only slightly. St. John's was one of those down-town churches people 'thought' they belonged to. So I did many of those funerals! But I celebrated the lives on many, many people I loved and mourned deeply.
Such is the lot of a priest. And not a bad lot by half. It is a humbling honor to be with someone on that last journey. I told the 25 or so seminarians I worked with over the years that funerals may be the most important thing a priest does. I believe that and have lived out of that my whole priesthood. I hope some of those I mentored agreed with me.
Since it is the eve of All Hallows Eve I'll go search for a chapter of my book (not published) about my priesthood and death. The title of the 'manuscript', since it's not a book really, is "Tell the Story, Tend the Fire, Pass the Wine"--which is my definition of what a priest 'does'. "Being" a priest is the essence of priesthood--but a priest 'does' some things: he/she tells the story of the family, keeps the hearth burning and celebrates the sacraments.
Look for the next thing if I can find it and figure out how to post it....
And, Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 30, 2017
The eve of All Hallows Eve
Two kids on bikes are near him. One says, "Hey, dude, great costume!" The other says, "doesn't he know Halloween was yesterday?"
In the Celtic world (which exists only in patches though it used to cover all the British Isles, some of France and some of Scandinavia) the end of October and the beginning of November is 'a Thin Time' when the barrier between this world and the next is permeable and can be crossed. The dead wandered the earth in the Thin Time. Once Christianity came, lo and behold, All Saints day fell into the Thin Time, so on All Hallows Eve, those from the other side of life came through the gauze between the living and the dead and wandered the streets looking for gifts.
That's where trick or treat and the costumes came from. All Hallows Eve shortened into Halloween and ghosts are among us.
I hated it as a child. I had 300/20 vision and couldn't wear my glasses under the masks and there were few streetlights and people ran by making spooky noises and I was terrified though I did like the candy the next few days.
In Latin cultures the big day is November 2--All Souls Day--a day to remember all the dead. For folks in Central and South America they have picnics beside graves of loved ones and believe they commune with those who've gone before.
A thin time in either case--a time to be aware of how porous the barrier really is.
I use these days to remember those I love but see no more. A Thin Time for me--Celt to the core.
My Mom and Dad, all my Aunts and Uncles, several cousins, and a lot--I mean 'a lot' of folks I served as a priest by celebrating their passing over.
I averaged nearly 50 funerals a year at St. John's in Waterbury. Since I was there 21 years that may be close to 1000. Many of them I didn't know at all or only slightly. St. John's was one of those down-town churches people 'thought' they belonged to. So I did many of those funerals! But I celebrated the lives on many, many people I loved and mourned deeply.
Such is the lot of a priest. And not a bad lot by half. It is a humbling honor to be with someone on that last journey. I told the 25 or so seminarians I worked with over the years that funerals may be the most important thing a priest does. I believe that and have lived out of that my whole priesthood. I hope some of those I mentored agreed with me.
Since it is the eve of All Hallows Eve I'll go search for a chapter of my book (not published) about my priesthood and death. The title of the 'manuscript', since it's not a book really, is "Tell the Story, Tend the Fire, Pass the Wine"--which is my definition of what a priest 'does'. "Being" a priest is the essence of priesthood--but a priest 'does' some things: he/she tells the story of the family, keeps the hearth burning and celebrates the sacraments.
Look for the next thing if I can find it and figure out how to post it....
And, Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
redefining gender and citizenship
A recent memo leaked from the White House (it wasn't 'leaked', it was put out to spur on the President's base before the mid-term elections!) suggested that the President was planning to redefine 'gender' as only 'male' and 'female' based on what was on your birth certificate. He couldn't do that. States like New York have over a dozen categories for 'gender'. It was 'leaked' to stir up homophobes and those who think transgendered and queer people are evil, hoping it would make them vote for Republicans a week from today.
The President also suggested he would put out an executive order redefining 'citizenship' and stripping people born in this country of citizenship if they were the children of illegal immigrants!!!
People who will be heartened by that don't realize that 'birthright citizenship' is part of the 14th Amendment to the constitution designed to grant citizenship to former slaves born in the US.
A President can't give an executive order to overturn an amendment to the Constitution.
