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… [...]

Convocating

Year 2 for the “Priest & Deacon Convocation” here at the Edgewater in Alexandria Bay, NY. A “sell-out crowd” according to one of our veteran diocesan priests.
Gathering here with the vast majority of our ordained clergy affirms our shared community. Morning and evening prayers… our daily eucharistc celebrations… in prayer our dedication to Jesus, church–the [...]

Outside the box…

For a few weeks I’ve been bemoaning the time to sit down at the keyboard and write a post. Oh, Tim! You’re so slow to think “outside the box”!
Thanks, B.A. for the Twitter follow–got me to acting, instead of feeling sorry for time lost because of my own inflexibility… so, a “tweet” since 9:00AM [...]

“and trucked my freight away under birdsong…”

Scavengers… that’s really all they are.  A sesame seed here, toast crumb tumbling to the ground there–but the tweets!  Ah, if it weren’t for the chirping, tweeting descent by wings so animated and lively;  well, if not for that, perhaps I’d put my foot down.  But how could I?
These sparrows of the street, in hopping [...]

Perfection… in simplicity

Oh, how we strive for perfection!  And how we fall short …
Since February, I’ve been snatching an hour here, an hour there…  transforming my “office” into a true study – “A Country Deacon’s Study”.  My vision is one of a space with my books and reference materials close at hand.  The hand written Book of [...]

WWOOF’ing to Edgewater Farm

And so the adventure begins…
Our youngest daughter “landed” in Maine last week after a 470+ mile drive from Gospel Hill.  Her new home for the summer? Edgewater Farm, working as a “Willing Worker On Organic Farms”…  a WWOOF’er in the lingo of the nearly 40 year-old organization.
According to owners, Bill and Carol Emerson, the “Edgewater [...]

Finding his voice!

Just a week ago, our grandson Thaddeus was baptized at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church. [See On the occasion of...] A joyous time!  Today, the newly baptized child found his voice in church…
A baby’s cry in church can be such a distraction… or a blessing.  Today, Thaddeus’ Mom was Lector and this was one 3-month old [...]

Tearing Down the Walls

Yesterday’s announcement from the Vatican that, “The king of Jordan plans to break protocol this Friday when he receives Benedict XVI [..] on the Pope’s upcoming weeklong Holy Land pilgrimage.” (ZENIT) is a hopeful sign as Pope Benedict prepares for his Holy Land pilgrimage.
[Continued at Syracuse Deacons Blog]

On Retreat: Love

Friday night… the beginning of retreat is always the hardest.  Catching up with those we haven’t seen in months… settling in to a new routine at Christ the King Retreat House… opening ourselves to the possibilities of prayer and reflection guided by the retreat facilitator.
And then, the surprise:  “Love bade me welcome;”  I didn’t ask.  [...]

They Said Nothing

What a glorious day!  Jesus Christ is risen… but the women at the tomb… THEY SAID NOTHING. Mark’s compact Gospel, Chapter 16:1-8 more than captures the scene of the three women at the tomb.  It provides a profound insight into the collision between our human senses and the spiritual mystery, the new reality of the [...]