March 1 My Grandmother

Today I want to honor my paternal Grandmother, " Anne"




Truth be told, Grandma Anne is actually my Dad's stepmother. Dad's birth mother died when he was just a baby, and my Pap married Anne when Dad and his older brother were small children. Pap and Anne had four more children, and all six of said children produced 15 grandchildren. I am the eldest of the 15 grandchildren, and spent a lot of my early childhood with my paternal  grandparents.




Anne is a retired emergency room nurse who earned her Physician's Assistant degree. Her entire career was spent working in the emergency room of Small Town Pennsylvania Hospital, , all while raising six children at home. Grandma Anne taught me early on that it is not only acceptable, but ADMIRABLE for a woman to be a wife and mother as well as successful in her career.


My family is blessed to still count Grandma Anne among us, and I am grateful for her presence in my life. even in her 8th decade, she's feisty and I love her spunk!

PROUD #Appalachian

These past few days have not been good for the image of northern Appalachia, from where I hail.




A recent episode of the TV police procedural drama  " Criminal Minds" took place near Wheeling , West Virginia. the writers & producers of that show have clearly never been to the West Virginia Panhandle, based on their interpretation of the culture & people of that region.  We Northern Appalachians were portrayed as inbred, meth-making, drug-addicted incest-practitioners.


This is a HORRIBLE Stereotype of West Virginia in particular & of Northern Appalachia in general. One: Wheeling is much closer to the Ohio & Pennsylvania borders than  most of " downstate " West Virginia. If the CM writers wanted to make a mockery of West Virginians, they could not have chosen a less accurate town in the state. Wheeling is in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and the accents used by the actors in this episode were more of a Kentucky/Tennessee hill variety. If the writers had done their research, they would know that we have more of an Uplands Plateau accent .


Also, the subplot of incest was inaccurate and cruel to my friends in West Virginia.


there are many problems in the part of the nation from which I hail. But incest is not one of those problems & meth-making is a nationwide problem that is NOT confined to we " hillbillies".


That's all.

Bring on the reunion! It's a wonderful life!

Its a date....my 20th High School Reunion will occur on July 19. It is to be a dress-up affair with a cash bar, food and music.




I'm going.



While I sincerely HOPE that Best Dude can come with me, I've accepted the fact that I might attend my reunion alone. That's OK by me, as I am much more confident than I was as a teen, and I'm pretty damn pleased with my life.






Inasmuch as I HATED high school { save for my time on the sports & Quiz Bowl teams and work summers at The Lake}. My grades for sure did not reflect my intellect, and I spent more time in the vice-principle's office than I care to admit.




I didn't go to either my junior nor senior prom and I attended ONE Homecoming formal { I went " stag " with a girl friend after said guy who DID ask me to the dance bailed on me with some lame-ass excuse.}As a matter of fact, I did not attend a formal dance until First College.


I was lame. I might have been an athlete and taking a hard course load , but I was a " nobody".
Girls were just a little bit mean to me and boys ignored me. My poor self-image led to dangerously disordered eating habits.


I was a mess.


In retrospect, most of my teen angst issues were related to my { then yet undiagnosed} autism coupled with intense introversion. Most of my lunch hours were spent in  vain attempts to become invisible from the rest of the student body and trying hard to work up the courage to talk with Cute Boy. My parents were  wonderful, {as they still are} and tried everything in their knowledge base to help me. Thankfully my small, rural school had some GREAT faculty members who went beyond the call of teacher and tried to help me fit in.


Now at the age of 37.5, I still don't fit in and I am more than okay with being an oddball. I'm blessed with a great boyfriend  who loves me unconditionally. I am totally over the disordered eating and am now on a healthy eating and exercise regime. I am the proud Aunt of an adorable baby nephew and proud fur-parent of a big dog. Best Dude and I keep several chickens in our backyard Both my parents are alive and healthy and I live in FLORIDA!


Life is sweet. I'm going into the 20th reunion with an open mind and without any grudges or otherwise " bad blood" I am not the girl whom I was back in 1994 : I am a healthy , happy version of me with most of the " bugs" worked out of my " operating system".


Amen.

Nothing at all to writing...only blood, sweat & tears

Today's quote is :

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter & bleed." ~Ernest Hemingway

Well, said Old Man of The Sea.

