I promised myself that I wouldn't let this quarter go by without blogging, so here's one. I think one of my problems is that I feel this need to say something substantial, weighty, extended. Got to get over that. Got to get over a lot of things.
Here we are already done with two weeks of the quarter. I can't believe that in eight weeks, I'll be a middler. Time is flying. Not at all like my undergraduate days that seemed to go on forever. Come to think of it, they did -- from '65 through '73 with a four year break in between.
The good news is that I have my head on straight again as far as food is concerned. Now I know how easy it is to gain back weight. I dropped five pounds pretty quickly, but the next five will be tougher. I was also reading that the surgery seems to cause those of us who undergo it to hit a plateau that is tough to break through. I know I need to get my butt moving -at least walking. That would help.
I'm loving my courses but the reading load is horrendous. We're all behind already, mostly because of theology. AKMA and Paula have also assigned a decent amount of reading, as well as Georgia, but it's all manageable. Ellen is trying to give us all we'll need for Systematic Theology and the reading is impossible. In the last 2 quarters, I was able to read about 97% of everything assigned. I'm already skimming a lot of the work this quarter. The irony is that Ellen's readings are fantastic. The class is truly wonderful, but I wonder if we wouldn't be doing it more justice by giving fewer readings more attention. I have stopped reading endnotes, prefaces, and intros entirely and I hate that.
Next week is Holy Week, so we have a bit of a break except for the commitment to services. But Max will be baptized on Easter. I'm so excited. Everytime we pray for those who are to be baptized, I get a chill.
I'm doing this on my new XPSM1210 Dell computer which I love. So far, I'm liking Vista and Office 2007. It's not perfect but what ever is from Microsoft?
Friday, March 30, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
An Anniversary
Today is the second anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery -- and I'm feeling great. I had lost 130 pounds, now it's 120 but I'm back on the straight and narrow. Amazing how the weight crept on as I allowed myself little nibbles of sugar here and there. Very insidious. For four days, I've been recording my food on fitday.com, one of the best websites for keeping myself honest and I've been coming in at between 1000 and 1100 calories, 70-80 grams of protein, and about 10% saturated fat. Progress. Interesting how eating badly was really affecting my worldview negatively. Sugar is evil. I'm feeling more like myself now and clothes are looser already. Went out and bought some new stuff I can use in CPE this summer at Good Sam. I'm getting really excited about the impending Baptism of Mr. Max. It sounds like the service will be amazing. The kids are playing the chimes and Hannah Davey will play the viola with them. They're doing sheep safely grazing on Easter Morning.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Enjoying My Break
Even though I'm taking care of tedious things like taxes and car maintenance and haircuts, I am enjoying this break. 73 degrees yesterday didn't hurt. Have seen three movies in the last week: Breach (incredible acting job by Chris Cooper, usual); Amazing Grace (good treatment of history that was not intrinsically exciting, violent, or sexy); and Zodiac (3 hours long! Could have been edited better, but, nevertheless, really good acting and fascinating story even though you know the crime never gets solved). I lived north of San Francisco in Vacaville from 70-72 and I don't remember being the least bit concerned about the Zodiac killer -- and the early murders happened in Vallejo, just on the other side of the foothills. Go figure.
Talked to Suzi Holding about Epiphany. She wants me to write up a list of "learning goals" and then talk to her about Epiphany or wherever. She's right, of course. I need to be a bit more deliberate about this.
Talked to Suzi Holding about Epiphany. She wants me to write up a list of "learning goals" and then talk to her about Epiphany or wherever. She's right, of course. I need to be a bit more deliberate about this.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
I Had an Epiphany
This weekend is so messed up because of the anti-racism course schedule, which made Friday seem like Saturday, and the very early time change, and the beautiful weather (which, of course, isn't messing anything up). Anyway, on a whim and a prayer, I decided to head off to Church of the Epipany near the United Center this morning. It took all of 20 minutes -- what a difference a Sunday makes. I have never felt so welcomed at a church. I got there quite early and was asked to do the Prayers of the People. It's much more relaxed in its approch to liturgy than St. B's, but in a nice, friendly sort of way. I also helped the Warden prepare the bread for the service. Terrific mix in the congregation in a neighborhood undergoing gentrification: African American, young and old, white (some affluent, some not so), Hispanic, probably some gay and lesbian. They had open communion. The service was in an upstair room. They don't use the church for ecological reasons -- heating it would be expensive. There was an incredible amount of construction/renovation going on. I'd like to talk with Meigan, the pastor, about that. She wants to get together with me to talk about the service and the way they do church. I want to talk to Suzy Holding about whether or not it would be possible to make Epiphany the place I do my parish work next year. It's getting me very exited just thining about the possibility.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Winter Quarter 2007
I can not believe how long it's been since I posted to this blog. A whole quarter went by with nothing from me -- and it wasn't that bad a quarter. Except, of course, for reading week when I got the respitory flu and thought death was a good idea. That's what I get for not being innoculated for the first time in 20 years. Health service was good, though. I loved Dr. Connolly. She brought me in to look at my x-ray to deliver the bad news that my heart didn't look that good. I told her it was no surprise to me. Doctors were watching me and it once a year. When I came back for my follow-up visit, she was visibly relieved to see that I was doing better. She told me that she had thought I was having a stroke when she first saw me. I was in such a fog that day. Fever and couldn't stay awake. I do remember having me do the tests they always give people they think may be having a stroke. Well, this week I'm finally getting better. I have more energy but I'm still coughing. Altogether better though.
My work is done for the quarter. Not sure what will happen. I find I'm caring less about grades. That would really be a good thing. It was a great quarter. Gospel Mission got off to a rocky start but quickly got better and better and we began to talk about race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. It was an excellent class and continues to make me question my prejudices, long-held beliefs, and Weltanschauung.
Spirituality for Ministry was a godsend. Because there was a bit less work than most classes and because we will not receive a letter grade and because we were focused on our own spiritual lives, it was a nurturing, supportive class. Got a lot out of it. Liturgy II was terrific. Learned so much about Baptism, Eucharist, the Church Year, and Public Prayer. Really enjoyed the early Church readings. AKMA's Early Church History class enabled me to really understand the context of those readings. It was great. The course also truly informed the way I sang and read Eucharistic Prayer A for Use of the Voice. Studying the Eucharist really gave me an entirely new feeling about Prayer A. Elizabeth pointed out to me that my hands were in the orans position as I sang it. At first, I didn't notice. When I did I left them there because it felt so right. And this from someone who never used to be very comfortable about using her body to pray. I'm feeling more like a priest as time goes on. Little by little, I'm transforming.
