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Rainy Friday Five

May10
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a small miracle: two cats, one couch.

revkjarla offers a meme from the RevGalBlogPals:

Hey there gals and pals!
Happy Friday Five….and although I don’t have a theme for this Friday, I do have five questions for you to ponder upon:

1.  If you could hear what someone is thinking for a day, who would you choose, and why? This strikes me as mildly creepy and stalker-ish, but I’ll go with the flow and pick a writer – Barbara Kingsolver, maybe, or Jane Austen.

2.  If you were trapped in a tv show for a month, which show would you choose, and why? Prime Suspect, so I could smoke again, and explore London. Solving crimes would be a bonus.

3.  If you could do any job in the world for a day, what would it be? Tour guide at Glacier National Park. I’d love to drive one of those old red convertibles.

4.  What are you loving right now? Not much, unfortunately; I’ve been struggling with depression for months and feel profoundly stuck. Spring is filling me with guilt about the yard I’m ignoring. Okay, little things: I’m loving having a clean computer screen, as we got an order from Staples today that included screen cleaner; I’m loving the Mulligatawney soup I had yesterday at the Hearthstone, so much so that I got a bowl to-go; I’m loving the summer liturgy I put together. Though I have to write prayers of the day, which I know I CAN do, but I never have, always having used resources from the denomination. But I planned a sermon series for this summer, eight weeks on women from the Old Testament. Eight weeks of flying without a net, I mean, the RCL. It’ll be fine. I wanted a challenge. I’m excited about sharing these stories of strong women.

5.  Use these words in a sentence:    bless, cheeseburger, chihauha, skipping, Georgia.  Georgia! Stop skipping those stones off the blessed chihauha! Give her this cheeseburger as a way of saying you’re sorry!

 

 

Approaching Lent

Feb12

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Lent is bearing down upon those of us who observe the church year, which leads me to ponder: from what do I need to fast? I always preach, the point of Lent is to draw near to God. Hopefully we are always doing this; I think that’s what prayer is about, truly the meaning of life is to be in close relationship with our creator. But Lent is a time set apart to practice special disciplines, to be more mindful, to give to those in need.

I have found several out-of-the-box ideas:

I’ve also been thinking about some sort of a fast from screen-time (phone, TV, computer): after dinner, or one day a week.

So, it being Shrove Tuesday, I need to commit. Last year I didn’t do much for Lent, and I missed it. But I fear failure. Hmm. Fast-pray-give.

What sparked my interest was the photo-a-day challenge; it will get me posting regularly on the blog and it sounds fun. I want to get more poetry in my life, so I’m taking up Good Poems each day. I have a quarter folder from St. Luke’s, I’m not sure who the $10 goes to, but it will be fun to collect the quarters. This shouldn’t be about Lent, but perhaps I’ll finally make that donation to Planned Parenthood in honor of my friend Marta who passed away last fall. I’m also going to do the one-day-a-week screen fast, and I’m choosing Sundays, though I’m exempting TV (Downton Abbey!), and focusing on computer/phone issues. Finally, I’m going to fast from … wait for it … caffeinated coffee. This will begin with a tapering, so I don’t expect to be fully decaf until next week sometime. I think I will sleep better, and I do have an abundance of herbal teas to enjoy.

Again, the point of doing something different is to refocus energy into one’s relationship with God. Turning that energy into being and doing for my neighbor sound like a wonderful late-winter project.

first holiday after

Nov28

Butter is essential to Thanksgiving dinner, as Casey well knows, in preparing tasty creamed spinach.

Mom got tired and she & the brothers took their apple crisp to go, around 6:30. Kathy & I stayed and watched TV. I was initially reluctant to commit to a movie, but Chris suggested Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I hadn’t seen it in at least 20 years, and Chris and Casey said they’d never seen it.

