Lucy's Baptism

Lucy was baptized this Sunday! I was excited when I realized she'd be baptized during the Easter season on the day we remember the Ascension (our new goddaughters were baptized on May Crowning, which I thought was very fitting). It was great having Alan's folks here to take pictures and help with Lucy before hand.

Father Bush was cheerful, as he always seems to be when administering a sacrament. Lucy did very well-- I was nervous to say the least as she is known for pitching a fit when I rinse her hair in the bath. Her godfather, Jason, helped keep her quiet while we did the responsorial reading and Hannah, her godmother, held her for the baptism. Just a second of crying after she got a seashell full of water in her face and then she was just fine. She loved being anointed with the sweet smelling chrism.

So that's it! She didn't need to take on a "Christian" name as Alan did for his baptism, I suppose because Lucy is the name of a saint? I'll need to ask about that one. We were glad that, once again, our friends came to wish us well for the blessed event.

"Oh precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know"

-Robert Lowry

Class of 2009

Alan is graduating tomorrow. After three years of hard work and perseverance, he'll be awarded with the honors due him. How annoying Hebrew was, how aggravating the late night fits of paper writing that led into morning hours! But how sweet these days will seem someday when we look back.

My prayer for Alan, as he graduates, is that he remembers the lessons of seminary in times when the world seems turned on its head. Perhaps the data-- Greek verbs, Wesleyan history, thoughts on literary criticism-- will fade as the years pass. But I hope Alan can always recall the love of God, the passion for theology, the deep understanding he fostered in himself through these years. What I've gleaned from him second hand is very valuable so I am sure his experience has been a rich one.

God bless to my brilliant husband and all the Asbury Seminary graduates who will find their journey turning a corner tomorrow.

New Ad

Fairest of All Seasons

"Now that its time
Now that the hour hand has landed at the end
Now that its real
Now that the dreams have given all they have to lend...
Its now I know, do I stay or do I go?
And it is finally I decide
That I'll be leaving in the fairest of all seasons."
-Jackson Browne

I will start writing about this now so it doesn't creep up on me later. The academic life is a nomadic one, and while we will be in Wilmore for another year some dear friends are leaving.

I do not want to say goodbye. When people have been a part of your life, helped you through the early years of marriage and parenting, celebrated the good times with you, it is not easy to think they will never again be a few minutes away.

In thinking about friendship that past few weeks, anticipating these sad departures, I began to figure out what it means to be a friend. Well, first I thought of what it means to not be a friend. I think envy and indifference are both opposed to friendship for many reasons. Being friends with someone, in the truest sense, is somewhat the opposite. You are happy for your friend's achievements, success good fortune rather than being envious; you are also sensitive to the movement of their lives rather than indifferent.

So as much as I want to be sad over my friends leaving, I have to remember what being a friend means. Knowing they are moving on to be near family, to have careers, to make their way in the world-- their happiness overwhelms my sorrow as their joys become my own. I am very glad, very blessed, to have known so many good friends in our time here, making this a very fair season indeed.

"You're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're so far away."
-Carole King

Webcam and Thoughts

We now have a webcam-- yay! We got a new laptop for a bargain and it came with this webcam (the selling point for me). I'm trying to justify it as a work purchase, but I'm more excited that the new PC will help Lucy visit, via skype, with her grandparents et al.

Today was one of those balmy, warm Kentucky days. The afternoon was humid and broke through to some showers. Before the rain, Lucy and I sat on the front steps to each lunch. We talked about the sky and birds and ants, even giving the ant a few orange niblets to see what they did. Lucy kept trying to tell me they were bees.

It was one of those days with lots of news, some sad and frustrating, some happy and full of resolution. And I feel God's grace coming over me, that in the midst of all that's been going on in our lives I can enjoy lunch with my daughter, take in a muggy afternoon, watch the ants as they work.

Amazing Race

Alan and I are watching the Amazing Race finale right now. Every year, my favorite teams are bumped off early, leaving me with no one to root for on the last leg of the race. This year my team made it all the way to last week only to check in late because one of them had to pee!

Now, my little open note to all the teams:

Keisha and Jen, if you are out there on the Internet somewhere, I was with you guys all the way but next time, pee your pants. Its the Amazing Race for goodness sake!

And to Margie and Luke: you guys are awful. I hope everyone sees now what a brat Luke is and how he elbowed Keisha in the face at that one clue box. Y'all don't play fair and should be ashamed.

End of note.

I'm being forced to cheer on the NFL cheerleaders-- at least they'd be the first two-woman team to win the race. They hate people who don't speak English, however (in China: "Why don't these people speak English! They're so stupid!). But you know me, I'll be watching again next season for sure.

Thoughts on Hate Crimes, Private Matters

So much talk about pastors and priests being jailed for hate crimes. Priests with friends in Canada say "It is happening, they are being fined for what they say about the Bible." Lawyers and politicians argue "No, a hate crime bill in the US will not effect what people say, only what they do."

I understand the outrage at crimes committed against a person because of something they cannot help like their gender, race, age, or possible physical impairments. When I was a child, a man with Down's Syndrome in my town was beaten by a bunch of football players from the high school-- all he was doing was handing out candy on Halloween. The anger that burned in me then, and even still does now, increases at the thought of this man's life being difficult already and the idea that he was less capable than most grown men at defending himself.

But speaking in church can be a hate crime? Again, I can understand to some extent. I'm Catholic now-- do you know how many sermons are preached in Protestant churches each Sunday about how all Catholics are evil? I've suffered through more sermons than I can count about Mother Theresa burning in hell because her faith was based on witchery. But I don't believe those preachers should be censored. I can't even support people who want to silence the Imams who preach that Muslims should conquer the US. I could never assume a law will control someone's mind, nor would I want it to.

I hope the people's right to free speech isn't jeopardized. I'm stunned that in a day when the president talks about how euthanasia and aborting a disabled child are "private matters" there is so much talk about prosecuting people for they say in the privacy of their place of worship.

(And once again, Richard Dawkin's organization proves obsessed with the habits of Christians, more so than even I am! They have a lot to say about this matter. His website is as pathetic as the fundamentalist pages that devote themselves to the minutia of the science community just to say "They are so wrong." Why do Dawkins' people waste so much energy thinking about these things? Shouldn't they be out engineering crap and making vaccinations?)

all about today

I haven't blogged about my day in a while.

Well, Lucy just got over a nasty stomach bug, so today was the first day in almost a week we could really venture out. Lucy and I ran a ton of errands, ate a little Sonic, let Alan do his Hebrew homework.

When we were all home, I got an itch to get my hair cut. After 3 years of cutting my hair myself I decided it was high time to let a professional at it. Well, almost a professional. For $10 and a decent tip I had it washed, cut, and styled by a student at the local beauty school. I narrowly avoided a mullet and am happy with the results.

Then we went to Ramsey's with Meredith and Chad for some good food and conversation-- the catfish was phenomenal, as always, and Lucy loved the apple fritters.

Now I'm getting ready to relax while Alan is at the movies watching X-Men and Lucy sleeps soundly. 20/20 and my fake mojito are all I need for a nice, easy Friday night.