Old Testament was an excellent course. Brook Lester really knows his stuff and is a terrific teacher. Delightful as a lecturer -- both entertaining and informative. For a little while the first quarter I thought I actually could study OT in depth. Don't think that any more. In fact, I'm having second thoughts about taking Hebrew. More Spanish might make more sense.
It was a wild ride, but I learned a lot and didn't go absolutely crazy. One more quarter and then CPE.
My work is done for the quarter. Not sure what will happen. I find I'm caring less about grades. That would really be a good thing. It was a great quarter. Gospel Mission got off to a rocky start but quickly got better and better and we began to talk about race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. It was an excellent class and continues to make me question my prejudices, long-held beliefs, and Weltanschauung.
Spirituality for Ministry was a godsend. Because there was a bit less work than most classes and because we will not receive a letter grade and because we were focused on our own spiritual lives, it was a nurturing, supportive class. Got a lot out of it. Liturgy II was terrific. Learned so much about Baptism, Eucharist, the Church Year, and Public Prayer. Really enjoyed the early Church readings. AKMA's Early Church History class enabled me to really understand the context of those readings. It was great. The course also truly informed the way I sang and read Eucharistic Prayer A for Use of the Voice. Studying the Eucharist really gave me an entirely new feeling about Prayer A. Elizabeth pointed out to me that my hands were in the orans position as I sang it. At first, I didn't notice. When I did I left them there because it felt so right. And this from someone who never used to be very comfortable about using her body to pray. I'm feeling more like a priest as time goes on. Little by little, I'm transforming.
Old Testament was an excellent course. Brook Lester really knows his stuff and is a terrific teacher. Delightful as a lecturer -- both entertaining and informative. For a little while the first quarter I thought I actually could study OT in depth. Don't think that any more. In fact, I'm having second thoughts about taking Hebrew. More Spanish might make more sense.
It was a wild ride, but I learned a lot and didn't go absolutely crazy. One more quarter and then CPE.
My Deadly Sin Graph -- Sloth?????
| Greed: | Very Low | |
| Gluttony: | Low | |
| Wrath: | Very Low | |
| Sloth: | High | |
| Envy: | Low | |
| Lust: | Very Low | |
| Pride: | Very Low |
The Seven Deadly Sins Quiz on 4degreez.com
So, did the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz and expected to see some pretty exciting stuff. Did not expect that my big problem would be sloth. Not even a little lust -- and I certainly expected gluttony in a big way. But, if I'm honest, I can indeed get very lazy and postpone work as long as possible. Ah well.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Leap Forward to Christmas
I can't believe the whole first quarter is over and done with and I haven't written a thing in this blog. A testament to just how busy, crazy, and emotional I've been. Where to start? With the end. I survived and I'm still still standing and ready to go at it again on Jan. 2, 2007. It truly has been a roller coaster emotionally. Everyone seems to be on it -- young and old (er).
What has surprised me? Well, first, because I've been in graduate school and taken comprehensive exams and written a dissertation, I foolishly thought the academic part of this experience would be the proverbial "no-brainer." NOT! It's so different from graduate school which unremittingly focuses in on a subject, narrows and specializes. This is different. It's preparing us for a profession, so it is broad and comprehensive. If we take a course in Old Testament, we need to become familiar with all the resources available to us to deal with the OT in the future. That is a lot of stuff. So, Frank Yamada gave us plenty to think about. And, in Early Church History, AKMA gave us more than enough to read. The net result of all this is that I am pleased that I have learned a great deal in the last 10 weeks, yet I am humbled by all I have yet to learn. Gospel Mission was especially daunting -- an enormous amount of reading, church visiting, and writing about it.
Which leads me to another surprise -- how integral spiritual formation was to the academic content of our classes. I knew there would be spiritual formation occurring, but I thought of it as very separate from the "purely intellectual" function of the classes. NOT! That has been both wonderful and grueling at the same time. This was especially true in Gospel Mission where I felt my world view, attitudes, beliefs, and prejudices being challenged every day. Not a bad thing at all.
What has surprised me? Well, first, because I've been in graduate school and taken comprehensive exams and written a dissertation, I foolishly thought the academic part of this experience would be the proverbial "no-brainer." NOT! It's so different from graduate school which unremittingly focuses in on a subject, narrows and specializes. This is different. It's preparing us for a profession, so it is broad and comprehensive. If we take a course in Old Testament, we need to become familiar with all the resources available to us to deal with the OT in the future. That is a lot of stuff. So, Frank Yamada gave us plenty to think about. And, in Early Church History, AKMA gave us more than enough to read. The net result of all this is that I am pleased that I have learned a great deal in the last 10 weeks, yet I am humbled by all I have yet to learn. Gospel Mission was especially daunting -- an enormous amount of reading, church visiting, and writing about it.
Which leads me to another surprise -- how integral spiritual formation was to the academic content of our classes. I knew there would be spiritual formation occurring, but I thought of it as very separate from the "purely intellectual" function of the classes. NOT! That has been both wonderful and grueling at the same time. This was especially true in Gospel Mission where I felt my world view, attitudes, beliefs, and prejudices being challenged every day. Not a bad thing at all.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
September 21, 2006
Today's pace was slower and I'm more relaxed, but it was a good day. First, we officially registered. Then we had the technology presentation and took a tour of the library, which is actually the United Library and is on both the Seabury and Garrett campuses. Elizabeth Butler talked to us about the Development Office but made it an amazing discussion about attitudes toward money and time. She also asked us to donate to Seabury. My immediate reaction was a knee-jerk "say what?" but it's something to think of seriously. After lunch we had a marvelous retreat with Dan Prechtel that was very calming and helpful to all of us, a good way to end the week. Tomorrow is a fun day. We're going downtown to Billy Goat Tavern, an architectural tour of Chicago, and Millenium Park. Should be fun.
