As the TV weather people have been barking again about the freezing rain, thought I'd record the words floating around in my head. Also a little meditation about this "connected" world of ours.
Here's hoping the ice leaves town quickly. Many people have things to do and places to go this weekend, and I have a voice recital Sunday night!
Ice Storm Warning
By CK Armistead
12/20/13
With stealth
And menace
This precipitation
Falls and freezes
Silently coating
Roads
Tree limbs
Power lines
Hearts.
Turning some
Into hoarders
Of bread
Milk
Toilet paper
Booze.
Making many
Lose their
Holiday Spirit
Making many more
Slip, slide, fall,
Crash.
The only way
To fight ice
Is to resist
The chill,
Stay off of it,
Keep your heart warm
And ice will
Melt.
Community
By C.K. Armistead 12/20/13
Whether right next door
Or halfway 'round the world,
You have friends.
They don't have to be
Present physically
To be supportive
Friendship depends
On a meeting of minds,
Of hearts
Even more than
Meeting face to face.
Many who reach out
Across cyberspace
Are just as close
As those down the street.
A strange paradigm
Of these times
That words on a screen
Can bring people
Closer
Give them hope
Encouragement
Laughter
And love.
And when you do
Meet them face to face
It makes the time
Together sweeter,
More companionable
Because you are not
Strangers
But friends.
Showing posts with label Community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Community. Show all posts
Friday, December 20, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
A New Look At An Old Tradition
It was Red Ribbon Day again in Moore today. Every year, the whole town turns out to either parade down Broadway to Main to Eastern and the high school, or to line the route and get candy. The purpose of the parade is supposed to be to raise awareness about drug abuse, and to help prevent it. It's a traditional place for candidates for local office to show up to campaign, for local celebrities to be called upon to be Grand Marshall. (Gary England was one year, this year it was David Payne.) (Yes, weather forecasters and storm chasers are celebrities in Moore, Oklahoma.)
One tradition for our entry was missing this year. My dog Bear died two years ago, and Julie's dog Mollie did, too. Melvin is still around, but doesn't like the parade. Julie didn't walk this year, and so the announcers couldn't make their annual joke about her Corgi Melvin. ("See that little brown dog? He's so short, he doesn't have feet, he has INCHES!!")
This year, the parade still had plenty of drug-free emphasis, but it had a whole lot more "Moore Strong" slogans. This year the parade takes place five months after a very nasty set of tornadoes came through and tried to wipe part of town off the map. Just like in 1999. People are still displaced, many no longer live in Moore while they wait for homes to be rebuilt. Still, we had one of the largest turnouts EVER for that parade, even though it sprinkled rain.
There was an even greater party atmosphere at the parade lineup than usual. Everybody was smiling, people were stopping and hugging friends and acquaintances, it was lovely to see. This is how a community is SUPPOSED to be. Supportive, connected, ok, maybe a little bit sappy, but close and caring. We got big waves and smiles from the crowds, not just because we had a horse and carriage with us to promote the Big Read of True Grit for our library system, but because people were glad to see us. This town loves its library. They cheer for us when we come out for the parade. They really miss us when we are closed. They ask about staff members they haven't seen for awhile. (I was on vacation for a week recently. I got many "good to see you"s from customers when I came back.)
The picture at the beginning of this post is of the float from Cross Timbers United Methodist Church. They are but one of the groups that have supported the schools that were damaged in the tornadoes. I think one thing says it all on this float. HOME. Moore is home. For some of us it is an adopted home, but home it is. Where our hearts are, where we feel cared for, where we can relax and spread out. It's a place with all the amenities of a large metropolitan area, but where I can still run into people I know when I go almost anywhere around town. (Whole OKC Metro is like that, really.)
Many friends and family members who live elsewhere have said we should leave, but we can't. Our church family, our library family, and our home are here. We have a nicer home than we could afford anywhere else. I have a job that I love, one that makes a difference in this community. We have found a church that is very close to our hearts. We've been here twenty years now. It's home. We have been through hell with this community. There is a bond here, whether the hell was the Murrah bombing in '95, or the tornadoes in '99, 2003, or just this past May,we came through it together, it knits us very close here in the heart of the heartland.
