Why I am a " Straight Ally"

 The graphic below says it all: I am an ally.

There are many reasons why I am an ally for the CIVIL RIGHTS of our GLBT population.

1. My parents raised me not to hate anyone who is different.

2. In college I met some of the nicest people who just* happened* to be gay/lesbian. Their sexual preference does NOT deter from my capabilities to sustain a friendship with them. Yes. I , as a straight woman, am friends with lesbians. And no I do not fear that they will" hit on me".  I don't find ALL men I meet attractive, so why should gay & lesbian people find someone attractive JUST BECAUSE of their gender?

3. I was born " different" too.

I have autism & I DO NOT let my autism define who I am as a human, so why should people let another's sexual preference define him or her before you have a chance to meet? It makes me angry when I see/hear/read comments regarding people with autism that are based exclusively on generalizations. Unlike many people whom I know & have known, I do NOT think that homosexuality is " learned" nor is it{ in my opinion} a " choice". I did not choose autism--so why would I think that anyone who is GLBT would choose that part of their identity.

4. One of my close relatives is GLBT. Although I've always supported  human rights, my relative's " coming out" has inspired me to take a more vocal stance on equality. It is true that when someone in your family is GLBT, the issue becomes more personal.

5. I do not think that the government should have ANY say in whom consenting adults choose to love. Enough said.

Shalom Chavarim

My mom's family is Jewish...and since tonight will mark the first evening of the Feast of the Passover I want to share the lyrics that I had learned{ isn't life ironic?} as a Presbyterian.

If the truth is to  be told, I didn't take away many " good vibes" from my last couple of years at Southern PCUSA Church, but I admit that some good memories remain with me.

One of the songs we did when I sang in that choir as a recessional song was a Hebrew folk song  the words { in Hebrew}  are something like this:

Shalom chavarim, Shalom chavarim
Shalom, shalom
L'hit rah-oat L'hit-rah-oat
Shalom, shalom!


Here is the rough English translation:

Shalom my friends, shalom, my friends
Til we meet again, til we meet again,
Shalom! Shalom!

On this first night of The Feast of the Passover, may Jews & Christians pray for a spirit of " shalom" to cover the Earth.

Amen.

Palm/Passion Sunday 2013

Yesterday was Palm/Passion Sunday . Per the request of the newsletter editor at Small Parish, I took a few photos of the altar area & Liturgy of the Palms at the 8 a.m. Mass.

Here is the cross that adorns the East Wall of the church. As you can see, there is a RED draping over the cross. Red is the liturgical color of, among other things, Christ's Passion on the Cross.

This is the processional cross that is carried into and out of the nave at every Mass. During Lent, It is draped in a purple cloth & this week, it is also draped in the red of Christ's Passion.

The altar at Small Parish on Palm/Passion Sunday. I love the juxtaposition between the palms & the blood-red cloth on the cross above the altar.

May you all have a blessed Holy Week.

Yaking

Yesterday I went kayaking with my parents & some relatives who are visiting Lower Alabama, Florida for a spring vacation. It was cool & windy the first two hours that we were there, but after lunchtime the sun shone & the wind dissipated.

My Dad taought himself to surf{ at the tender age of approximately 60!} several years back & has " graduated" to a smaller board than the one that he started with back then.

Here is " SurferDan" with his board. He ALWAYS wears the orange swim trunks, no other color is acceptable. :O)

I did some kayaking in the Gulf, but no one took a photo of me in the water with the kayak. Kayaking in the Gulf is MUCH harder than doing so on the lake.

My cousins Keven & Ali tried kayaking. Both of them are athletic, so they fared very well for first-time " yakkers"

I've taken to carrying my Vera Bradley purse *everywhere* with me---including the beach! .

We met a cute French-Canadian couple who are friends of friends yesterday. My cousin speaks French fluently, but all I remember from two years of high-school French classes is " bonjour:

It was a GREAT day at the beach.