I am still not anywhere near finished with my short story. To be quite honest: I have not looked at it since last month.  I've discovered that writing a work of fiction that is so entangled in some emotional truth in my life is hard.

I WANT to tell this story, and I NEED to tell it. Yet I've had the worst trouble with " writers' block".

Writers' block sucks.

For a few days, I was faithful in my pursuit of literature. I wrote every day, if only a paragraph or two.  I've discovered that the closer I get to the "truth" upon which the fiction is based, the more trouble I find while trying to make the words come.

Yuck.

Writing can be literally PAINFUL. It can call to one's subconscious all sorts of" demons" from one's past. {Especially if said mental demon that is the subject of the work of fiction was not * all bad*}

Sigh.

' Burghing....on a summer's afternoon.

Two of my aunts and I took a short road trip from Hometown into Pittsburgh one day . We met Urbanne Cousin for lunch in the part of the city that was previously known as East Liberty. { now I've learned it goes by the trendier moniker of "Eastside".

O City Of Pittsburgh, please just leave well-enough alone! Its hard enough for me to get accustomed to the Penguins' home as " Mellon Arena" when all my life it has gone by the simpler name of " Pittsburgh Civic Arena".

I'm just sayin'....

Anyhow, we met Urbanne at her place of employment  & took a brief city walk to a very chic gourmet hamburger place known as BRGR. { Yes, I spelled that correctly: it is really BRGR}

 See? I told you it is really BRGR! 

We ate some tasty albeit expensive hamburgers and enjoyed some good conversation with Urbanne, whom I had not seen in two summers. She is ten years younger than me, but in many ways I look to her for inspiration. I only wish I possessed some of the chutzpah that my younger cousin shows.

I love Pittsburgh!

My Hometown

I concluded my trip with a visit to  Hometown, { western} Pa.

Usually this part of my trip is pleasant, but not traditionally " fun". My father's family have been hear since the 1800-something & most of them still live in that very county where our ancestors came to from Ireland.

There is not a lot to to in Hometown, PA. One of the traditions that is the most meaningful to me is the Supper At Grandma's House. My grandmother is an excellent cook & she makes a weekly meal for  the children & grandchildren. { not all of them show up, but there is always a crowd at the table.

Here is the set table before the meal.

 There is nothing as tasty as Pennsylvania sweet corn.

 Family members visting in Grandma's living room.

I also visited the campus Of Small Pennsylvania Public College, where my uncle teaches.

 This pretty bloom caught my attention as I walked aroudn the main part of campus.

 I miss the gently rolling Appalachian hills of western Pennsylvania

More Lake 2013 Photo Memories

It is pouring down rain this morning here in Florida. Best Dude & I hoped to go walk on the beach this morning, but it looks like we'll be housebound again today. I am weary of this wet, humid summer weather here on the Gulf Coast.  One of the best aspects of summers at the lake is how I can walk in the mornings & evenings wearing jeans & a t-shirt.

This is a fine-looking vintage Airstream camper that I saw during one of my walks at the Lake.

This is the dock where G and I tanned ourselves. It floats , but is easily accessible from the bank of the lake. I love the nautical look of the lifesaver ring.

 I cooled my tired feet off in the creek The creek was high & gently babbling & the water felt so good on my feet. When I was younger I spent much time in the creeks.

This creek is the same creek that ran near the house in Ohio where I lived. There was an empty lot behind the house that was used as a hideout among the neighborhood young people.

  I've always liked this little red footbridge near my favorite wading place at the Lake.

Some campers decorated the site with painted rocks.

The sunsets over the Lake are amazing.

G & S's Great Glamping Adventure, 2013

My best gal pal and I went " Glamping" at the Lake over the Fourth Of July. She rented one of the cabins at the Lake & we stayed down there for two nights. It was fun , and I am glad we had this quality time together.

Here is the exterior of our little cabin. Isn't it pretty?

 I took some photos of the interior after we settled in. I apologize for the mess. The cabin has a set of bunk beds, one queen-sized lower bunk & one upper bunk { on which I slept} that is a twin bed. It also had a futon that can sleep two more people. We did not have a kitchen { nor plumbing} in this cabin, but we DID enjoy electricity.

Our front porch boasted a rocking chair & a porch swing. Since the cabin has no water, I had to brush my teeth on the porch in the mornings & evenings. Thankfully the " facilities" were located within a very short walking distance from this cabin.