Casey, who is a deep thinker, responded to my frustration with Mom leaving early (or so it felt to me) by saying, I think she did well. She clearly wanted to talk about John, she and Matt both told stories about him. I realized it was me; I had escaped to the other room with the thought of getting to know Ben better, but we both played on our phones. Years of holiday tension made me wary, and I didn’t trust that the new behavior I’ve seen in Mom would continue. I felt affirmed in this when she baited me for not doing dishes after dinner, which Kathy was washing. For all I have learned to unplug from Mom’s offhand comments, this one caught me. She doesn’t really know what she’s saying or why it bothers me (I had washed pots & pans before dinner, before and after mashing the potatoes and making my cabbage dish). Later sister Chrisann validated my pique, and said, we have to address that issue with the brothers before the next holiday. It’s a pattern: they get sucked into sports on the TV and the women do the dishes. I feel a little mean saying it; the brothers do a lot for mom, which I, being three hours away, cannot do. But that particular holiday dynamic can shift a little.

One of the challenges following a key death is not only missing the person but noticing the realignments of many relationships within the family. The former is sometimes called bumping into someone’s absence, as I did when I said as we arrived, we beat Mom & Dad here, we must be doing ok; and Kathy said, I’m pretty sure Dad won’t be coming today. The latter is trickier. Casey wisely commented on the lack of fighting that normally would have accompanied a Winklepleck holiday, saying, Shirley lost her sparring partner. I’ve been thinking about that, and I’m watching to see which brother steps in to fill that role. Some friends wondered if Mom was grooming me for that position, but I think I’m not around enough. I pray the brothers will resist, and also that I may get the words I need to encourage them.

This is a time for taking advantage of opportunities for shifts within relationships; but also allowing space for simple grieving. I felt like we weren’t talking about Dad, but then Casey pointed out that others had. I was thinking it and not saying it, and not listening as others navigated the space for themselves.  I’m trying simply to notice, not beat myself up; continue to learn how I might handle the next holiday without Dad.

 

Baptizing Keaton

Nov20

Keaton’s sister being baptized. Melissa said, this is my last chance not to have a child scream at his baptism.

Announcements 11/25/12

Dear People of Immanuel Lutheran Church:

Today we baptize Keaton Glenn Wynsma. One of my favorite things, baptism marks the reality in which we believe: the Holy Spirit fills us, God the Father names us, Jesus Christ saves us and invites us to follow him. Keaton joins his brother and sister, parents and grandparents, and all of us, in this imperfect walk of discipleship. We cannot escape the lures and temptations of this world, which grow louder with every day we come closer to Christmas (every kiss does not begin with Kay Jewelers, but you’d never know it, this time of year). We can resist them, at least most of the time, because we live in a future hope, which guides our choices now. We are workers in the kingdom, that realm where Christ is king.

This baptism also marks the last day we will worship in the sanctuary until the end of March. This decision came out of the recent congregational meeting, which discussed many ways to trim our budget to bring spending more in line with giving. I was surprised but pleased that you decided to include Christmas Eve in this plan. I think it is a wonderful response to the question, how do we use our resources well? Saving money on heat will allow us to catch up benevolence and other important financial commitments. Our charge now is to decorate the parish hall in a way that enables us to celebrate Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany with joy and anticipation. Please bring your ideas to Worship & Music chair Karen Tornga or Altar Guild directress Kathy Burr.

Peace,
Pastor Julie Winklepleck

I heart television

Oct12

Every Friday my friend Lisa posts on facebook: Fringe!

September 26, 2012

Today’s prompt: Frank Lloyd Wright said, “TV is chewing gum for the eyes.” What are your favourite shows to chew?

TV! I constantly think I should watch less, but at the same time caught myself one recent Monday trying to hook myself on The Mentalist, in syndication on TNT, while I was doing stuff on the computer. I have several categories of shows.

Procedurals I leave on in the background – Law & Order, Bones, NCIS, The Glades – not bad shows, but often I like the characters and not the grisly parts, so I’m happy to listen and not watch so much.