Oh, I will still get frustrated with our politicians and with the willful ignorance of a few, but I will still love this place and its people. I will still be here hoping to help connect them to the books and other resources they need for lifelong learning.
Here are a few photos from my experience of the parade this morning. Betsy, the Clydesdale, was pulling a carriage which held one of my PLS colleagues dressed as Maddie from True Grit. Several of my coworkers were walking alongside the carriage and our Friends volunteer (and half of my "fan club") Vickie Kelly was there as well. (Vickie comes to all my voice recitals. I therefore call her and her husband John my fan club.)
In order to help banish the gloomy drizzle, I led our little group in a verse of "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'" (It is astonishing how many people in Oklahoma know the words to songs from the show.)
Here's me and Betsy, the horse. (I am skinnier than I look. Was wearing thermals under this outfit! I am not a parade rookie! Also note the Aussie Outback hat instead of a cowboy hat!)
Yes, this year the parade felt like it meant just a bit more than it has in the past. LOTS more entries in the parade, more people out to cheer us on, and everybody in much better spirits than I can recall seeing there in a long, long time.
Well, got my copy of True Grit downloaded. Guess I better get busy and read it. :-)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Liturgies
Liturgy is a noun that refers to the prescribed form of public worship as set down in the Book of Common Prayer, for instance, or any book or order of worship designed by any denomination.
Liturgy is a way of doing things. An order, made with conscious design, to get us together and keep us together as we worship.
I find that many aspects of my life besides church can be bound by liturgies of their own. Certainly, having a set order to things that need to be done regularly is comforting, and often helpful. My daily lesson plans were in effect a liturgy for the conduct of the school day. Things go in a certain order for a specific reason, are done a certain way, with certain words, to keep the lesson consistent, and in part, to comfort the children.
Liturgies are comforting. You know what to expect and when it's coming up. They have the disadvantage of letting your brain coast on occasion, and you really shouldn't be doing that in church, the idea is to focus on worship. Same with the lessons at school. If we got too routine, the kids could respond while half asleep, and that isn't doing their minds any favors. So, for different days and seasons, liturgies change. Just often enough to keep you on your toes and paying attention. A response may be different, the order changed just a little, just enough to keep you from getting TOO comfortable.
Daily life is a whole series of little routines that could become liturgy, if we use them as a way to be grateful for the little things we need that are provided for us daily. If you have children, and/or pets, you know the importance of routine and order, and the strict adherence thereto, in getting anything accomplished, especially in the morning.
At our house, we have the liturgy of the Cat in the Morning. She must get up and get under Matthew's feet as he is getting dressed, just to keep his coordination sharp. She must then see that he gets out the door and off to work on time. Then she must make sure I am up, and the bed is made, so that she can have her breakfast. After that, she makes sure I leave for my walk, and then goes to take her morning nap. Having to work around the cat's liturgy of gratitude for her people and her food gives me a set order of things to accomplish while still half asleep, and serves to get me out of bed, and thinking about the day ahead, and about the nature of life, the universe, and everything.
When I taught school, daily routines were the glue that held our collective sanity together. Taking roll, saying the pledge, going over the day's seat work assignments, making sure homework was collected, taking the lunch count, these things got us together and started on our day. They got us focused on the learning to come.
Those common experiences, those routines, or liturgies, cemented us together as a community in school, in our homes, and in our places of worship. There is an old joke I always think of when I muse about liturgy: How do you find the Episcopalians in a Star Wars movie? Anytime somebody says "May the Force be with you." they respond "And also with you!"
Our responses are comforting and familiar. (Though those of us who do Rite I will say "And with thy spirit.") The Pledge of Allegiance is comforting to some people because it is something they learned in childhood, something they, and everyone they went to school with knows by heart. It is common to them, even if they have nothing else in common. Psalm 23 is something that is very familiar to many Christians and Jews as well. It has been memorized by many, and is a source of comfort. It is something those who know it have and cherish in common. These things bind us together and comfort us.
If we look at our daily routines with an eye toward gratitude for all we are fortunate enough to have, they can become liturgies, our lives can become worship even in the smallest details. If we look at our interactions as a community, whether at work, worship, or school, we can make all those occasions a prayer of gratitude for our shared lives, for the knowledge that we are all in this together, all coming at life from different angles, but all of us here, and not knowing how long, and trying to make the best of it.