Wisteria

I know some people thing that wisteria vines are " weeds" but I love them. I think they are SO PRETTY and  smell nice.

Of course , growing up in Appalachia, I loved walking around the rural area smelling the lilacs that grew naturally there.

"Forgive sounds good/ Forget, I don't think I should."

Facebook always asks me " What's on your mind, Sarah?" Well, something has been troubling me for over one week now.

An old couple who used to attend the church I left before coming to The Episcopal Church live on our street. For two years, I've managed to avoid them. I've feared that actually conversing with either one them would stir some bad memories of the last few years when I was active in that other faith community. 

While I was walking  Dogger last week the wife of the house came out to collect the mail.  Instinctually I looked down , hoping that she would not recognize me.

It was too late. .

Her: " Are you Sarah?" { Oh, ****, she finally recognized me}

Me:" Yeah" { Who else could I be??}

Her: "Do you live on this street now?"

Me: Yeah. {ummm, only for the past two years ....DUH!}

Her, noticing my knee brace: "What happened to your knee?"

Me: " Old injury that I re-hurt."{ Y'all haven't talked to me in 5 years and THIS is what you say?}

Her: Well, good to see you."

Me: "Um, sure."

Dogger and I went on our way.

This conversation bothered me. First of all, I am not good at making so-called small talk even in the best of situations. Secondly, this woman had NOT been someone whom I enjoyed being around when I was a part of my ex-faith community.

I have forgiven these people for ostracizing me when I left their community. But, I have not forgotten the pain caused by their ostracising.

Does forgiving mean forgetting?

Viva la Papa!{ and yes, I am an Anglican!}

Viva Papa Francis !

I am an Anglican, and very very proud of my Episcopal Church.  I am spiritually " home" as an Episcopalian & will eventually die as one & wish for my life to be celebrated at a high_Church Rock-n-roll Mass. { complete with incense, ringing of bells & chanting of the Psalms}

That being said, the more I learn about Pope Francis I, the more I feel that he is the person to lead the Church Universal. I think that we will  eventually witness a new, more compassionate era in the history of Christianity. I was not a fan of Benedict 16---and I have many reason  which I do not wish to discuss in a public forum. Email me at sarahbethstaugs@gmail.com if you wish to know what my misgivings were about Cardinal Ratzinger's leadership.

                                  Here is one of my favorite photos of the new Bishop of Rome:

I left the Presbyterian Church  mostly in part due to my lack of spiritual fulfilment in their Calvinist worship services. In retrospect I know now that I only stayed as a Presbyterian for as long as I did because it was all I really knew. The Presbyterians baptized & nurtured me as a teen & young adult & I am thankful to them for providing me with that good foundation in Scripture-literacy.

  My father's family are Irish-American Catholics, so { although I never was Roman Catholic by practice] I've grown up with an appreciation of Roman Catholic tradition and {ESPECIALLY} Roman Catholic liturgy. During all my years as a Presbyterian I always thought that Communion was not just as " memorial" of Our Lord's sacrifice. To me, the pomp & circumstance of a Sunday Mass is NOT about any of the people present --it is about glorifying God using the elements given to humanity by our loving Creator. The first time I attended Sunday mass at Small Parish I knew I came HOME & it was a glorious feeling.

 Through my entire existence on Earth I have always struggled with the social positions that are taught as part of Roman Catholic doctrine, as I am of the opinion that God gave us minds for discernment.  my libertarian principles tell me that its moot to try to legalize morality, either by secular or Church legislation.  {Ask my parents how much I do NOT like people making decisions about MY life. }

*Steps off of soap box now*

Anyhow, the Anglican-Catholic that I am sings happy praises in the election of a new Pope.  It is my hope & prayer that he will be a pastor & leader that will bring all branches of the one, holy, Catholic & apostolic Church" together to fulfill God's vision of "shalom".

Amen. Gloria en excelsis Deo!

I'm on candid webcam...

