tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post5683855565695576408..comments2024-03-23T18:50:32.902-04:00Comments on Telling Secrets: Hello in there. HelloElizabeth Kaetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-42261366957719884772009-03-21T21:48:00.000-04:002009-03-21T21:48:00.000-04:00Gee, Jim, wonder where you first heard that? ;~)Gee, Jim, wonder where you first heard that? ;~)Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-16027860936857740692009-03-21T21:36:00.000-04:002009-03-21T21:36:00.000-04:00And like I said in Gigi's baptism sermon... her pr...And like I said in Gigi's baptism sermon... her prayers are imbedded in the wooden rafters at St. Paul's. Hope you have many more meaningful visits with her.JimMollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15569109219280693846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-41356767785458805782009-03-21T14:37:00.000-04:002009-03-21T14:37:00.000-04:00Thanks, IT. One of the more outrageous things Fred...Thanks, IT. One of the more outrageous things Fred said before I deleted his comment was that the fact that folks can still repeat things like The Lord's Prayer is evidence of what he called "child abuse."<BR/><BR/>Carl Jung once said to an atheist, "You know, if I believed in the God of your belief, I'd be an atheist, too."Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-2567450271753209422009-03-21T14:31:00.000-04:002009-03-21T14:31:00.000-04:00Thank you, Elizabeth! Of course if I believed in ...Thank you, Elizabeth! Of course if I believed in God I would be an Episcopalian, but, well....<BR/><BR/>RE. the topic of your original post, BTW, first, you are a heckuva pastor. But we knew that.<BR/><BR/>Second, I'm not surprised that even as everything else goes in memory, the prayer does not. Sitting in Mass with my beloved of late, I find that despite giving up the practice of Catholicism over 30 years ago I can still basically "say" the creed by heart thanks to all those years in childhood attending Mass. Some memories become etched in granite, and even as the softer stones wear away with age, the granite remains till the end.<BR/><BR/>ITIThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-47638073041329203882009-03-21T13:05:00.000-04:002009-03-21T13:05:00.000-04:00Oh, IT, honey, you know you bear the distinction o...Oh, IT, honey, you know you bear the distinction of being "The Best Damn Atheist in All of Western Christendom." <BR/><BR/>Well, you do in my book, at least.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-60860331116962049632009-03-21T13:01:00.000-04:002009-03-21T13:01:00.000-04:00Dear ElizabethI hold no remit for the sad and sorr...Dear Elizabeth<BR/><BR/>I hold no remit for the sad and sorry Fred-Troll whose bile doesn't belong anywhere, <BR/><BR/> but,<BR/><BR/>(a-hem)<BR/><BR/>*I'm* an atheist who hangs out on religious blogs. <BR/><BR/>ITIThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-80178595528322404712009-03-20T21:23:00.000-04:002009-03-20T21:23:00.000-04:00thanks Elizabeth,that story reminds of visiting my...thanks Elizabeth,<BR/>that story reminds of visiting my grandma before she passed. Couldn't remember anything that happened the last 2 years, but ask her about being raised in a soddie in North Dakota and she could talk for hours. It sounds like a difficult but rewarding ministry. My mom volunteers at hospice, and now i get a glimmer as to why. thanks again.Lost in Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10748475022379116380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-41641353205359635012009-03-20T20:39:00.000-04:002009-03-20T20:39:00.000-04:00Yo, Fred! No I haven't published your last two po...Yo, Fred! No I haven't published your last two posts. They are toxic waste. <BR/><BR/>You got something positive to contribute? Fine. No? Don't bother.<BR/><BR/>If you are an atheist - I mean, truly an atheist - why do you bother to hang around Christian web sites? <BR/><BR/>Have you considered is really not healthy for you? I mean, seriously not healthy. <BR/><BR/>So, no posts for you unless you got something to contribute to the conversation. If you persist, I will banish you to the outer darkness of my SPAM filter.<BR/><BR/>No joke. Got it, pal?Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-61070755524825058352009-03-20T13:50:00.000-04:002009-03-20T13:50:00.000-04:00I first heard Hello In There from a Joan Baez CD t...I first heard <I>Hello In There</I> from a Joan Baez CD that I have, <I>Diamonds & Rust</I>. I looked high and low for it on the web, but alas it evades me. There is a YouTube video of a young Joan singing this with Kris Kristopherson, but it is not the same as off this album.<BR/><BR/>Since 2nd and 3rd world nations do not usually have "old folks homes" because we tend to still live in large extended families, perhaps we experience this less. My parents are into their mid 70s, (I am a late marriage accident, eight years younger than my closest sibling) but still command their positions as family and village leaders, as did their parents before them. I know that my Papá will die working our beloved fields and orchards with my uncles, brothers and cousins and they will bring his body to the house on a hay wagon, as they have all the others. His mind is sharp and he yet challenges my brother with the Masters in Agriculture, with but his high school education. My Mamá still manages her kitchen and her garden, as she has since my earliest memories. I think that because here in México we do not ever really retire, the elders are continually challenged mentally. I have a great aunt who cannot tell you what she did yesterday, but she can still run a mean kitchen and garden with her women kinfolk.