Thursday meander
Never in wildest imaginings did it occur that at this age I'd be living in a fancy resort hotel with its own private gourmet restaurant. Six of us live in this spacious 3 bed 3 bath condo at the end of the building, with windows all around and three balcony porches. Seven when Kristen comes over, which I love. My grandson Ray Kelly, a chef who attended the culinary school at Gulf Coast College, is in charge of the kitchen, stove and refrigerator. Bubba done died and gone to heaven.
Not used to snapping selfies, I don't have the knack of it: that looks like I'm asleep, but I've not yet mastered photographing myself while looking up instead of down at the camera, and have no intention of doing so. Taking better pictures of myself is not on my bucket list. Also, counter to appearances, I do not wear my Vietnam Service Medal ribbon on my pajama shirt; it's on my phone because the phone case is black, and when I lay it down I can't find the damn thing again unless it has some light colored marking. So, on one side is the service ribbon, on the other side is a sticker that says "I Voted Early."
"I Voted Early" - - I'm not going there. My political views are more certitudinous than yours, and they are the absolute diametrical opposite of yours, and I don't want to discuss it.
The second Tuesday evening of most every month, except summer months, we have at church a gathering of folks who are alums of the Education for Ministry program that is offered by extension from our theological seminary at Sewanee. For people who want to expand their Christian lay ministries, it is a four year curriculum in which laypersons study the bible, church history, and theology in reading and discussion that, when taken seriously, can rival any seminary study. Anyway, at our Tuesday gatherings we have supper, sometimes fancy, sometimes plain, and usually a discussion program.
At our meeting this week, over supper of pizza, salad and wine or water, our discussion topic was life after death. I was the designated presenter, and, remembering my theme that "just because you believe it, that don't make it so," and my debating class at Bay Hi where I might be assigned either Affirmative or Negative without regard for my personal views, I decided to start discussion of the proposition with a "Neg" position that is opposite to what seems to be the general understanding of Christian church teaching. I'm thinking of the crowds of people meeting Jesus in the clouds, and Revelation John's streets of gold, and the prayer in our burial liturgy that speaks of "eternal life with those they (we) love" as the Proposition, and so taking the Negative.
Nonunanimity is typical of our church, where no topic is taboo, anything and everything is on the table for discussion, and there are no questions that may not be raised or subjects that may not be explored. I thought my opening would be a shocker to ignite discussion, but it seemed to rattle a table of thinking Christians, EfM graduates, not at all, not in the least. But then I already know that many Episcopalians prefer inconclusive discussion to dogmatic instruction and certitude.
Agenda for today. Linda is driving to Panama City to attend a Harbour Village HOA meeting with the agenda status of repairs to hurricane damage. We are fortunate that HV seems to have extraordinarily competent managers and board of director/owners. Beyond that, I am blessed that Linda is finding all of this quite exciting to contemplate and plan. I'll be here with Malinda. Lilly at school. Britany's day off, I think, so she and Ray in and out, probably checking on construction of their new house at PCB's Breakfast Point. It looks ideal, has a private suite of two rooms and bathroom for Malinda, and K-8 Breakfast Point Academy immediately adjacent for Lilly's future.
Reading the school's website, I learned that the name Breakfast Point reflects the history and geography of an area just north of the school property where there is a cape in West Bay, called Breakfast Point.
Linda just left, I walked her down to the car, then took the elevator to the roof (the door at the top of the stairway is locked, you can walk down that way, which I did, but not walk up that way) and looked out an a lovely view that is as close to the Gulf of Mexico as I need to be - -
For Sunday afternoons and school picnics, always a Bay person more than a Gulf person, and a creek person and a freshwater lake person, when we were kids I didn't always care for the very salty sea with my stinging eyes and getting covered with sugar fine white sand; but I always loved going swimming in the Bay. Our "swimming hole" was off the old jetty that jutted out into the Bay at the foot of Frankford Avenue, where my grandfather's Bay Fisheries had been, across the street from The Old Place, where my father got his start in life and lived until they moved away when he was eleven or twelve. Well WTH, it was summer 1923 just as he turned twelve. The old jetty is still there, BTW, shows up clearly in maps, charts, closeup pics of the Bay.
