Intercession, part one

Though I started my blog during this time, here are some pictures to summarize the first part of the three weeks. It was a great break, not to mention a great time of year to have it. Hopefully we can have this break again next year; we'll see. Since it's late and I need to get up tomorrow. I'm going to post this in parts. This is going into the first weekend.. I went to Coppell, Texas the weekend we got out and returned on Sunday, the day before our brek officially began. These are pictures of leaving Savannah on Sept 21, a very dreary Friday morning and returning on Sunday, September 23 a nice typical day in Savannah.

Reaffirmation Day

OK, rewind to Sunday, October 14, 2007.

I know, I probably should have posted that day, but it was so pretty that I wanted to spend as much time as possible outside. Too, I ended up going to Harbortown which I had been wanting to do anyway.
So, imagine yourself... Sunday... October 14, 2007, The Church of the Cross, Bluffton, South Carolina.
It was a pretty busy day; although it helped me get back into getting up early as school was resuming the next day (remember we had been in Intercession during the first two weeks of October; so this was a great way to conclude such a nice break). Our bishop, Bishop Salmon was making his annual visit; so our church was bustling.

We musicians were quite busy that morning as we sang and rang handbells at both services. It was rather amusing as we, bellringers, were hustling back to the back to process in as the 8:00 service was beginning. I had wanted a picture with Bishop Salmon and had brought my camera, but in the scheme of things decided to forgo it, however, he remembered and made sure that I got my picture. I was touched.

We also had a choir pic made as well. This was photographed between services. Here we are.

You may ask what is reaffimation? Actually, this term refers to the reaffirmation of baptismal vows. Question still unanswered? OK. By definition the reaffirmation of baptismal vows refers to a significant stage in the adult faith journey that is similiar to confirmation and reception. In the Episcopal church, if a person is joining, he/she may do so in one of three ways: (1) By baptism (2) By confirmation (3) By reception. If one is joining from another denomination such as the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church or the East Orthodox Church (Russian or Greek) he/she is received. Since I was baptized and confirmed many years ago (yes, I am old enough to be able to say many) I was reaffirmed. What happened was that Bishop Salmon placed his hands on my head and said the following: Sunny,may the Holy Spirit, who has begun a good work in you, direct and uphold you in the service of Christ and his kingdom. Amen. It was very moving, a moment I'll always remember.

I'm back

Hi!

Did ya miss me? Well, it has been VERY busy since we returned to school last week. Seriously. I have lots to blog. I now know what other bloggers feel like because it's hard keeping up with this in addition to a husband, children (if that is applicable), nightly activities of which I have had several this last week in addition to just wanting some down time, but it all comes out in the wash. Have lots of pictures to post. So stay tuned in, I'll begin with Sunday,October 14, an important day for several of us in the Episcopal Church.

Reality Check

I have had a reality check. I got word when returning home from a meeting earlier this evening. A dear friend of mine has relasped with Leukemia in his Central Nervous System. He's in Indiana and will probably have surgery by the end of the week to have a central line put in his body to began chemo all over again. It's sad because a few weeks ago (about a month this weekend, I think) a big party was held to celebrate his going into remission and now this. You know, nothing is more important than a person's life. NOTHING, not money, power, possessions, anything. Please pray for this friend of mine, his name is Matthew. Pray for his family, especially his siblings none of them are taking this well at all. Pray for his mother, she's so upset by this whole thing, that she is physically ill, and pray for all Matthew's friends. Maybe, just maybe Matthew will get through this relapse and out live us all. Let's hope.

Lazarus Lizard

I'm just know you are dying to know about whatever happened to our dear little friend, Lazarus Lizard. Well, I've been pondering how I was going to break the news, so here goes......... Our little friend passed yesterday between the hours of 12:00 and 2:15. Neither Madison nor Kaby will share any type of detail with me. I returned home from a lunch date only to find poor Lazarus.

