Nice on both counts, Jesse! I love a labyrinth. Though I never know how to spell it.

I miss the community of church. I tried a UU congregation near me, but it wasn't quite the thing.

I’ve started trying local Methodists churches since I moved. They voted to accept LGBTQ+ marriages and let any church that wanted to do so perform them, which had been a stumbling block for me before that was thrashed out. They lost some people over it (good riddance), so I’m trying to do my best mannerly meet-and-greet while letting them know, as appropriate, that the change is what brought me back. Could be some community there. They’re doing a lot of work with people in poorer areas, especially over in Pontiac, so that’s also a plus.

I enjoyed Hec and Brenda’s travel stories. Brenda, I would have bought that tea box, too, and I don’t even like tea. I’m sure I could have found something to store in it.

I cleaned up one pile! It included a bunch of JZ's papers, including an early set of headshots I'd never seen. Also her GRE scores (perfect 800 Verbal, of course. But also 94 percentile Analytical). One of her old passports.

And (very in character for her) two disability checks that she had misfiled and never cashed which surely would have been helpful at the time.

The disability was from when she miscarried the pregnancy that preceded Matilda.

There were also a series of rejection letters for a movie script she had submitted widely. She never mentioned that she had written a screenplay and I haven't come across a copy of it.

So many mysteries and strange testimonies in old papers.

I'm actually preaching tomorrow, in my newish role as an officially licensed lay preacher. We follow a lectionary, and the scripture passages assigned for tomorrow are all ones that in my evangelical days I would've interpreted as meaning I needed to go out and convert people. So I'm telling a bit of my history, why I turned my back on that strand of Christianity, then asking what good news we have to offer the world. Here are my concluding paragraphs:

Funny story–I recently told someone I’d never talked about religion with before that I was an Episcopalian, like that bishop at the prayer service. And their response was “oh, cool!” So at least for the moment, at least in the kind of circles I hang out in, we’re the cool church.

More seriously, I think our declaration that all are welcome, that we are a diverse and inclusive community, is very good news to anyone coming from a faith community that was the opposite of loving and inclusive. We can be a safe harbor, a place of love and acceptance in the name of Jesus.

And I’m not sure how to make this a point of outreach, but the reason I decided to try an Episcopal church rather than, say, an American Baptist or a Methodist one, was that I fell in love with the liturgy. There’s so much beauty in the Book of Common Prayer, and in the idea that we’re praying the same prayers and taking part in the same sacraments–with a bit of editing and updating along the way–that our spiritual forefathers and foremothers did for centuries before us. In my evangelical days, I spent a lot of time trying to feel the right feelings and think the right thoughts during a church service. But here, even if I’m tired, or distracted, or full of doubts–as is very often the case, believe me–I can still join in the liturgy and let it carry me.

But above all, I think we proclaim the good news whenever we love God and love our neighbors, whenever we feed the hungry or care for the sick or welcome the stranger into our midst. Love multiplies–the more you give, the more you have. And maybe that’s the key.

That's beautiful, Susan. Jacqueline struggled a lot with the Catholic Church and eventually left it very late but found a home in a new congregation that really spoke to her spiritual needs, and offered that kind of community.

I'm so glad she found that church--it's a wonderful thing to find a church you can be yourself in without compromises.

I'm so glad she found that church--it's a wonderful thing to find a church you can be yourself in without compromises.

I think for her the biggest thing was having a woman pastor. And a really good one. A woman who was as interested in Theology as she was, but wanted to put that into action.

What a great congregation it had too. Truly a cross-section of San Francisco values. Every week the church turned out to distribute food, and you could see it. Every race, every sexuality and gender identity. Multigenerational. Truly an expression of Jacqueline's faith as she lived it (and struggled with it).

Taxes: done!

Insurance: paid!

Scola: rocking it out!

Go Scola!

I am headed back to Chicago from Heathrow.

My earbuds are headed back from Paris to god knows where. I really should be getting miles for this.