Memorial Day 2012

At 7 AM on my way to Dunkin Donuts and then to Shop Rite, I was listening to NPR interview a mother from Cherry Hill, NJ about the loss of her eldest son, a 19 year-old Marine, in combat in Afganistan.

Crier that I am, by the end of the interview, I am sitting in my car sobbing for her and the rest of us as she recounts her story, his story.  I think about my Uncle John, an ex-Marine, and Andrea and their son Jeffrey, another Marine.

The next story was about President Obama laying a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to mark the 50th Anniversary of the United States entry in what we call the Vietnam War.  I was 11.  That war shaped who I am today as much as anything else. 

It has formed my aversion to combat as a solution, of political expediency, right or wrong, expediency that shifts over time.

That memory takes me to the Rev. James Lewis, another ex-Marine, who is never on the side of war.  A man who puts what he believes in out there for all to see, cheer or jeer.  And the wonderful woman, Judy, that is by his side always.

The year 2025 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

I think today, and am thankful for, all the men and women who have answered the call of their governments.  Thankful for those that have returned, and those that have not.

I am saddened to think and visualize all the Flander's Fields there are around the globe.

May we all be spurred to action to support those that return.

And, by the Mercy of God may those that have not rest in Peace.

Why I do and You should Work for the Episcopal Church

My friend recently returned from the B+E+S+T conference in upstate New York.  B+E+S+T stands for Bishop's Executive Secretaries Together and it is 25 Years Young this year.  She passed along to a few of us the homily that Bishop Wolfe, Vice-President of the House of Bishops, gave. 

After reading it, I decided that it was G+R+E+A+T and that the section of why someone should work for the Episcopal Church was so spot on that I am sharing it with you.

"Now let me begin by saying at the outset that there are many other wonderful traditions within
Christianity, and I’m well aware of the many imperfections that exist within our own branch of
the Christian church. I know not all of you here are members of the Episcopal Church, and the
Episcopal Church has richly benefited from a variety of people who come from different
religious traditions (and sometimes no religious tradition.). But a lot has been said and written in
recent years about our denomination, and I thought I might try to set the record straight.

• You should work for The Episcopal Church if you believe men and women are
fundamentally equal in the sight of God, and that women as well as men should be able to
serve in every office in the Church. In the Episcopal Church there are women who are
acolytes, women vestry members, women senior and junior wardens, women deacons,
woman priests, woman bishops and even a woman Presiding Bishop! I am a man who
believes this is not only a very good thing, but I believe it is a genuine glimpse into the
Kingdom of God, where men and women have equal access to the glory and the love of
God.

• You should work for The Episcopal Church if you believe age, race, sexual orientation or
disability shouldn’t keep anyone from having an equal place in the House of God. This
policy of inclusion has created tensions in our fellowship, and those tensions will not
evaporate any time soon, but I believe the positions we have taken in these matters will,with the benefit of history, make us look as though we were guided by the Holy Spirit in
our time.

• You should work for The Episcopal Church if you believe in the power of both the Word
of God preached and in the Presence of God as revealed through the sacraments. If you
find solace and strength in hearing God’s word preached with power and in receiving the
Body and Blood of Christ on a regular basis, you’ve come to the right place.

• You should work for The Episcopal Church if you believe that the glory of God can be
revealed through beautiful architecture, beautiful music, beautiful liturgy, beautiful art
and beautiful literature. Episcopalians believe God is fully revealed in the midst of such
beauty, and we seek to support and value the aesthetic in all of life.

• You should work for The Episcopal Church if you think churches should be built around
the worship of God and not around the charisma of any one clergy person. Robert
Schuller was an incredibly gifted orator, but his great Crystal Cathedral is now on its way
to becoming home to a Roman Catholic diocese looking for bargain real estate in
southern California. Our ecclesiology makes it difficult, though as we know all too well
not impossible, for charismatic clergy to lead parishes into unhealthy relationships with
them. In The Episcopal Church it is always God, and not the clergy, who remains the
center of our focus.