Sleeping agents – Angel, Mike & Mike, Criminal Minds, Numbers, whatever’s on TNT at 4 a.m.

Those I buy (Homeland) or rent (the first season of Fringe, I went back to Family Video daily for a week) or borrow (Band of Brothers) on DVD and watch obsessively.

The classics: in my basement are shelves of videotapes of China Beach and thirtysomething, taped off of Lifetime in the 90s, which I never watch but have a hard time throwing away. I have promised myself I will not move them again.

Then there are shows that I have resisted buying, even though they are super cheap at Sam’s Club. That CBS Saturday night lineup that shaped me as a child: All in the Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Carol Burnett Show. Recently I caught an episode of Friends and remembered how much I enjoyed that show, for a time. I was not its target audience, a little older, much fatter, but I grooved with the ways that we make our own families as young adults.

Hmm, what about PBS? I don’t watch public television as much as I used to, Kathy doesn’t get into costume dramas and I think has issues with accents. I own two sets of Poldark videos, the most I’ve every paid for recorded entertainment, but I loved that series, it’s how I discovered Masterpiece Theater. Now it strikes me as a little obvious, a bodice-ripper, but at 10 I thought it terribly sophisticated. PBS was also how I discovered Dick Francis, through a British adaptation of a Sid Halley story. I’ve discovered not only performers but writers whose careers I’ve followed after seeing their work on Mystery or Masterpiece Theater, from Prime Suspect (Helen Mirren), Cracker (Robbie Coltrane), to Jewel in the Crown and most recently, Downton Abbey and Sherlock. PBS was also how I discovered Oscar Wilde (The Importance of Being Ernest), because I saw a great adaptation of a Kurt Vonnegut story, Who Am I This Time? with Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken, on American Playhouse. I went on to read A Streetcar Named Desire as well as The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Perhaps this is part of my soft attitude toward television. I’ve always enjoyed it, always watched it more than some, less than others, but also have always used it as a jumping off point to other art. Mostly books, of course, but also movies and music. Television has been a window for me into a wider world. I grew up in a loving home but a loud one, with lots of undercurrents. All this art sparked my imagination, gave me hope and knowledge that there were other ways to live.

 

Random Singing Friday Five

Sep14

For the RevGalBlogPals, revjkarla posts this week’s Friday Five:

1. What is one of the best things that happened to you this week? As is the way of things, what leapt to mind first was the bad thing – someone melted down all over me at Altar Guild this week. The small church I serve is getting smaller, and as pastor I am the lightning rod for what’s wrong. So I checked my calendar and saw many good things: I went on a flurry of visits, typical behavior before a vacation; a wonderful memorial service for a quiet man who will be much missed; a good dinner and reconnection with old friends as we leave on the first leg of vacation.

2. If you were in a Ms., Miss, Mr. (name your country) Pageant, what would your talent be? I would sing, I suppose; my flute skills are pretty rusty. I have a church voice, which works since I spend a lot of time in churches. I always remember an episode of China Beach where the staffers mount a production of My Fair Lady, with Dr. Richard as Henry Higgins. McMurphy is working on the part of Eliza Doolittle, doing a fair job of it, when a new nurse sweeps in with a Broadway voice that blows everybody away.

3. You were just given a YACHT!!! What would you name it, and why? Am I given the captain to sail the boat as well? ‘Cause that’s too much math for me. Sorry to be such a girl about it. Perhaps I’d call it Ruach, or Holy Breath, some play on words having to do with wind and Spirit.

4. If you were to perform in a circus, what would you do? (I can’t remember if I asked this before…) See singing, above. In my 20s one of my favorite novels was Marion Zimmer Bradley‘s The Catch Trap. Not a great book, but a beloved author and vivid characters, capturing a time gone by in old traveling circuses. I would love to fly with the greatest of ease from the flying trapeze.

