"When is your next post going to be?"

I'm hearing this a lot lately...

When I can find time to be STILL, I will put my mind to it and pen something...

Like...keeping track of patients as they are moved around the hospital...or outside of it...

Answering pages on codes only to find out it's a faulty fire alarm...

Finding friends where I least expect them...but limited to the hospital itself, just stumbling upon them and feeling like I should have known they were there but then, everyone is entitled to their privacy...

Trying to decide what my happy and sad dollars ought to be at my Rotary Club meeting...

Remembering to put fresh water in the communal animal watering dish outside the gate...

Giving my kitties a new catnip corrugated cardboard scratching thingy and watching them go bananas over it...

Talking to my dear cousin in southeast Texas only to learn his cancer is back and he's too weak to go to Catholic mass...but hearing him tell me he loves me so much means so much to me...

Finding a tremendous gift in a renewed acquaintance from the past / new relationship in the NOW...and feeling the blessing of it...

Getting ever closer to the elusive MVA settlement that will relieve a lot of my current stress...

Yeah, I'll write about this stuff, sooner or later...

Peace.

Catherine

Back to posting...

Ok, it has been A WHILE since I last posted but I've been somewhat at a lost as to what to post about...I could talk about being a chaplain at the hospital, or as a hospice volunteer, or as a member of Rotary and what we are up to there...

I could post about going through some more of my mother's things and parting with some while treasuring others, like the little notes she always used to write to me and stick in drawers, or my lunch when I was a kid, or between pages of a book to find at some later date...I keep them in a cookie jar she made...I'm running out of room in that cookie jar but they are sweeter than any cookie that could ever be stored there...there are days I miss her terribly and others where I laugh at finding an old picture and wonder "Did I really look like THAT?" in disbelief.

I could talk about clearing the scrap lumber from the back yard and cleaning deadwood out of the 60 year old English laurel hedge and the butterfly bushes, and taking it all to the Jackson County Fuel Lot where the wood is cut up for kindling or firewood for low-income folk who cook or heat only with a wood stove or fireplace...I made 6 pick up truck load runs this summer for the warmth of others in TheMartinaN...or how about the extra produce from my garden going to friends so they can still enjoy fresh, organic tomatoes this late in the season; the acorn squash are ripening nicely...then there was tapping beer at the Oktobrfest in historic Jacksonville as a Rotary volunteer helping with the festivities...getting to know my brews was the lesson of the day...

Of course there are always kitty cats to talk about...Tawny Tom aka Kitteh Boy, is still here, and just as sweet as ever...The Girl Cats, Rumi and Pabla, are as independent and occasionally cranky; I'd be worried if they weren't. There are enough catnip mice around the house to form a small regiment....There are days I wish for a dog but that isn't quite possible yet financially. I do take advantage of the therapy dogs at the hospital when I come across one, and get my doggy fix that way.

I am still waiting for the motor vehicle accident settlement of two years ago, today, in fact. My first attorney walked out on the case, to my complete surprise, but I have another one who is making more progress in the last two months than the other one did in over a year...I would really like for all of that to be over by the end of the year...please God!

I am still pursuing my call to the priesthood but even with a priest that finally gets it and supports my call, the way is slow, baffling and tedious. There is suppose to be a discernment committee formed but communication is a problem with all concerned and frankly, I'm more than a bit miffed about it. The affirmations I have received from members of my parish and the hospital, and from hospice, all point to my work and ministry converging to affirm and reaffirm my calling to sacramental orders, but the worldly aspects are full of pitfalls and disappointments. The right hand is clueless to the left hand's doings. Again, it's about a lack of communication. I will persevere however; I will not be diverted from my call.

So I guess, I could pick one of those things to write about, but since I've basically given a summa of things Catherine, that will do for now...

I've really got to get back to writing...

...it's either that or lose my mind, although some people I know think that happened years ago...kidding.

So as I wait for some cinnamon toast and a cup of tea, I've been thinking.  Writing is one of my passions and I have not been doing nearly enough of it to fill a thimble.  I haven't blogged since July and people are quickly going all Facebook to post their thoughts and ideas rather than what started it all...blogging.

