Butterfly in the Wind

 During many conversation I hear of sad hearts. People who are saddened by the state of our culture, our weather, our news media, and they often ask rhetorically, "What is going to happen to us?" In the book of Saint John, chapter 14, verse 27 Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (NKJV) This verse alone is comforting. I have repeated it over and over the past few days to myself. The 14th chapter of St. John is a conversation with Jesus and his disciples. Namely, Thomas, Judas (not Iscariot), and Philip are asking him questions. I love Thomas as he is often late or needing clarification. I identify, as I have often been the one who asks the question in a group that I hope others are thinking. He wants to be shown, he wants to see, feel, and touch. This last week Mother Angelica's videos were suggested to me by YouTube. The YouTube algorithm ...

  Church,  église, kerk, or iglesia...are the same place around the world. Working at an elementary school for the past 7 years I have learned that many children do not know what a church is. Only 22 % of Americans polled in 2021 attended church. 31% said that they had never attended a church. Of my student body I would say that only 31% have ever  attended a church.  Many of the 2nd graders can not read the word Church at the beginning of the year and few know what it is. In Europe less than 5% a re reported to attend church. The bells are ringing, but no one is listening. The Bell of St. Luke's in Redding Every Sunday we begin our service with the call to worship of the church bell at St. Luke's. So few people answer the call, but there was a time in history when many people would come when the church bells rang. in 604 Pope Sabastian blessed the ringing of the first official bells in Europe. The tradition in Europe remains and many church bells ring throug...

  Times have changed since schools used a real bell and real globes.    The school bells have been quiet through the summer. I spent most of Summer Break working at the school as a summer custodian. No fire drills, no bells, and no lock down drills (The lock down drill sound is the same as the old air raid siren and goes on for 7 counts.) However, it was not quiet on campus as we housed a summer camp until the end of July. The camp was contained to certain parts of the school as we cleaned.     Each classroom was dusted from ceiling to floor. Each window was wiped down and washed, and at least one replaced. Every desk and chair was inspected and disinfected. Many of the desks got extra TLC to remove marker, pencil, or glue. Finally, we vacuumed and shampooed the carpets. The fellas specialize in stripping and waxing floors in the gym and cafeteria, so I got to do a few rooms top to bottom and shampoo all by myself this summer. It gives a great sense of acco...

       It is mid-summer in Redding, California. The 10 day forecast is over 105 degrees everyday. I am so thankful for air-conditioning at work, in my car, and most of all ~ in my apartment. I spent 28 years of my life living without air-conditioning in this area. I will never forget what a blessing it is to get a Redding Utility Bill in August that tells me I enjoyed not sweating 24/7 through July.      My summer job the past two years has been as a custodian at my elementary school. I do sweat a lot during my 8 hour shift for those 2 months. Today was no exception. I spent my first couple of hours shampooing a carpet. The classroom had cooled to about 75 degrees by the time I was finished and I think I had the room at about 80% humidity. We have these amazing industrial fans to dry the carpets. I am feeling like I am in a tropical jungle and turn on the blower. All of a sudden I am now being attacked with blow darts from pigmies in the jungle. Actual...

  A week ago I drove 150 miles to cuddle some grandbabies and read a book. It could have been any book but this was the one I was handed. My youngest daughter has blessed me with my youngest grandchild. We had a great visit as I got to meet our latest addition to the family. As this was my vacation as well, I stayed two nights at the Carter House in Eureka. My room was on the top floor of this Victorian replica. Mr. Carter found the plans for the Victorian Home in 1978 at a charity shop. It was the plans for a home that had burned in the San Francisco Fire of 1851. He created this as a family home and later turned it into a Bed and Breakfast. That was not all he did. He also built a hotel of the same vintage diagonally across the street. On my previous visit I stayed on the 2nd floor of the hotel for one night. There is a lift in the hotel to assist in taking up your luggage. I was glad that I did not pack too heavy last weekend as there is no lift in the Carter House Home. My room...

       About a months ago my Bishop asked me to lunch. We discussed me being appointed to a position that I had not heard of since I was a small child. I was raised in the Baptist tradition and I now worship in the Anglican traditions so I knew the title of Deaconess must be something very different. In the next few weeks I fell down a number of rabbit holes searching for "Anglican Deaconesses" and found that there are not many in the U.S.A.       A friend gave me a new book by Donna Fletcher Crow entitled " A Darkly Hidden Truth. " Fletcher Crow did not disappointment me in my search of Anglican Traditions in England. In the story Felicity  visits Anglican convents and Sisters of Service which gave me ideas of how I might fill this position in the USA today.      The appointment of Deaconess in my Province of Christ the King Anglican (APCK) must come from a Bishop. This is an appointment and not an ordination. Many other sects...

 Dear Diary,     One year ago I was at the Synod for the Diocese of the Western States for The Anglican Province of Christ the King.  That Friday was the consecration of our local Priest to become a Bishop.  Bishop Mitchel is the one without a big hat    That day I had lunch with the ladies who are behind the scenes of the Synod as they told me what would be my duties as the ACW President of St. Luke's Anglican of Redding. I was humbled, honored, and quit overwhelmed by the end of the day.     I went home to collect my cat, go back to my classwork at CSU-Ohio, and working as an instructional aid in an elementary school. Molly and I sat back into our schedule.   I continued my communications with the ladies in Grant's Pass, Oregon and Southern California. My duties would be as the hostess for the ACW luncheon of 2022, while continuing to be the Altar Guild and keep up with my university classes and daily job. Molly-cat has given...