<BR/><BR/>I see that Fred P has returned to correct you Mother Lizbet. He is an atheist troll who thinks God is our imaginary friend, and who has decided to spread vile racism and any manner of hate to the progressive Anglican blogs. He may try it on the Orthodite blogs, but I am sure their elves delete him quickly.Brother Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06333089314994730330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-20933440008141097402009-03-20T11:58:00.000-04:002009-03-20T11:58:00.000-04:00Well, hello again, Fred. Still not over your time...Well, hello again, Fred. Still not over your time with the Phelps gang I see. You, like them, just hate the fact that Jesus loves us all - each and every one. <BR/><BR/>Even you, Fred. Even you.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-32690013314265543312009-03-20T11:55:00.000-04:002009-03-20T11:55:00.000-04:00Don't flatter yourself-or your "pathetic nazarene ...Don't flatter yourself-or your "pathetic nazarene ideology"; I have nothing to do with any religion. I have double the contempt you have for frauds and idiots like Falwell, Robertson and Sharpton and those who follow them.Fred Preusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06438368833909384043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-73507378886559583832009-03-20T11:53:00.000-04:002009-03-20T11:53:00.000-04:00Ola and Boa Vinda, MaryinBrazil. I suppose you co...Ola and Boa Vinda, MaryinBrazil. I suppose you could find an assuption that this is the work only for the ordained. I never said that, I don't think. Indeed, I never would. I have several trained Pastoral Visitors at the church, two of whom lead a service of Prayer with reserved sacrament in three local nursing homes. Their ministry is every bit as valid as mine. If I didn't believe that, I never would have started a Pastoral Visitor Program.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-86313435049416573832009-03-20T11:32:00.000-04:002009-03-20T11:32:00.000-04:00It's a beautiful story, and you tell it with beaut...It's a beautiful story, and you tell it with beauty, humor, and flair.<BR/><BR/>I read it for the first time yesterday and then came back and read the comments. This is the first time I've been moved to respond to your blog, though I've been a long-time lurker.<BR/><BR/>What made me want to speak up is the assumption that only the ordained can do this kind of work. I'm one of those invisible middle-aged women that clergy are "kind" to, but nursing home visits such as the one you describe command a significant portion of my prayer life and spare time. I meditate very seriously on the dignity of the people I visit, having seen a few of them make the transition from active to housebound to forgotten by most of the parish. And I'm not the only one who does this. <BR/><BR/>People who are imprisoned in these circumstances call upon not only the Lord's Prayer, but also Psalms 23 and 91, and the Magnificat. Sometimes the Victorian hymns take on new depth because they are the one thing that a severely impaired person can still give voice to.<BR/>When you tell this story you are telling ours as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-43053767678797518202009-03-20T10:58:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:58:00.000-04:00My late brother died much younger in the grips of ...My late brother died much younger in the grips of serious mental disorder. But even towards the end when his delusions would lead him to suicide, he could lucidly explain to another patient in the psych ward the doctrine of real presence (Lutheran) and say the Lord's prayer. Early training matters a lot.<BR/><BR/>Prayers for "Jane" ascending. Receive her oh Lord, who places her trust in you.<BR/><BR/>FWIW<BR/>jimBJimBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17312606954135884910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-45906985021089837702009-03-20T10:36:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:36:00.000-04:00Oh, and I meant to add - just because you don't "b...Oh, and I meant to add - just because you don't "believe" in something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-18415943879472526752009-03-20T10:31:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:31:00.000-04:00Oh, dear, Alicia. I obviously have not kept up wi...Oh, dear, Alicia. I obviously have not kept up with 'pop culture'. And, what else would we expect from an unrepentant "fag hag". I had a conversation with a fairly notorious one who looked at me boldfaced and said, "I love being a fag hag. Look around. I'm in a room with all these gorgeous men and I'm the only woman."<BR/><BR/>I thought, "And, how very sad - to 'love' being in a room where the love is, and will always be, unrequited."<BR/><BR/>BTW, she had married a bisexual man with whom she had had a son. The son died of SIDS at 4 weeks of age. Her husband died of AIDS. And she is still a notorious fag hag who doesn't "believe" in gay marriage. <BR/><BR/>Right.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-36840681231358131792009-03-20T10:23:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:23:00.000-04:00Your story made me think about my visits to the as...Your story made me think about my visits to the assisted living facilities in our parish. Then I remembered something I had written about five years ago. Quite a few of the geriatric patients are kept in the psychiatric ward in our hospitals. This was my observation back then.<BR/><BR/><B><I>The Gerrys<BR/><BR/>Faces framed by open doorways.