5. What do you have in your bag/wallet/backpack that best describes your personality? Well, there’s the iPod and the fountain pens and the Levenger shirt pocket briefcase, the Starbucks gold card… Let’s stick with the fountain pens. One has purple ink, the other orange; I’m quite superstitious about using a fountain pen with a Levenger legal pad to write my sermons. I preach from notes, so I’m not scribbling for hours, but the pen and paper help me think, and I don’t check facebook. I love the marriage of old-fashioned and wild color; like singing classic choral repertoire, I enjoy feeling part of the stream of history, participating in rituals people have been practicing for hundreds of years.

No pictures today, I’m leaving on a jet plane for a wedding in New Hampshire. Mwah, my lovelies!

 

Beauty

Sep12

 

the women of Battlestar Galactica.

 

Today’s prompt: Do you think there is a collective definition of beauty or is it always in the eye of the beholder?

Beauty is culturally based, I think. What we think is beautiful is influenced by family stories and the opinion of friends. Perhaps the biggest factor is advertising, and the amount of time one spends being exposed to what Madison Avenue thinks is pretty or desirable. We’ve all heard that sex sells. I think it’s important to ask, who benefits from a particular fashion guideline? Who makes money off it? One specific issue I have is, the way women police officers and detectives dress on TV cop shows. Oh, the lawyers, too. Yes, I live in the midwest, things are more relaxed here. But I just don’t believe that working women wear high heels they can’t walk, much less run, in, not to mention the short skirts and tank tops. Even with a blazer, not believing the skimpy underlayer is acceptable in a police department. Ok. End of rant. What we think is beautiful is shaped by powerful forces, whether it’s the opinions of those we love, or the concerns of those who spend lots of money to convince us of something.

Friday Five: Characters for a day

Aug31

Mary Beth at RevGalBlogPals writes:
What five characters would you switch places with for a day? I initially read this to mean characters in books, but hey…you can use plays, movies, comic strips, cartoons, anything you’d like. For bonus points, tell us WHY for each or some.
1. Anne of Green Gables. This floated up from my subconscious, maybe influenced by my upcoming vacation to Maine that I wish could be extended to the Maritimes. I reread the books of this series throughout my childhood. I have read them as an adult, and my fondness overruled the saccharine tendencies of the writing. While perhaps obvious, Anne blooms under Marilla & Matthew’s love, and the values taught in the series have served me well.
2. Barbara Havers. I’ve been itching for a cigarette lately, so far I’ve resisted, but Havers is still smoking. I love this sidekick to Elizabeth George‘s Inspector Thomas Lynley. She’s passionate, smart, dresses thoughtlessly, needs a haircut, cares only for justice. She nurses an unrequited – well, at least so far unsuccessful – crush on her neighbor and his daughter, territory I know well. I admire her work ethic. She’s messed up, but always trying hard to do what’s right.
3. Keith Partridge. Another float-up from childhood: when I was in first grade, I didn’t just have a crush on David Cassidy, I wanted to BE Keith, singing and playing guitar and leading the band. My six-year-old views on gender were fluid, and already informed by the idea that girls could do anything boys could do.
4. Colleen McMurphy, the plucky nurse played by Dana Delany on China Beach. I’m a little young for Vietnam, though I do remember conversations about getting my 18-year-old brother to Canada, no way was he gonna fight in that oil war. My mother is a woman of strong opinions. I loved McMurphy’s bob, her passion for healing, her hard-drinking, hard-loving ways. I especially loved her recovery, as shown in the flash-forward episodes of the last season, where she was married to Adam Arkin. When I went to seminary, the other career I considered was nursing, but I couldn’t imagine dealing with the needles. I would love to have those skills, that knowledge, that ability to help make people well.
5. Hester Latterly. Another nurse, from the Crimean War, and lead female character in Anne Perry’s Monk series. A proto-feminist, Hester is passionate about healing and justice, making things right.