September 20, 2006
The day began with a discussion about academic fears with the faculty. More of the same, but I'm not so nervous anymore. We also met the entire staff including maintenance people. Everyone really knows everyone else. It does seem to be a very caring place. I put in a request that the tile in my bathroom get fixed and that I get a new curtain. They came right away and fixed the tile and made a small adjustment in the curtain. Unfortunately, not good enough. I'll have to ask about it again. After lunch we had an excellent discussion about diversity with Frank Yamada leading it. We then had high tea and a scavenger hunt designed to get us more familiar with the faculty and staff. I learned a lot of things. Frank is sort of afraid of grass -- the green on the ground kind. Liz Donohue worked in a circus. Lots of fun stuff. Our group finished first and got everything right, but I don't think we get anything. Unfortunately, all the professors had sweet treats in their offices and I ate and ate and ate. Feeling sick. But, before the carillon concert in the evening, Kuni came over and looked at my computer and got me online in about 5 minutes. He is awesome! The carillon was amazing. Really beautiful. I kept wanting to walk out to Sheridan Road to see if any of the Northwestern students had stopped to listen. I hope so.
September 19, 2006: Karen's Birthday
Wow. Talk about an up and down day. Bought my books: $525 with two still left to buy and about $250 already spent on books. The stack of books was downright scary. Yesterday, two students talked about reading just first and last paragraphs of a chapter and first and last sentences of paragraphs. That's ok for a self-help book I just read, but I don't know about these texts. I began to get worried. I'm so accustomed to close reading of texts. Don't know if I can break that habit. Angst set in, big time. Had my advising appointment with Frank Yamada. What a nice guy. Advising with him will be flexible. He encouraged me to be as out of the box as possible. That's dangerous.
Then, I went out and bought my books. After lunch the faculty came and talked about their courses and expectations. Kuni had his pile of books and all I could think about was that each of the teachers expected us to read every word. I started to have doubts. I'm older. Do I have the energy to sustain this? Will I really be able to do ANY marketing work. Anxiety. Anxiety.
Then came everyone's questions about "writing" and style manuals -- and they all talked about it to death. Then, thank God, we had a Taize service. Peace. I went out to Costco for some retail therapy to get paper and also bought a down comforter and some fresh mango. Then, I started going through the books, stamping my name in them, looking them over. They're not so bad at all. Some are downright entertaining. The Liturgy books are lovely and the OT books are amazing. I feel much better. The roller coaster has slowed down. I just need to enjoy the ride.
I couldn't resist adding the picture of Eli.
9-18-06 Night
What a day! Seemingly slow-paced, fun, and relaxed, but we were all so tense. It's going to be a tough week. Elizabeth went home early with her long commute. Younger ones were dead tired, so I'm feeling fine about my tiredness. Lots of frank talk about stress in this program. Got a bill for $7,990 today. That's stress inducing! I know all the names of the juniors (first years). Made myself memorize them. Went to 3 services: morning prayer, Eucharist, and Evensong. Didn't make the 4th -- Compline. Frustrated because my computer isn't connecting to the Internet and I think it's because it can't find my IP address. Also, my new printer has an extra part that isn't pictured in the directions and the whole thing just isn't working right. It should be easy, right? It's plug and play. I need to get to a computer to see how much I'm eating and if I'm getting enough protein. I'm sure I'm fine, but you never know. I'm exhausted.
First Day at Seabury
9-18-06
I had a somewhat restless night. A new place. A new bed. New sheets. A fan blowing on me. My annoying CPAP. Drinking caffeinated tea until 11 pm. A new beginning. I'm a very little bit nervous. But only because I was looking for it and talked myself into feeling SOMETHING! My apartment is great. It's a cool fall morning. I guess we'll be somewhat pampered this week. Looking forward to it. Nothing profound to say.
I had a somewhat restless night. A new place. A new bed. New sheets. A fan blowing on me. My annoying CPAP. Drinking caffeinated tea until 11 pm. A new beginning. I'm a very little bit nervous. But only because I was looking for it and talked myself into feeling SOMETHING! My apartment is great. It's a cool fall morning. I guess we'll be somewhat pampered this week. Looking forward to it. Nothing profound to say.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Back from Alexandria
Spent the last week with my sister Karen in Alexandria. We had a really nice time. Very relaxing. We just shopped, went to movies, ate out a lot, and visited with people who are friends of Karen's. Saw Akeelah and the Bee (excellent, surprisingly fresh, good acting) and Friends with Money (much better than I expected; Jennifer Anniston very similar to her role in The Good Girl; surprising ending; great acting by Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack, and Catherine Keener). Went to visit Virginia Theological Institute, just a drive around. Really beautiful. Clearly a lot of money there. The Episcopal high school next door was really posh.
Flowers were really spectacular in Virginia: azaleas and rhododendrens everywhere, really lush. Took part in the ralley against genocide in Darfur on Sunday afternoon. I wish I had been with someone I knew. The people around me were nice, but it's just not the same. The program began about 2:30 pm. There was some good music. The sound system was excellent as was the video system. Lots of speakers. Religious leaders at first. Many Jews in the crowd and many spoke. Holocaust legacy. Incredible urgency on their part. Not much progress in the Sudan today. Something has to happen soon. This is beyond belief crazy. When Barak Obama spoke, the crowd went wild. It was interesting to see. Nancy Pelosi, Al Sharpton, and Dick Gregory all spoke. I decided to leave and forgo Mr. Clooney, but he came on just as I was going to leave. He looked great. Thin and gorgeous. His Dad looked good too and gave the best speech of the day: emotional and very effective. Enough for today. More soon.
Flowers were really spectacular in Virginia: azaleas and rhododendrens everywhere, really lush. Took part in the ralley against genocide in Darfur on Sunday afternoon. I wish I had been with someone I knew. The people around me were nice, but it's just not the same. The program began about 2:30 pm. There was some good music. The sound system was excellent as was the video system. Lots of speakers. Religious leaders at first. Many Jews in the crowd and many spoke. Holocaust legacy. Incredible urgency on their part. Not much progress in the Sudan today. Something has to happen soon. This is beyond belief crazy. When Barak Obama spoke, the crowd went wild. It was interesting to see. Nancy Pelosi, Al Sharpton, and Dick Gregory all spoke. I decided to leave and forgo Mr. Clooney, but he came on just as I was going to leave. He looked great. Thin and gorgeous. His Dad looked good too and gave the best speech of the day: emotional and very effective. Enough for today. More soon.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Prospective Student Days at Seabury
Came back yesterday from two days at Seabury. When I drove up to Evanston on Sunday afternoon, I had a strong sense of "What am I doing? Am I nuts? This is the wrong thing to be pursuing." Then, a student, Nancy, drove me to the hotel and told me I should expect to have those thoughts every few weeks while in seminary. From that point on, the visit just served to confirm that I was making the right decision. Everything felt so appropriate and I was so comfortable.