<BR/>Always open, of harsh necessity.<BR/><BR/>Unmoving faces, propped up<BR/>In their geri-chairs,<BR/>Facing out - - Always.<BR/><BR/>But the eyes, Alive.<BR/>They move, they follow - All<BR/>In their limited world.<BR/>Framed by open doorways<BR/>Always open, of harsh necessity.</I></B><BR/><BR/>WHS 08/14/03 6 a.m.<BR/><BR/>The geri-chairs are special chairs for geriatric patients.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05623709712119761741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-22327560077905060512009-03-20T10:16:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:16:00.000-04:00Like another post said, I miss those conversations...Like another post said, <BR/>I miss those conversations with my father, and would give anything to do them all over again.<BR/><BR/>Ms Midler I see in a new light these days since she publicly came out against Gay Marriage on The Tonight show.aliciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10877836254889020404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-88398229704358564012009-03-20T08:38:00.000-04:002009-03-20T08:38:00.000-04:00Fred! You're back, and nasty as ever, I see. Tha...Fred! You're back, and nasty as ever, I see. That time spent away at Fred Phelp's church in Kansas has only sharpened your already razor-sharp mean edge. <BR/><BR/>In case anyone is wondering, I posted Fred's comment here just so you know how low the bottom is on the so-called 'orthodox right'. It's a new sea mark in the ocean of bitterness and guile on the 'right'.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-20476815316106415512009-03-20T04:18:00.000-04:002009-03-20T04:18:00.000-04:00That's twice now you've made me cry remembbering m...That's twice now you've made me cry remembbering my Nana. This has got to stop.Malcolm+https://www.blogger.com/profile/08469936715413110334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-11930246760751997952009-03-20T00:59:00.000-04:002009-03-20T00:59:00.000-04:00Yes, for me the song is John Prine's, too.This is ...Yes, for me the song is John Prine's, too.<BR/><BR/>This is one of those stories that tell me that parish ministry really <I>isn't</I> one of my charisms. ALS is a b*tch, but my mom kept her mind to the very end at least (praying my dad does, too). God bless <I>you</I> though, Lisbet, for the charisms you so evidently DO have.<BR/><BR/>Merciful Lord---who neither slumbers, sleeps, nor forgets---hold Jane close.JCFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14516376500318551838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-88757470486254837892009-03-19T22:56:00.000-04:002009-03-19T22:56:00.000-04:00At last, you've found someone who's the right inte...At last, you've found someone who's the right intellectual level for religion: a vegetable.<BR/> Shame that Sunny von Bulow's dead; you could've had a congregation.Fred Preusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06438368833909384043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-3324135904272493952009-03-19T22:05:00.000-04:002009-03-19T22:05:00.000-04:00During the last year of my grandmother's life, she...During the last year of my grandmother's life, she was much like "Jane." During that time, my mother came into possession of my great-grandmother's diary (her mother's mother) of the family's summer time spent on a rather rustic camp on the Hudson in the early 1920's. The diary was not long, and encompassed several years. My grandmother would have been 10 years old or so at the time the diary was written.<BR/><BR/>My mother found it difficult to have much conversation with my grandmother at the time, so she would read Nana's diaries to Gram, and Gram was right there, hanging on every word! That part of her remained, and she remembered everything about those summers. It was a beautiful thing my mother could share with her, and one of the few things she could understand at age 97. Her memory was so clear of those old days. My mom read that diary over and over and over again, just to be able to have some connection. <BR/><BR/>Yes, she was still in there. I'm so glad you were able to find Jane where she was as well, even for fleeting moments. I'm quite certain that it gave her some joy in the midst of the fog that now surrounds her.Suzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529580138314011952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-91551448813904328622009-03-19T21:56:00.000-04:002009-03-19T21:56:00.000-04:00The Lord's Prayer sticks in there up to the end --...The Lord's Prayer sticks in there up to the end -- just three weeks ago, I went to the hospital to visit a long-time member (who had kept up until he was hospitalised), 95, who was in his last days. His sons said he was unresponsive so I laid hands on him and anointed him, and when I finished, his eyes popped open and he said, 'Thank you.' Then I asked if he would like to say the LP and he did, and he kept up with me. The sons, not really church-goers, were flabberghasted. Their father died two days later at 8.45, just as we were at communion at his usual service, the Rite I HE.<BR/><BR/>A wonderful telling and, oh yes, oh yes. BTDT.<BR/><BR/>Bless this woman. Bless you.Caminantehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16610142955176992982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29373297.post-40317983314901264372009-03-19T20:33:00.000-04:002009-03-19T20:33:00.000-04:00Beautiful prayer, Margaret. Thank you so much. A...Beautiful prayer, Margaret. Thank you so much. And yes, sussankay, we all need reminders.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.com