I finally bought myself an inexpensive web-camera for my laptop. This afternoon, while Best Dude was  out working in the garage, I set up the software  & took my first "test-shot" on the web cam. It has a wide-angle lens, so the photos/videos are not quite to scale. I edited it with some fun text graphics.

 Normally I do not wear my eyeglasses for pictures, but I needed to see what I needed to do in order to make the device work.

Here it is:

White Smoke

At the Vatican, white smoke came from the chimney in the Sistine Chapel.

The Bishop Of Rome has a new leader. He is an Argentinian with roots in Europe, speaks four languages and authored several books.

My form of Catholicism is not of the Romish variety, but I do love our Roman Catholic sisters & brothers. I am happy that such a seemingly humble servant of God has been elected to the papacy.

As an American Anglican, I appreciate what my Presiding Bishop said regarding the election of the new " "Papa"

++ Katharine Jefferts-Schori said :

"The Episcopal Church will pray for the new Bishop of Rome, Francis I, and for the possibility of constructive dialogue between our Churches."

Amen, Bishop Katharine. I could not have said my feelings regarding the election of the new Bishop of Rome myself. From what I've read about the new Pope, I am very hopeful.

May God bless the Pope and may the one holy catholic Church work towards reconciliation & becoming more like our LORD, Jesus Christ.

Gloria en excelsis Deo!

Amen.

Camming it up

Last evening I updated my Skype account. This was NOT an easy undertaking, but now I've all my Skype settings to where I want them .

Since I do not yet own a web cam, I'm in the market for an inexpensive yet easy-to-use unit that will be compatible with my Windows XP laptop. I do not need anything too fancy or with a lot of pixels, I just want to have the capability to Skype-talk with family & friends who live far away.  In the future I am hoping to have the capabilities to participate in web-conferencing via Skype.

I'm not good with deducing facial inflections, so Skyping via web cam can be an exercise in attempting to further understand the mystery{ to me at least} that is the human face.

Can anyone let me know which web-camera I should buy to best suit my needs? Thanks .

Purple cloth

 I've always loved the wooden image of the Cross that hangs above the altar on the eastern wall of m church's sanctuary.
During Lent,the cross is draped with a purple cloth, reminding us that Lent is when we are supposed to remember Our Lord's journey towards Calvary.  I am reminded b this image that Christ's death, burial & eventual resurrection occurred to save ME { and all who chose to believe in Him] from  eternal separation from our Creator.

Amen.

"A Light In The Darkness, O God, Help Us Be"

The photo shown below  derives its name from the motto of the sorority of which I was a part when I was a student at West Liberty State College { now University} in West Virginia. Kappa Phi is a national Greek-letter organization of college-aged women who strive to live as close to Our Lord Jesus Christ as possible. I did not graduate from West Liberty, but my time there as an active Kappa Phi sister played a major part of who I am now & who I will become. I would have continued my tenure as an active Kappa Phi at The University of West Florida, but there was no established chapter there & at that time in my life all I cared about was working & studying. A sorority, even a Christ-centered one such as Kappa Phi, was not part of my plans for my time at UWF.

I took this photo before Mass this morning & used some basic editing to obtain the desired effects. Lately I've felt contemplative &...dare I say it" dark" and photography is a way in which  express my emotions. As do many people with autism, sometimes verbal communication fails me & since I "think in pictures"  I wanted to share my thoughts with the world through the medium of photography.

It is hard to be a " light in the darkness" when one faces physical challenges that can pre-suppose oneself to self-pity. Today's homily really made me ponder why I feel like my limitations{ physically not being able to drive is the bgges issue} is a BIG hindrance for me. I've never felt " good enough" because my limitations, while invisible to the unknowing eye, keep me from doing what" normal" American adults can do{ DRIVING A CAR is still my biggest hang-up}

I'm like the jealous brother in today's Gospel parable. It pains me to admit this, but I am. It is hard for me to count my own blessings & easy for me to say" But I WANT_______." "Why must I __________"Why does my brother_______ & I cannot?"