If both houses of congress passed a bill to overturn the 14th amendment and the President signed it...that still couldn't overturn the 14th Amendment.
The only way to overturn an amendment to the constitution is to have a 'constitutional amendment' and here's what that requires:
The President also suggested he would put out an executive order redefining 'citizenship' and stripping people born in this country of citizenship if they were the children of illegal immigrants!!!
People who will be heartened by that don't realize that 'birthright citizenship' is part of the 14th Amendment to the constitution designed to grant citizenship to former slaves born in the US.
A President can't give an executive order to overturn an amendment to the Constitution.
If both houses of congress passed a bill to overturn the 14th amendment and the President signed it...that still couldn't overturn the 14th Amendment.
The only way to overturn an amendment to the constitution is to have a 'constitutional amendment' and here's what that requires:
Constitutional Amendment Process
The authority to amend the Constitution
of the United States is derived from Article V
of the Constitution. After Congress proposes an amendment, the Archivist
of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA), is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process
under the provisions of 1
U.S.C. 106b. The Archivist has delegated many of the ministerial duties
associated with this function to the Director of the Federal Register. Neither
Article V of the Constitution nor section 106b describe the ratification process
in detail. The Archivist and the Director of the Federal Register follow procedures
and customs established by the Secretary of State, who performed these duties
until 1950, and the Administrator of General Services, who served in this capacity
until NARA assumed responsibility as an independent agency in 1985.
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the
Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives
and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the
State legislatures. None of the 27 amendments to the Constitution have been
proposed by constitutional convention. The Congress proposes an amendment in
the form of a joint resolution. Since the President does not have a
constitutional role in the amendment process, the joint resolution does not go
to the White House for signature or approval. The original document is
forwarded directly to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) for processing
and publication. The OFR adds legislative history notes to the joint resolution
and publishes it in slip law format. The OFR also assembles an information
package for the States which includes formal "red-line" copies of the
joint resolution, copies of the joint resolution in slip law format, and the
statutory procedure for ratification under 1 U.S.C. 106b.
The Archivist submits the proposed amendment to the States for their
consideration by sending a letter of notification to each Governor along with
the informational material prepared by the OFR. The Governors then formally
submit the amendment to their State legislatures or the state calls for a convention, depending on what Congress has specified. In the past, some State
legislatures have not waited to receive official notice before taking action on
a proposed amendment. When a State ratifies a proposed amendment, it sends the
Archivist an original or certified copy of the State action, which is
immediately conveyed to the Director of the Federal Register. The OFR examines
ratification documents for facial legal sufficiency and an authenticating
signature. If the documents are found to be in good order, the Director
acknowledges receipt and maintains custody of them. The OFR retains these
documents until an amendment is adopted or fails, and then transfers the records
to the National Archives for preservation.
A proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution as soon as it is
ratified by three-fourths of the States (38 of 50 States). When the OFR
verifies that it has received the required number of authenticated ratification
documents, it drafts a formal proclamation for the Archivist to certify that the
amendment is valid and has become part of the Constitution. This certification
is published in the Federal Register and U.S. Statutes at Large and serves as
official notice to the Congress and to the Nation that the amendment process has
been completed.
In a few instances, States have sent official documents to NARA to record
the rejection of an amendment or the rescission of a prior ratification. The
Archivist does not make any substantive determinations as to the validity of
State ratification actions, but it has been established that the Archivist's
certification of the facial legal sufficiency of ratification documents is final
and conclusive.
In recent history, the signing of the certification has become a ceremonial
function attended by various dignitaries, which may include the President.
President Johnson signed the certifications for the 24th and 25th Amendments as
a witness, and President Nixon similarly witnessed the certification of the 26th
Amendment along with three young scholars. On May 18, 1992, the Archivist
performed the duties of the certifying official for the first time to recognize
the ratification of the 27th Amendment, and the Director of the Federal Register
signed the certification as a witness.
The President also said we were the only country with 'birthright citizenship'.
Fact check--big fat lie!
Over 30 countries, including Canada and many in the west, have 'birthright citizenship'.
Given the enormity of these two ridiculous assertions--redefining gender and citizenship--do you understand why I have trouble keeping my blood pressure down about this President WHO WILL NOT BE NAMED....?