• You should work for the Episcopal Church if you believe frightening imperfect
Christians with the fiery flames of hell or with crushing, unrelenting guilt is not only
unbiblical, but unchristian. This is a church where the grace of God trumps the wrath of
God, and this is a church where God’s love has the power to redeem any and every one.
A God who can forgive your deepest and most haunting sins may be a God who is loving
and powerful enough to forgive mine. The Episcopal Church attempts to posit itself midway
between “an acrid orthodoxy and an arid liberalism,” and we try to maintain this “via
media,” this “middle road,” in almost everything we do."

Thanks be to God.

Amen and Amen.

Couldn't you have told me that before

Saturday, a beautiful morning as I head down to St. Paul's in Georgetown for the Celebration of New Ministry for the people of St. Paul's.  The Rev. Joe Rushton has joined them.  Wonderful service and I met Evan, Joe's dog, who truly has the run of the place all the time.

Connected with friends and family as I traveled.  I used to talk all the time with Amy, my friend who passed away in June 2008.

At the reception, I spoke with folks from Primeros Pasos and The Way Home.  Re-acquainted myself with friends I had not seen in a while.  And, I met one of the newest priests to the Diocese, Donna Jeanne, who started at St. Peter's in Smyrna.

Leaving St. Paul's the weather was still beautiful, the promised rain not arrived.  Fastening my seat belt I pulled away from the curb and instantly recognized the sound of a flat.  On the right front, the same right front I had hit the curb with when I arrived.  Argh.

That goodness for AAA.  I am well passed the age of feeling that I had to prove that I too could change my tire.  Nope,rather I put on the flashers, turned on the radio, rolled down the windows and waited. 

Thirty minutes later I was on the road with my donut on the front and a speed limit of 55 mph.  Yikes that hurts worse that traveling with a donut tire.

Though Georgetown is sizable, a Pep Boys is not around.  So on the way home I dropped into the Dover Pep Boys.  Not much to do in this all male habitation.  Wandered around, found a tweety-bird key chain, then went to the waiting room to read.  Not much there either.  Men's Health Magazine.  Great stuff.  Learned a lot about how men view women, etc.  However, in an article that talked about weight loss, one of the biggest mistakes a person can make is to announce to his friends and family that they are embarking on a new weight loss program.

Now they tell me. 

To do so fills someone with a sense of accomplishment towards weight loss when nothing has occurred.

So, the universe had to provide me with a flat tire so send me to Pep Boy's to read a Man's magazine to learn I had made a mistake.

What, couldn't there have been an easier way to learn this?

Color Coordinated Eating

Well I have kept my promise to keep moving.  Yesterday I worked outside on the front gardens for an hour until almost dark. 
Now that work has ended and I am waiting to attend a 7 PM service, I have switched clothes and will pull out the bands around 5:30.

And, I am eating by colors. Eat as many colors during the day as possible.  Therefore, having three bean salad with corn for dinner followed by fruit is a no brainer.  And, let's not forget pumpkin soup with brown rice from LeShio in the Fairfax Shopping Center.

Today, I brought Kale to work.  Judy, my co-worker, taught me how to cook it.  Three of us ate a bowl and it was good and easy.  However, it is a lot of fun slicing and dicing with someone else around.  So I have had green, red, brown (?peanut butter), brown (raisins), peach and I am well on my way.  This is how people should be taught to eat.  Notice no white anywhere.

I am still grappling with the question about buying a scale.  Taking measurements was no big deal.  However, the number at my feet still makes me cringe.

And, I have to admit I have discovered that biting into a Gala apple each day at 4:30 is a delight.  Whether stuck in traffic or at the desk, the sound of my the biting is wonderful.  So does my delight come from the taste moving towards my brain or the fact that it feels good to eat right?

A good start

OK, it is day one for you but day eight for me.

Yesterday, Sunday, was a day of working in the house something, washing and ironing,things I so enjoy doing.  :)  However, it produced a sweat that I was thankful for.