The food wasn't bad and I ate too much on Sunday night and Monday. Actually, my calories were just 200 over what I should eat, but that's not too bad. I was so impressed by worship at Seabury. They have at least three worship services every day, Morning Prayer, Eucharist, and something in the evening (Evening Prayer or Compline). We even had an extra Taize service on Monday. The students were incredibly welcoming and open, even the very young ones. That was a nice surprise. I interviewed a lot of them, especially curious to find out what surprised them most in their first year of seminary (the amount of work, that they mourned the career they left behind). Students are very respected and integral to the governance of the school, sitting on faculty committees for hiring and the like. Visiting the dorms and apartments was great. An older student had a dorm room with a private bath that was really charming, but the other dorm rooms were a bit young for me --and too communal. The outside of the apartments is strictly 60s tacky, but the insides are pretty nice. Cinder block, but people do a lot of nice decorating. Some of it was pretty amazing. Don't know that I'd like to be on the third floor. That would be a problem. It sure is nice being so close to Lake Michigan. That area is really beautiful and the Northwestern campus is really lovely.
My interviews were good. Paula Baxter was my faculty interviewer. It was really a pleasant hour. She asked a few probing questions: "Some older students regress when they come to seminary -- become teacher pleasers and lose their intellectual curiousity and the willingness to challenge. Do you think that would happen to you?" And, "Talk about how the tragedies in your life have affected you and changed you." A question I had in my discernment weekend. Her office was so charming. Reminded me of my old college office. The Dean/President interview went well. He also has a Ph.D. in English. My last interview was with a student who was probably in her late 30s or just 40. Very pleasant.
Akma Adams lectured on New Testament. He's funny and bright. Good choice for a demonstration. I liked his approach: don't trust anyone who says, "What that word really means is . . ." (My house has big black carpenter ants, just like the last two years at this time. Such a pain. Got traps.) Yamada and Wondra talked about their classes. They emphasized formation and its importance at Seabury. I really liked that discussion. I also saw Ruth Meyers' lecture on Liturgy Practicum. This week it was on the wedding ceremony. Really fascinating. Realized I knew more about it than I might have thought. These were the graduating seniors, so it was fun to see them just about to go out and be priests.
Funny, I just thought about how, when I attended Don Frye's ordination in December, he said, "In four years, we'll be here to celebrate your ordination," I felt sad and wistful then and thought it wasn't at all likely. Now, it seems a lot more likely. Couldn't be better.
The food wasn't bad and I ate too much on Sunday night and Monday. Actually, my calories were just 200 over what I should eat, but that's not too bad. I was so impressed by worship at Seabury. They have at least three worship services every day, Morning Prayer, Eucharist, and something in the evening (Evening Prayer or Compline). We even had an extra Taize service on Monday. The students were incredibly welcoming and open, even the very young ones. That was a nice surprise. I interviewed a lot of them, especially curious to find out what surprised them most in their first year of seminary (the amount of work, that they mourned the career they left behind). Students are very respected and integral to the governance of the school, sitting on faculty committees for hiring and the like. Visiting the dorms and apartments was great. An older student had a dorm room with a private bath that was really charming, but the other dorm rooms were a bit young for me --and too communal. The outside of the apartments is strictly 60s tacky, but the insides are pretty nice. Cinder block, but people do a lot of nice decorating. Some of it was pretty amazing. Don't know that I'd like to be on the third floor. That would be a problem. It sure is nice being so close to Lake Michigan. That area is really beautiful and the Northwestern campus is really lovely.
My interviews were good. Paula Baxter was my faculty interviewer. It was really a pleasant hour. She asked a few probing questions: "Some older students regress when they come to seminary -- become teacher pleasers and lose their intellectual curiousity and the willingness to challenge. Do you think that would happen to you?" And, "Talk about how the tragedies in your life have affected you and changed you." A question I had in my discernment weekend. Her office was so charming. Reminded me of my old college office. The Dean/President interview went well. He also has a Ph.D. in English. My last interview was with a student who was probably in her late 30s or just 40. Very pleasant.
Akma Adams lectured on New Testament. He's funny and bright. Good choice for a demonstration. I liked his approach: don't trust anyone who says, "What that word really means is . . ." (My house has big black carpenter ants, just like the last two years at this time. Such a pain. Got traps.) Yamada and Wondra talked about their classes. They emphasized formation and its importance at Seabury. I really liked that discussion. I also saw Ruth Meyers' lecture on Liturgy Practicum. This week it was on the wedding ceremony. Really fascinating. Realized I knew more about it than I might have thought. These were the graduating seniors, so it was fun to see them just about to go out and be priests.
Funny, I just thought about how, when I attended Don Frye's ordination in December, he said, "In four years, we'll be here to celebrate your ordination," I felt sad and wistful then and thought it wasn't at all likely. Now, it seems a lot more likely. Couldn't be better.
Friday, March 10, 2006
It's So Odd Not to Be Looking For A Job
Well, I just finished a project for a new client, Brian Fletcher. It was easy and fast and he's really a nice guy. Then, Jackie had me bid on doing (just) groups with her on a project in Philadelphia and some other city. And Brian told me about another project, which I don't think will develop. But, this is all good. I should be developing other leads for work -- and I will, but I just don't feel the urgency. Now that seminary is in the offing, all that anxiety about finding a job and finding one I won't hate has disappeared. Everything is on hiatus as far as seminary is concerned, but Matt Gunter did get his reference in and I will go to the Prospective Student Weekend in early April. I need to concentrate on getting a car now before my tires all blow and the engine pops. Time to get busy. Saw Dad today and the Hospice nurse happened to be there. Dad has lost 14 pounds since he came there and 7 pounds in just the last month. That is disturbing and that will make them sign him up for another 3 months of Hospice. We played cards today and he shaved. He has his glasses now, too. I have to remember to pray and not just feel hopeless about this situation.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
A Visit to St. Mark's, Geneva
So what is it that no one seems to want to make the sign of the cross anymore? At St. Mark's, like Resurrection, people didn't sign themselves, not even at the Gospel. The priest did, but I was by myself signing away.