We ate a lot of traditional " camp food", but one lunch had us eating Ramen noodles out of microwavable pots ! {College flashback, anyone? }

 Although we tried to have a fire , the rain was a challenge. Our meager fire was fun, however & we burned several sheets of old newspapers in our fire-building attempt.

One the Fourth, G and I were treated to a motorboat ride around the Lake. We were fortunate enough to see a juvenile eagle{ no I could not get a photo of it--as it was too far in the sky}

It was a wonderful experience & one that I shall treasure forever.

One especially nice day at the Lake

My vacation to the mountains this year was GREAT!  { other than the hideous flight experience home, I have absolutely no complaints about my time up North.

One day in particular will stay with me for a long time. Best Dude & I hike out coastal paradise & it is wonderful in its own{ very flat} way. Since I grew up in the Appalachian woodlands, coastal hiking is inferior to hiking in the mountains.

My friend CK, who is a botanist & a professor at a midsized university in the Southeast, came to the Lake to spend the day with me. Now it isn't unusual for some of my good friends to come visit with me when I'm at the Lake, but CK and I had not seen each other in person for 16 years!

Yup, we hadn't seen each other in person for  16 year yet we maintained our friendship. That fact in itself is , in my opinion, pretty darn awesome.

Anyhow, we spent a lot of time walking. CK, being a botanist, examined & identified many different plants we saw on our hikes.

This is a " Shag Bark Hickory" tree. Note the unusual bark. Don't ask me to recall the scientific names of any of the flora we saw on our hikes: I'm not *that*much into plants!

This is the view of the path up the hillside that we took. the " head" of this particular trail is located right behind " Granny's" house. I've walked this trail several times before, but had not done so in YEARS until this summer. Last year I got hurt whilst hiking solo , so I shall ALWAYS take another hiker with me on my excursions.

 This is known as a  Resurrection Fern. I think it is pretty, growing out of a seemingly barren rocky hillside.

Here is the phoebe bird nest that we found above the front door on Granny's porch. We could not tell if the nest had eggs or not, so we did not touch it.

Later that day, we took a pontoon boat ride around to the other end of the Lake.  I LOVE the view of the mountains surrounding the lake valley & captured several images with my Nikon camera.

There is a huge maple tree towards which I have always felt an affinity located in the park. When I came early to work there during summers of high school and my First College, I would often bring a book & sit under this tree reading until my shift started.  I found out later that the tree is a Black Maple tree, identified by its seed pods.

It is true that I belong on the Northern Gulf Coast of Florida now, but a part of my essence shall remain Appalachian.

One Bread, One Body

I've been on vacation for the past 11 days , and it has been wonderful.

The majority of my time here in Appalachia was spent at my godparents' campground in Ohio. I swam, boated, and hiked all over the place & visited with several friends from high school . One of the highlights of my time at the lake was a long-awaited { 16 years!!} reunion with a friend from First College.

Naturally I took many photos & eventually I will pare down the " best of the best" of the vacation photos for public viewing.

Today I will go to Roman Catholic mass at St Pauls' Roman Catholic Parish here in Steel Town, PA. While it is true that I am a proud Episcopalian, at heart I am a high-Church Anglo-Catholic. As a matter of fact, when I was in the middle of my faith-identity crisis---I {albeit briefly} considered officially returning to the Roman Church. There are a myriad of reasons why I felt led to Anglicanism, but the main reason is our style of worship & other Traditions mirror that of the Roman Church.

Some of my Roman Catholic friends will totally disagree with me, but I feel that Anglican & Roman Catholics ARE different branches of the same Body of Christ. My reasons for choosing the Anglican way over the Roman  had to do with human-made rules.

We are all part of One Bread & One Body.

Amen.

another foray into the world of fiction{writing}

My muse is back. She has taken quite a long hiatus, but returned in full-force.

Alleluia!

There is nothing quite like one's approaching 20th high school reunion { next summer, Class of 1994!} to put one into a retrospective mood.

Anyhow, I recently signed up for the online fiction-writing & sharing community called Fictionpress.net. { my screen name there is: sarahbethmac}  I'm still in the process of writing my first fiction to be published there, but if anyone is interested, just message me on Facebook. I can let you know when I upload the finished product.