This Morning

Well,

This morning, I got to do something other than just sleep in. Go to Family Chapel held at my church's day school. It was awesome! I really wish every school had chapel at least once a week because it's such a great way to start the work day. Of course, I surprised some friends/fellow church members because school teachers are generally in school at 8:30 in the morning; however, I am privileged to teach on a year round school schedule which means my school has been in session for 3 months ( we began back in July) and have been off on Fall Break (known as Intercession in my district) for the last 2 1/2 weeks. The beauty of our time off has been great for many reasons: 1) Sleeping in ( of course) 2)Having some downtime ( another goodie)
3) Catching up on errand/ household projects that one would generally do in the evenings after work or on the weekend 4) Getting to do things that you just don't get to do during the working hours of the day such as: going to the beach, shopping, going to Savannah, watching ER episodes, getting ahead on school work, etc... .

Several days ago, I was talking with a friend about the Day School's events, and she was telling me about chapel. The thing that appealed to me was the idea of Family chapel meaning that the students' families could go to chapel with as well. I thought How wonderful! and that it was. Somehow, I can sense some more opportunities for me at my own church....

Papa Walker

Today is October 9. I know what you are probably thinking. I know that, why are you telling me? Well, because it is the 21st anniversary of my Papa's ( my dad's father's) death. There are not too many days that go by without my thinking about him. I remember the day of his death as if it were yesterday. I was in the 9th grade, my brother in the 5th. It was a chilly, rainy Thursday afternoon. We had come home from school and were doing homework as was the afternoon routine when the phone rang. I will always remember the grim tone of my step-grandmother's voice as she asked for my parents' work numbers. Sensing that something was wrong because it was rare for her or Papa to call on a weekday in the late afternoon, I inquired only to get this grim reply: I'm afraid there is, sweetheart. Time stood still. That was the first time I had EVER seen my father cry. Being military, my father always said that soldiers never cried. Well, guess what?? They do and it's OK, especially when they lose someone who matters to them. I learned that day that sometimes you have to cry and that it is OK to admit when something hurts you enough to do so, though I still don't really like for someone to see me upset and do prefer to handle my feelings alone, sometimes, but that day did make realize it's OK to cry. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine, but it's funny how we remember certain dates and mentally bookmark ( if that's the word) when each anniversary of something comes. Maybe it's for commeration (sp?) purposes. It's also interesting how we tend to canonize those we love, especially after they have died, but that's OK too. At least I think so, maybe I'm wrong.

Bible Study

If you want to get into a Bible study, do it. It is one of the best if not the best thing ( if that's the way to say it) you can do for yourself. If you are looking to start a Bible study and are not sure what you want to study, try Beth Moore. I highly recommend her, she's that good. The group I'm in meets on Monday nights. This is an incredible group of ladies (we are mixed generations), a group I have come to know well and look forward to being with every week. I will say with this type of Bible study, there is homework, but every bit of it is worth it. The study my group is doing now is Breaking Free. This is by far the best Bible study I have been involved with, though I have participated in others that were good, this one tops them all. Maybe it's because I'm ready to hear/ study what Beth is requiring, maybe because this particular study is very thought provoking, maybe a lot of other things. I don't know. But I'm not looking forward to its ending. I wish it would go on and on. I'm sure you've heard the saying All good things must come to an end; I don't know that I agree with that, but all it is is a saying. My priest preached a sermon several weeks ago entitled Hold On To Your Forks, There's Something Better Coming. Though this study will be ending soon, there will be something better coming as Father Chuck preached-- other good studies in the future. See above for the book.

For the last several weeks, I have set aside time at night often staying up late to either finish a day's lesson or to continue (not so I could be ahead or say that I had completed my homework), but because I was that eager to continue on. My point is the song I Will be Free by Cyndi Morgan has run through my head as I have studied . I wish I had that CD because it would tie in well. Being free of hurts, anger, betrayals, any other stresses or burdens is the theme of the study; although Beth has tied in the importance trusting God to allow you to be free. Hopefully, Lisa or Deena if either of you are reading this, I hope I'm wording this right. Like other things, ( some of you know what I'm talking about) this is something that everyone experinces in their own way, at least I think. We were talking tonight and all agreed that each week's lesson has really spoken to each of us and has made us really think. I wish I could find that CD (I'm sure it's still in the music stores) because I remember how much that song spoke to me the summer of '94. I had just graduated from college and was working out of town to tie me over until I started teaching that fall. Little did I know that the events of that one summer would change my family's life. That sang sustained me the whole summer. Once I locate the CD, I will include the words.

