St Louis Floodwalls

 I'm saturating my life with color, beauty of all sorts 

and seasonal whimsy.

 

Luckily, there is an abundance of all those items locally.

 

The St Louis Floodwalls are decorated annually by urban spray paint artists;

it's colorful,

sometimes political.

sometimes feels geared to teenage boys,

but there are always hints of classical themes

and always a delight -

especially if you get down there before 'taggers' mark the work.

Some of these were among my favorites.
 

    Some truly remarkable talents out there.

 

And, if that doesn't do it for you -

there's always retail therapy -

focusing on thrifting and reuse!

Yes, please.

A Harsh Re-entry

My flight back from the reservation got in at around 1AM on Friday morning..

After catching an Uber back to my house, 

I lugged my suitcase up the stairs, put it in the guest bedroom 

and went right to bed.

 

When I woke up, around 9AM -

in my own bed with my preferred pillows 

and a full compliment of clean sheets,

familiar sounds, 

no one else in the building 

and Kachava protein shakes just steps away - 

(honestly, is there a better combo than that!)

 I decided to ease into the day and scroll on social  media;

as one does -

especially after being away for 4 days in the middle of nowhere

with inadequate, spotty connectivity. 

 

I blithely opened Instagram -

yes, I hate all the reels,

no, I don't post 'reels' myself  

despite pressure from the algorithm to do so.

My Instagram account (pedsersw) is my daily pictorial diary;

1 picture a day to capture where I am 

and what I'm seeing.

 

Trust me when I tell you that I was completely unprepared

to see a reel on Mandy Patinkin's page -

("My name in Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die" fame)

 of an ICE raid in Iowa.

 

By now, we've all seen some version of them, right?

Thugs taking down a brown skinned person, 

many of the victims screaming that they're citizens, service men, legal etc -

with various combinations of outraged white citizens 

filming on their phones,

screaming profanities and SHAME at the militia doing the take down.

You've got the visual, right?

 

Has anyone had the experience of watching that -

and recognizing one of the ICE agents

as a relative??!! 

 I swear I've watched that clip 50 times -

trying hard to convince myself that I didn't see what I know I saw.

Trying to rationalize that I didn't sit next to that person -

IN THOSE SAME CLOTHES -

at our most recent family gathering.

 

WTF??!!

 

After crying to the point of throwing up,

I  started trying to reconstruct pieces of what I know about this person

and how to make this new information 'fit'.

 

(And, yes, I did some online stalking,

went on his previous employers website 

to see if he's still employed there 

and, NO, there's no indication that he still has a phone contact listed - 

that he had before).

 

His parents would be devastated if they knew.

His 82 yr old father carries around a pocket copy of the Constitution with him

and is so opposed to what this regime is doing 

that every time he hears about a new, ridiculous, 

patently absurd and usually illegal edict or mandate,

he looks it up to see just which Amendment they're breaking now! 

 

I realize that a sign on bonus of $60,000

and a base salary of over $100,000.

is a lot of money to resist for some people.

 

But, enough to sell out democracy?

Enough to inflict pain on human beings just trying to find a better life? 

That's the going price of betraying the foundation upon which our country is built?? 

 

I'm being honest here...

I understand that everyone is entitled to their own political beliefs;

we all have free will

and we all have to  live with the consequences of decisions we make...

but I don't understand how he sleeps at night.

 

And I don't understand how I'm going to respond to him

if/when we ever get together again. 

Yikes, this is hard.

I'm back

You probably didn't even notice I'd gone again. 

For more than 30 years, 

my congregation has had a relationship with the Lakota People

on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. 

 

We've worked with HFH in home building;

we've collected supplies and money for 

White Buffalo Calf Woman's Society,

the first domestic violence shelter for indigenous women in the country;

we've had coat drives for their elementary schools;

we've donated bears, knit items and money 

for first responders to give to trauma victims;

we've provided funding for heating

 during harsh LONG winters

in substandard housing;

we've provided new roofs, stoves and storm windows;

we built a softball field 20 years ago that's still being used 

by the community today ...