Liturgy is a way of doing things. An order, made with conscious design, to get us together and keep us together as we worship.
I find that many aspects of my life besides church can be bound by liturgies of their own. Certainly, having a set order to things that need to be done regularly is comforting, and often helpful. My daily lesson plans were in effect a liturgy for the conduct of the school day. Things go in a certain order for a specific reason, are done a certain way, with certain words, to keep the lesson consistent, and in part, to comfort the children.
Liturgies are comforting. You know what to expect and when it's coming up. They have the disadvantage of letting your brain coast on occasion, and you really shouldn't be doing that in church, the idea is to focus on worship. Same with the lessons at school. If we got too routine, the kids could respond while half asleep, and that isn't doing their minds any favors. So, for different days and seasons, liturgies change. Just often enough to keep you on your toes and paying attention. A response may be different, the order changed just a little, just enough to keep you from getting TOO comfortable.
Daily life is a whole series of little routines that could become liturgy, if we use them as a way to be grateful for the little things we need that are provided for us daily. If you have children, and/or pets, you know the importance of routine and order, and the strict adherence thereto, in getting anything accomplished, especially in the morning.
At our house, we have the liturgy of the Cat in the Morning. She must get up and get under Matthew's feet as he is getting dressed, just to keep his coordination sharp. She must then see that he gets out the door and off to work on time. Then she must make sure I am up, and the bed is made, so that she can have her breakfast. After that, she makes sure I leave for my walk, and then goes to take her morning nap. Having to work around the cat's liturgy of gratitude for her people and her food gives me a set order of things to accomplish while still half asleep, and serves to get me out of bed, and thinking about the day ahead, and about the nature of life, the universe, and everything.
When I taught school, daily routines were the glue that held our collective sanity together. Taking roll, saying the pledge, going over the day's seat work assignments, making sure homework was collected, taking the lunch count, these things got us together and started on our day. They got us focused on the learning to come.
Those common experiences, those routines, or liturgies, cemented us together as a community in school, in our homes, and in our places of worship. There is an old joke I always think of when I muse about liturgy: How do you find the Episcopalians in a Star Wars movie? Anytime somebody says "May the Force be with you." they respond "And also with you!"
Our responses are comforting and familiar. (Though those of us who do Rite I will say "And with thy spirit.") The Pledge of Allegiance is comforting to some people because it is something they learned in childhood, something they, and everyone they went to school with knows by heart. It is common to them, even if they have nothing else in common. Psalm 23 is something that is very familiar to many Christians and Jews as well. It has been memorized by many, and is a source of comfort. It is something those who know it have and cherish in common. These things bind us together and comfort us.
If we look at our daily routines with an eye toward gratitude for all we are fortunate enough to have, they can become liturgies, our lives can become worship even in the smallest details. If we look at our interactions as a community, whether at work, worship, or school, we can make all those occasions a prayer of gratitude for our shared lives, for the knowledge that we are all in this together, all coming at life from different angles, but all of us here, and not knowing how long, and trying to make the best of it.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
More New Year Stuff and Thoughts on Connectedness
So, one of the last things that happened in the old year was that my faithful desktop computer started having the unfortunate habit of rebooting itself without warning. (Often in the middle of a project.) I have been using my laptop (also not a spring chicken) for most of my writing and social networking, but the keyboard drives me nuts, and I couldn't really get decent video or sound on either machine. SO, I am now typing this on my brand-new, super deluxe desktop unit. It is a Toshiba, an all in one with all the important hardware in the monitor itself. It is a touch screen, but I have the wireless keyboard, (one of the best I have ever used) and the wireless mouse. It comes with a top quality dvd player and great sound. (It even has a remote control so I can watch my dvds from the comfy chair instead of the almost comfy desk chair. It is much easier to knit in the comfy chair. ) I have hope that the new computer will make me more likely to write in this blog, because it makes it much more pleasant to do so, but given my history, I will not hold my breath.