I want what most American adults take for granted, the ability to drive a car & the basic social skills that would allow me to complete tasks such as grocery shopping without feeling sensory overload. Sometimes I hate my autism. To me, it is a huge hindrance to realizing my potential. I'm envious of people with the social skills that can sustain sitting on committees.  I wish I could read subtle body language & vocal inflections.

But as I gazed at this photo { after editing it} I realized that ALL Christians are Lights in the Darkness} No matter what we bring to the altar, Christ accepts us & has a ministry ..or two or three for us in Christ's Church Universal. I God's view , I AM " good enough" & I need not envy the gifts that others possess. I should be more like the father in today's parable, welcoming BOTH his sons to the feast. I shouldn't envy others who are " normal" & instead celebrate their gifts as well as my own.

A light in the darkness, O God help us be. Amen.

"Argo" the Betta: Gone but not forgotten

Posting photos of my current betta, " Duncan" remind me so much of my fist betta boy, "Argo".

Oddly enough, I still miss him.

Argo was the prettiest blue-green colour---so I named him after my university's mascot {the University of West Florida Argonaus} UWF's colours are blue & seafoam green , as is the Gulf Of Mexico.

I painted his likeness on a pair of denim jeans.

Requisitat en pacem, little finned buddy.  Notice that he did have a splash of red on some of his fins.

Yet more photos....

I took these photos two days ago in our yard. Plants are starting to bloom here in Northwest Florida after what seems to have been a long " winter" season.

 This is a photo of our betta fish boy" Duncan". We got him almost one year ago after my first betta boy, " Argo" expired suddenly. His names comes from the his bright red crown tail: it reminds me of the chasuble that our bishop wears.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike: Ms Mamie Hixon

Today's " she-ro" isn't world-famous. As a matter of fact, I doubt that too many people outside of the Pensacola metropolitan Statistical Area's writing/literature community even know her name. She, however, is the only literature professor at UWF whose works have affected me in a positive way.

Ms Hixon teaches at the University of West Florida's English & World Languages department.  In addition to teaching, she also oversees the writing laboratory at UWF.

I met Ms Hixon when I was a student in her class . I needed an American Literature elective & there was room in her "Black Women Writers" course.

Her pedology involves asking students to analyze the selected works of literature themselves, rather than to produce " research papers" full of analysis' from other { mostly dead , white men} people . To me, this is the way literature SHOULD be taught. I never understood the reasoning behind making students regurgitate

I also love how Ms Hixon dresses. She is the only woman I know who can pull off the muumuu & still remain professional.

Ms Hixon & I agreed to disagree regarding the fact  that there are *other* American minorities that are worthy of an academic discipline. Her main focus is on the plight of African-Americans throughout the history of the United States{ a plight that is very real to me, for personal as well as academic reasons} I admire Ms Hixon's zest for her heritage.

Teachers of English rock my world!

#ThisIsWhatAFemnistLookLike:Amelia Earhart

I've always been fascinated by the mechanics of flight. My autism makes flying on commercial airlines very challenging, but the mechanics of flying machines  hold my attention.

Today's " she-ro" is Amelia Earhart. Ms Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean .

She valued independence & although married, referred to her relationship with George Putnam as " a partnership with dual controls".

n 1937 Ms Earhart disappeared . No proof of her death or survival of a crash has been found to this day, although many theories abound on the Internet & among flight enthusiasts.



Source: http://www.ameliaearhart.com

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike : St Teresa of Avila.

Today's " she-ro" lived a long time ago.

St Teresa of Avila, born in Spain in 1515 and died on October of 1582. The Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion & the Lutheran Churches all recognize her in their Calendar of Saints.

Teresa is known as an earl reformer of the Church. Along wit St John Of The Cross, she was active in the reform of monasteries throughout Europe. She was also a prolific writer & an esteemed Christian mystic.