I went to the 1868 church at first. Didn't realize there was another one. There was a 5 or 6 piece orchestra breaking up. It turned out it was the end of a special service with contemporary music. A very nice man told me I needed to go to the other church for the 10:30 service and took me outside and pointed me in the right direction. As I walked in, a woman asked me if I was there for the first time. I said I was and we sat together. It turned out she was there for the first time also. At no time did anyone approach either her or me to welcome us. The service had music, but the choir wasn't as good as St. B's. It was a very straightforward Rite II service. The sermon was on the lectionary. The priest mentioned an article that had appeared in USA Today. It sounded like it was not showing the Episcopal Church in the best light. I have to check out that article. The acolytes sat on the side and weren't really part of the altar party. It was a nice service. Afterwards, the woman sitting with me and I talked about the Episcopal Church. She also grew up Roman Catholic. I assured her she could find a home in the Episcopal church and find a good support network if she decided to be part of the community. We exchanged emails. I'll put her on my Discernment Notification list.
Got a note from Liz Donohue at Seabury who told me Matt is the only person who hasn't sent in his recommendation. I will work on that tomorrow.
In the meantime, I've got to get on the car thing. Time to buy one.
I went to the 1868 church at first. Didn't realize there was another one. There was a 5 or 6 piece orchestra breaking up. It turned out it was the end of a special service with contemporary music. A very nice man told me I needed to go to the other church for the 10:30 service and took me outside and pointed me in the right direction. As I walked in, a woman asked me if I was there for the first time. I said I was and we sat together. It turned out she was there for the first time also. At no time did anyone approach either her or me to welcome us. The service had music, but the choir wasn't as good as St. B's. It was a very straightforward Rite II service. The sermon was on the lectionary. The priest mentioned an article that had appeared in USA Today. It sounded like it was not showing the Episcopal Church in the best light. I have to check out that article. The acolytes sat on the side and weren't really part of the altar party. It was a nice service. Afterwards, the woman sitting with me and I talked about the Episcopal Church. She also grew up Roman Catholic. I assured her she could find a home in the Episcopal church and find a good support network if she decided to be part of the community. We exchanged emails. I'll put her on my Discernment Notification list.
Got a note from Liz Donohue at Seabury who told me Matt is the only person who hasn't sent in his recommendation. I will work on that tomorrow.
In the meantime, I've got to get on the car thing. Time to buy one.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
A Visit to Resurrection
At my discernment weekend, my committee suggested that I visit about 10 churches other than St. Barnabas before starting seminary. As Steve Marnz said, "You know, don't you, that St. Barnabas is a very special place." They felt I needed to see how the rest of the Anglican Communion did things. So, today I went to Resurrection in West Chicago.
I got there just a few seconds after 10am. The altar party was at the back, so I waited for them to process. Fr. George and I exchanged glances. I'm sure he registered that I was new.
It's not the most beautiful church, but it does the job. At first it wasn't very crowded. I sat near the back in their very comfortable seating. The ceiling is high and the windows are clear-paned. There was a large projection screen on the right with the words of the opening hymn projected. A "choir" stood below -- not robed, standing among the musicians with microphones. They were very energetic and spontaneous. Lots of clapping, swaying, and hands in the air. I found their enthusiasm infectious, although I never got my hands in the air. Before the Gospel, we did a lot of singing. It was quite a buildup.
I noticed several things. Almost no one except the priest made the sign of the cross. I was the only one who crossed him or herself on head, lips, and heart at the Gospel. There was a little kneeling -- on the floor-- but most stood. They did have bells at the consecration though.
I saw Barbara Edgar and we waved at each other. She immediately came to my pew for a hug. She pointed out that Cynthia Bormann with short hair was playing the bongos, but I didn't get to talk with her. Doug Baddorf was there, spoke out as he always does, and it was good to talk with him. Barb introduced me to Fr. George after church. I told him why I was there. She also introduced me to Rebecca, a seminarian who is studying at Northern Baptist in that Anglican Studies program there. She was very nice and enthusiastic about her program, although she said the whole thing is in limbo right now. I wondered to myself what would happen if she's in the "possible break away" group and they decide they don't want women as priests as well as gays and lesbians. It was great to see Barbara Edgar, however, and we'll try to get together soon for breakfast or lunch on a Tuesday.
But more about the service today. I was very moved by it. I don't really like praise music in general, but I like it when the music is something you want to clap and sway to. The sermon was interesting. Fr. George talked about authority in the church. He recounted the history, that bishops are not really hierarchical in scripture, that priests seem to be of the same "rank." He noted that the structure of the Roman Catholic church follows that of the Roman empire and that the Pope is "Caesar." He then showed that the passage in the Bible often used to show we owe obedience to bishops is the only place where "obedience" is the translation for a word used in other places in the Bible that is more often translated "persuasion." His point was that we do not owe obedience to Bishops or anyone else when they are leading us down the wrong path. It certainly sounded like he was preparing the congregation for the coming debate this summer.
At the Prayers of the People, the congregation gathered around the cross and prayed spontaneously. They do it easily and prayed without self-consciousness. The celebration of the Eucharist was de riguer, carefully spoken, and, again, moving. The communion bread was warm, like it had just been baked. They offered grape juice for those who did not want an alcoholic beverage. The children came in just before communion and, in the recessional, several grabbed flags and waved them as we again sang joyously.
It was a good experience and seems like a healthy congregation. I pray they find themselves in agreement with ECUSA come this summer.
I got there just a few seconds after 10am. The altar party was at the back, so I waited for them to process. Fr. George and I exchanged glances. I'm sure he registered that I was new.
It's not the most beautiful church, but it does the job. At first it wasn't very crowded. I sat near the back in their very comfortable seating. The ceiling is high and the windows are clear-paned. There was a large projection screen on the right with the words of the opening hymn projected. A "choir" stood below -- not robed, standing among the musicians with microphones. They were very energetic and spontaneous. Lots of clapping, swaying, and hands in the air. I found their enthusiasm infectious, although I never got my hands in the air. Before the Gospel, we did a lot of singing. It was quite a buildup.
I noticed several things. Almost no one except the priest made the sign of the cross. I was the only one who crossed him or herself on head, lips, and heart at the Gospel. There was a little kneeling -- on the floor-- but most stood. They did have bells at the consecration though.
