Riding the rivers…

Autumn… cycling the upstate NY river valleys with foliage painting the rolling hills! Saturday provided the perfect opportunity to pedal 25 miles with friends and family on the annual Rotary River Ride from Bainbridge, NY.  While we weren’t traveling too fast, we were really enjoying our surroundings… taking in the fall foliage and enjoying the warmth of an early autumn day.

Little Thaddeus negotiated the ride just fine in his little trailer behind Mom & Dad’s tandem. A special thanks to the Bainbridge Rotary for fine 25, 50 & 100 mile routes for the ride, along with some great homemade eats under the pavilion at General Clinton Park at ride’s end.

Nuance

Making the final sweep through this weekend’s homily… referring back to a 30-year old translation of the New American Bible and finding the language so much more meaningful. It embraces the tension between the zeal for worldly wealth and the commitment to spiritual wealth.

Just after the closing verse of today’s Gospel (Luke 16:1-13) is the clincher: (Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees) “You justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God reads your hearts. What man thinks important, God holds in contempt.”

Changing direction

Haven’t found the time… inclination to post much. Trying this twitter-inspired theme.

Given’ it a go!

roradabi…

I never know what e-mail I’ll be greeted with in the morning when I pop out of bed.  Anymore, I leave my iPod Touch on “push” with an automatic check of e-mail accounts hourly. By 5:45am when the alarm beckons I’ll generally find 5-10 cyber scriblings seeking my attention.

Ah, but this morning held a true surprise:  roradabi!

Facts:

I’m 33.
I’m out of shape.
I used to be a good roller skater.
Today I started training so that someday maybe I can try out for Roller Derby.
I am taking Japanese classes.
I love Japan and Japanese things.
…and food.

This is my first blog and I don’t expect anyone to be interested.

Here’s a Gotham City girl with a purpose.  She’s the dragon… and slaying far more than any competitors on the roller track!

Go BK Broiler!

Any sound tree bears good fruit… redux

Gasoline in Guilford

Back in June 2008 I’d been experimenting with hypermiling.  I mused over the loss of control in our lives:  gasoline was over $4.00 per gallon and as I wrote about it, I posted, “So, hypermiling is about perservering in the face of powerlessness and regaining control of something in life. A very small consolation in a very large stew of challenges facing us now! Are we waking up?” [Any sound tree bears good fruit...]

Since then I’ve been waiting for the time when more sensible, flexible and fuel efficient cars would finally reach the mainstream market in the U.S.  Well,   at least for us in rural Guilford, it’s happened!  We’re driving a small, but nicely equipped vehicle that is yielding 40+ mpg–right from the dealership:  a base Honda Fit.

I left the 2001 Hyundai Accent that had served me well over the past four years at the dealership, and drove home the 5-door black Fit. We’re standing here next to the car with our vintage 19 year-old Olds Custom Cruiser in the background.  With the Fit’s great seating and cargo flexibility, we’ll run the Olds until the end of the summer, and then we’ll be down to a 3-Honda family:  2009 Honda Fit 5-speed, 2006 Accord V6 6-speed, and 2000 Honda Civic 2-door 5-speed.

With a combined fleet fuel efficiency in the mid-30′s…  well, we’re in the driver’s seat for a change!

Pondering the possibilities…

My last post here at Gospel Hill Posts was December 2nd!  Whew…

During the past month and a half, I’ve really been pondering an incredible number of possibilities of with my vocational call to the Permanent Diaconate and using cyberspace to both build community and evangelize.

Deacons USA and it’s sister blog, Permanent Deacons – Diocese of Syracuse, have been taking off as our 60+ deacons gradually discover the collaborative power of the site.  In addition, deacons from around the U.S. and the world have been stopping by, offering comments and encouragement.  I’ve been so busy with this and my “normal” parish ministry, that I’ve had little time for my “home base”, Gospel Hill Posts.

Still, visitors keep stopping by here, gleaning from the dozens of reflections, articles and musings on life that I’ve offered. Please feel free to leave comments and to visit the Deacons’ Blog, too.  In the months ahead, changes are in the wind for this site, too!

The journey begins

Today I’m “officially” launching Men Praying, an Advent program of prayer for men in our Roman Catholic Community in Norwich, New York.  We’ll be gathering tonight to begin praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the sacred prayer of the Church offered every minute, of every hour, everyday 24/7 by ordained ministers, religious and laity worldwide.

As I build resources for the program, please visit A Country Deacon, where the resources I’ve gathered are located.  Join us in “building up the Kingdom” through the spiritual discipline and praise of the Divine Office!

Men Praying!

Building Up the Kingdom

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it takes to build up the Kingdom of God…  we get busy, stressed by the day-to-day demands of life.  Then we forget or make and excuses. We don’t pray enough!

Everytime we turn to God in prayer with reconnect… even if in some small way. Perhaps just for the briefest moment.

And when we are in prayer we are taking time to build up the kingdom… to continue what Jesus began on the Easter morning some 2,000 years ago. The Kingdom isn’t tomorrow–it’s TODAY!  Workers are needed.

Are you one of them?

Through a mother’s eyes

The line of those waiting to pay their respects winds along the porch then down the handicapped ramp well onto the sidewalk. A Town Supervisor, brother, but first… a son.

I only knew John through the eyes of his mother, a coworker and colleague. But what I “saw” through her eyes were these: love, pride… and after the diagnosis – concern blended with a mother’s unshakeable optimism. The news of her son’s sudden passing touched all of us so deeply.

And so here tonight in the damp coolness of this late October evening we wait to both honor John’s life and support Diane. Our words are small consolation, to be sure. Nineteenth century American Unitarian clergyman, educator and author of a great many religious poems, Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch, answers our need for words in The Mother’s Song:

Sleep, my infant, sweetly smiling,
Rest thee from thy hour of play.
Thy soft breath, my heart beguiling,
Soothes me on life’s toilsome way.
Safely sleep, my arms enfold thee,
Danger, care, thou canst not know,
While a mother’s eyes behold thee,
Safe thy bounding steps may go.

Thou may’st miss my glance to-morrow,
On thy path, my blooming boy!
Soon may come a night of sorrow,
Closing o’er thy day of joy.
But wilt thou be friendless? Never!
While thy Father reigns above.
He will guard thy steps forever,
Friend of innocence and love.

Simplifying… with a “touch”

Sitting here at the Townsend Street Market grabbing one of their fabulous “pepper steak, peppers, onion, cheese” subs. Hot, delicious and fresh…

I’m throwing a few more colories into this 59 year old frame–don’t ride as well when I’m doing the longer distances without a couple of days of extra carbs. Ahhh…

Doing shorter, more immediate posts these days. Surrounded here by the deli’s windows with a dozen wi-fi access points… half of them wide open (a trusting, rural neighborhood?). No problem tapping out this missive while I munch, then voilà!, out to the clouds.

Let’s hope the real clouds aren’t in abundance for tomorrow’s ride!