the remembrance is grievous, the burden intolerable

On the MGoBlog this morning reading about ice hockey - - me, I, one who not only never an athlete, was the most awkward, clumsy and inept, self-conscious player of any sport all my growing up years - - while a student at the University of Michigan I never went to a hockey game, only football, maybe basketball, it was 55 years ago I’m not sure.

But I did go to one professional ice hockey game in my life, late winter or early spring 1970 with other wardroom officers while USS Tripoli was in Hunters Point Naval Shipyard for repairs before returning to WestPac to complete our deployment during the Vietnam War. We drove over to Oakland for a hockey game. Horrified at the fighting, I saw a lot of blood on ice that evening but was told, by the other officers riding back to the ship in the Ops Officer’s white Olds 88 convertible with the top down, that fighting was the whole idea and draw of the game. Somewhere in the past seven years of +Time, I’ve blogged about this before. 

When Linda, Malinda, Joe, and Linda’s mother flew up from SanDiego to spend a few days in SanFrancisco with me while the ship was in the yard, the old green VW beetle I had in SFran with me was too small, so Ken lent me his Olds convertible for the duration. There’s more to that story, perhaps another blogpost another time.

The officer, Commander Ken Thomas and his wife Betty later visited us in Columbus, Ohio and he was worried because he was up for captain, and the captain's list was out, and Ken was on leave and couldn't get to the list, and was afraid he wasn’t going to make it. While we were having supper with them at our house that evening, I called our local comm center and got them to read the selection list for me, and had the joy of telling Ken that his name was on the list for captain. He was a really good guy and he and his wife dear friends our years in California. A few years later his wife Betty died of cancer. Some years after that, Ken remarried and had a baby with his new wife, a son. We were happy for them, for Ken.

Anyway, reading about the UM ice hockey team while wondering if my grandson Nick ever goes to UMichigan hockey games, I checked about fighting in collegiate ice hockey: not allowed, so I guess no bloody ice. Also apparently not allowed, done but major penalties including ejecting coaches and players, in European ice hockey. 

Ice hockey: a distraction this morning, wasn’t it. I will hurt for the rest of my life about this week’s high school shooting in South Florida, about the consumate evil of the bought and owned politicians who refuse to address the issue and who thereby, with encouragement and support of the unconscionables who elect them, have reduced the morality of our once decent nation to the worldwide bottom of the barrel. The shame, including mine, in this day and age, of being an American in an America that will endlessly sacrifice troops in foreign lands, and can but will not protect our own children, is unbearable.

Almighty God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
maker of all things, judge of all men:
We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins
    and wickedness,
which we from time to time most grievously have committed,
by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine Majesty,
provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us.
We do earnestly repent,
and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings;
the remembrance of them is grievous unto us,
the burden of them is intolerable.
Have mercy upon us,
have mercy upon us, most merciful Father;
for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may ever hereafter
serve and please thee in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of thy Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We are not heartily sorry, we do not humbly repent; and we have no intention whatsoever of newness of life.

DThos+