 

but, the best thing we've done

has been to keep returning;

to be known as "the church that comes back'.

 

to develop relationships with people

and to be known by them;

not as representatives of a 'better' culture or way of being

but as perfectly imperfect and human as 'they' are.

We're in this together.

 

In 2023,

one of their historic congregation,

Holy Innocents, established in 1890,

was destroyed by arson.

A painting of the original church 

and interior.

You can't and don't replace history.

But you can rebuild.

Destruction doesn't get the last word.

 

We were invited back for the consecration of their new church -

a metal 'pole barn' that is connected to a metal Guild Hall

which will serve them differently in this changing world

but just as faithfully.

(the church is on the right, 

the red/white color way reflecting the original paint

and the Guild Hall, in blue

on the left)

What a wonderful celebration -

and a feast afterward -

with old and new friends;

in Lakota and English;

with ordained clergy and indigenous Spiritual leaders in attendance;

exactly what beloved community looks like.

 

Here's the reflection I wrote immediately after getting back:

 

At first, I thought it was a metaphor so perfect for the reservation -

the building was incomplete, 
work continuing up until 20 minutes before the service started.
No insulation on the walls or ceiling, 
a close look revealing walls not meeting the foundation,
no permanent electrical source, 
extension cords running to a source in another building;
white sheets stapled over bare walls,
twinkle lights strung overhead, 

providing enough magic to distract from the reality 

of all that remained unfinished

An overall sense of what needed to be accomplished
but no concise, clear plan of how to get it done -
everyone doing their small part of 
both the celebration and the feast that followed.

That’s when I realized the metaphor was perfect for all of us -
for the church -
we are ALL unfinished -
all works in progress -
with our own versions of ‘twinkle lights’ 

to distract from all the ways in which we’re incomplete.

Thanks be to God, we don’t have to wait for ‘completion’ before we gather 
to celebrate relationship with the Holy 
and feast with beloved friends as community.

 

 

It also reminded me of a writing by Bishop Oscar Romero 

which always helps me keep things in perspective. 

 

 It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is Gods work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we're about: We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it's a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen

Oscar Romero.
~~~~~~~

 

A quick trip to a place and people you love is always worth the effort;

especially in times like these

when those in power would prefer we be separated and estranged.

 

Even Mother Nature out there isn't buying that version of reality.

 

 

Public Service Message

 Since a bunch of people

missed Sunday school

let's be exquisitely clear 

 

jesus never said

america first

crush enemies 

elect christian leaders

disappear outsiders

worship the flag

 

that's christian nationalism

 

what *did* jesus say?

 

love god

love your enemies

love yourself

practice humility

welcome people not like you

feed people who are hungry

you can't serve god and money

share what you have with others

break down walls between groups

if you want to be great - serve others

 

and when jesus got mad

it was aimed at injustice

hypocrisy and

hardness of heart

never vulnerable people

 

may all who find resonance

and beauty in the story of jesus

practice the second list

and flip some tables

on the first list

 

together is the

way forward

 

Jenny Smith 

More Maine mixed with Halloween

 I've been home long enough to get pictures downloaded,

some Halloween wreaths made, do laundry

and repack.

 

I leave in the morning for Rosebud reservation in South Dakota;

I'll tell you more about that when I get back.

 

Until then, enjoy some fun Maine images

It must have been the Halloween decorations that inspired me 

to start decorating when I got home. 

While I'm keeping it fairly simple this year, 

 I DID treat myself to a new wreath for the front door

using some vintage Nancy Anne dolls I had

and some old and new finds from the Dollar Store.

ANNDD

since I had 'stuff' left over,

I made 2 more;

one for my grandkids

and one for the young girl next door.

 Both have been delivered

and both were big hits.

I love it when an idea comes together.

I loved the pumpkin man, holding a head

and even my 'grandcat' got into the action.

I ALSO had time to get a new poster made for the next big No Kings protest,

(front)

(back)

and, with the nonsense going on currently,

you KNOW I'll be there.