I saw Barbara Edgar and we waved at each other. She immediately came to my pew for a hug. She pointed out that Cynthia Bormann with short hair was playing the bongos, but I didn't get to talk with her. Doug Baddorf was there, spoke out as he always does, and it was good to talk with him. Barb introduced me to Fr. George after church. I told him why I was there. She also introduced me to Rebecca, a seminarian who is studying at Northern Baptist in that Anglican Studies program there. She was very nice and enthusiastic about her program, although she said the whole thing is in limbo right now. I wondered to myself what would happen if she's in the "possible break away" group and they decide they don't want women as priests as well as gays and lesbians. It was great to see Barbara Edgar, however, and we'll try to get together soon for breakfast or lunch on a Tuesday.
But more about the service today. I was very moved by it. I don't really like praise music in general, but I like it when the music is something you want to clap and sway to. The sermon was interesting. Fr. George talked about authority in the church. He recounted the history, that bishops are not really hierarchical in scripture, that priests seem to be of the same "rank." He noted that the structure of the Roman Catholic church follows that of the Roman empire and that the Pope is "Caesar." He then showed that the passage in the Bible often used to show we owe obedience to bishops is the only place where "obedience" is the translation for a word used in other places in the Bible that is more often translated "persuasion." His point was that we do not owe obedience to Bishops or anyone else when they are leading us down the wrong path. It certainly sounded like he was preparing the congregation for the coming debate this summer.
At the Prayers of the People, the congregation gathered around the cross and prayed spontaneously. They do it easily and prayed without self-consciousness. The celebration of the Eucharist was de riguer, carefully spoken, and, again, moving. The communion bread was warm, like it had just been baked. They offered grape juice for those who did not want an alcoholic beverage. The children came in just before communion and, in the recessional, several grabbed flags and waved them as we again sang joyously.
It was a good experience and seems like a healthy congregation. I pray they find themselves in agreement with ECUSA come this summer.
Discernment Weekend Recap
My, it's been a long time since I wrote anything. I have to be more religious about this. First, there's the description of the whole discernment weekend. What a ride that was! I arrived at almost the last minute on Friday night, about 7:10. I found out later I could have arrived earlier -- wish I had. I wouldn't have been so frazzled. The Cenacle in Chicago is in the middle of Lincoln Park. An incredible location. It's run now by Loyola as a retreat/meeting house for both religious and secular functions. It's quite nice. The room was retreat house comfortable with a communal bathroom down the hall. It was fine. The only thing I should have brought was a hair dryer.
I got down to the first meeting as the penultimate participant. Everyone was in a huge circle. I was definitely in the older end -- even tho aspirants hadn't been identified as yet. We introduced ourselves by talking about what "we'd left behind." I realized I hadn't left anything behind, so I talked about leaving the 9pm episode of Battlestar Galactica at home -- the only show I stay home to watch. I was the oldest aspirant and our birthdays were actually published on a list. Oh, horror!
We were divided into groups and Elizabeth Molitors and I were in Group C. Rev. Mimi from St. Andrews was the facilitator of my "listeners," but she didn't remember me from being at her table at Cursillo. We did a get-to-know-you exercise and wrote questions in our small group for everyone to answer. We then each picked two questions. I got, "Are you a cat or a dog person?" I talked about Keiko and Sophia and how I had to get rid of them because of "my grandson's allergy." I decided to be right up front about grandchildren and age. Not hide anything in hope people would think me younger than I am. The second question asked me about my favorite high school subject. I said "French," and told the story of our class trip to the Guepratte, the French destroyer at Navy Pier. Soeur Jeanne Louise took about 16 of us in our school uniforms to improve our French with the pompomed French sailors, all about 2 years older than us. (What was she thinking!) We got there as they were finishing lunch: tomatoes, onions, bread, cheese, and wine. We communicated just fine and then paired off to show our sailors the city after Sister had departed. I walked around with Jean-Paul Blanche and then said goodbye to him in the Randolph St. IC station with lots of kisses and lots of disapproving stares. It was 1963.
We went to bed after a cocktail hour. The next morning we had breakfast and morning prayer, then a role play where an assistant rector had to deal with an irate vestry upset about their alcoholic rector and his hushed up divorce. I played an irate vestry member. In a later role play with our small group, I was the rector of a church with a rich parishioner who was responsible for 40% of the operating budget. She wanted to build and fund a new building, but others were against it. It was a fascinating exercise as I found myself trying to find a common ground and doing my best to listen to the issues of both sides very sympathetically.
Then, the visits with "listeners" started. I had a bye the first hour. In the second I met with the lay listener, Galen Berqwardt. I later learned he was a U of C Biz School professor. I was a bit intimidated by him, but soon relaxed and got him laughing. His questions were good. All my listeners' questions were good. They'd obviously done their homework and read my materials carefully. They were quite interested in what I saw myself doing for the church and where I saw my ministry going. The night before, one of the leaders had emphasized the need for tentmaker ministries. I could speak to that issue easily as I've always seen myself as everything other than a parish priest.
My second listener was Rosemary Gooden, who is an adjunct professor at Seabury. We ended up talking about 20 minutes past the time I was supposed to switch to my third interview. I just enjoyed her so much. She was interested in my dissertation and said she looked forward to having me in class. We talked about race issues as well. A very good discussion.
Fr. Steve Marnz was my psychological listeners -- a shortened interview since I had talked so long with Rosemary. Elizabeth told me he was a Jungian, which was just fine with me. He asked me to talk about a time in my life when I failed at something, to talk about how I reacted to it, what I did to deal with it, and how it changed the way I did things going forward. Of course, I talked about my divorce. It was another good discussion.
My last discussion, with Fr. Jay Risk, was the toughest. He didn't display emotion or let his feelings be known. He was the first person to mention my age and ask me what had taken so long. I told him I thought everything was happening at the right time, that it couldn't really have happened sooner (especially with my medical issues being cleared up). He said he didn't buy that, but I was never able to convince him. I also told him that, perhaps it wasn't the right thing to feel, but that I was really enjoying the day. It was downright fun. I also told him that all along in my discernment process, I had asked that if my age made a difference, I wanted to know. I didn't want to waste my time or anyone else's. Everyone said it wasn't a problem. I told Jay that if it suddenly was a problem, I was going to be really annoyed. I didn't mean it as any kind of threat, but I wanted to make it clear how I felt about it.
