Children at the Table

Last night, we had a great number of youth, children, and babies at St George's. Kenny, stricken with kidney stones--I guess he is that pissed off--would not address my request to invite youth to come celebrate. So I the vicar's wife--meek and mild, ever cooking, even cleaning, ever dutiful in caring for my spouse the priest (NOT!!!), got a little girl about five or six and invited her to the Table when the women tell me I am to go "help" KRK and be the deacon or something (tra la)....So I put my arms around hers and she did ALL the gestures with KRK and she helped me with the chalice. She returned to her seat and began to weep. I got dirty looks from Padre, but when I talked to her mom and her auntee and her sisters, she was crying because of the "Holy Things" she'd been doing...she got it and was overwhelmed! Her mother comes from a long line of Anglicans/Episcopalians and she, in tears, said, "I've never seen anyone do that." I told her of our experiences in two parishes where children were often or ALWAYS present at the Eucharistic Prayers. So I plan to continue this... LO! and behold, I discovered when she and I and her mother were going to extinguish candles, that she is the neice of one of my most favorite parishioners, one of those mighty Smiths who can perform miracles with two Panamanian women! Then I cried! It was one of those moments that make church for me. Her wee little brother, recently baptised, took wine on his mom's finger--which sent the rest of the parishioners into intinction (eye roll); he was outside during the Eucharistic prayer having a yelling spell. His mom could not believe I meant his voice--at whatever volume--was welcome. Otherwise I'd had HIM at the table, too! making gestures and crossing himself! So thank you Lou Lou and Miss L for all your love of children at the Table. And thank you faux-priest, Madre Caroline, for your work in children's services! Godly Play starts Lent I

The Littlest Mono

Here at the rectory, we have prayers going 24 hours a day...our neighbors littlest mono (monkey) is ill. He has a bite that got infected. Our housekeeper Santa Elvia, KRK, the gatos, and I are keeping vigil and we go out and check on the wee one at least ten times a day. The littlest mono is on antibiotics and his human companions are devoted and his companion/amigo mono is also worried and misses him terribly when they are not together in their casa. I've moved the St Francis statue near the monos and that's where it will stay. I SHOULD go out and take pictures of the cappucinos, shouldn't I? Their human R did not go to church last night because he was providing mono care. I say he was DOING church so he didn't need to go. All our hearts would be broken is something happened to our mono primos. Please, God of Creation and Lover of all Creatures--especially gatos, dolphins, and monos, heal your wee one and return her to play and playfulness and wholeness. Bless the care of their human companions. Thank you, Francis and Jesus and Mary and Brigid.