Speaking of BTW, is this better? It has to be better: I'm wearing my Navy camo hat/cap.
IDK. RSF&PTL
T+
Not used to snapping selfies, I don't have the knack of it: that looks like I'm asleep, but I've not yet mastered photographing myself while looking up instead of down at the camera, and have no intention of doing so. Taking better pictures of myself is not on my bucket list. Also, counter to appearances, I do not wear my Vietnam Service Medal ribbon on my pajama shirt; it's on my phone because the phone case is black, and when I lay it down I can't find the damn thing again unless it has some light colored marking. So, on one side is the service ribbon, on the other side is a sticker that says "I Voted Early."
"I Voted Early" - - I'm not going there. My political views are more certitudinous than yours, and they are the absolute diametrical opposite of yours, and I don't want to discuss it.
The second Tuesday evening of most every month, except summer months, we have at church a gathering of folks who are alums of the Education for Ministry program that is offered by extension from our theological seminary at Sewanee. For people who want to expand their Christian lay ministries, it is a four year curriculum in which laypersons study the bible, church history, and theology in reading and discussion that, when taken seriously, can rival any seminary study. Anyway, at our Tuesday gatherings we have supper, sometimes fancy, sometimes plain, and usually a discussion program.
At our meeting this week, over supper of pizza, salad and wine or water, our discussion topic was life after death. I was the designated presenter, and, remembering my theme that "just because you believe it, that don't make it so," and my debating class at Bay Hi where I might be assigned either Affirmative or Negative without regard for my personal views, I decided to start discussion of the proposition with a "Neg" position that is opposite to what seems to be the general understanding of Christian church teaching. I'm thinking of the crowds of people meeting Jesus in the clouds, and Revelation John's streets of gold, and the prayer in our burial liturgy that speaks of "eternal life with those they (we) love" as the Proposition, and so taking the Negative.
Nonunanimity is typical of our church, where no topic is taboo, anything and everything is on the table for discussion, and there are no questions that may not be raised or subjects that may not be explored. I thought my opening would be a shocker to ignite discussion, but it seemed to rattle a table of thinking Christians, EfM graduates, not at all, not in the least. But then I already know that many Episcopalians prefer inconclusive discussion to dogmatic instruction and certitude.
Agenda for today. Linda is driving to Panama City to attend a Harbour Village HOA meeting with the agenda status of repairs to hurricane damage. We are fortunate that HV seems to have extraordinarily competent managers and board of director/owners. Beyond that, I am blessed that Linda is finding all of this quite exciting to contemplate and plan. I'll be here with Malinda. Lilly at school. Britany's day off, I think, so she and Ray in and out, probably checking on construction of their new house at PCB's Breakfast Point. It looks ideal, has a private suite of two rooms and bathroom for Malinda, and K-8 Breakfast Point Academy immediately adjacent for Lilly's future.
Reading the school's website, I learned that the name Breakfast Point reflects the history and geography of an area just north of the school property where there is a cape in West Bay, called Breakfast Point.
Linda just left, I walked her down to the car, then took the elevator to the roof (the door at the top of the stairway is locked, you can walk down that way, which I did, but not walk up that way) and looked out an a lovely view that is as close to the Gulf of Mexico as I need to be - -
For Sunday afternoons and school picnics, always a Bay person more than a Gulf person, and a creek person and a freshwater lake person, when we were kids I didn't always care for the very salty sea with my stinging eyes and getting covered with sugar fine white sand; but I always loved going swimming in the Bay. Our "swimming hole" was off the old jetty that jutted out into the Bay at the foot of Frankford Avenue, where my grandfather's Bay Fisheries had been, across the street from The Old Place, where my father got his start in life and lived until they moved away when he was eleven or twelve. Well WTH, it was summer 1923 just as he turned twelve. The old jetty is still there, BTW, shows up clearly in maps, charts, closeup pics of the Bay.
Speaking of BTW, is this better? It has to be better: I'm wearing my Navy camo hat/cap.
IDK. RSF&PTL
T+