Never a Dull Moment...EVER (part 2)

The plant has resurrected. The plight of the lizard-- not sure. Moving on with my prior post.

Later on this afternoon after rescuing my plant while posing as the volunteer Plant EMS, I went on and began dinner preparation so that I could return to Blogger. A while later, Madison walked in the living room growling. Not paying any attention or getting alarmed, I muttered What's the matter? and proceeded to turn around. Now, if you are skeemish, you may want to stop reading; although it's not that bad . . . What I turned around to was a plump red tabby sitting in front of the TV with a pair of legs, (yes I mean the limbs, body parts, whatever, that your feet are attached to) protruding out his mouth. All I could think was No. . . no. . . no . . . not in my clean apartment.

Just a few minutes prior to this incident, I had stepped back onto my porch to finish decorating for Halloween/Fall and saw a small, green lizard. Breathing a sigh of relief I thought, Good ,you managed to escape from inside. However, deep down, I knew that the lizard I encountered on the porch was probably a relative, neighbor, acquaintance, etc... of the dear little lizard trapped in my apartment.

Back to the lizard travelling by way of Madison's mouth. Maintaining my composure, (now remember, I tolerate lizards and understand their role here on earth. BUT . . . they are not my choice of roommate). I attempted to pick Madison up and put him in the bathroom to enjoy his tasty treat thinking if body parts, entails, etc were to be involved, at least the tile floor would be easy to clean up. Now as much as I love my cat, it is rare for him to concur with what I desire. Did he readily agree to proceed to the BR, . . . . are you kidding?? While he didn't object, he wasn't quite ready to comply either; although he did eventually proceed to the laundry room at his own convenience, of course, which leads to the BR; so I couldn't say much. Remember dinner had been cooking, so at this point the timer on my oven began beeping. What to do , what to do? Knowing that I could swiftly swing Madison into the BR and quickly close the door, so that the lizard nor Madison could start running around the kitchen and living room with goodness knows what, I sprang into action. Well, Madison cooperated; although he really didn't have much of a choice at this stage of the game, however, the lizard had its own plan of escape. Meanwhile ... Kaby decided to take matters in his own hands, or shall I say paws and sprang forth to retrieve the lizard. You would have thought we were at a PC, Clemson, Carolina, (insert your choice of team) football game. Things were getting just that intense!! Hoping that I would not burn dinner and that I could actually eat and enjoy before Bible Study, I shoved Madison into the BR only to notice what appeared to be a dead lizard on the floor. So I lunged forward to commence funeral/removal procedures courtesy of a plastic Target bag. Don't laugh, it was the best I could do on short notice. Well, Mr. Lazurus AKA Lizard decided to return to the land of the living. I was successful in getting the bag over him, but when I gathered it up, Mr. Lazurus Lizard narrowly escaped between the wall and washer. Kaby quickly lost interest, I decided to go on and eat dinner, and Madison was released from the BR, only to keep vigil at the washer in the event that Lazurus Lizard would return to visit. So there Mad sat faithfully, I might add, keeping vigil for his beloved treat and maybe meowing prayers from the 1928 Prayer Book. A few minutes later, I walked into the laundry room only to find Kaby now keeping post. Apparently, Madison either grew tired of waiting, became bored, had to make a phone call, or just decided that his term of vigil was up, who knows? I went on with my plans for the evening. Since I have returned from Bible Study, I have not seen any evidence of the lizard nor has either cat kept their vigil; so who knows where 'ole Lazurus is. Perhaps he remains safely tucked behind the washer doing his own laundry, operating a dry cleaning business strictly for lizards or other small reptiles, or devising another escape strategy. I will say this.. . . Whatever the case, I WILL NOT be sharing my bed with a lizard or with a cat who has a lizard travelling by way of mouth.

Here is a picture of Madison keeping vigil. I took one of Kaby, but don't think it saved on my camera because of weak batteries.

