Cool or Controversial? New 'Coming Out' Video for Youth

Cool or Controversial? New 'Coming Out' Video for Youth

I think this is a great visual help for those who are asking, great advise, good common sense and simple message.  What do you think

It's Ash Wednesday, really?

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. A day which marks an important day in our Church's Calendar year. As Christian's who follow the Apostolic tradition's I have always seen this day as a day to begin the season of reflection and change; to get back on the wagon, as it were.

To steal a line from Elizabeth Keaten's blog, http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com, which I am going to chop up in this way; 

"Yes, the ashes are a sign of our mortality - the finiteness of human existence - which is the reason to repent. ...... "I always brush off the ashes from my forehead, anyway," she said.  "Really?" I asked, "Why is that?"  "Well," she said, "I've always thought of the ashes as the church's need to remind us of our mortality ......  as well as our sins. ....We may hold the pencil, but God holds the erasure." 

"I always brush off the ashes from my forehead, anyway," for how many years have I, have some of us walked out of church wearing our smudge of ashes with pride.  To keep our 'mark' like some badge of honor, some sign of our duty as one of those Christians. Never mind that our 'mark' was put on our foreheads at some evening service so we did not have to keep it very long. But we would carry this sign proudly. If I had gone to morning or noon service, I would forget the mark was on my forehead until someone would tell me I had a smudge or I would notice it when I looked into a mirror; and then I would wipe it off.

Elizabeth's post was about how much she uses a pencil instead of a pen and why. And of course, a pencil has an erasure which we tend to use quite often.  And so I love the phrase, "We may hold the pencil, but God holds the erasure." God can wipe our slate clean for us as many time as He need to forgive and erase.

But for how long do we carry a grudge on our shoulder against someone.  Why do we carry the burden of guilt, or of hurt on our own shoulder's; even after we have been forgiven, even after we have forgiven ourselves. Why is it so hard to erase hard feelings we might have against our 'brother'? Why do we carry around someone else's baggage when we know in our hearts it's not their's, but our  feelings against or about them.

At our recent Diocesan Convention, we erased a prohibitive moral canon which has kept a lot of good candidates from the priesthood, because they were gay and in a loving, wholesome relationship. We worked hard to change people's thinking about what this canon has done to so many of our gay brother's and sister's within the church. We were able to erase the fear and caution most people held which changed people's hearts.  But just as some pencil marks are made worse by a bad erasure, or marking made by a pen, we could not completely erase the words from some people's minds and hearts. Some of the people in that room will continue to have light pen or pencil marks on their shoulders, or foreheads even after God has used his erasure.

I hope that during this Lenten season I might 'work' on a few people to seek God's help in erasing or clearing off the chip on their shoulders, as it were. 

 

"The End is Near"

Frank Sinatra's song, "My Way" contain these lyrics for the first verse;
"And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way"

For us we would gladly watch the curtain close on this year's end.  And what a year this has been for us as we both fought a bout of the flu in the past week.  Thank goodness we have our christmas shopping done; now it's trying to put together a Christmas dinner for the family.  Being able to bring the family back together and celebrate at the same table is a huge Christmas gift for Kay and I.  This is an answer to prayers long said and hoped for; but never thinking it possible. 

I was washing clothes last night and as I went to put them in the dryer, if found a lot of water on the floor; not a good sign but I though there was a backup to the discharge hose.  After checking the drain  and hose I began to fill the tub for the next load and immediate saw water running from under the machine.  So we now get to replace at least the washer if not both as they are quite old.

This year was most certainly done 'Our Way', what with being a delegate at our Diocesan Convention,  sitting at the GLBT table at the National Convention in Indianapolis, In, join a choir for a concert in the National Cathedral in Washington DC, joining the chorus for my University's production of "Candide" as a alumni.

On the sad side, Kay and I were with my family, as we sat with our Mother bedside when she passed away from us in April, only to watch an old friend and choir director pass away in June as we sat beside him with his dear wife and close church friends to say their goodbye's.

I would only infer that as we close the curtain on this year and finally put it on the shelf of our memories, that I have traveled many different highways and had to do it "my way", as each of us who is thinking, or has transitioned has figured things out in their own way.  As far as transitions go we are given the hub and the rim, it is up to us to construct our own spokes; as it were. We are given the square logs and we must cut and shape them as we find our own way.

I worked through my own transition years ago without any real outside influence almost drowning as frequently as I walked on the waters, breaking doors down and new ground with the government and medical institutions as I pushed my transition forward.  I am sure there will be other fights in the future but I am better prepared to fight them as I come to them.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.......

