Drenched 07/30/00

From early this evening to just about a few minutes ago, we were drenched with torrential rains.  It was scary watching water rush in torrents down Pheasant Run.  I was scared stiff when Elsa announced she was going out in it.  My Flourinef medicine had run out and she was togging up to head out into the wet.  Little did I know that it would be 90 minutes before she got back from what should be a 15 minute drive.

It was so frightening, sitting in the living room waiting and listening to the occasional police and fire sirens.  She called once she got to the pharmacy, but then it took her another 45 minutes to get home.  Philmont Avenue was flooded - she expected that - but so were all the other major roads leading home.  The only way she made it was by working her way through the developments. 

I was so glad to see her.

The rain has stopped, but there is still the occasional siren.  I am glad that

Faithful Scribe is back and I hope that all the drivers still out there arrive in their homes like she did, damp but safe and sound.

Love from a relieved - MOM

Vessels 07/29/00

Every month, I give, whenever possible, $100.00 toward household expenses.  To prepare themselves for when I am reunited with Pete, John & Elsa now use the monies toward non-essential uses.  It might go toward investments, a special evening out for the three of us (going to Chart House to celebrate Scott & Kimberly's wedding, for example), or a special purchase. 

This month, Elsa suggested using the designated funds for books/audio tapes from a catalogue called ISABELLA.  Together, we read descriptions of each of the four items under consideration - Breathing as a Metaphor for Life, The Four-Fold Way, Losing a Parent, and Everyday Blessings. 

Elsa also read the write up for a "vessel" necklace.  It moved me very much.  I am still surprised at how much it moved me. 

VESSEL  NECKLACE (tiny vessel on a 30" bronze or silver chain) If I think of one symbol of the Feminine, what comes to mind is the idea of being a vessel.  Both physically as we birth our children and spiritually as we carry forth the role of nurturer in our lives, the vessel represents the essence of Feminine energy,  Feminine energy longs to form containers, to make safe space which can hold and care for the ideas and people we love. The desire to make safe space fuels much of our behavior as we make our homes, nurture our relationships and build community.  It is invisible, the building of containers, for there is seldom tangible evidence of its existence.  But when the energy of the Feminine is missing we surely feel her loss.  Our homes become houses, our relationships shallow, for, if there is nothing holding us, how can we feel safe enough to share our struggles and our joys.  Containers make room for process and process makes way for growth. 

This was put in my path to share.   

Love to you all on a grey, humid Saturday afternoon - CyberGram

on scale 07/28/00

The more my thoughts are uprooted - some transplanted and some tossed on the rubbish heap - the more I realize that we basically know nothing.  

Elsa found a quote from George Lucas, something he said something when the last Star Wars movie came out:  compared to early man, our understanding of God is around a 5 compared to their rating of, say, 2. (I would dispute that order, but that is beside the point).  However, he immediately cautioned, we have to remember that the scale is from 1 to 1,000,000.  That says it in a nutshell.  

I think Elsa is onto something when she says we know just enough of what’s what to mess up the little we know!   >> KRL <<

What a Wednesday .07/27/00

It has taken me 24 hours to write about what a wonderful day I had yesterday.  Two major visits on the same day and I still felt up for going to the hairdresser today.  That is progress.

Jeremy Simons stopped by yesterday afternoon to talk with me about the role of New Church women in the ministry.  It was so stimulating.  He brought several pamphlets by for me to look over and we shared how we see the current discussion going on around this issue. 

After he left, I remembered a couple years ago when Gay Pendleton had dropped by and the two of us were discussing women seeking a recognized role within the General Church ministry.  Gay asked Elsa what she thought and she answered, "Nature hates a vacuum."  I did not understand what she meant at first, but Gay got it right off the bat.

I think there is nothing so beautiful as men taking a strong masculine role and women taking a strong feminine role, the two beautifully fulfilling each other in different ways but on the same plane.  I think of Pete and how much delight he took in building a secure foundation for his family.  We did not have a lot - for many years we were comparatively poor,  poor within a wealthy town - but we never went hungry and always had a roof over our heads.  We did that together. 

I took the greatest delight in being a wife and mother;  I like to think that Pete felt the same about being a husband and father.  It was heaven on earth.

Unfortunately, these are not ideal days when it comes to the concept of conjugial - or true marriage - love.  Men and women TOGETHER are to safeguard that priceless pearl, conjugial love.   Women cannot be held responsible for the confusion about gender roles or the breakdown of marriage.  That is a 2-way street. 

My goodness, this has nothing to do with what Jeremy and I discussed, just shows that his visit got my little grey cells sitting up and taking notice.  What we said was private to us, although I am delighted to say how uplifted I was by the clearness of his thought and opinions.  

Jeremy, please drop by again! 

Jeremy stopped by in the afternoon.  In the evening, Elsa was going to take a young friend of hers off to Barnes & Noble to discuss the young lady's upcoming wedding.  A couple days ago, she got the great idea of having Jessica come to our house for supper, so I could get in a visit.  Then that snowballed into Darryl coming too, when his baseball game was rained out and he was left high and dry with nothing to do.  It still amazes me that I was not too bushed from the stimulating afternoon to do justice to their visit.  

Jessica and Darryl are getting married next June and Jessica asked Elsa to help with baking goodies for the reception.  Well, I do not think there is anything that Elsa loves more than helping out with a wedding.  She becomes a sort of "Adopt-an-Aunt".

Am smiling, remembering the fun she had helping Stella Rose with her wedding and helping Rebekah Darkwah with hers and Aline Cooper with hers and the incredible time she had last year helping out with Shada Rabone's wedding. 

There were so many things that I loved about Darryl and Jessica's visit.  They have such an ease with each other, they seem like good friends.  It was lovely to see how they batted back and forth ideas about the wedding. 

I liked hearing them talk about their circle of friends, which includes some young people (or their parents) who dear to my heart - Mike and Stella, Aline and Jeff,  Doug and Carla, among others.  It makes me smile thinking that if Scott and Kimberly were here, they might be part of that same circle of friends.  Scott was Mike's best man, Mike would have been Scott's if he could have gotten down to Australia, and Mike is Darryl's.  A lovely connection of sorts to a couple who are too far away.

We talked about so many things - Jessica's teaching position in Toronto, Darryl working on his degree in architecture, their families, the discussions taking place within the church, friends and friendship, and glimmerings of what they might be considering for their wedding, and lots of other things that I am too tired to recall. 

I enjoyed their visit very much.    I would like to keep track of them.  I do hope I can go to their wedding.  If I am not there in presence, I am sure I will be in spirit.

It was a wonderful Wednesday.  I am so pleased that I had the get up and go to fully enjoy both visits.  I feel like I am getting stronger  every day.

 

Who'd a thunk it?

Love to you all, a tired - but well-coiffed - Grammie