My father grew up on a turkey farm.
It was not until he was in his 20's, living in a boarding house, working in the coal mines that he tasted turkey.
He told the woman who ran the boarding house that it was the 'best chicken' he'd ever eaten.
She had to take him into the kitchen and show him the turkey carcass before he believed her.
He'd been told, growing up, that only 'city folks' liked turkey.
You don't eat the cash crop when you live on a farm....
I wasn't aware of Charlie Kirk being alive before today--the day he was killed by a sniper.
I don't think I would have agreed with anything he proposed. I'm as left-wing as he was right-wing.
But THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THIS in our democracy!
No one should die in our country from a gun shot.
NO ONE!
We should all look in the mirror and realize Charlie Kirk was 'just like us'--a human being with opinions and ideas and ways of seeing things.
Someone 'just like us' was killed by a sniper.
There is no room for this in our democracy.
Guns are a real problem.
Dying from a gun shot is an even greater problem.
There is no room for such things in our country.
It must be stopped.
I've stopped drinking wine because of my health issues.
But I've gotten hooked on Ginger Ale!
I drink maybe 5 or 6 10oz. cans a day.
I guess I'm a Gingerhaloic....
Thing is, I don't think I've had a Ginger Ale before this for several years.
Chablis I miss you.
But G.A. is filling in until I'm well.
Bern went to the Post Office to mail packages to our twin grand-daughters for their birthdays.
They are both in college--one and North-Eastern and one at McGill in Canada.
To send the small package to Canada would cost $56 and provide no 'tracking'. Our grand-daughter would then have to pay almost that much to receive it.
The postal worker explained it had to do with Trump's tariffs and other moves he's made.
Trump has made it ridiculous to send mail to our closest and dearest neighbor!!!
How can our country let him do things like this?
To send mail to Mexico would probably need several armored vehicles and your life savings.
How did we let him do what he's doing?
More importantly, how do we stop it?
And soon....
Some of the thunder rolled on and on. It has been raining for a while. Lightening illuminates the trees outside my office window.
It's rain we needed but we don't want the storm to get out of hand.
Tomorrow I'm preaching on a line from the Collect and something Jesus says.
The Collect goes like this: "Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts...."
So, if the prayer is answered we will Trust in only God.
Then Jesus says one of his most disturbing sayings. "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple."
Wow! We must trust and when we do we must hate all we love--even our life itself....
I don't try to explain any of that. I just tell the congregation that they must seek to be "Jesus People"--to do as he did. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger and worship the Lord.
They do all that--donating food and clothing, working in the soup kitchen, have concerts and invite strangers and attend Eucharist.
They truly are--this tiny little church--"Jesus People".
Thank God for them....
I was looking at my emails and suddenly realized it was September 5th and that it was our anniversary....
Just then Bern came up the steps with a card for me.
What a dope I am! I've been so concerned with my health that I let such a vital day creep up on me...
I went out later and visited two flower shops, seeing nothing I liked, and ended up getting Bern flowers from Big Y!
Happy Anniversary to us....