Why I am an Episcopalian

I'm an Episcopalian because I'm a sensual being and because I like sex and because I think God is sexy. Well, it USED to be that many Episcos felt this way before we all got soo tight-assed and conservative and tedious. Who do you think has been our priests since forevah? Straight men? Oh, sure, SOME, but the C/church would NEVER have lasted this long without our Gay and Lesbian siblings. I've always believed that convents, monasteries, nunneries, and the like were ESPECIALLY created as places for same-gender folk to experience love--in whatever way they saw fit to act as God called. Sure, I believe there are people called to celibacy, but it's a calling for Christ's sake! And who really knows what Jesus did with HIS genitals? I mean REALLY! IF the Myers-Briggs folk say that Jesus would have been an XXXX, then doesn't that somehow follow that Jesus would have been bi? I know I was not raised on Thomasine logic so there are many steps of therefores left out in that bold statement, but come on! who cares? I mean really? I do think, as Annie Dillard says, "God does not, I regret to report, give a hoot." But all that talk of the Body of Christ over and over and all the incense and music and chant and the back and forth dialogue--not to mention the delightful thoughts of sex and sexiness that MUST go through other people's heads besides mine when I'm in church--the Kiss of Peace, the hand-holdings, the intimacies of touch of healing/unction, ashes on Ash Wednesday, candles, smells of beeswax and years of tears, sweat, smelling salts, fragrance, incense, wood rot, and termites (as my mother used to describe the cathedral in MS)--the sweet sweet wine on the tongue, the yeastiness of bread mixed with honey or even the fish food of wafers melting. And of course the Beauty of Episcopal/Anglican churches and the Beauty of all sorts of people and the Beauty of the outdoors when we welcome it in from non-stained glass or open doors and windows as we do here 9 degrees N in Paradise. And all our liturgy stuff IS sexy, when it is well-done--and delicious when it's Louis Weil-Lizette Larson Miller well done, that's just too too much yummy! HOWEVER I MUST say that THE sexiest church I've ever experienced happend here about 3 months ago when every Latin American bishop and his/her cat came for some big doo-dah meeting. It was pouring rain and the cathedral was pouring rain onto costly hot vestments. So the ooh ooh sticky part was already there. But THEN the dancers--ALL the kinds of Panamanian dances--came and there were lots of gorgeous young bodies shimmying and that was lovely--I'm not so turned on by youthful bodies--it's the older ones that get me goin. But anyway, all that undulation of hips of whatever age and gender was wonderful. But that was mere foreplay. And then. OH GOD, Sweet Heavenly Jesus! The African Dance Troupe leader danced the Gospel book barefooted--someone told me it was conga. THEN and THEN she and the bishop (who is truly a beautiful human being) did this back and forth ting that made me slide off my pew I was so aroused!! FINALLY the bishop took the gospel book--I was about to have to leave and go find the Hitachi wand--and THEN danced it to read, which helped to calm me down some. And I was sitting next to the bishop's wife, who is the TRUE hottie in the family as far as I'm concerned...she's one of those women you just find you want to fall intoo--and I'm a straight woman. No, I don't lust for the lovely Anita; it's not a genital ting, but she is just luscious. Well, I couldn't help myself. I leaned over and said, "What time does that plane leave in the morning?" and she told me 6 and I suggested that she mess with the time so Obispo Hunko would miss his plane! Lordy Jesus, Help Me! If we could do that EVERY Sunday, we'd turn Rome on its ear! The only thing missing were out and out gay men! I mean they are THERE but do they know that I know? Do THEY even know? Do they know I'd be thrilled to have gay men in the rectory and talk with gay men and hear their stories! Oh, I DO miss them sooo here 9 Degreees North in Paradise. May the day come quickly when we celebrate ALL of our gender ways of lovin and bein as God made us! Menopausal hot flashes, heat, humidity, dance, music, good wine, good bread--all that--was more than I could possibly bear. I wanted to grab my beloved and just throw him on the floor! But that might have been too much!!! We ARE the frozen chosen, after all!!! But there's nothing like good church to get me in the mood! I'm all for daily eucharist here. Papi, Esposo would be fucked several times a day I believe if we had daily Eucharist. I've always been one for the sweat and the funk. But my dream sweat and funk has never been in HEAT. It's always in COLD where we sweat and get all funky! I'm having to learn to BEGIN in the funk. We installed three bidets in the 3 bathrooms because I always feel soo well smelly. And I was raised in MS and have never been bothered by the odor of my body before but this is too much! Don't drink enough water and it's awful. Drink TOO much water and it's not good either. Weird. That my body's odors all ripe ALL THE TIME are not pleasant, even to me. Soo it's good to know that there is ALWAYS more to learn about sex....NOW if we can just figure out how to hang the leather sling swing chair so that the damned rectory doesn't fall in on top of us! And the bed--a queen size--is being made and will be ready upon our return to Cedar Creek. And we get a new mattress. I am soo excited!!! Misquito netting and a new bed. My Oh My! And the new Susie Bright!! Okay, I'm dying NOW. Where IS that man? Screw that sermon!!!

Hibernation

Does every group of humans need something like "Winter" (the "Cold" wet, icy rainy snowing Winter)? I pondered this while in NYC and Staten Island. I've been so busy hibernating this week I've not made the opportunity to ask a bilungual person. Maybe it's the doldrums; maybe it's the mold. It is raining BUCKETS again and maybe I am reminded of my First Great Gringa Fit upon discovering the bottom floor of the rectory was flooded in 8 inches of water--in the middle of the night, no more flashlight power and I had to leave rescuing books and belongings until daylight. Here we are with rain again and no thing has been done to change the status of the downstairs. What if nothing changes it? STOP, I canNOT think about that! 20 Canadians are coming to Almirante to help rebuild the church and to "do" a Vacation Bible School for the Youth. I am so moved by their loving generosity and their excitement. Next week is Diocesan Convention and again, I feel time slipping through my fingers. So I guess I'm doing nothing because there is SO much to do, that I don't know where to begin. I find I'm now very anxious to learn Spansih, to learn Spanish well enough to read Latin American literature NOT in translation! Maybe it was the NY experience--the joy of being with so many excited youth. And I'm so jaded and cynical...and our experience was sad, it seemed so fruitless. I'm all for bonding but hell, I've got a new language to learn and Godly Play stories to be translated and story boxes to be made! Am I glad to be home. YES, YES, YES, and YES. Back to hibernation? Do folks here "hibernate" in the really rainy season when every day is the rainy season. I just know that this cough (oh, consumptive one) is drivin me nuts so I'm hibernating in one very cold room with trashy books and big blankets. Not very articulate today; not very creative-feeling either. It MUST be the rain with mildew and mold growing in the corner-- leaking roof! We began a new ministry today: healing service at 6PM with Eucharist. KV seems very excited. Perhaps I'll do something tomorrow like email the Canadians and post a letter to the editor in the local island expat "rag."