Sugar Maple in Fall

 

A terrific bit of Rumi

Someone Digging in the Ground

Any eye is meant to see things.
The soul is here for its own joy.
A head has one use: for loving a true love.
Legs: to run after.

Love is for vanishing into hte sky. The mind,
for learning what men have done and tried to do.
Mysteries are not to be solved. The eye goes blind
when it only wants to see why.

A loves is always accused of something.
But when he finds his love, whatever was lost
in the looking comes back completely changed.
On the way to Mecca, many dangers: thieves,
the blowing sand, only camel's milk to drink.
Still each pilgrim kisses the black stone there
with pure longing, feeling in the surface
the taste of the lips he wants.

This talk is like stamping new coins. They pile up,
while the real work is done outside
by someone digging in the ground.

~The Essential Rumi, Translations by Coleman Barks with Joyn Moyne

Invitation for HOP Summer Receptions

Draft Invite:

Dear Friend,

You have been a wonderful support to the Episcopal House of Prayer. We want to thank you, and strengthen our ties with you.

Please honor us with your presence at one of the small receptions this summer. Feel free to bring a friend who might be interested in the HOP.

Dinner, prepared by Ward Bauman at the House of Prayer Friday, June 24^th, 7:00 PM with the option to stay over night until 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Dessert Receptions from 6:30 to 9:00

July 12 at the home of Helen Hansen in St. Paul
July 14 hosted by Stephen and Cynthia Wlosinski at St. Andrews by the Lake in Duluth
July 19 at the home of Mary Lilja (metro, I don't have the address at hand)

Please tell Elisa in the HOP office if you will join us, and for which reception.
(320) 363-3293

*****************

Questions:

Should the desserts be later? 7:00 or 7:30? I’m not sure where I got 6:30.

Do we want a reply card?, or just the phone number?

Suggestions on the text?

Metro Mission Strategy Meeting

Tensions high, but no bloodshed

Leaders of the diocese, lay and clerical, met to pick up the challenge/opportunity presented by God in the potential sale of the diocesan office. The potential $3.5 million profit focused people on intentionally investing for growth as a time when the budget and resources have been in serious decline. The energy to move forward was palpable. The 80 people gathered want to move forward in a commitment to a planning process that would be transparent, collaborative in design, and produce a specific recommendation within a specific period of time.

The Secret Order of Episcopalians

a divergent church

You are invited to join S.O.E. today. Members of the Secret Order of Episcopalians take the following vows:

• I will never tell anyone about the Episcopal Church or my involvement in it.
• I will never under any circumstances speak of my personal faith in public, especially not in church.
• Should I choose to wear the cross as a sign of my faith I will keep it under my clothing at all times.

S.O.E. is an entirely independent dysfunctional organization. It is not related, connected, or in any other way affiliated with MEESC – www.env-steward.com, nor is there any connection real or imagined between S.O.E. and The Onion – satirical news on the web at www.theonion.com. The FTC has determined that no conflict of interest results from the interlocking co-chairmanships of S.O.E. and MEESC (the Minnesota Episcopal Environmental Stewardship Commission). Join today at http://secretorder episcopal.blogspot.com/

(Printed on 100% recycled diocesan mission strategies. No trees were killed for the printing of this flyer.)

Too much instrumentality, loosing sight of joy

On Sunday at the Angelica Cantanti concert, one of the seniors read a very well-written reflection on what his years in the choir had taught him. As I recall he prominently mentioned the ability to focus, the discipline, and contribute to the good of the whole. These are all very valuable lessons and everyone was impressed with this statement and his poise and making it, myself included.

The next morning though I discovered in myself a bit of sadness in recalling the young man's statement. To be fair, he was writing in response to a question on a college entrance exam. Nevertheless it struck me that his answer was very instrumental. He spoke of what he had learned of what he had gotten out of the experience that would be valuable to him in the future.

I thought to myself where is the sheer joy. I would rather have heard the young man say, "I'm delighted to have been in Angelica Cantanti all these years because making beautiful music together with a bunch of people is more damn fun than a barrel full of monkeys.

Initial Posting

I was curious what blogging was and how it worked, so I looked it up online. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I had started one. Blogger certainly makes it easy.

Now I'm off to explore the rest of the settings and options.