The other ongoing new thing is my attempt to use Twitter. I have successfully set up an account, and I have about 6 followers, about half of which are trying to sell me something. I "follow" a lot of people, mostly celebrities whose work I admire because I want to know what new project is coming up that I might want to see/hear/read. I have no idea if anything I mention these folks in ever gets to a place where they can see it. I often feel like I am talking to myself on Twitter. (This blog is pretty much that way, too. I don't think anybody much reads it but me.) That's OK, though. I was the youngest child by 12 years, so I spent a lot of time alone. I am used to talking to myself.
I would like to apologize to those I may have unintentionally bombarded with posts trying to get a link and a few words to explain it to go out together earlier today. Sheesh! I am far from a technological incompetent, but some software makes me feel that way. It is doubtful that Greg Francis or Ron Perlman will ever read my rambles here, but I AM sorry if my ineptitude made a nuisance of me. That is the last thing I would wish to do. All I was trying to do was help a friend, a screenwriter, who is part of a project that is eligible for a grant if they get enough "likes" for their video. Anne Lower is very talented, and deserves to catch a break right now. She has had successes, but I think this would mean a lot to her. Here's a link to the project As for my trying to help, you know what they say about good intentions...
OK, time for what I am SUPPOSED to be writing.
Walking yesterday morning and thinking about how the trees looked against the bright winter sky. Like fine black fingers reaching toward the crystal blue sky. The air was cold, crisp, and sweet. That is one thing I like about Oklahoma. Nowhere near as much crud in the air as there was in L.A. when I was growing up there. You can hear yourself think walking around a small suburban neighborhood in Moore, Oklahoma. There are noises, but in the mid-morning on a weekday, it is pretty quiet. The only exception is when the stupid train decides to come through. There is one exception to the clear air. Pollen. (Thanks ever so much, Texas, for sharing all your cedar pollen with us. I never had allergies before I moved to Oklahoma. I think maybe the smog killed the pollen in L.A., but I can't be sure... I left in '89.)
ANYWAY, as I was walking, I was thinking about how connected I seem to be to the community here. I work in the public library here in Moore, and though this is a large suburb, it still feels like a small town. Whenever I go out to the store, the gas station, the movie theater, (and we have a FABULOUS one The Moore Warren) I see library customers or coworkers. I see members of the church I attend at my library, even though the church is in downtown Oklahoma City, 10 miles away. St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
We here in Central Oklahoma have been through a lot of tough times together in the almost 20 years I've lived here. The Murrah Bombing - see the memorial website - our church suffered 8 million dollars worth of damage, too. The May 3rd , 1999 tornado- Link to NOAA here -tore apart many lives here in Moore, and we lost quite a few library materials, but that was the least of our problems. In all these cases, people here responded with care and help for their neighbors in need. They also went to the government asking for help. This is what made me SO ASHAMED of our Oklahoma delegation to Congress when they refused to support aid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. What horrendous hypocrisy. Just because they want to stamp their little feets and say they said "NO" to more government spending. Idiots! I am proud to say that I did not vote for ANY of them, where I had the chance, I voted for their opponents. It is difficult sometimes to be an educated and thinking person in Oklahoma, especially so if one must interact with the general public and remain civil. For the most part, though, folks here are extremely nice, and will not try to force their opinions and beliefs on you. The exceptions seem to run for office. Unfortunately, they often win.
All of these thoughts led me to the conclusion that the connection must reach beyond our town and our state, it must reach out to the whole country , and beyond that, to the world. We must do a better job of living those fine principles we claim to cherish. EVERYONE ON THE PLANET is our neighbor, and Christians, Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our spirit, AND OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Well, this year I am going to try and reach out to more of my neighbors like the victims of Sandy. I sent a donation to www.statenstrong.com, I posted the link and asked friends to help both on Facebook and on Twitter. I talked to people at work about it. The harder part of loving my neighbor will be to be tolerant and kind even to those who behave with intolerance and unkindness. Maybe an example is what they need. Everyone needs to be loved.
Please, if you happen to read this, go to StatenStrong and see what they are doing. Maybe send a little donation. Also, look around your own community, and maybe beyond, and see what you can do to make the connections a little better by helping, or even just spreading the word that help is needed. It's one of my resolutions this year.