After the last interview, we went to dinner. Afterwards, we had one final 15 minute interview with all our listeners and Mimi. I was last. I came to the floor where the interview was scheduled and found everyone on my team except one person, who was in with the listeners. Her interview was taking a very long time. She seemed a bit upset when she finally came out. They then ran through the rest of the interviews quickly. They asked me where I got my glasses and my spider pin and then asked me my three strengths and three weaknesses. I told the story of the identification of my gifts in EfM and listed what others saw in me: Pastoral, Preaching, and Faith gifts. I was actually wrong about Preaching. I think it was Teaching they actually identified, but I was loupy by that time. We were all physically wasted as the adrenalin stopped pumping and we were almost done for the night. I can't remember what I said for weaknesses, but I remember something about paying attention to the details and judging people too easily.
It was almost impossible to go to sleep that night. I got up and found Elizabeth's door open. We talked for about a half hour about our mutual jitters and then went to bed.
In the morning, we had Mass and breakfast and then all 14 of the aspirants sat together in a circle with our chaplain, Fr. Brian. It was an odd situation at best. We had all talked about how the whole weekend had been like a reality show. Now, who was going to be voted off the island? Brian said he assumed all of us had a pretty good idea where we stood with our listeners. We looked at him in amazement. All of us were clueless.
They started to call us out one by one. I realized I would be last in our group to go -- the first person in our group was out for 45 minutes -- she still had not returned when several of the others had come back with good news. Only one person came back with middling news -- he'd been asked to wait a couple of years and try again. Finally, I was called. I tried to read their faces, but was unsuccessful. Galen started to speak: "Well, I've been asked to be the spokesperson for the group, to collect our thoughts and give them to you." My heart sank. This didn't sound good. Then he said, "First, before I tell you our decision, I want you to know that we all really enjoyed talking with you. It was really delightful." Again, my heart hit the floor. I'd given too many performance reviews sounding just like this. Then he said, "We are recommending that you go forward on the path you are pursuing." "OK," I thought, "What the . . .?" I said, "Does that mean that you are oking me going to seminary in the fall and studying to be a priest?" The answer was "Yes" and I whooped out loud. I don't remember what I said then, but for some reason they all agreed they should put me forward as a bishop instead of a priest. We had a good laugh.
When I came back to the room, I whooped again and we all celebrated. I went home and had a congratulatory committee that came over to celebrate with me: Fr. Matt, his wife Leslie, Peg, Georgia, Lisa, Priscilla, and, most lovely of all, Junko, Max, Eli, Pete, and Tony. The latter two were also there for the SuperBowl.
I got down to the first meeting as the penultimate participant. Everyone was in a huge circle. I was definitely in the older end -- even tho aspirants hadn't been identified as yet. We introduced ourselves by talking about what "we'd left behind." I realized I hadn't left anything behind, so I talked about leaving the 9pm episode of Battlestar Galactica at home -- the only show I stay home to watch. I was the oldest aspirant and our birthdays were actually published on a list. Oh, horror!
We were divided into groups and Elizabeth Molitors and I were in Group C. Rev. Mimi from St. Andrews was the facilitator of my "listeners," but she didn't remember me from being at her table at Cursillo. We did a get-to-know-you exercise and wrote questions in our small group for everyone to answer. We then each picked two questions. I got, "Are you a cat or a dog person?" I talked about Keiko and Sophia and how I had to get rid of them because of "my grandson's allergy." I decided to be right up front about grandchildren and age. Not hide anything in hope people would think me younger than I am. The second question asked me about my favorite high school subject. I said "French," and told the story of our class trip to the Guepratte, the French destroyer at Navy Pier. Soeur Jeanne Louise took about 16 of us in our school uniforms to improve our French with the pompomed French sailors, all about 2 years older than us. (What was she thinking!) We got there as they were finishing lunch: tomatoes, onions, bread, cheese, and wine. We communicated just fine and then paired off to show our sailors the city after Sister had departed. I walked around with Jean-Paul Blanche and then said goodbye to him in the Randolph St. IC station with lots of kisses and lots of disapproving stares. It was 1963.
We went to bed after a cocktail hour. The next morning we had breakfast and morning prayer, then a role play where an assistant rector had to deal with an irate vestry upset about their alcoholic rector and his hushed up divorce. I played an irate vestry member. In a later role play with our small group, I was the rector of a church with a rich parishioner who was responsible for 40% of the operating budget. She wanted to build and fund a new building, but others were against it. It was a fascinating exercise as I found myself trying to find a common ground and doing my best to listen to the issues of both sides very sympathetically.
Then, the visits with "listeners" started. I had a bye the first hour. In the second I met with the lay listener, Galen Berqwardt. I later learned he was a U of C Biz School professor. I was a bit intimidated by him, but soon relaxed and got him laughing. His questions were good. All my listeners' questions were good. They'd obviously done their homework and read my materials carefully. They were quite interested in what I saw myself doing for the church and where I saw my ministry going. The night before, one of the leaders had emphasized the need for tentmaker ministries. I could speak to that issue easily as I've always seen myself as everything other than a parish priest.
My second listener was Rosemary Gooden, who is an adjunct professor at Seabury. We ended up talking about 20 minutes past the time I was supposed to switch to my third interview. I just enjoyed her so much. She was interested in my dissertation and said she looked forward to having me in class. We talked about race issues as well. A very good discussion.
Fr. Steve Marnz was my psychological listeners -- a shortened interview since I had talked so long with Rosemary. Elizabeth told me he was a Jungian, which was just fine with me. He asked me to talk about a time in my life when I failed at something, to talk about how I reacted to it, what I did to deal with it, and how it changed the way I did things going forward. Of course, I talked about my divorce. It was another good discussion.
My last discussion, with Fr. Jay Risk, was the toughest. He didn't display emotion or let his feelings be known. He was the first person to mention my age and ask me what had taken so long. I told him I thought everything was happening at the right time, that it couldn't really have happened sooner (especially with my medical issues being cleared up). He said he didn't buy that, but I was never able to convince him. I also told him that, perhaps it wasn't the right thing to feel, but that I was really enjoying the day. It was downright fun. I also told him that all along in my discernment process, I had asked that if my age made a difference, I wanted to know. I didn't want to waste my time or anyone else's. Everyone said it wasn't a problem. I told Jay that if it suddenly was a problem, I was going to be really annoyed. I didn't mean it as any kind of threat, but I wanted to make it clear how I felt about it.