Never a Dull Moment...EVER

Well,

It's me again. No, I don't have this much time on my hands, it's just that I have FINALLY gotten the hang of blogging and figured well why not provide my friends, family, associates, anyone who is bored, etc... with some good reading material plus the adventures of my life.

A week ago, I went shopping for some plants to put on my porch. While I do not profess to have a green thumb or one remotely close to the color of green, I do have some gardening/yard/plant- rearing abilities in my blood. Really, I do..... honest. I have had plants before for a few years only for them to die of maybe plant oldage or something of the like. Plus after a reprimand from my best friend, I decided to replace these plants because who knew... my oxygen supply could possibly run out one day and there I would be with no oxygen. We certainly would not want that.

After spending the morning playing with some of the babies during the young mothers Bible Study at my church, I ventured out in search of some nice, reasonably priced plants. I found two ( actually more than that, but I digress). I am not going to post a picture unless you really want one because I think we all know what a plant looks like. Once ( this is only my opinion, so don't be offended if you are a plant lover or plateaphile) you see one, you have seen them all.

I went outside about midafternoon for some reason only to find that my nice, pretty, violet plant was wilted. ????????????????????????????????????????????? I had not paid a whole lot of attention to it earlier today, so was a bit dismayed to find it in such state because I have been oh so careful in its care only to put it in a shady area and taking care to water it every other day ( in the evening) per the directions of the lady at the plant store, excuse me.... nursery. Well determined that this plant was going to survive for longer than a week, I quickly rushed inside and put it in a tub of water. After closing the door because I didn't want it to get more sunlight than it had already had, I was than alerted to the fact that a guest was with us. Surprise, surprise, guess what it was.? No, there is not a picture... a little green lizard. Boy oh boy, just insert your choice of reaction, although it was kind. I attempted to take it outside but with no luck, so I prayed that somehow the little lizard would safely, humanely, etc... find its way to the wide, green, grassy yonder only to return to its family/neighborhood of a zillion lizards. I really didn't think lizards would still be out in public this time of year, but I guess that's how much I know about the lifestyle of a lizard. To be continued...

Meet the cats

For those of you who know me well, I am extremely fond of animals primarily dogs and cats, but do like all animals even little lizards(one is someplace in my apartment as we speak. More on that later) While I tolerate lizards, I really don't want to share my indoor quarters with it( he/she, whatever the case.) Hopefully maybe with the assistance of my cats, the lizard will humanely be released outside. Let me rephrase that, with the herding abilities of my cats, maybe the little lizard will safely or somewhat safely find its way to my porch and on to the wide green/grassy yonder.

Anyway meet my two famous, well spoken about felines: Madison and Kaby. Note Madison is the deep orange (otherwise known as a red tabby) and Kaby is the Black and White Ergle (don't think I spelled that right) yes he to, is an actual breed of cat. Here you go.

(These were taken before I moved from Sumter. A professional photographer I am not, but I do like pictures and was trying to create a nice back drop.


The one with Madison looking out the window was taken a couple days after I moved to Bluffton. .

More Pix

(This is the bell tower at the Calhoun St. campus)

(On the bluff- Calhoun St. campus)

(The Buckwalter Campus)

Here are some pix of my church the historic The Church of The Cross located in Old Town Bluffton. This is the one of the most photographed churches in the country.

Now for the Good Stuff

Here are some pix of the area I live in. It really is pretty; just overcast the day I went on my picture taking exersion. I'll post some taken on a sunny day and at night because it is really pretty. One thing I like so much about my neighborhood is that it has the look of Savannah.

Continuing On...

This should get interesting as I am getting On-the -Job training. I just spoke with a friend of mine who laughed at the idea of me having a blog, but stated that since my primary email is talkativesun@aol.com, this is appropriate for me to do. I can't believe that she would suggest that I am a talker. Really! But that's OK. Pictures in a second I hope.

Speaking of. Check this is out.



This is a well know signpost (I assume that's the correct term) located in what is called Old Town Bluffton.

Trying again

Well, I tried to post a little while ago, but obviously didn't do something right; so we are trying again. After reading blogs from people I know and from people I have gotten to know through their blogs, I decided to give this a go. Plus this is a great to keep up with each other. I'll post later with some pictures.