A Year of Gratitude

I have been surprised and pleased that every month this year, my most viewed post has been “A Place of Gratitude.” It was my first essay of the year, posted on January 2^nd, and it immediately went to the top ten most viewed posts of the month. It has remained in that top ten spot every month and has now become one of the top ten posts of all time since I began blogging ten years ago.

In Book and Film

Other popular posts this year included a book review of Attica Locke’s beautifully written mystery novel, Bluebird, Bluebird, an essay linking a new Star Trek episode with words from the poet Antonio Machado in “Make a New Road,” and a look back at an old movie, Being There (1979), which was Peter Sellers' last film.

In Poetry

There was poetry this year, of course. Every April, I always highlight poetry for National Poetry Month. This year, my entries included writing poetry, listening to poetry, and some wonderful examples of poetry at the movies. You can see links to all of those at “April Is Poetry Month.”

I have a series of journalistic poems (poetry written in response to current events in the news). This year I did a new journalistic poem, “Broken Glass, Shattered Dreams.” On another note, my most recent poem, “Communal Blessing,” is a reflection of one of those quiet awakenings – a holy encounter, as it were – that we can often experience in our daily living.

There is always a haiku. Every Saturday I post a haiku. Most often, haiku take their inspiration from nature. Sometimes I find that inspiration in one of my own photographs, as with “Summer’s End,” and sometimes it is in someone else’s photograph like in “Winterlight.”

In Spirituality

While I don’t claim to have a “spirituality blog,” spirituality often enters into my essay topics. “Why Pray?” is an examination of how I found participation in liturgical prayers to be a transformative experience. “Religion and Culture” is a response to another blogger on the question of cultural accommodation in religious practice and “Just Like Jonah” poses the question of how our faith might influence our response to the xenophobia and hate speech that can arise in our own culture.

In Thanks

For those who peruse my blog pages, I thank you for your online visits. I hope that you find gratitude in the coming year and I hope you will continue to visit my posts at Not Dark Yet.

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Monday Music: The Sun Never Says

Last year I began delving into the writings of Hafiz by reading Daniel Ladinsky's translations of the Persian poet. I am thankful for Penny Nash at Peneloepiscopal for introducing me to this beautiful choral piece based upon a poem by Hafiz.

Music by Dan Forrest
Text from Hafiz-inspired poetry by Daniel Ladinsky

Even
After
All this time
The sun never says to the earth,

“You owe
Me.”

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky.

-Daniel Ladinsky, from “The Gift”, copyright 1999

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Saturday Haiku: Christmas Journey

Mary and Joseph

journeyed from that quiet town

into all the world

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Image: Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem
Found at Ignatian Spirituality.com



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Friday Funnies: Looking for that Special Gift

As the Three Kings prepare for their once in a lifetime trip...

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Christmas Greetings

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Photo by Rachael Callahan @objectivityrach
A view from Railroad Park of Downtown Birmingham at Christmas time


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Monday Music: Carol of the Bells (Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble)

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Saturday Haiku: Winterlight

by peaceful waters

the soul of the day grows still

as snow gently falls

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Photo by Tammi Ingram Gates: "Snow in Limestone County"
Beaverdam Creek in Limestone County, Alabama
Retrieved from Alabama the Beautiful Facebook site



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Friday Funnies: Why Must We Suffer?

Another of my favorites from Charles Shulz

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A Holy Encounter

Communal Blessing

As parishioners stood in line

Moving slowly toward the altar,

The toddler was smiling at his mother

As she held him in her arms.

Someone turned to look back at the child,

Catching his attention

With raised eyebrows and a smile.

Another reached out to touch the toddler

And to delight in the interaction.

As they awaited the communal blessing
Of bread and wine

From the priest at the altar,

They sought a blessing

From the babe in arms.

Blest be the toddler

Who reminds us that

God blooms in every generation.

                           ~ Charles Kinnaird

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Photo: Prayer rail at the First Lutheran Church o Pittsburgh



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Monday Music: The Gospel of Mary (Josh Ritter)

A powerful new song by Josh Ritter

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Saturday Haiku: Birding

birds eat together

and quickly sound the alarm

when the cat walks by

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Photo by Teresa Williams Hood,
Found on Facebook's Alabama the Beautiful Facebook site


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Friday Funnies: Christmas Stamp - It's All about Perspective

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A Liturgical Reset Button

Last Sunday I visited my friends at Grace Episcopal Church in Woodlawn on Birmingham’s northeastern side. It is an old  part of town that is trying to revitalize, and Grace has long been a help to those in need as well as a witness to the Anglo-Catholic liturgy.

