In response to Kirkepiscatoid's comment from yesterday, I'll tell you about my visit to St. A's sooner rather than later.
In a couple of words, very nice. I knew it would be.
Where I live, there are three Episcopal churches. Each is in a discrete area of the city, each serves a discrete population although certainly all are welcome at any of them. The church that we are in the process of leaving is the original Episcopal church in the area, jokingly called the "Mother Church." The lovely building, originally constructed in 1887, is Dakota sandstone and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It historically has been the stereotypical "frozen chosen" church of the monied conservatives as well as those whose families went back in the church to the time of Dakota homesteading (which is an indication of prominence around here). When we first moved to the area in 2002, it had a very dynamic, highly educated rector with whom both T and I immediately felt a personal connection. The church was in the process of revamping the children's education program which turned out to be very successful (until the event mentioned below), it provided the space for the area's EfM program, provided a regular service of Holy Eucharist to a local retirement home, and other things. But, the rector wanted to make more changes and thus developed a tension between the monied and homesteader folks who saw the church as a "country club" (which I wrote in a letter to a priest associate in 2003) and newer members who were more progressive. Also, the rector developed some complications in his personal life which his enemies (those who are change agents always have enemies) jumped upon, which ultimately led to his forced early retirement in 2006. This in my opinion irrevocably damaged this church--the rector had planned to retire anyway in 2007, but the way it was done was the issue. Many of the newer, more progressive folks left (either TEC entirely or for St. A's), and the few that were and are left find it difficult to revive the lassitude found there now.
St A's, on the west side of town (12 minutes from my house up the canyon) is a 50 year old parish that was a church plant from the mother church. It has a more contemporary building and a more progressive spirit (God is NEVER addressed as "he" in the liturgy). There are more younger people there. It is a smaller congregation than the mother church. The current rector has been there only four years, and is an amazing lady. That church has lots of can do spirit and energy at present. (And you will find it a fairly LGBT friendly congregation, as friendly as one can be around here.) My acquaintance Robbinsdale Radical is an active member, whom I first met when he and his family were at the Mother Church.
St. M's is on the east side of town whose membership is predominately Lakota Sioux. If my memory serves me correctly, that mission was founded ~ 60 years ago so that the monied folks at the "Mother Church" would not be troubled by Indians in their midst--i.e., as a result of racism. I've been to meetings there and other events; the hospitality there is second to none. The vicar is an amazing person who works hard for the indigenous people in TEC. His calling is to serve the people at St M's however he can and I doubt he will ever leave except to retire. As I have more than a few drops of indigenous blood in me, I thought to visit there as I greatly admire the vicar, but there is no 8 am service and a very long drive.
The three churches collaborate on VBS, deanery meetings, EfM, Lenten services, Quiet Days, and whatever else is special. So we all have met the active people in each congregation. And for that reason, Taciturn and I pretty much knew what we were getting when we visited St. A's yesterday.
Friendly people, Rite II spoken liturgy (we are 8 o'clockers and usually get Rite I), three women on the altar--the LEM, the deacon, and the rector--a challenging sermon, and the baptismal font front and center. One has to walk by it to approach the altar for communion. There is a lovely garden with a cascading fountain in the back and both services next week will be there. Unfortunately, I have to work next weekend but T is looking forward to going.
The fact that T wants to attend a new church by himself is telling!
On the way out we spoke to the other deacon, who was one of my EfM mentors. She was happy--and shocked--to see me there. We walked arm in arm for a minute as I casually told her I'd visit with her another time. Again, the entire story is for a select three, and I'm developing the Cliff Notes version for everyone else. When that is developed, I'll post it.
Meanwhile, I have meetings today!
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Where I'm
Going to church in the morning...
And I already know what the sermon says as Mother Kathy has blogged it on Kathy's Good Word. Can't get any better than that.
We're excited. Please pray for Taciturn and me as we start this transition.
And I already know what the sermon says as Mother Kathy has blogged it on Kathy's Good Word. Can't get any better than that.
We're excited. Please pray for Taciturn and me as we start this transition.
Work, etc
I finally have completed my much more than usual work schedule. This has been a busy three weeks--trip to and from Missouri, then working lots of shifts all over the time spectrum. I don't work again for a week, which is great because now I have time to go to the grocery store and cook lovely meals, clean my house well (important to me), engage in centering prayer, go to the Farmer's Market, do yoga, and blog.
I did find time this last week to resign from all of my church offices. Our phone is ringing off the hook but for the most part we have not answered it. This deserves its own post--although due to the public nature of blogging, I cannot be forthright here. Actually, due to the "straw that broke the camel's back" reason (which was not the meeting I spoke about before), I really can't be forthright at all, except to a select few. I'm having lunch with one of those select few next week, someone who already knows a good bit of the story.