After the last interview, we went to dinner. Afterwards, we had one final 15 minute interview with all our listeners and Mimi. I was last. I came to the floor where the interview was scheduled and found everyone on my team except one person, who was in with the listeners. Her interview was taking a very long time. She seemed a bit upset when she finally came out. They then ran through the rest of the interviews quickly. They asked me where I got my glasses and my spider pin and then asked me my three strengths and three weaknesses. I told the story of the identification of my gifts in EfM and listed what others saw in me: Pastoral, Preaching, and Faith gifts. I was actually wrong about Preaching. I think it was Teaching they actually identified, but I was loupy by that time. We were all physically wasted as the adrenalin stopped pumping and we were almost done for the night. I can't remember what I said for weaknesses, but I remember something about paying attention to the details and judging people too easily.
It was almost impossible to go to sleep that night. I got up and found Elizabeth's door open. We talked for about a half hour about our mutual jitters and then went to bed.
In the morning, we had Mass and breakfast and then all 14 of the aspirants sat together in a circle with our chaplain, Fr. Brian. It was an odd situation at best. We had all talked about how the whole weekend had been like a reality show. Now, who was going to be voted off the island? Brian said he assumed all of us had a pretty good idea where we stood with our listeners. We looked at him in amazement. All of us were clueless.
They started to call us out one by one. I realized I would be last in our group to go -- the first person in our group was out for 45 minutes -- she still had not returned when several of the others had come back with good news. Only one person came back with middling news -- he'd been asked to wait a couple of years and try again. Finally, I was called. I tried to read their faces, but was unsuccessful. Galen started to speak: "Well, I've been asked to be the spokesperson for the group, to collect our thoughts and give them to you." My heart sank. This didn't sound good. Then he said, "First, before I tell you our decision, I want you to know that we all really enjoyed talking with you. It was really delightful." Again, my heart hit the floor. I'd given too many performance reviews sounding just like this. Then he said, "We are recommending that you go forward on the path you are pursuing." "OK," I thought, "What the . . .?" I said, "Does that mean that you are oking me going to seminary in the fall and studying to be a priest?" The answer was "Yes" and I whooped out loud. I don't remember what I said then, but for some reason they all agreed they should put me forward as a bishop instead of a priest. We had a good laugh.
When I came back to the room, I whooped again and we all celebrated. I went home and had a congratulatory committee that came over to celebrate with me: Fr. Matt, his wife Leslie, Peg, Georgia, Lisa, Priscilla, and, most lovely of all, Junko, Max, Eli, Pete, and Tony. The latter two were also there for the SuperBowl.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
A Certain Lack of Focus
Here I am, two days after learning I'm going to seminary. I'm getting stuff done, but there is a "certain lack of focus" which is making this whole thing still a little unreal. There's a lot up in the air. The biggest question is whether or not I will live at Northwestern and how I will finance that. Will I sell my house to have all that extra cash? Do I put my things in storage or sell them too -- or give them away? I know I have time to make these decisions and I'm getting the application to Seabury tomorrow and signing up for the Campus visit in early April. I'll be seeing Matt, my parish priest, soon and we'll talk all this over. That will certainly bring more questions into focus. I'll also talk with my tax accountant in a few weeks. That will be great information to add to this discussion.
This is a lot like deciding to go to DeKalb in 1975 to get our graduate degrees. Friends thought we were gutsy then! Wow, this is absolutely insane gutsy. Virginia Theological Seminary and University of Chicago have both been suggested to me as alternatives to Seabury, but I don't think so. Virginia would mean moving my Dad along with me, living near Karen (which would be nice), and being away from Pete and family, a definitely difficult choice. Chicago is a great school academically. It would be challenging and intellectually stimulating, but, do I think that at this point in my life I need a warmer atmosphere where attention is paid to formation and where I can be integral to the life of the seminary. Seabury makes a lot more sense -- even tho it is really expensive. $60K to $100K they say. But, I'm not going to worry about this. I'm going to enjoy this process. Every day of it.
This is a lot like deciding to go to DeKalb in 1975 to get our graduate degrees. Friends thought we were gutsy then! Wow, this is absolutely insane gutsy. Virginia Theological Seminary and University of Chicago have both been suggested to me as alternatives to Seabury, but I don't think so. Virginia would mean moving my Dad along with me, living near Karen (which would be nice), and being away from Pete and family, a definitely difficult choice. Chicago is a great school academically. It would be challenging and intellectually stimulating, but, do I think that at this point in my life I need a warmer atmosphere where attention is paid to formation and where I can be integral to the life of the seminary. Seabury makes a lot more sense -- even tho it is really expensive. $60K to $100K they say. But, I'm not going to worry about this. I'm going to enjoy this process. Every day of it.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Discernment Weekend Results
Well, I'm officially on my way to being a postulant and a seminarian this fall. It was wild, intense discernment weekend I was on. I'm really exhuasted today. I think I'm suffering from adrenalin depletion. I'm still flying pretty high. Time to sort it all out. First, I'm surprised how much I enjoyed the weekend. I thought it would be dreadful from all the reports I'd received about past weekends. People were often "destroyed by what the listeners said to them." It sounded as if experiences could be horribly humiliating.
I drove to the Cenacle in Lincoln Park Friday night and managed to get lost a little, taking the wrong turn away from Fullerton, but my usual good sense of direction guided me home. The Cenacle was nice. Rooms were clean and quiet. The bed, of course, was horrible, but that's de riguer.
I was one of the last people to make it to the session. Although many of the staff were my age, all the aspirants were younger by at least 5 years and, in other cases, many more years. But, I was cool. Lots of gay and lesbian people. More than I expected. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Seriously, a lot of people, when asked what they had left behind, mentioned partners. It was a great group.
I drove to the Cenacle in Lincoln Park Friday night and managed to get lost a little, taking the wrong turn away from Fullerton, but my usual good sense of direction guided me home. The Cenacle was nice. Rooms were clean and quiet. The bed, of course, was horrible, but that's de riguer.
I was one of the last people to make it to the session. Although many of the staff were my age, all the aspirants were younger by at least 5 years and, in other cases, many more years. But, I was cool. Lots of gay and lesbian people. More than I expected. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Seriously, a lot of people, when asked what they had left behind, mentioned partners. It was a great group.
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