Along with St Catherine of Seina, Teresa of Avila is one of only two women who are considered Doctors of the Church. St Teresa is known as the patron saint of: headache suffers & Spanish Catholic writers. Her feast day is celebrated on October 15.

Source: http://www.catholic.org

Teresa of Avila, unlike many of the female saints of long ago, was not martyred. She is also proof that one person can make a huge difference in reforming and/or restructuring the institutional Church. the Church needs people who are willing to step out & call the institution out when it becomes errant.  the Body of Christ is a living Body &should grow and change--- as do all living entities.

Amen.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike : Lisa Bloom

Through the miracle that is Facebook technology,I've had the pleasure of getting to " know" TV commenter, lawyer & author Lisa Bloom on a slightly more personal level.  I have not yet met her in person, but  wnt to do so! Although I am a carnivore, if Lisa Bloom came to town & we could have lunch together I would totally eat at Pensacola's only vegan eatery!

I first became aware of Ms Bloom from her work as a CNN legal analyst. She isn't afraid to state her legal analysis & does not always tout " conventional wisdom" in her legal analysis.

She has written two books, both of which I own & have read.

Her first book , _Think_ discusses the " dumbing down" of American girls & women & ho this phenomena has and will be detrimental to society. In the second part of this tome, Ms Bloom offers some great suggestion as to help girls  and women reclaim our brainpower.

The second book, _Swagger_ focuses on the " thug culture" that surrounds us and how THIS is detrimental to society. Again, she suggests way that we can combat this thug culture and teach boys and young men how to BE men.

Brava, Ms Bloom. Brava.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike: ++Katharine Jefferts-Schori

 

In late May of 2009 I had the pleasure to met Katharine Jefferts-Schori, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church a  Mass in Pensacola shortly after my confirmation into the Church. She is the first woman in history to led a part of the Anglican Communion.

Yes, that experience was *THAT* awesome and one that I will not forget.

Bishop Katharine {as she wishes to be addressed} is a " second-career"clergy person with a Doctorate in Oceanography. She is also an accomplished pilot & author of several books{ all of which I have bought & read.]

It is true that some people in the Church do not admire our Presiding Bishop nd he style of leadership.Some event think that women have no place in the episcopate. :O(  This saddens me, but one of the lessons I've gleaned from reading Bishop Kathrine's books is that there is room in the Church for EVERYONE.  On of my favorite quotes by my Presiding Bishop speaks to this thought.

"Look for the blessing in the person that drives your crazy."

It is hard for me to follow this simple advice, especially when faced with people who subscribe to bigotry  & {sometimes} downright hatred for those who are different from the majority of people.  Narrow-minded people " drive me crazy" but I need to remember that all of us have life stories that contribute to our worldview . Reading all of Bishop Katharine's book has brought me to a better understanding of how I should treat those whose opinions differ greatly from mine.  She's also taught me , via her books} to open my heart more towards actively participating in world mission.

There is "room at the Table" for all of us. Amen.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike: Christiane Amanpour

March is known as Womens' History Month, so all month I'll honor famous { and maybe not-so-famous-women} who have made an impact on my growth & development. There are several women who have affected my growth as a person & they deserved to be honored.

Today I honor Christiane Amanpour of CNN & ABC News fame.

I remember following Ms Amanpour's career since she joined CNN back when it only showed repeating newsreels every hafhour{ or something like that} When I was a child in the 1980's I remember thinking how cool it would be to report from war zones around the world as she did. Actually, I still wish I could travel to war zones to report back to an international news readership/viewership such as CNN/Time.

I didn't , however, really take note of Ms Amanpour's work until the Bosnian crisis. I still have vivid memories of Ms Amanpour challenging President Clinton regarding the situation in Bosnia ad admiring her "chutzpah" in how she handled questioning the President.



I still make a point to watch all her in-depth work as well as her assignments in far-off places.