A blog is something you can call your own.  You conceive of the idea, decide on what you wish to convey visually and verbally and then you put it all together with a blogging wizard [the rest of the 99.9% that cannot write in HTML or XML, or whatever the code is] and wallah!  I am a bit proud of my little blog as it did save my mind and heart back in March of 2006 when it was born.  It was a blog about me at first, then about my opinions, then my reflections and editorials on what other people or entities were thinking or spouting, as the case may be...then it became about the Episcopal Church, about convention that year, about electing the first woman bishop, about narrow-minded members of the Church breaking off from progress and inclusion of all the baptized and the not-so-baptized.  That's because Christ's love supersedes ritual or sacraments that we create to maintain an ancient  yet living memory and distinction.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the liturgy and the rituals of our denomination cement the earthly concepts we have of honoring one who sacrificed self for us.  Our history and that of the world contains numerous accounts of self-sacrificing individuals who have given their life for others or country.  But these things--are not necessary for salvation--however one interprets it.

I have written about love and loss, human and animal, about depression, about my shortcomings as well as those I perceive in others.  When you are a blogger you can write about anything or anyone, almost.

Because I am a writer, a seeker and communicator, I write about stuff that means something to me or is reflective of who I am.  Many people say "Oh, be careful what you write!  You could lose your job!" I'm not worried, not in the least.  And maybe this is why I will take up blogging again, and do it more often.

Facebook is ok most of the time, when you can figure out what the programmers are trying to do, and even when you aren't trying to figure it out, it keeps people in touch immediately.  So the posts here will be more  in the way of opinion, editorial, and spiritual.  Occasionally maybe it will only be a photograph that posts, being a commentary unto itself.  At least I'll try to keep the focus there.  And to do so requires some discipline and focus.  As for me, I hope to return to full time work soon.  All the therapies I have been engaged in since the accident have almost run their course.  There's some permanent damage that denotes a new normal which I have been trying to adjust to all year long, sometimes succeeding, other times just wanting to give up.  But there are people, thank goodness, who won't let me do the latter.

I thank Rev. Tom and his wonderful Huberta for being there in prayer for me, as well as Shirley, Vicki, Denise and David, Morgan+, Meredith+, Carol+ and countless others who have befriended me with prayers across the country and overseas, bloggers, Facebookers, and Tweeters.

So let this be a new beginning for Come to the Table and for me.

Thank you,
Catherine

Stay Tuned for a posting to a blog near you...

I will think of something to click away at...it's not like I haven't had some choices, i.e., the Bishops' Ho-down in Alexandria, the groaning wheel of progress in the Church of England toward the birthing of women bishops there, the economy [what hasn't been said?], and so on. The fact that tulips and daffys are sprouting out of the cold, hard earth is definitely newsworthy so that may be a topic for consideration.

Be assured, dear reader, that something is afoot [a word influenced by a recent recreational read].

I encourage you all to "hang in there" and try to spend a little money now and then to keep the economy from coming to a complete standstill. Getting through this desert is a group effort of individuals, that means us.

Sooner rather than later,

Catherine+

The Abbey of the Arts: Timely for Advent

A while back I stumbled upon a blog/website called The Abbey of the Arts. And I really, really like it. It allows for the expression of spirituality through art media and writing.

This Advent, the theme is light in the darkness. I entreat you to go there and experience it for yourself. Here is an excerpt from Christine's latest post:

To Know the Dark

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

-Wendell Berry

_______________

"In the Northern hemisphere we are in a time of growing darkness. This is my favorite season, the time when the last leaves have fallen from the trees and nights grow wide inviting rest, renewal, and dream-time. I adore the blooming, singing darkness as Wendell Berry writes...."

You can read the rest here.

A new poetry blog

Hi there all...

Though this is not a posting of thought-provoking poetry or prose, it is worth shifting gears to bring it to you and your attention.

In my Lenten musings, I have come across a new-to-me blog called The Grotto. It is about the poetry of Anne Skelton, and apparently hosted by her as well. She is somewhere in my neck of the American woods but her offerings are in their early stages and sort of reflect some of our Northwest seasonal affective disorder. Some if not all deal with personal loss for now, but in communicating with her, she promises things will get lighter as time goes on. It seems that a good friend of hers has persuaded her to create this blog for her own expression as well as the enjoyment of others.

As I perused the blog I later had to ask her if she was going to leave it with only the written word or would she put up some photos or art work; she said she didn't know; she paused, sort of shrugged invisibly in her letter and then told me she thought that maybe that would be a good idea [yay! For me!]. She moves deliberately and thoughtfully so let's all be patient. Currently she has four works up at The Grotto and some links to poetry sites she finds edifying and "beautiful".

So, in your journeys, I urge you to stop off at The Grotto and rest awhile as you read some soulful work wrought of words.

Catherine+

...living Lent in the fast lane....