Sunday, October 28, 2018
72 hours in America
A white man killed to African Americans in a Kentucky grocery store after trying and failing to get into a Black church.
A man in Florida--big Trump fan--sent pipe bombs (not very good ones) to 2 ex-Presidents and 10 or so other prominent Democrats. (A commentator on Fox News said, before the suspect was apprehended, that probably liberals were doing it to influence the mid-term elections.)
A man in Pittsburgh killed 11 people and wounded 6 before being apprehended in a synagogue.
Think hate isn't out of control in America?
Think again.
Then the President--after saying some proper words, I give him credit--blamed the media and 'fake news'.
How long, oh Lord, how long until you, with our help, rid us of this plague of hate????
How long?
A man in Florida--big Trump fan--sent pipe bombs (not very good ones) to 2 ex-Presidents and 10 or so other prominent Democrats. (A commentator on Fox News said, before the suspect was apprehended, that probably liberals were doing it to influence the mid-term elections.)
A man in Pittsburgh killed 11 people and wounded 6 before being apprehended in a synagogue.
Think hate isn't out of control in America?
Think again.
Then the President--after saying some proper words, I give him credit--blamed the media and 'fake news'.
How long, oh Lord, how long until you, with our help, rid us of this plague of hate????
How long?
laughter
On Public Radio's "Ted Talks" today, I heard the best definition of 'laughter' ever.
The show featured stand-up comics and the last one, whose name I missed, suffers from depression. He admitted that as a teen he sat up all night one night with a piece of paper, a pen and a bottle of pills wanting to write the suicide note and take the pills.
But he didn't.
He calls himself a 'survivor' and urges others with depression to survive.
He said that comedy was what saved him. He became addicted to watching comedy and it made him want to live.
He defined 'laughter' as "the tangible expression of hope".
What a great definition. Really.
I watch a lot of night-time comedy on Youtube. Most of the jokes are at the expense of the current Presidential administration.
Given laughter as the tangible expression of hope, that all makes sense.
In this depressing time, laughter can remind up that hope is still alive.
Like on the first Tuesday of this November,.
Vote, beloved.
Vote for Hope.
Maybe Wednesday morning we can have a good laugh.
I pray it will be so.
The show featured stand-up comics and the last one, whose name I missed, suffers from depression. He admitted that as a teen he sat up all night one night with a piece of paper, a pen and a bottle of pills wanting to write the suicide note and take the pills.
But he didn't.
He calls himself a 'survivor' and urges others with depression to survive.
He said that comedy was what saved him. He became addicted to watching comedy and it made him want to live.
He defined 'laughter' as "the tangible expression of hope".
What a great definition. Really.
I watch a lot of night-time comedy on Youtube. Most of the jokes are at the expense of the current Presidential administration.
Given laughter as the tangible expression of hope, that all makes sense.
In this depressing time, laughter can remind up that hope is still alive.
Like on the first Tuesday of this November,.
Vote, beloved.
Vote for Hope.
Maybe Wednesday morning we can have a good laugh.
I pray it will be so.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
D.C. (2nd day)
Loyal or not, I didn't make it back to Mystic for the second day of Diocesan Convention.
Wednesday, I got out of the car and reached back in for something and felt a twinge in my back like nothing I've felt before.
l whined and complained. I've never had back pain and now realize I haven't been nearly as compassionate enough toward those who do!
Back pain is a real pain in the neck--or worse than that. There's not much anyway to move without hurting. But I gritted my teeth and got on with life.
Then this morning I woke up and didn't think I could get out of bed for the back pain.
So, I waited until the Urgent Care place nearby opened.
The good news is, the doctor is sure it isn't permanent or serious damage. No need for an X ray--just muscular and should get better.
Driving 3 hours yesterday probably didn't help, so I asked him if I should go to Mystic today and he said not to do it.
A doctor's excuse!!!
I took an Alieve and that helped some. I usually don't take pain killers. My blood is so thin that aspirin makes me bruise and doesn't like my stomach.
All will be fine, I'm sure and probably sooner rather than later.
So I missed the second day of Convention on doctor's orders.
Well, "missed" sounds like it was hard on me. I just didn't go.
I'm sure it went as well as it would had I been there.
And I did better than I would had I been there.
