Time for some quotes

(From the Mastery Foundation Quote box.)

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for or to them. --Malcolm Forbes

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use the pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time--a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill

Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. --Hermann Hesse

Train yourself to listen to that small voice that tells us what is important and what's not. --Sue Grafton

You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of you hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand. --Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit 

The world is cold, make it your business to build fires. --Horace Traubel

God, whose love and joy/are present everywhere/can't come to visit you/unless you aren't there.  --Angelus Silesius

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future of man if he spent less time proving he could outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. --E.B. White

The spirit of liberty is that spirit that is not too sure it is right. --Judge Learned Hand

He drew a circle that shut me out/Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout/But love and I had the wit to win;/We drew a circle that took him in. --Edwin Markham

In dreams and love there are no impossibilities. --Janos Arany

Enjoy pondering all that!

 

What I just found

I just found a bookmark that we printed at St. John's in Waterbury.

Being old and forgetful, I hadn't remembered doing that.

Here's what it said:

St. John's is an open, inclusive, God centered parish.

*recognizing Christ in every person

*nurturing all God's people in the peace of the Lord

*creating a community of sacramental worship, hospitality and compassion

*supporting each individual's Spiritual journey toward salvaltion

*empowering us to serve and minister

*reaching out to heal and make new the broken world

*proclaiming God's promise in truth with courage

I don't remember writing that--but I'm humbled and glad I did.

 

  

Thinking about my July 4 sermon

I'm preaching at Trinity, Milton on July 4.

It is also my first official day as Priest-in-charge there.

A big day all around.

And I've been thinking about my sermon.

I'm not going to use the pulpit--I'll use the mike the soloist uses and stand on the floor. I want to be on their level because some of what I say might make some of them uncomfortable.

It's going to make me uncomfortable!!!

I want to say that patriotism is not 'love it or leave it'--it's 'love it AND fix it'.

We live in the best country in the world (though some of the Scandinavian countries attract me) but we have a myriad of problems--racial, economic, educational, socially--and we are deeply divided.

I'll be spending the next few days trying to put all that into a gospel frame.

Wish me luck.

Pray for me.

Pray for our nation.

 

The Devil is beating his wife

That's an old West Virginia saying for when it is raining and the sun is out.

Bern was removing cushions from chairs on the deck and I felt the rain on my face and head and the sun was shining like crazy.

The Republicans in Congress are like the Devil beating his wife.

They are opposing bills that would help their constituints  left and right.

The sun is shining on the Biden administration.

But the Republicans are raining negativity at every step.

Remember when Congress worked together to serve us all?

I long for those days to return.

 

Mimi and Eleanor

 Mimi and Eleanor are here with us!

It's so great to see them. I love them so.

But on the second day of a  four day visit, I truly understand why we have children when we're young!

Bern does most of the play-time and I do book reading and TV watching with her.

It's very hot today so outside time was in the morning.

Mimi is doing her work most of the time. She'll go into NYC on the train tomorrow to go to the office.

Then Eleanor can truly run us ragged!

But it's 'fun' exhaustion....

Tomorrow

 Tomorrow I'm going to preach and celebrate at Christ and Epiphany Church is East Haven.

I've never been there but have Mapquest directions.

I'm doing it as my last supply priest job before becoming the priest at Trinity, Milton (1/4 time).

My good friend Mary Ann Osborn is the priest at C & E, so I'm filling in for her.

We'll see how it goes.

I know next to nothing about the congregation. But my sermon isn't political, so it should be ok.

I'll let you know what happens.

 

Mimi and Eleanor are coming to visit!!!

 Eleanor is off from pre-school so she and Mimi are coming to visit on Sunday.

Tim will stay home, getting a break from family and Mimi will take the train to work one of the days they're here. She's worked from home since Covid came, but goes into her office in NYC for a day ever two weeks or so.

Having them here will be a joy! Bern and Eleanor do Face-time several times a week--but 'in face time' is better.

They'll be here on Sunday.

We had invited John and Sherry and Jack for a BBQ that night even before Mimi told Bern she'd like to see them.

The three of them go to the beach with Bern and Mimi and Tim and Eleanor and I. We're going in late August this year after missing last year.

I can't wait for them to arrive.