Service

There are a lot of different careers that I would love to have: professional classical musician, writer, veterinarian, Las Vegas show girl (I know, but it's true. It's the feathery costumes), landscape designer, tennis player (I have a better chance at being a show girl), movie director, spy, soccer mom.

I've also considered more service oriented jobs: FEMA, red cross, etc. If I were a man, or Episcopalian, I would also consider being a chaplain in the Armed services (In order to be a chaplain you have to be able to perform the ordinances of your own religion.) I did spend a short time helping out in a Christian shelter in Boston where I helped read the Holy Bible and sat in prayer and mediation with those who asked for the help. And I've been involved in orchestrating quite a few other service projects through the years. (Mt. Vernon nursing home anyone? Or the Sunday clean-ups at the duck pond in Malden?) Generally speaking, I have many short comings, but I have a great love for God and all that he has created and enjoy being a serviceable person.

Unless of course that is in an official capacity. I'm not sure that I have any readers who are not LDS or don't know anything about the religion, but I'll briefly explain: Ours is a lay church which means it is of the people, for the people, by the people. Oh wait, that might be the Gettysburg address...but it's kind of the same thing. We all take part in doing our part. Except me.

I can't hold it together when I'm given an official calling (responsibility). A psychoanalysis of all the many reasons why would be longer than a blog post should ever be, so we'll just leave it there. I can sign up to clean up the building, I can volunteer to watch someone's children in an emergency, I can give a talk, I can sub a class, I can visit the sick, the elderly, the poor, but the minute I am given any of these tasks to do on a regular basis I am filled with dread, resentment, panic, fear, anger. Pretty much all the feelings that the are opposite to being filled with the love of Christ.

There have been many leaders who think I'm an evil person because I don't *want* a calling, that I am not *willing* to serve. A diabetic doesn't fast, a cripple isn't assigned to be the janitor. There are many people that have mortal things that prevent them from doing all that they want to do. An official calling is one of those things for me.

But I think me and God are good. He created me and He gets me. I don't know that I care too much if anyone else does. Even if I do get the stink eye from church leaders from time to time.

Afternoon walks

I love a good walk. A good walk can be in the city, a small village or out in the country. Today I'll take you along for my afternoon walk.

My walk starts from my flat, heads out North along the neighborhood sidewalk for a mile and half and then I head East to the public foot paths running through the pasture lands.

Flowers along a brick wall.

Walking past the football field and playground towards the public foot paths. There are so many churches here. More churches than people!

Yellow flowers and a happy bee. I haven't yet crossed a climbing post to get into the pasture.

My goal is to make it to this mansion. Impossible. All the public footpath's circumvent it and the closer you get the more the view is obscured by trees.


Oh how I wish I could just lay in the field and read Hardy and Gaskell and Browning and Tennyson all day....

I crossed about six of these today. And went through a few gates as well.

Cresting the top of the hill I was on. Across the way is Cleeve Hill. The highest point in the Cotswold (1083 above sea level) (not very high. :) )

I may have eaten myself silly on blackberries. I kind of felt like a little bear in the forest eating berries. Fruit the way Mother Nature intended.

Thus concludes the afternoon walk. And surprisingly I did not get rained on.