Support for LateToSchool

Parent Cafe
1621

<p>LTS, Had the same sermon as you yesterday (natch, it’s planned that way!) in our Episcopal church and the new rector pretty much made me start crying right there, he was so spot on. We’ve had a tremendous crisis in our church this past year and this new guy came in to patch things up. He used the woman at the well to parallel our thirst for information and understanding and peace. Preachers love metaphors, he said, and that story has got metaphors. Covers lots of bases. Sorry your pastor was being petty, but having gone to a different church for many years (H’s denomination, as I grew up in a sleep-in-Sunday household!), this Episcopal church (which I had pegged as snooty when we moved to town) and its openness has been a breath of fresh air, despite the recent crisis, or maybe because of it. And the music–if the parish follows the Anglican tradition–is so beautiful–there is nothing as spiritually and aesthetically satisfying as English choral music, in my opinion. I did not grow up with this music and I can’t believe I never knew it existed until the last 8 years, when our older son first joined the choir. At first I thought it was pretty shallow to love a church for the music, but it sure feeds my soul, along with this new rector and his astute analysis. And I’m ever the questioner.</p>

<p>Now you know why you sat at the back of the church!</p>

<p>Oh, if they offer evensongs, try to get to hear them.</p>

1622

<p>"
(No necessarily central to the discussion, but curious just the same, we’re sitting there waiting for service to begin, and my friend is a counterterrorism expert and a lawyer, but spent some time in the secret service. So he’s killing time observing what people are doing while they wait, and relaying this information back to me. If even half of what he said was true, you wouldn’t believe what people actually do while they’re sitting and waiting for church services to start.) "</p>

<p>I would love to hear what your friend noticed. </p>

<p>“But this is interrupted by an usher, who approaches us and asks us to take up the offeratory. I agreed immediately; my friend was shocked, “deer in headlights” response. Our number one priority had been to attend the service and hopefully even participate without throwing up on anything, or fainting, etc”</p>

<p>Couldn’t you have decline gracefully? More than likely, the usher thought you were members of the church. When churches have large congregations, it’s very possible not to recognize that a person is a visitor.</p>

1623

<p>LTS. I was thinking of you through the same passage on the Samaritan woman and the well. </p>

<p>I am so glad that they invited you to participate so meaningfully. It is such a wonderfully warm gesture, as a church should be.</p>

1624

<p>neumes,
Loving the music isn’t shallow at all! It’s one of the things I love about services at our synaagogue. It just washes over me, and it doesn’t matter if don’t understand every word – it just floods my soul with warmth and light.</p>

1625

<p>I (and I guess that would be no surprise!) like hearng about those who “love the music” at worship services. It’s what I am about, actually: planning and rehearsing that music all the while praying it will be a selection that allows the Holy Spirit to minister to those listening and to those singing. Yesterday was one of those days when the music did both and it was grand!</p>

<p>Second observation is that I would love to personally kick your former pastor’s …well, you know. What a ridiculous thing to say to you! ARGHHH!!!</p>

<p>I am glad you were able to attend yesterday and that you were able to participate meaningfully. And I hope and pray you are having a better day today!</p>

<p>AND, I would also love to hear about your friend’s “observations”…</p>

1626

<p>LTS,
We also had the woman at the well this week at our little protestant chapel service on an airbase in Germany.</p>

<p>Like churchmusicmom, I’m a musician in our service. The piano happens to be situated up on the platform on one side, so I often find myself watching people while I’m playing the prelude instead of concentrating on what I’m doing…bad habit, because I sometimes forget what song I’m playing and switch to something else partway through. But it is a good vantage point. H and I have developed a signal system, so when I spot a young airman who seems to be alone several weeks in a row, I give eye signs for H to go invite him or her to join us for lunch.</p>

<p>I like the image of you carrying the offering to the altar. Every time you share with a bunch of strangers how you are doing, you are offering something for the greater good.</p>

<p>We all appreciate your generosity!</p>

1627

<p>ReneeV, a wonderful, warm response to the lone service person!</p>

<p>The antithesis of whatever was bugging the priest who harangued LTS about her attendance. Arrrrgh here, too.</p>

1628

<p>LTS: Sounds like a good fit, and yes, a sign.</p>

<p>You might want to read Traveling Mercies, I think it’s called. Anne Lamott’s book about her faith and conversion to the Episcopal faith. Lamott is truly the funniest writer I have ever read.</p>

<p>Operating Instructions has a lot about this too.</p>

<p>She was also welcomed warmly into an Episcopal Church as a cocaine addict. She cleaned up her act and became a Christian. It’s a moving story.</p>

1629

<p>And then there are the books by Kathleen Norris, Cloister Walk and Dakota. The Benedictines seems to be Catholic and other groups as well. I’m not religious, but am prone to religious experiences. These books were the source of some of my most memorable.</p>

<p>[Kathleen</a> Norris (poet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Norris_(poet]Kathleen"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Norris_(poet))</p>

1630

<p>MM–I am an enormous Ann Lamott fan! She makes being a spiritual person more understandable, less the usual stereotypes of what it means.</p>

