Extremely random question: at Christian Sunday Schools or other religious schools, at what age do they explain the "virgin" part of "Virgin Mary"? I was just thinking about how some of the more "difficult" Jewish stories aren't introduced until a bit later -- like, I don't remember learning about the sacrifice of Isaac until third or fourth grade, and we'd learned lots of other stuff about Abraham and Isaac before that -- but Mary's virginity seems like both an important concept and like something that can't really be explained until the kids are much older.

Swear to god, even thinking about the angel ornament makes me teary. I can look at it and just smile and be really happy, but remembering my fingers curling around it inside the stocking? Whump.

If I remember my friend W's explanation of his heart attack -- it felt like indigestion, but then it got worse, then it got way worse-- so he knew it was not indigestion. Happily, W and J have a paramedic living next door.

You mean, what exactly it means to be a virgin? I don't think we ever got into that in my religious education. You always hear the words, and I guess at some point you know what they mean. But I think maybe it's more of a factor in Catholicism? Also, my Christian education was kind of half-assed, so other people should probably answer.

Speaking of Isaac, we did a lot of skits (see above re: half assed), and at some point, we got to pick what we were doing, and someone got the bright idea to do the sacrifice of Isaac, and went running into the kitchen (next to the room we were in) for a big knife. Good times.

The one weird and extremely vivid thing just about all of them experienced was a sudden irrational compulsion to get away from wherever they were and find someplace to be alone. On a bus, in line for a movie or a public restroom, in a library, wherever...they all felt overwhelmed by a loud interior voice saying GET OUT. GO AWAY. BE ALONE. Not a panic attack, just a big calm command to go be alone.

I SO skipped and skimmed to the last of Natter, so I have no idea if people have already commented on this...but I wonder if, biologically, this urge is related to the way other animals creep off somewhere to die. I mean, our lizard brains don't think "ER." They think...um, I don't know, actually. "Death is the ultimate alone time" maybe?

Also, hmm, Hil. I don't remember from Sunday School, but I'm positive by the time we got to Mary's purity and what's-her-face, Sarah's handmaiden (Hagar?) my reading had already lead me down that "What's sex, mom?" road. And we were some flavor of medium Baptist, so it was all JesusGod! and oh, yeah, that Mary chick too.

Also, a sermon I heard this Christmas made me think about the whole thing about Mary and Joseph not being married, and I wonder about the history of that -- it seems like crap to me, since if they weren't married, wouldn't she go with her father to the census, not her fiance? I don't know, of course....

The virgin birth was so much a part of my Catholic upbringing that I don't remember it being explained. I don't remember anyone in Catholic elementary school asking about it.

My first date with DH#1 was a Chuck Mangione concert. 1972.

Yay trees! I planted a number of Gumbo Limbo trees about 20 some years ago along a main street here. They were scrawny little branches from a large tree. They are big lovely shade trees now. I loves seeing them grow.

You mean, what exactly it means to be a virgin? I don't think we ever got into that in my religious education. You always hear the words, and I guess at some point you know what they mean.

Yeah, I don't remember when they explained it to us. Maybe it was in 8th grade when we had "sex ed" in my Christian school.

I do remember hearing about unwed mothers on tv news when I was in second grade or so - I was thinking, "Is this the same as the virgin Mary giving birth?" (But I didn't ask my parents that question.)

Ooh, and oh yeah, Esther! Esther FASCINATED me for about 2 months when I was about 9. Esther was freaking hot in my illustrated Child's Bible, and I wanted all her cool clothes and jewelry.

And hur, the chick that...Judith! cut of Whazzit's head with a sword. V. popular subject for Rennaissance paintings.

Strangely enough, I remember all the women of the Bible. But Ruth did nothing for me. I am selfish.

cut of Whazzit's head with a sword.

John the Baptist? Let's see - I think Harod's wife just asked for his head, so they gave it to her. Is this something other than what you're thinking of?