Farewell, President Bush

I couldn't resist being a little naughty.














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The Little Drummer Boy - The Show

Today after church, one of my parishioners told me that he found the Rankin-Bass animated version of “The Little Drummer Boy” Christmas special on YouTube. When I got home this evening, I downloaded and watched it. It is actually in three parts, totaling about 25 minutes.

(Rather than upload each of the videos, which will take an eternity, I am merely posting links to the appropiriate YouTube URLs):

The Little Drummer Boy Part 1

The Little Drummer Boy Part 2

The Little Drummer Boy Part 3

As I noted in my sermon last week, I had not seen it in probably 30 years. It was wonderful to finally see it again. But I realized as I watched it, there were some parts that I had forgotten. In actuality, the animated show was not quite as I had remembered it at all – it was better. What I was actually remembering as I wrote my sermon for January 11 was more my interpretation of the song filtered through the lens of the show, but that the overall message of the show was somewhat different.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the show again after all these years, crying during most of it. As I watched it, I realized that based on the show, there was probably another sermon in it, as yet to be developed.

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A Smile From God

In this day and age of Photoshop, who knows if this is real or not. But it is a reminder that God does smile on us in so many ways, if we would just pay attention.

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Actually, I'm Episcopalian

Today I went to St. John's Medical Center (a Roman Catholic hospital) in Santa Monica to visit a couple of parishioners. When I went to check in, get my parking validated, and find out room numbers, the guard asked me if I was Catholic or Jewish. Jewish? JEWISH????? How many rabbis do you know who wear an Anglican collar?


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Chocoholic Squirrel

This afternoon I was working in my office, when all of a sudden I heard a racquet out on the patio. I opened my office door and stepped out into the patio and looked in the direction of the noise, near the chapel door. A squirrel had turned over a small waste basket and was admiring the contents. When it saw me, it acted like it was going to run away, but then stopped after only getting a couple of feet. I walked up to within about six or eight feet of it, and it just stood there looking at me. Then it turned to face me directly, took a defiant stance, and just stared at me. The staring contest lasted about a minute or two. When it seemed to have decided that I was no substantial threat, it turned and went back to the waste basket and pulled out a clear plastic container – the kind from the grocery store that the bakery department uses for cookies and cakes. I immediately recognized it as being from the coffee hour and saw that it contained about a third of a piece of chocolate cake. I then realized that the defiant stance was a warning not to get between the squirrel and the chocolate – a position I can readily appreciate.

The squirrel went to work on trying to open the container. It would bite at the edge of it, then pull the container up into its paws and try from a different angle. This went on for several minutes. Now, I know that I should have chased the squirrel away, but I was having such a grand time watching it furiously trying to get to the treasure that lay within. Finally, the squirrel managed to chew a small hole in the container. It poked its head in to get the chocolate cake, which was at the far side of the box. The squirrel had to crawl quite a way in through the small hole. I thought it might end up getting stuck, which would have been an even more funny sight. But it managed to reach the cake and back out with treasure in hand, or rather, in jaw. It took the cake about half way across the patio to a spot under one of the tables and began munching on this delectable chocolate feast (I had a piece during coffee hour and it was very good).

While the squirrel was feasting, I went over and cleaned up the trash and put it in the dumpster in the parking lot (which actually is another of the squirrel’s favorite hangouts – I have seen it there a number of times). I did find a piece of broccoli (undoubtedly left over from yesterday’s wedding reception). After the squirrel had finished eating the cake, I tried to throw the broccoli in the direction of the squirrel, but it would have nothing to do with it. Why eat vegetables when you can have chocolate? Last I saw of the squirrel, it was walking down the sidewalk heading toward Hillel (next door) which has a Coffee Bean franchise. The squirrel was probably wanting some coffee to go with the chocolate cake. Too bad for the squirrel that Coffee Bean is closed on Sundays.

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Diocese of Los Angeles Meets the Matrix

Moki took this picture at the ordination rehearsal session. The mysterious looking woman to the right is my Soul Sister, the Rev. Alexandra Conrads, who was one of the Ministers of Ceremony for the service. I love this picture because it has that surreal, Matrix-esque quality that I imagine comes with life in the priesthood. (Love ya’ Alexandra – this is sooooo you!)

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