Wednesday, I got out of the car and reached back in for something and felt a twinge in my back like nothing I've felt before.
l whined and complained. I've never had back pain and now realize I haven't been nearly as compassionate enough toward those who do!
Back pain is a real pain in the neck--or worse than that. There's not much anyway to move without hurting. But I gritted my teeth and got on with life.
Then this morning I woke up and didn't think I could get out of bed for the back pain.
So, I waited until the Urgent Care place nearby opened.
The good news is, the doctor is sure it isn't permanent or serious damage. No need for an X ray--just muscular and should get better.
Driving 3 hours yesterday probably didn't help, so I asked him if I should go to Mystic today and he said not to do it.
A doctor's excuse!!!
I took an Alieve and that helped some. I usually don't take pain killers. My blood is so thin that aspirin makes me bruise and doesn't like my stomach.
All will be fine, I'm sure and probably sooner rather than later.
So I missed the second day of Convention on doctor's orders.
Well, "missed" sounds like it was hard on me. I just didn't go.
I'm sure it went as well as it would had I been there.
And I did better than I would had I been there.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Diocesan Convention
Today was the first day of the two day convention of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut (a.k.a. ECCT), It is being held in Mystic. If you aren't familiar with CT, Mystic is near the ocean--as far east as the state goes--and only a few miles from the Rhode Island boarder--as far north as the state goes. Nice centralized location!!! I drove over and hour to get there and people from Fairfield county--down near New York City must have driven 2 1/2 or 3 hours. And CT is a little state!
I think they plan conventions in such places so people will stay overnight in the hotels where the conventions are. But I haven't spent the night since I retired from full-time ministry. Honestly, if I could get a doctor's note every last weekend of October, I would. I personally don''t think retired clergy should be able to vote. We had our chances, now leave it to the younger crowd.
I used to sit near a microphone so I could talk a lot. Now I sit as far back in the room as I can, near a door.
Conventions are tedious to me now--not, as they used to be, a time to do battle for every left-wing thing I could!
Regarding tediousness--on a Resolution about Justice and against racism, someone made an amendment--fooling with the language somebody spent a long time coming up with. Before we could vote on the amendment, someone 'amended' the amendment. And before we could vote on that, someone amended the amendment to the amendment.
I used to do stuff like that--amend the amendment to the amendment. But no more.
We voted on the amendment to the amended amendment. It failed.
We voted on the amendment to the amendment. It failed.
I laughed and the woman at the table beside me asked me why I laughed. "Because this is all so pointless," I told her. She applauded me. "That's what I'd hoped you say," she told me.
We voted on the amendment. It failed.
About 20 people spoke during all that and 45 minutes passed!
I left about then.
I'll go back tomorrow out of some weird sense of loyalty.
But won't be happy doing it.
I do enjoy seeing people I haven't seen in ages and sit near the door so we can go outside the room and share life updates....
I think they plan conventions in such places so people will stay overnight in the hotels where the conventions are. But I haven't spent the night since I retired from full-time ministry. Honestly, if I could get a doctor's note every last weekend of October, I would. I personally don''t think retired clergy should be able to vote. We had our chances, now leave it to the younger crowd.
I used to sit near a microphone so I could talk a lot. Now I sit as far back in the room as I can, near a door.
Conventions are tedious to me now--not, as they used to be, a time to do battle for every left-wing thing I could!
Regarding tediousness--on a Resolution about Justice and against racism, someone made an amendment--fooling with the language somebody spent a long time coming up with. Before we could vote on the amendment, someone 'amended' the amendment. And before we could vote on that, someone amended the amendment to the amendment.
I used to do stuff like that--amend the amendment to the amendment. But no more.
We voted on the amendment to the amended amendment. It failed.
We voted on the amendment to the amendment. It failed.
I laughed and the woman at the table beside me asked me why I laughed. "Because this is all so pointless," I told her. She applauded me. "That's what I'd hoped you say," she told me.
We voted on the amendment. It failed.
About 20 people spoke during all that and 45 minutes passed!
I left about then.
I'll go back tomorrow out of some weird sense of loyalty.
But won't be happy doing it.
I do enjoy seeing people I haven't seen in ages and sit near the door so we can go outside the room and share life updates....
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