Memorial Day

I really do like Memorial Day. I love all the flag waving. I love the parades. I love the picnics. I love the concerts full of music that makes me proud to be an American. The ugly politics we usually hear has been replaced by words of gratitude and patriotism. I truly am grateful for this great country of ours. God bless America!

I have a small flag hanging in my window with two stars shining brightly, one for each of my family who are currently serving in our military. One star is for my grandson, the airman. 

The other star is for my son the soldier, who is safely home after four tours in Iraq.

Senior Chorale

There are lots of problems with growing old. Teeth fall out. Aches and pains become a normal part of life. Old friends are lost. Fortunately, God, in His great wisdom, also gives us many joys to help this part of life become a time rich in blessings too.

 For me one of the best things about getting older is being a part of the Bowie Senior Chorale. Once a week for the past eight years I've gone to the senior center to spend two hours learning to sing and learning to live. The time we spend together is one of the highlights of my week. This group of 100 people have learned to make beautiful music. Half the group can't read music and most have no formal training, but our lively young director, Craig, inspires us and teaches us and makes sing far beyond our expectations. Our inner divas shine through our wrinkled, well worn bodies and for a little while we feel young again.

 Last night we sang a rousing program full of songs about America to a sold out house. I believe our audience left happy and proud to part of this great country of ours.

The Dentist

“Wow! That's really big. It's enormous.” These words did not bring me any comfort as the dentist checked my mouth to inspect the tooth that had broken last week. He told me the entire front half of the tooth had broken off, and the back half was a filling he had put there five years ago. He wasn't sure if he could save it. I like my dentist. We've become friends over the forty years that he has taken care of my teeth. He is a kind and gentle man. I try to be a good patient, but I really am a wimp. I hate sitting in the dentist's chair. “Open wide,” he said and he went to work. First there were needles. Lots of needles. I don't get numb easily. Then there was the the little jack hammer drilling away the part he didn't like, along with the the suction machine, the blow gun, an erector set and the little sunlamp. I didn't know my mouth could open that far. He poked and punched and prodded around in my mouth for almost two hours. Finally he was done. I still have my tooth, but if it breaks again it will have to come out. Teeth wear out over time. I had done everything right and the tooth still broke. This getting old stuff has a lot of disadvantages.

Mother & Grandmother

These four children of mine fill me with love, joy and pride. I am indeed blessed

We had Mother's Day lunch at our granddaughter's house. I don't remember growing older. When did she become such a grown-up?

Nurse's Week

This is national nurse's week. To celebrate I thought I’d share one of favorite nurse stories. Thirty years ago I worked in a big inner-city hospital. It was hard work, but usually I enjoyed the job and loved taking care of those in my care. One day I was assigned to care for Agnes. Agnes was an elderly lady who had suffered a stroke. She was not able to do much for herself. I had spent a good deal of time with her that morning. I had fed her breakfast, helped her brush her teeth, given her a bath and even a back rub. I got her up in a chair and fixed her hair up with ribbons. She seemed grateful. I have a habit of singing while I do chores, and as I was changing her sheets I was singing a song without even being aware that I was singing. Agnes sat and listened for a while. Finally she said, “Honey,when you were young, I bet you could sing.” Do you know any good good nurse stories?

Lunch Conversation

My astronomer husband and I have been married for more than fifty years. We really have almost nothing in common - except for the many years of living together, the five kids, the ten grandkids, and the fact that he is just so cute. Recently he joined the SLOOH Space Camera site. He spends many hours viewing the sky and observing the stars and planets. He is enthralled by all he is able to see. His conversation is now dominated by his observation of the sky using this telescope. Our lunch conversation today sounded sort of like this:

D - “When you plot the same right ascension and declination you see a different part of the sky each time you look.” S- “This is a big salad. I'll give you some.” D – “I am about to complete photographing Pluto's movement.” S –“ I still think Pluto is a planet.” D – “It's only a plutiod - only 14th magnitude brightness.” S - “This is a good sandwich.” D – “The sun is 10 to the 16th times brighter than Pluto.” S -”I think I'll have ice cream for dessert.” D - “Me too.”

Communion

One of the things I get to do at church is prepare the communion for our Sunday morning services. This has never been a chore for me. It has always felt like a privilege. I have so many memories that surround communion. Usually the church is quiet while I get things ready and it becomes a time a peaceful meditation for me. The scriptures say that we are to remember Jesus as we gather around the communion table. I do think about Jesus, but I also feel surrounded by all the people who have shown me Jesus over the years.

In our tradition we pass trays filled with small cups of grape juice along the pews. Each person takes one of the small cups and drinks the juice as we reflect on it's meaning.

I grew up in a family where church was very much part of our everyday life. One of my earliest memories is standing on a chair in the church kitchen helping my mom put the little glass cups into the trays. As I got a bit older I was allowed to fill a bulb syringe with juice and squirt it into the little cups. My mom made this chore seem like a great privilege that only big girls were allowed to do. I'm a big girl now, Mom. I am allowed to fill the little cups all by myself.

Just as funny things happen around the dinner table at home, lots of funny things have happened over the years around the communion table. I think God must have a wonderful sense of humor, and God must laugh with us at our funny mishaps.

One week we prepared the trays on Saturday afternoon and put them into the refrigerator until time for services the next morning. Somehow the refrigerator got set to very, very cold. The juice in the little cups froze solid. We did not notice this until the trays were being passed along the pews and people tried to drink. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. It is impossible to drink an ice cube. People tried licking the frozen juice. People tried turning the cups in their hands to thaw them. Some people banged the little cups on the pews or their legs. Everyone got the giggles.

Scripture refers to the fruit of vine as part of the communion. This inspired one minister to substitute grapes for the juice. Instead of trays of juice, plates of grapes were passed along the pews. This felt a bit odd, but it became very funny when we realized that these were not seedless grapes. Just what is the polite thing to do with grape seeds in church?

One Sunday one of the teen-aged boys helping to serve communion was coming back down the steps from the pulpit area when he tripped. The tray flew out of his hands, spilling juice all over him, the floor and everyone sitting on the front row. There was a great deal of jumping up and scurrying around in an effort to clean up the mess. Poor Chris just sat there and said, “Uh-oh.” For years afterward the people getting ready to serve would pray not to pull a Chris.

One of my dear friends would frequently look at me with a sparkle in her eye as we took the cup. We would clink our little cups together and whisper,”Cheers.” For us it was a happy little celebration of being together in God's family. I miss you Julie.

Next time you gather around the communion table, remember that you are part of the family of God. Remember Jesus, and remember all the people who have helped you to celebrate the joy of being a Christian.

Do you have any good stories about communion?

Come to the table.