Anyway, work yesterday. We had ten guests, six of them with personal alarms, which is what is attached when folks who really shouldn't get up without help try to do just that. That alerts the staff (us) that they are on the move. The staff yesterday consisted of one nurse (moi) and two nursing assistants (known here as patient care techs). One fellow moves really fast but is very weak, and fell once during the night as the staff heard the alarm but couldn't get to him in time. We moved him to a room closer to the nurses' station and asked our volunteer, who normally answers the door (we are a locked facility) to sit with him. Otherwise we ran (almost literally) all day doing what needed to be done, answering the door as well as the phone, turning people and giving baths, giving regularly scheduled medications and also pain medications as needed. By the way, I'm the only one who can give medications or do certain procedures. We were insanely busy.
Other things, too. One of our long term guests was feeling very low. She said something to the effect that only God knows what will happen to her. I spied a copy of the Holy Scriptures on her bed, and told her, "You know, in our church we say a birthday prayer which says, 'O God, our times are in your hand.' I find that quite comforting." (I normally say nothing about God at work unless the occasion arises, as it did then.) She looked at me with a grin and sparkling eyes and said, "I like that. That is a more positive way of looking at it. Thank you for sharing!"
The Book of Common Prayer to the rescue again.
On the more troubling side, the son of one of our guests was upset as when we had given his mother a bath that morning, we had not put clothes on her but put a nightgown back on her. We had done that as it is much more expedient to put a gown on a bed bound patient when one is as frantically busy as we were than to put a blouse and slacks on, which is really difficult but which we do try to do when we can. I totally understand his sentiments, and I knew he was not interested in hearing that we didn't have enough staff to give the care we truly want to give. So two of us went and dressed her, which took 15 minutes to do. That doesn't seem like a lot of time, but do the math.
And then the family of the man who kept crawling out of bed left, the volunteer that came later didn't want to sit in the room (too boring), and so the fellow tried to go over the siderails again. What saved us all (including him) was that we had moved him closer to the nurses' station. We could not spare a person to sit in there. The techs were able to get to him in time to prevent another fall.
Then I went into another guest's room to see that he looked very close to death (this is a hospice so that happens). I had a quick conference with the family about their particular dynamic and what the turn the father took meant for that, and called the chaplain.
Anyway, toward the end of this particularly shift, one of the techs working with me left the floor for a few moments; when she returned, she announced that she had resigned. I don't blame her. The way our scheduling is done, we could have been expected to care for a total of twelve guests with the exact same staffing. We didn't think we were able to give the best care we could with ten. Our night shift only has an RN and a tech on no matter the census.
The nurse that came on in the afternoon to relieve me was really bitter. She said it is too bad that we have to take the flack for staffing decisions that we do not make when we are trying to do our best. Her husband is after her to quit this job. (As is mine, btw.) We know that other hospice houses have different staffing levels--one in MT we heard about has an RN, an LPN, and an aide on at all times. An LPN can flex up to pass medications, or down to do the work of an aide, depending on needs.
We'll see how this continues. When I was in a work situation similar to this many years ago, our bosses really hammered us when we made mistakes. If that starts here, I'll resign. Since I'm moving next year, I'll be resigning anyway, but I'd rather wait until I move so as not to mess up the resume.
Again, the state of health care in this country. Cheers.
I did find time this last week to resign from all of my church offices. Our phone is ringing off the hook but for the most part we have not answered it. This deserves its own post--although due to the public nature of blogging, I cannot be forthright here. Actually, due to the "straw that broke the camel's back" reason (which was not the meeting I spoke about before), I really can't be forthright at all, except to a select few. I'm having lunch with one of those select few next week, someone who already knows a good bit of the story.
Anyway, work yesterday. We had ten guests, six of them with personal alarms, which is what is attached when folks who really shouldn't get up without help try to do just that. That alerts the staff (us) that they are on the move. The staff yesterday consisted of one nurse (moi) and two nursing assistants (known here as patient care techs). One fellow moves really fast but is very weak, and fell once during the night as the staff heard the alarm but couldn't get to him in time. We moved him to a room closer to the nurses' station and asked our volunteer, who normally answers the door (we are a locked facility) to sit with him. Otherwise we ran (almost literally) all day doing what needed to be done, answering the door as well as the phone, turning people and giving baths, giving regularly scheduled medications and also pain medications as needed. By the way, I'm the only one who can give medications or do certain procedures. We were insanely busy.