This morning, I have completed the five minute workout by 5:50 AM.  Two of the cats sitting in various places in the bedroom watching me pull the bands.  The third was striking at the other band that was moving and striking the door.

Then downstairs to feed the cats and make breakfast.  Yogurt, strawberries and granola.  I try to get protein each time.

So, I feel good and ready for the first day of Holy Week.

It is called Fear

It’s only fear.

Two weeks ago I attended the Well to Serve, Well to Lead conference run by The Medical Trust/Church Pension Group and held at the Kanuga Conference Center in Harrisonville, NC, just outside of Asheville.  That conference has the potential to change my life, provided I push aside the fear and make it known.

I need to tell you that when the dress code for the conference was revealed, workout clothes, T-shirts, jeans, I was dubious.  What?  I had been to conferences run by The Medical Trust in NYC, and business professional was the dress code.  So, of course I took other clothes, thinking that my good friends were trying to “trick”.  Well, they were not.

The entire conference was dedicated to wellness, lots of lay and clergy employees who dedicate their lives to providing care for all our church employees.  And here were people that wanted to take care of me!  Yoga, walking, meditation, good food.

It has been quite a while since anyone wanted to take care of me.  At 60, I have been living essentially alone for about 6 years.  Self-sufficient.    And, to be honest, I do not like to accept or ask for help.  However, that is changing now.

At the conference, there were amazing speakers and information.  However, the person who stood out for me was Peter K.    Peter K and Peter K Fitness has been working with The Church Pension Fund for years.  However, I had not had the opportunity to see him in person.

So, I have started Peter’s 5 Minutes to Fitness Program and Nutrition Program.  It involves the use of “bands” to start with a five minute routine to build up muscle and therefore to lose weight quicker. 

My goal is to “move” more and more each day, rotating some type of physical exercise with the bands or in addition to the bands.

My fear was to admit to others that I was attempting this.  So, for two weeks I told only a few close friends.  Not family.  That is the biggest fear.  Letting family and friends and myself down.

So, I plan to write about this journey, as I did Sudan, asking for encouragement and accountability. 

From all of you.

I Can't Get There From Here

Well this trip is off a really, really bad start at Philadelphia airport.  And, it has nothing to do with the clocks moving ahead one hour.

My travel voucher gave me a United Flight Number.   So arriving at the airport I pull into garage D, quickly found a parking space and move into the very short security check-in line.   When I get to the FSA  person, I am told that I do not have a boarding pass.  I need to leave the line and go to US Airways.   US Airways  is the carrier operating the United Airlines flight.  And they are Terminal C.

Lord help me.

So, I dutifully leave terminal D by exiting and walking over in the brisk air into Terminal C.  I check in and discover that I will have to go to Terminal A for the actual flight.  Gate 22 to be precise.  And, the woman behind the counter tells me to utilize one of the moving vehicles the rest of the way.  It is almost at the end of the airport, where the international flights leave from.

So, let me repeat.

I am parked in Terminal D parking and am leaving from Terminal A.

Now you might think that this means maybe I should have had someone drive me to the airport.  It  would not have mattered.  I still would have headed upstairs to the Terminal D United check in and been in the same situation.  The walk across the concourse was the easiest and fastest part of the morning.

Now, I am sitting and writing this while waiting for takeoff .  There is no one else in my row, so I am spreading out.

OH, I forgot.  I usually travel Southwest.  You k now, no baggage charge (US Airways is $25) and you seat by number and pick your seat.

So trainable am I that I utilize the first open compartment space near an aisle seat and sit down.  Did I forget to mention that there are assigned seats?  So up I go and find my seat 6 rows back. 

So spoiled am I that I now am cringing about my return trip via Piedmont and Continental.  What nightmares will I have about marching around between terminals.

So Gary, you asked me to come back rejuvenated and inspired.

My inspiration is to drive or take the train.

Kathryn, I know that you are laughing at your Mother.

Oh, now they charge for any snacks.  You gotta love flying US Airways.  Thank goodness for my granola bar.