Friday, November 17, 2006

Anniversary



15 years ago today I was ordained into the Christian ministry in the United Church of Christ. For a minister an ordination is right up there with one's wedding and the birth of one's children. It's a powerful experience. Words do not do it justice. But I'll try.

I wore my father's robe. I still wear it to this day whenever I preach during the cooler months as it is made out of a heavy poplin. I was supposed to be the last to enter in the procession but the moderator of our church (seen behind me in the last picture below) insisted I lead everyone in. My new colleague, Rev. Bill Youngkin from Dayton, OH, and two other gentlemen from the church I was serving, came to celebrate with me. My three closest girlfriends--one from high school, one from college, and one from seminary--all participated in the service. I sang a duet with a woman friend from the church I grew up in, this church in which I was being ordained; all the music in the service was from "Godspell". I was surrounded by people who had watched me grow up in the church and a huge crew from Andover Newton Theological School (see photo above), the seminary from which I graduated.



I hardly ate at all that whole day. I don't remember having breakfast before church that Sunday morning, and all I had for lunch was a bite of a pb & j, maybe a swig of milk. The ordination was at 5:00 p.m. with a reception afterward. I was so busy greeting family and friends that I didn't have a chance to nibble at the plate of food someone thoughtfully brought me. Then a select group of us adjourned to the Elks hall in Pembroke, MA for a dance with a dj, dessert, coffee and tea. Again, not a morsel passed my lips as we toasted, opened presents, and boogied the night away. The party broke up at around 10 p.m. but I was not ready to retire for the night. Two friends were headed for the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston and I asked if I could come with them. As we made our way toward the highway I asked if we could go through the drive-thru at Burger King; I was famished and could not wait until we made it to Boston. I did not go to bed until 2 a.m.!

I don't know if it was the Holy Spirit or pure adrenaline I was running on; perhaps a mixture of both. I do know that it was a great way to start the next chapter in my life. I wish everyone could have a day like that for the beginning of one's own life as an adult or when making a meaningful change: surrounded by friends and family, making promises and a commitment toward the future in front of God and everyone, and then a huge party afterward. It gives one the sense of being truly loved and of owing something back for all that has been received, a sense of being responsible in a joyful, giving way.



This was the opening prayer for the ordination service, written by Methodist minister/author Ted Loder. I return to it from time to time to remind me of who and where I came from and that God is still not finished with me.

Come, Lord Jesus,
expand me,
by your power, life-generating as the sea
to accept
and use my power
to do something I believe in
and be something more of who I mean to be
and can be;
to inspire me to dream and move,
sweat and sing,
fail and laugh,
cuss and create;
to link my passion with courage,
my hope with discipline,
my love with persistence;
to enable me to learn from difficulties,
grow in adversities,
gain wisdom from defeats,
perspective from disappointments,
gracefulness from crises,
and find joy
in simply living it all fully.
Release me through your power
to be a powerful person, Lord. Amen.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

"I'm Too Much!"



Couldn't you just die?!

The perfect desk ornament. Put both up at the same time or switch on and off, depending on your Yuletide mood. Usually I can't stand Christmas decorations before December, let alone Thanksgiving, but these were just too much to pass up.

Is it me or does Snow Miser look a lot like the Winter Warlock in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"? Actually, now that I think about it, Heat Miser bears a striking resemblance to the Burgermeister. You'd think the creative team behind these Christmas specials could be a little more, well, creative.

You can find them
here. Be the first in your office.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

November

Remember
remember the dead
and those still

with us draw breath
Remember veterans
and armistice
reasoning for war
the wreckage of a man’s
and a woman’s
living, family, a nation,
a world, that it never ends
anything but life


Remember to vote
that fierce whisper
amid the chattering clamor
power to say enough

Remember
a thwarted gunpowder plot
all those who would tear
asunder that which is joined

Remember to give thanks
not eat too much
make room at the table
and that Advent is coming soon
Remember me, he said
whenever you break bread
and pour wine to share

Remember
students in Prague
and the Velvet Revolution
the golden queen’s
ascension and deathbed
remember the Compassionate
One enthroned in Tibet
yet to return

Remember the owl
her silent flight beneath

Orion's watchful eye
the cloistered bee
the beauty of bare trees

a carpet of russet and gold
not to be seen for another year

Remember
the seed, the sunken bulb,

the misplaced acorn and walnut
the promise of life

cycled within death

Monday, November 06, 2006

Leave me alone...I'M VOTING!



(I put in the cartoon just because it's so damn true.)

I'm tired of the political mailings, 4 to 6 of them a day, from various candidates and committees. The ads on TV may have to be registered on the list of dangerous substances as they can cause headaches, drowsiness, coma, and feelings of suicide. A PAC, one of the many who have tried to nail us down, called my husband, wanting to know which way he was going to vote on Tuesday and he replied, "Yes, I am going to vote, and how I will vote is a private matter (PC for none of your business)." My sentiments exactly.

P.S. My husband, David, came up with the title to this blog.

P.P.S. Since when was 'nevermind' one word?!