Other things, too. One of our long term guests was feeling very low. She said something to the effect that only God knows what will happen to her. I spied a copy of the Holy Scriptures on her bed, and told her, "You know, in our church we say a birthday prayer which says, 'O God, our times are in your hand.' I find that quite comforting." (I normally say nothing about God at work unless the occasion arises, as it did then.) She looked at me with a grin and sparkling eyes and said, "I like that. That is a more positive way of looking at it. Thank you for sharing!"
The Book of Common Prayer to the rescue again.
On the more troubling side, the son of one of our guests was upset as when we had given his mother a bath that morning, we had not put clothes on her but put a nightgown back on her. We had done that as it is much more expedient to put a gown on a bed bound patient when one is as frantically busy as we were than to put a blouse and slacks on, which is really difficult but which we do try to do when we can. I totally understand his sentiments, and I knew he was not interested in hearing that we didn't have enough staff to give the care we truly want to give. So two of us went and dressed her, which took 15 minutes to do. That doesn't seem like a lot of time, but do the math.
And then the family of the man who kept crawling out of bed left, the volunteer that came later didn't want to sit in the room (too boring), and so the fellow tried to go over the siderails again. What saved us all (including him) was that we had moved him closer to the nurses' station. We could not spare a person to sit in there. The techs were able to get to him in time to prevent another fall.
Then I went into another guest's room to see that he looked very close to death (this is a hospice so that happens). I had a quick conference with the family about their particular dynamic and what the turn the father took meant for that, and called the chaplain.
Anyway, toward the end of this particularly shift, one of the techs working with me left the floor for a few moments; when she returned, she announced that she had resigned. I don't blame her. The way our scheduling is done, we could have been expected to care for a total of twelve guests with the exact same staffing. We didn't think we were able to give the best care we could with ten. Our night shift only has an RN and a tech on no matter the census.
The nurse that came on in the afternoon to relieve me was really bitter. She said it is too bad that we have to take the flack for staffing decisions that we do not make when we are trying to do our best. Her husband is after her to quit this job. (As is mine, btw.) We know that other hospice houses have different staffing levels--one in MT we heard about has an RN, an LPN, and an aide on at all times. An LPN can flex up to pass medications, or down to do the work of an aide, depending on needs.
We'll see how this continues. When I was in a work situation similar to this many years ago, our bosses really hammered us when we made mistakes. If that starts here, I'll resign. Since I'm moving next year, I'll be resigning anyway, but I'd rather wait until I move so as not to mess up the resume.
Again, the state of health care in this country. Cheers.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Guess I should post...
I am chastened by Grandmére Mimi’s observation that I’ve not written much lately on my blog. Actually, I brought that to her attention when she asked if I had a blog (we were dealing in real names vs our blog names), and I told her that I did, but had ignored it lately. She took a peek and dryly agreed.
Thus, here I am at the laptop on a windy South Dakota Saturday.
Just returned from dropping off my quilt at the dry cleaners and a visit to the local farmers’ market. The planting season was delayed here due to record amounts of much needed rain, so there were only seven or eight booths at the market. Some of those were ranchers selling corn fed beef (ugh), bakers, or jelly makers. But there was bounty to be found nevertheless. Even picked up some freshly laid eggs!
I don’t know why I haven’t blogged lately. I could blame it on my new job, my recent trip to see the grandchildren, or even having to iron more lately as my usual summer wardrobe is cotton and linen. But none of those things take tons of time. I think rather it might be due to the fact I’m doing lots of interior work at present and do not wish to write those things down for anyone to see. I don’t even want to see it. I’m beginning to acknowledge some things in my life that I’ve kept buried for a long time, and it is painful.
Besides interior work, I’m doing some exterior work. I mentioned a while back that I joined Weight Watchers. I needed to get healthy again after my cardiac arrhythmia stuff that basically took me out most of the winter. I’ve lost 30 lbs since January and am at my goal weight—the best thing about this is the rediscovered energy that I thought was lost forever. Also, over the last couple of months the arrhythmia essentially has stopped, so my heartbeat is normal again. I still take my medicine, and still have a few odd beats if I overindulge in wine, but otherwise my heart beats steadily and evenly. So with this newly recovered energy, I’m out racewalking, hiking, and I’ve even joined a yoga studio.
I am reestablishing my former discipline of praying the Divine Hours. That got me though tough times before and I don’t know why I stopped. My church has not been a place of comfort lately (so many places have not been), and I’ve found myself pulling away. Part of the problem is the fact that the informal leadership of the parish is focused in very few hands, and those hands have decided that I should not be at this church. These folks handpicked me to run for the vestry as they remembered me from before as someone easy to control, but now that I am on the vestry I make my own decisions and this is the payback. I was being harassed by one of those people via email, and just when I decided to take action, it stopped. The fact that I am on the Vestry is the reason we have not started to look for another church. I was elected for three years, and have served only six months!