Family Thanksgiving

Well, all the beer is gone, the food has been put in smaller containers and put away in the fridge and the kitchen is clean.  The Turkey bones and juice are in the pot for soup or stock for another day and we are 'bone' tired; but very happy.

We did eat a little late and since there was 16 of us we set up everything outside, which allowed the boys and Trinny to play as loud as they wanted and we could enjoy eating sort of together.  Family eating together, that's what this day is about, and for Kay and I this is a most WONDERFUL day indeed.  A day that I thought could or would never happen; but has, in a big way.  A day of sharing with my Son and his girlfriend, and my Daughter and her boyfriend and their mother.  I am truly thankful that they came and ate a little something after they had a meal with their other 'family'.  I know how difficult that can be for some; to eat two holiday dinners.  We did that for so many years; not wanting to ignore one's family.  I am thankful for Reed, who took the last two pictures of me. As someone who always is taking the pictures, I am not in very many of my own pictures.

It was a wonderful day of ruckus laughter and noise and of stories told on each other; a time to meet Kay's adoptive family with the 3 happy and loud kids.  Their laughter and love with stay with us for a long time in our home.  Hopefully, the next time we can get together there will be 4 more who will meet everyone and reconnect with this family of love.

Thank you ever so much my Children for a truly wonderful Early Christmas Gift EVER!!!!

Prayers Answered

It has been so long since I posted anything here that the operator almost forgot how to recall this blog.

Over a year and a half ago, my daughter's wish was to get most, or all of the family back together for a holiday meal.  Kay and I have sent many a prayer for that same thing.  Over time we have learned that it's not the best policy to ask for such specific detailed wished, but just throw a couple general prayers His way and you could get better resulted than if you spelled it out.

SOOOO, this Thanksgiving it's happening; the family will spend Thanksgiving together again under one roof plus a few more.  My son and his girlfriend, my daughter and her boyfriend, their mother; Kay's 'adopted' family and 3 kids and the couple who have been living with us for a few month's.  That just until they can save enough to rent something of their own.  Anyway should be about 14 people filling our little house with laughter, lots of fun and joy; some yelling and screaming, if we know the kids. But I am not complaining; NOT One Iota!! No Ma'am!!!  We Got our Early Christmas Presents.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!

Returning to the Stage, musically and in life!

 The combined departments of dance and Opera put on a wonderful production of the Operetta Candide, the music department had invited the Music Alumni to return and join the chorus in the fun.  We were given an abbreviated score with all the choral parts and with a good run through with orchestra and cast on Friday before the show.  On Saturday, there was a rehearsal with the chorus before the first performance that evening.  The graduates who were able to return, were treated to a wonderful luncheon paid for by the Alumni Assoc., giving us a chance to reconnect and chat with old friends.  I actually met 2 classmates, one was my accompanist for several of my student recitals performances the other was 2 years behind me and sang with me in Concert Choir.  My accompanist  recognized and remembered me from so many years ago which gave us a chance to chat and catch up, also we helped each other rehearse some of the more challenging pieces.

Quite a fun weekend after so much of having to deal 'other' stuff with family as we had gathered the weekend before to sort through my Mother's things.  5 adult sorting through 7 areas and 4 bedrooms of almost 48 years of accumulated treasures and gifts and STUFF.  We ran out of time before we even got to the laundry room which has one of my father's military footlockers which holds some of his technical books and the storage shed which we never set foot in.

We started the sorting process around noon on Saturday and we pick and sorted for 10 hours on Saturday and almost 12 hours Sunday.  My brother left early afternoon on Monday to catch a plane, I had to leave my sisters in the kitchen by 6 pm that Monday evening.  I brought home several boxes of items home with me, most were pictures, small items and boardgames for my children.  I asked for a small table with a marble top and one of mother's curio cabinets.  I was able to put a 6 foot curio in our Kia Soul; really!  I laid the back of the front seat and both back seats down to get it to fit, which mean that I had to ride sitting on top of the back seat and hold onto the cabinet.

Both of us made it home in one piece, although I had to stoop as I was riding in the backseat, or on the backseat as it were.  The Cabinet found it's place both of us agreed to and is now filled with the small mementos and treasures I chose from our's and Mother's travels.

If you have never had to sort through a house crammed full of collected stuff, you will find a need to downsize around your own house, to do some house sorting of your own. 

Clerical Wear