We're moving to Chicago - would you help out?

Friends, as you know, Darrick got a job in Chicago, and we're moving at the end of June.  Would you help us do so?

Jim and Darrick are Moving to Chicago

In which Doing a Good Deed turns into a Feel-Like-Crap moment.

So, this afternoon on my way to the grocery store from lunch, I came upon a small traffic jam at the corner of Rt. 5 and Hall Ave. in Meriden; a usually very busy intersection.

A very small dog, not the sort you would ordinarily see roaming out by himself, was in the middle of traffic, darting unpredictably to and fro, and barking madly at everything. He was confused, lost and scared, and was going to be run over at any minute. I, and another motorist, pulled our cars over, got out, and managed to lure this frightened little animal out of traffic and into a yard, where we managed to get hold of him by the collar. As we began to look around for where he might have come from, a woman emerged from the house.

While she screamed at us to let her dog go (with much profanity), we tried to explain that her little dog had nearly just been killed in traffic and we managed to save him. He wriggled free and dashed for the house; obviously his home. She continued to spew obscenities at us until we excused ourselves and ran for the safety of our own cars.

Like the Good Samaritan, I did not stop because I thought there might be some reward in this for me. I stopped because this little dog was in real danger of being immediately run over and killed in traffic, and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to do something about it. I did not, honestly, expect to even find where he lived right at that moment, I just knew that if I didn't stop my car and get out, he would be killed and I couldn't let that happen.

But it would have been nice for the lady to at least thank us. I've been annoyed and hurt about this all afternoon. What have we become in this country when two strangers, who, frankly risked our own safety to rescue this dog, are not thanked, but are treated to a tirade of abuse and invective? Have we become so jaded and insensitive to the things that others do for us? I have no idea what sort of day or what sort of life, or what sort of situation the woman in the house was having. Perhaps the dog got out during a domestic fight. Perhaps she let it out in a fit of fury? Who knows. This whole experience has left me slightly rattled and annoyed and upset. And, I'd do it all again. Or would I?

Disturb us, Lord...

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ. 


Prayer of Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), 
in the year 1577 as he departed Portsmouth.

Why I don't attend Gay Pride events.

It should come as no surprise to some of my regular readers that I have never attended a "gay pride" event. This article parses out why I believe that "pride" events are not good for LGBT Americans, and why ultimately, they will go out of favor.

 "Why I'm not 'Proud' of Being Gay.

My Cat.

Yesterday was a sad day.  My beloved pet cat Diva lost her struggle with kidney failure, and had to be put to sleep.  The vet, Dr. Kris Park, was so kind and gentle.  I was a sobbing, soggy mess.  After 18 years, my dear, darling sweet adorable special kitty was gone.  Even writing this sentence has caused me to well up in tears again.

Everyone thinks their pet is special.  And Diva was.  She was a gift from a roommate; only five weeks old when she came to live with me.  The day she arrived,  we placed her on the floor to introduce her to Oberon, who was only just slightly older.  She puffed up, hissed, and pasted him right in the teeth.  She was in charge, and remained so the rest of her life.

She regressed slightly her first week with us, and I had to bottle feed her for a week or so until she caught up again.  You have no idea how adorable a bottle-feeding siamese kitten is.  She was tiny her whole life.

She loved everybody, and thought that every lap was a place for her to be adored.  But she was also a one-man cat.  Given the choice, it was my lap or shoulder she wanted.  If I was working, and not paying attention,  she would sit on my lap between me and the computer keyboard and stare up at me until I paid attention to her.  She slept on the bed with us most nights,  and if it was particularly cold, would burrow under the blankets.

Except for the last few months of her life, she retained a kitten-ish playfulness.  She had a comment about everything.  It did not matter how long I had been gone from the house;  to get the mail or on a conference for a week; she had to tell me about her day.  She was a champion purr-er.  She was the Chief Inspector of Warm Laundry. And even though she was thoroughly domesticated (she did not really like the outdoors), there was always something just slightly mysterious in her beautiful blue eyes that belied her wild origins.

Our human hearts and souls are sometimes tough and hard.  One small, three-pound cat managed to worm her way into mine, and spent her life there.  They really never ask for anything much; to be fed, a warm place to sleep, clean litter pan, ear skritches and belly rubs, and when the time comes, the strength to know when it is time to let them go quietly and mercifully.  The last bit is the part that breaks your heart.  My heart will heal, mostly, and I will always be grateful for 18 amazing years with this little ball of fur.  I'll miss you forever, Princess Kitty!  

Life and Death and Resurrection

I've often wondered how Easter might be different in the southern hemisphere.  In Australia right now, it is autumn.  In the southern part of the continent, the leaves are dying on the trees, the days are getting shorter, and the temperatures are dropping.  Everyone is preparing for the long winter ahead.  In the midst of the dying of the season, Christians are walking through Lent, towards Easter.  Ahead lies the deepest part of winter...earth truly stands hard as iron, and the promise of resurrection is still months away.  

Here, of course, is the opposite.  Our Ash Wednesday service is often held while it is still snowy, and the days are windy and cold.  But, by the time we reach Easter, spring is in full bloom. The days are longer, the air is warmer, and truly, we have survived another long winter.  Resurrection surrounds us.  

Of course, this points out that context matters.  Where we stand makes a difference in how we perceive the Easter message.  Sometimes, resurrection comes quickly, as it does here in the northern hemisphere.  But sometimes, there is yet a long winter ahead before the sun once again rises higher in the sky each day.  As a church family, we each stand in different places during this season.  For some, the renewed vigor of the earth is symbolic of the new life within us.  But for some, there is yet time needed.  Resurrection will come, the sun will rise higher in the sky, but our souls must linger for a while in the close darkness of winter.  

Each of us experiences resurrection in our own time.  Don't hurry it,  it will come.   The sun will rise, the son will rise.  All that is needed is patience.  

Pastor Jim 

Virtual Choir

Eric Whitacre's Lux Arumque, a bloody difficult piece to sing when you're all in the same room.  This is just cool.  All the singers are at home, recording their own performance.  Whitacre sent them the music, and a conducting video, and instructions about how to record and send it in.  A new one will be posted tomorrow.