Otherwise, my recent trip to see Only Son and his family was wonderful. I actually felt at home there. I had an added bonus of seeing my only surviving aunt and her husband, who were visiting my mother while I was there. Those two are really positive role models of how to live an engaged, vital life in elderly years. They are lovely people and I was so happy to get to spend quality time engaged in good talk. They don’t yell and scream and pass that off as conversation.
My friend BB is due to give birth any minute now, if she hasn’t already! She is so cool; if you look at her blog, she has been out playing disc golf each day, although she is over 40 weeks’ pregnant! You go, girl!
Enough of my rambling for now. I’ll try to keep up a bit better!
Thus, here I am at the laptop on a windy South Dakota Saturday.
Just returned from dropping off my quilt at the dry cleaners and a visit to the local farmers’ market. The planting season was delayed here due to record amounts of much needed rain, so there were only seven or eight booths at the market. Some of those were ranchers selling corn fed beef (ugh), bakers, or jelly makers. But there was bounty to be found nevertheless. Even picked up some freshly laid eggs!
I don’t know why I haven’t blogged lately. I could blame it on my new job, my recent trip to see the grandchildren, or even having to iron more lately as my usual summer wardrobe is cotton and linen. But none of those things take tons of time. I think rather it might be due to the fact I’m doing lots of interior work at present and do not wish to write those things down for anyone to see. I don’t even want to see it. I’m beginning to acknowledge some things in my life that I’ve kept buried for a long time, and it is painful.
Besides interior work, I’m doing some exterior work. I mentioned a while back that I joined Weight Watchers. I needed to get healthy again after my cardiac arrhythmia stuff that basically took me out most of the winter. I’ve lost 30 lbs since January and am at my goal weight—the best thing about this is the rediscovered energy that I thought was lost forever. Also, over the last couple of months the arrhythmia essentially has stopped, so my heartbeat is normal again. I still take my medicine, and still have a few odd beats if I overindulge in wine, but otherwise my heart beats steadily and evenly. So with this newly recovered energy, I’m out racewalking, hiking, and I’ve even joined a yoga studio.
I am reestablishing my former discipline of praying the Divine Hours. That got me though tough times before and I don’t know why I stopped. My church has not been a place of comfort lately (so many places have not been), and I’ve found myself pulling away. Part of the problem is the fact that the informal leadership of the parish is focused in very few hands, and those hands have decided that I should not be at this church. These folks handpicked me to run for the vestry as they remembered me from before as someone easy to control, but now that I am on the vestry I make my own decisions and this is the payback. I was being harassed by one of those people via email, and just when I decided to take action, it stopped. The fact that I am on the Vestry is the reason we have not started to look for another church. I was elected for three years, and have served only six months!
Otherwise, my recent trip to see Only Son and his family was wonderful. I actually felt at home there. I had an added bonus of seeing my only surviving aunt and her husband, who were visiting my mother while I was there. Those two are really positive role models of how to live an engaged, vital life in elderly years. They are lovely people and I was so happy to get to spend quality time engaged in good talk. They don’t yell and scream and pass that off as conversation.
My friend BB is due to give birth any minute now, if she hasn’t already! She is so cool; if you look at her blog, she has been out playing disc golf each day, although she is over 40 weeks’ pregnant! You go, girl!
Enough of my rambling for now. I’ll try to keep up a bit better!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Going home
After a great visit with Only Son and his family, as well as my family of origin. Great to play with the kids who make me Episcogranny. I also visited Calvary Episcopal Church in my hometown, which was a little sad as a very active member died in an auto accident this past Wed. This man was a great spiritual friend, which played right into Father Bill's sermon about how spiritual friendship is a huge part of the reason we have church!
One huge point Fr. Bill made is that true spiritual friends don't take their balls and bats and go home when one of the friends does something not agreed with. You know where he was going with that. People who do that, he said, are not friends.
We drove 8 hours today, have 4 more tomorrow. EfM starts tomorrow night, but I'll do more updates! And, prayers for Heather on the loss of her grandmother.
One huge point Fr. Bill made is that true spiritual friends don't take their balls and bats and go home when one of the friends does something not agreed with. You know where he was going with that. People who do that, he said, are not friends.
We drove 8 hours today, have 4 more tomorrow. EfM starts tomorrow night, but I'll do more updates! And, prayers for Heather on the loss of her grandmother.
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