Disheartening

This morning I served as a lector at my parish; one of my favorite ways to be an active member of my Church. I have been an active lector at this parish since March of 2007.

Today I was startled to be greeted by my co-lector with the statement, "So, I have absolutely no idea what my reading is about. It's kind of weird."

Wait a minute.

When I accepted the role as a lector at our parish I was asked to commit fully to preparing each reading so that my fellow parishioners would be able to understand the Word. I was given several resources to help study each reading. At our training session, Fr. asked us to spend time each day studying and reflecting on the reading so that we would be prepared to present the scripture to the congregation. Further, he encouraged us to call him with any questions that we may have about the reading and he would help us.

Essentially, if we don't understand the reading, how can we convey meaning to the members of the parish? Our informed delivery of the Word is essential, especially in our parish because we do not use missalettes and parishioners rely on the clear and informed vocal delivery of the lector to hear the word.

I was overwhelmed and completely frustrated by my co-lector's introductory remarks. I probably should have said more than I did to him; however he made his remarks to me as we were lining up to process into Mass.

Beethoven 7

Many of you have heard me talk about the energy that was present at last weekend's opening night. While this video clip does not capture the complete vibe of the evening, it does give a hint as to the quality of performance.

Opening Night at the Symphony

Chip sports new duds for opening night.
Kelly sings of her joy at being a part of opening night.

A question about a bus

In the picture below, which way is the bus traveling? (Ok, perhaps I should clarify this is not an animinated image, rather a still pic...errr, representation of a bus if you will.) Is the bus poised to travel to the left or the right?Can't make up your mind? Take a closer look.

Still don't know?

Supposedly (I'm trying to find an actual source for this question other than the email forward) Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture asked the same question. 90% of the pre-schoolers gave this answer.

"The bus is traveling to the left."

When asked, "Why do you think the bus is traveling to the left?"

They answered: "Because you can't see the door to get on the bus."

How do you feel now? know, me too.

Tri-State Fair and Rodeo

Tonight I spent some time exploring the Tri-State Fair with friends. We sampled all sorts of food on a stick. Including jumbo corn dogs, roasted sweet corn drenched in butter and topped with cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese (sounds like it is almost a gourmet treat), german sausage on a stick, frozen chocolate covered bananas, funnel cakes, fresh squeezed lemonade and even jumbo turkey drumsticks. (Kelly is modeling the appropriate way to eat a drumstick)

I have never been one for playing games at a fair or amusement park, but I did make a special exception tonight. We played ski ball and several target shooting games. I was not able to convince anyone to ride one of the amusement park rides with me. When the guys learned that I have ridden POWER! in the past I realized how chicken they really are. ;-) Our group did leave the midway with a few stuffed animals. While it was tempting, I did not take home a goldfish. (Jenny introduces us to the newest members of her family.)

What would a fair be without animals and 4H exhibits? Our group traipsed through the 4H barn, but our largest chunk of time was spent with the horses. Kelly jokingly referred to me as the horse whisperer as I was able to coax even the shy horses to the edge of the stall to say hello and pet them. However, when Kelly would come near the edge of the stall the horses would often scoot away....unless Kelly had some hay for the hungry horses. Here one of our favorites illustrates why it is never to late to find a dentist you can trust. Regular cleanings are good for all, even horses.

Nerd.

Yep, that's me.
'Nuf said.

Tales from the Island

Gas prices in Amarillo are outrageously high. Outrageously.

This fact was reaffirmed during my recent trip to Dallas. Gas prices in Dallas were $0.60 cheaper than prices in Amarillo. (and this was even on a holiday weekend) Folks that we talked to in Dallas could not believe that we were paying more for gas than they were, because they thought their prices were outrageously high. Ha. Here in Ama we rejoice when we see gas prices slide below $3.

Several locals have developed websites to protest the alleged price gouging. Check it out here or on myspace.