One of my reasons for joining Fictionpress.net is so I can get some online motivation & accountability from other writers. years ago I was part of a writers group here in Beach Town, but I've since stopped attending meeting  after I realized I hadn't any work to share with others. Plus, since I cannot drive, attending the nighttime meetings depended heavily on rides from other people.

Anyhow, the basic premise of my story is as follows:

A woman returns to her hometown in time for her 20th high school reunion. She agrees to meet an old flame from her college years at a restaurant.near her alma mater. As they chat, they both come to realize that, although they will always be good friends, their lives have taken them in paths that are not compatible now.

This story is actually one that has been " floating" around in my mind  since I first heard the Garth Brooks song _Unanswered Prayers_.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A friend is a friend forever...until you get " unfriended"

I am getting closer to Vacation 2013. Today I organized my clothing in our spare bedroom, made a " to-do"list of tasks to complete within the next few days and made a phone call to my favorite aunt in Pennsylvania.

On the agenda for this trip is a visit with a long term friend from my First College. We met in church when I was a freshman & we've maintained a very good friendship ever since then. We haven't seen each other in person for 17 years, so I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with him after years of maintaining contact via email, occasional phone calls & now Facebook.

Although I've MANY gripes regarding Facebook, at the same time I'm grateful that this social tool has put me in contact { or in closer contact} with people whom I otherwise would not hear from at all{ or very rarely}

Which brings me to the phenomenon known as **UNFRIENDING**. If you use Facebook at all, there is a good chance that you have been "unfriended" by someone. There is even a better chance that you have "unfriended" someone. Now I know that online " unfriending" is {usually} not one-and-the-same with actually ending a friendship IRL {in real life}. Its especially awkward when someone whom you DO know & see regularly suddenly chooses to end your association online.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this , but if I've offended someone, I generally wish for the chance to make amends. If I am " unfriended" by an associate without an explanation, I am wary of contacting him or her again offline.

Now I know that, in the great scheme of human interactions, that unfriending is not really much of a big deal. But let's be honest for a moment, when one finds out that an associate IRL has " unfriended" one on Facebook, one feels a bit miffed.

Or perhaps it is worse when someone "unfriends" you and you KNOW his or her reason for said unfriending. An example from my own life: I was e-pals with this woman whom I'd met via  Facebook on a Facebook group for socially-progressive Episcopalians. We have a lot in common & emailed/talked regularly. She lives in a northern city & although we'd never met in person i considered her a friend{ you know, sort of like the "pen pals" of old} Anyhow, when Best Dude & I started dating , this e-pal suddenly unfriended me. Although I'm not positive{ she hasn't contacted me since} I'm almost certain that my changing my relationship status from *single* to *in a relationship* bothered her to the point that she wanted to cut off contact.

Whatever.

Just sayin' .

The little red-brick church in Ohio....

Lately I have found myself full of memories. Most of my formative years were rather painful, as I was misdiagnosed with several different mental-health problems & coming-of -age was harder for me than it is for most " neurotypical" people.

But there was one group of people besides my immediate family who always " had my back" { so to speak}

The people of Hill Top Presbyterian Church in rural Ohio, I salute you.

Since both my parents are & were unchurched, I was not baptized until the second year of my first attempt at college. It was a late summer evening late summer when I knocked on the door of the parsonage of the little Presbyterian church within walking distance of my home in Ohio. Normally I wasn't in the habit of knocking on parsonage doors, but I'd felt led by the Spirit Herself to walk myself up that hill & inquire about receiving the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

When I told Jenny, the minister at the time, of my desire to be baptized, she said:

"Sarah, I have been praying for you to ask about baptism for a long time. Of course I'll baptize you."

Naturally it wasn't quite * that* easy. The Session{ the governing body of a local Presbyterian congregation} had to approve of my baptism.

The date was set for a Sunday morning in early October. I'd come home from college for the weekend & was very excited to be "officially" adopted into the Family of Christ who had nurtured my walk with God for several years.

Although I'm proudly Episcopalian, I'll be forever grateful to the people of Hill Top Church who took  me in as a " spiritual orphan" & formally adopted me into the Family of God.

An act of congress passed...I GOT MY PLANE TICKETS!

It took a figurative Act of Congress, but I finally bought my plane tickets  for my trip up North this summer. FYI, I'll leave Florida via the Pensacola airport on June 27 & arrive home to the Florida Gulf Coast late  on 8 July.