The other ongoing new thing is my attempt to use Twitter. I have successfully set up an account, and I have about 6 followers, about half of which are trying to sell me something. I "follow" a lot of people, mostly celebrities whose work I admire because I want to know what new project is coming up that I might want to see/hear/read. I have no idea if anything I mention these folks in ever gets to a place where they can see it. I often feel like I am talking to myself on Twitter. (This blog is pretty much that way, too. I don't think anybody much reads it but me.) That's OK, though. I was the youngest child by 12 years, so I spent a lot of time alone. I am used to talking to myself.
I would like to apologize to those I may have unintentionally bombarded with posts trying to get a link and a few words to explain it to go out together earlier today. Sheesh! I am far from a technological incompetent, but some software makes me feel that way. It is doubtful that Greg Francis or Ron Perlman will ever read my rambles here, but I AM sorry if my ineptitude made a nuisance of me. That is the last thing I would wish to do. All I was trying to do was help a friend, a screenwriter, who is part of a project that is eligible for a grant if they get enough "likes" for their video. Anne Lower is very talented, and deserves to catch a break right now. She has had successes, but I think this would mean a lot to her. Here's a link to the project As for my trying to help, you know what they say about good intentions...
OK, time for what I am SUPPOSED to be writing.
Walking yesterday morning and thinking about how the trees looked against the bright winter sky. Like fine black fingers reaching toward the crystal blue sky. The air was cold, crisp, and sweet. That is one thing I like about Oklahoma. Nowhere near as much crud in the air as there was in L.A. when I was growing up there. You can hear yourself think walking around a small suburban neighborhood in Moore, Oklahoma. There are noises, but in the mid-morning on a weekday, it is pretty quiet. The only exception is when the stupid train decides to come through. There is one exception to the clear air. Pollen. (Thanks ever so much, Texas, for sharing all your cedar pollen with us. I never had allergies before I moved to Oklahoma. I think maybe the smog killed the pollen in L.A., but I can't be sure... I left in '89.)
ANYWAY, as I was walking, I was thinking about how connected I seem to be to the community here. I work in the public library here in Moore, and though this is a large suburb, it still feels like a small town. Whenever I go out to the store, the gas station, the movie theater, (and we have a FABULOUS one The Moore Warren) I see library customers or coworkers. I see members of the church I attend at my library, even though the church is in downtown Oklahoma City, 10 miles away. St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
We here in Central Oklahoma have been through a lot of tough times together in the almost 20 years I've lived here. The Murrah Bombing - see the memorial website - our church suffered 8 million dollars worth of damage, too. The May 3rd , 1999 tornado- Link to NOAA here -tore apart many lives here in Moore, and we lost quite a few library materials, but that was the least of our problems. In all these cases, people here responded with care and help for their neighbors in need. They also went to the government asking for help. This is what made me SO ASHAMED of our Oklahoma delegation to Congress when they refused to support aid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. What horrendous hypocrisy. Just because they want to stamp their little feets and say they said "NO" to more government spending. Idiots! I am proud to say that I did not vote for ANY of them, where I had the chance, I voted for their opponents. It is difficult sometimes to be an educated and thinking person in Oklahoma, especially so if one must interact with the general public and remain civil. For the most part, though, folks here are extremely nice, and will not try to force their opinions and beliefs on you. The exceptions seem to run for office. Unfortunately, they often win.
All of these thoughts led me to the conclusion that the connection must reach beyond our town and our state, it must reach out to the whole country , and beyond that, to the world. We must do a better job of living those fine principles we claim to cherish. EVERYONE ON THE PLANET is our neighbor, and Christians, Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our spirit, AND OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Well, this year I am going to try and reach out to more of my neighbors like the victims of Sandy. I sent a donation to www.statenstrong.com, I posted the link and asked friends to help both on Facebook and on Twitter. I talked to people at work about it. The harder part of loving my neighbor will be to be tolerant and kind even to those who behave with intolerance and unkindness. Maybe an example is what they need. Everyone needs to be loved.
Please, if you happen to read this, go to StatenStrong and see what they are doing. Maybe send a little donation. Also, look around your own community, and maybe beyond, and see what you can do to make the connections a little better by helping, or even just spreading the word that help is needed. It's one of my resolutions this year.
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