<p>We’ve had issues with our own church and I am eventually going to be church-shopping. Episcopal is high on my list. I like the combination of tradition with compassionate acceptance.</p>

<p>LTS–what a terrible message from your former pastor. I hope this new church gives you the warm and supportive home you should have.</p>

1631

<p>Annie Lamott has the absolutely funniest description of her eventual acceptance of her faith. I can’t print it here, though. The moderators would object. I think it was in Traveling Mercies. Her latest, Plan B, is also worth a read.</p>

1632

<p>Anne Lamott had me hooked with** Bird By Bird**. What a treasure.</p>

<p>edit: treasure = Anne Lamott</p>

1633

<p>I never have any problems with priests, or from sermons, unless I make 'em myself. (those are usually the most troublesome kind, in my experience. ;))</p>

1634

<p>lts…
I believe strongly that God speaks to us, sometimes very softly with signs we may miss. My radiologist gave me a prayer that I say everymorining that really helps put my fears in God’s hands and gives me strength I know I would not have by myself.<br>
Before I had a CT scan I was anxious and had this bad feeling. I prayed my rosary, partially to help me time drinking the nasty contrast and partly because I really needed strength.
I ended up having a pretty severe allergic reaction to the CT dye that necessitated about 7 people to stabalize me. During the whole thing I felt Mary right with me ( I am a huge fan of Mary) and a very peaceful feeling.
I just talked with my chemo nurse today and she said for my chemo, the loss of appetite can be a progressive thing and not all chemos will cause it as severley as others.
Hope today is a better day.</p>

1635

<p>I was moved by your offeratory story of strength, courage, and perseverance. I wish that I could have been there.</p>

1636

<p>

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<p>[About</a> Kids Konnected](<a href=“http://www.kidskonnected.org/about/default.html]About”>http://www.kidskonnected.org/about/default.html)</p>

1637

<p>LTS: don’t post much, but I have been sending positive thoughts your way. Along the lines of a sign from God…I drive by a church this week, one with a small marque that often has cute little messages. The Pastor must have a sense of humor. This week, it reads," Looking for a SIGN from God? Maybe THIS is it! I count not help but laugh a little out loud reading it. </p>

<p>I believe in signals from higher powers. Hope you are feeling better today.</p>

1638

<p>Anne Lammot’s church is actually Presbyterian. Not that it matters.</p>

1639

<p>Well…today is maybe better. I do want to thank everyone for all of their posts. I wish I could answer each and every one, and, I do want everyone to know that I read every single post written here. I am sorry that I am not able to respond to each of them. I do not feel well and I am not myself; otherwise, I could answer each post. Please know that I do sincerely appreciate everything everyone writes here, and I wish I could do more to express that I am grateful. </p>

<p>I saw my oncologist yesterday; the visit went well in that everything looks and sounds good and in spite of a loss of appetite, I have not lost any weight, and have actually gained a couple of pounds. I am fortunate in that I am rarely alone - there is always at least one other person with me at all times (except when I am visiting a client or in my private office) and no one will permit me to go without eating.</p>

<p>Then, this morning, my oncologist called; the CBC results came back. He does not like that the liver function counts are “slightly abnormal”. He said they have been fine all along. There is a chance he said that this is a side effect of the chemotherapy, but, just to make sure that this is not progression, I now will have a PET scan Monday morning, prior to chemotherapy on Tuesday. He will get a wet read and make a decision to change drugs or continue the course. </p>

<p>Obviously, this is scary news, but, on the bright side, I am grateful that my oncologist appears to be obsessive to every single detail of my situation, and that he moves quickly and makes decisions with confidence. When he talks to me he can cite science from my file that I cannot imagine how he can remember. I looked through his notes yesterday when my file was unattended and he had written some comment or another next to nearly every single entry on the last couple of CBCs. I am also trying to remind myself that he wanted me to have the MRI to make sure there was no chance of paralysis, and, the results came back clean. So, it is very good that he is being cautious here as well - and - even if the results come back challenging, he has a solution. So I refuse to be afraid. I refuse to bow down to this. I refuse to let this sidetrack even five more minutes out of my heavily scheduled day. I refuse to be complacent, or acquiese (sp?) to such a cowardly disease. I refuse to allow this cowardly, weak, useless disease influence who I am, what I will do, and how and why I will live the hours and days left to me, regardless of if there are few or many are left. </p>

<p>As to the church, my friend and I talked, and we will join. We’re a bit confused as to how to actually join a church (“do we just show up with our catholic credentials and we’re automatically “in”??” my friend wonders). We’ll figure it out on Sunday I guess. I am certain there is one God, and many paths to Him.</p>

1640

<p>LTS- please don’t feel bad about not answering every post. We don’t write them expecting an answer. This is the support for YOU thread, and whatever bits of comfort, hope, joy, comraderie, etc., that are expressed are for your benefit. </p>

<p>However, as mentioned before, we are all along for the ride, and learning a lot from your journey.</p>