The reason it was so difficult for me to procure my plane tickets is that my debit card { apparently} had the wrong address filed at the bank. When I entered my address for the debit card on Air Tran's web site , i kept getting an " error message" that the address I entered was " wrong". {WTH?}

Anyhow, after much frustration on my part & much patience on the part of Best Dude, I decided to call the bank  the next day.


The bank's manager with whom I dealt was wonderful & I was able to buy my plane tickets soon after I finished talking with her on the phone. the trip will cost quite a bit of my limited income, but I know darn well it is worth it. My annual trip to The Lake isn't just a vacation for me, its a spiritual/psychologial retreat for me.

Anyhow, as much as I love my coastal life, I will *never* consider myself a southern gal. Especially as summer gets closer , I yearn for my mountain Utopia that is The Lake. Many of my earlier memories  are NOT pleasant, but all my memories of my time at The Lake are pleasant.

I'm so not a "yuppie'. While I will admit to feeling a bit of discontent regarding Beach Community , I've grown to consider myself "Southern by Adoption".  Yet, since my " Adoption" came as an adult, my Northern roots still run deep in my psyche.

"Where I come frome/we rode in trucks"~ Luke Bryan.
"In my neck of the woods/I'm just the girl next door"~ Gretchen Wilson.
"Mountaineers are always free." ~West Virginia's state motto.

Mountain Roads versus white sand.

On Sunday evening I made the customary call to my grandmother in Pennsylvania to wish her a happy Easter. During our brief but pleasant conversation I learned that ALL my cousins were able to make it " home"  for the annual Family Easter Dinner. Grandma said that the family is all well.

My parental units are out-of-the-country, so no Easter Feast was had at their house.

Holidays can really " suck" when one is thousands of miles away from kith & kin. I had a wonderful Easter Morning with my parish family at church but when one grows up in a HUGE Irish-Roman Catholic family--holidays meant face-time with the aunts. uncles & cousins & the god family in Ohio.

I've made my own life here on the Florida Gulf Coast & * most* of the time I am content to be here & truly am " blooming where planted" But major holidays always leave me with a sense of sadness, as it is financially impossible for me to travel North to see my family on such days. Due to the increase of airline tickets, I can only afford to make one trip up north per calendar year.

Best Dude was working a 2-8 shift on Easter Sunday, so I ended up spending the afternoon of the Feast Of The Resurrection alone. My excitement was catching up on my newest TV addiction, "Duck Dynasty" and trying to forget how much I miss my extended family every major holiday. :O(

If I had access to a windfall of money, I'd plan trips up North for Best Dude & me to visit my " people" every Christmas & Easter week. But since I do not have said money , I am " stuck" in Florida for all major Christian & secular holidays.

Money controls the world.

Yuck.

"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.

#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!

#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.

Saturday morning session. #Diocgc13

I got many photos of various delegations from parishes this morning. Morning Devotionals was, in my opinion dull . We read the role of each of the categories of ministry & the visiting bishop expounded upon the catechism.  Now I would HOPE that anyone attending a convention in the Church would know that material, but maybe I am wrong.


Bishop Duncan presided over a very passionate discussion  regarding the budget.  The Visiting Bishop led the congregation in devotions using the Catechism.

The delegates voted on new Standing Committee members & various resolutions.

The Bishop's staff always works extra-hard to make the annual convention run smoothly.

The delegation from our "sister parish" up the highway smiles for the camera. Getting all the delegations together in one place is a challenge, but one that I gladly undertook.

Closing Mass was wonderful. The Visiting Bishop had some wise remarks for those of us in attendance.

I've been to a total of three Conventions of my diocese . And t is my opinion that #diocgc2013 was by far the one that will leave me with  lasting memories that will be an interal part of my development as a Christ-follower.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the delegation from St Monica's Episcopal Church in Cantonment, Florida for welcoming me into their condominium for the duration of the convention. I saw many of my friends from around my Diocese , but I also made some new ones from St Monica's & for this I am grateful.

I am also grateful to e a part of the Church in this place & time. I'm more confident after today's business session that the Church is alive & well. It is also heartening for me to see lay & clergy Church leaders step forward on faith. I am grateful for Church leaders who are willing to " step out on a limb" of faith & find ways to be the Church that we have been since the first followers of Christ gathered together to worship & pray.

We are Church.Thanks be to God.

Amen. Amen. Amen.