I like to visit there to offer part of my tithe to the work they are doing on the streets, and I also enjoy the liturgy, especially during Advent. On that second Sunday of Advent, the liturgy provided me with an important “reset.” Don’t we all need a reset button from time to time?

My reset came by way of the Prayers of the People. One of the things I like about the Book of Common Prayer is that the prayers offer a collective wisdom of what kinds of things we ought to pray for. In shaping our corporate prayer, we are also provided guidance on what things are important and how we should live our lives to help improve the chances that our prayerful intentions may be met.

I came to worship that day with concern over the state of our nation’s political mood. The selected prayers for that day were from the Prayers of the People, Form IV. The passages that resonated with me and helped me to bring some quiet to my soul were these:

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.

I took comfort that I could join with so many others in that prayer to honor the common good and to reverence the environment. I also took comfort that these words from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer perhaps will seep into the nation’s conscience. I found hope that there is this continued witness to how we should order our lives.

The next passage brought our prayers to a more personal level:

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer

O Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer and guide my steps.

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Monday Music: Send Love Spread Peace (Ringo Starr)

Here's a nice track off of Ringo Starr's new album, What's My Name. The song is called "send Love, Spread Peace."

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Celebrating The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

May you be blessed on this day that honors the divine feminine among us and looks toward the proclamation of "God with us." May we see it as a day to welcome the divine, and not to cower in fear of not being worthy.

The following is a post from my archives (December 8, 2011). It was good for me to be reminded of this message on this day. ~ CK 

I stated in my blog post, A Jungian Appreciation of Mary, that I saw no need for the idea of the Immaculate Conception (whereby Mary was born free from original sin). As a practicing Catholic, however, today I will attend the Mass of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The primary reason for my participation will be that I see the importance of honoring the feminine within our sacred spaces.

This week, Richard Rohr has been offering a series of meditations on “Mary, the Prepared One.” A couple of days ago he said something I had never thought about.  When the angel Gabriel appeared to her to inform her that she had found favor with God to bring the savior into the world, Mary “refuses to play the ‘Lord, I am not worthy’ card that had become normative in most biblical theophanies. She simply states, ‘Let it be done unto me.’  She lets God do all the giving. Her job is to receive such perfect giving.”

Mary refuses to play the “Lord I am not worthy” card!  I like that image of Mary on this day set aside in her honor. I am not one who thinks we need to wallow in all of this rigmarole of Original Sin.  The blessings of Life are around us for us to take part in as we will.

Rohr also states in his meditation on Mary that “The word favor doesn’t say anything about the recipient. Favor says something about the one who is doing the favoring.” And that “God does not love you because you are good; God loves you because God is good. God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.” 

May you be blessed on this day that honors the divine feminine among us and looks toward the proclamation of "God with us." May we see it as a day to welcome the divine, and not to cower in fear of not being worthy.

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Saturday Haiku: Autumn Scents

a cold wind blowing

the scent of autumn acorns

and fresh green laurel

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird: Rock Wall at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

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Friday Funnies: Horton Hears The Who

Being There

I saw Being There, starring Peter Sellers, when it was first released in 1979. I only saw it once, but it was the kind of film that makes a lasting impression.  I recall that at the time it was quite an intriguing film. It highlighted the influence of television on our society, and the artistic quality of the film created a unique environment in which to explore the dynamics of human perceptions and relationships.  

The story follows a simple-minded gardener named Chance who is thrust out into the world at midlife after having lived his whole life on a wealthy estate where he knew nothing of the world except gardening and what he saw on television.  When the wealthy estate owner dies, Chance is on his own for the first time.  His initial encounter with an urban street gang prompts Chance to point his TV remote at them, as though to try to change the channel. That moment, as much of the film, evokes both humor and a poignant sense of pity. 

Chance soon finds himself taken into the family of a well-to-do senator in Washington after the senator’s wife bumps into him (quite literally with her car). Chance’s simple observations about the only thing he knows, gardening, soon make him the toast of the town as the people and the television media put their own spin on the words he speaks. 

There is one scene that stood out as a significant side commentary and surprised most of the audience where I saw the film. It is a scene where the black former housekeeper from the estate where Chance had lived saw him on television and gave a pointed soliloquy about how “You only have to be white to make it in America.” (see below)

I happened upon an article from 2017 that speaks of the continued relevance of Being There:  “Being There: Still funny, but newly grim and topical,” by Ben Sachs.  A couple of quotes from the online article are in order:

“Many have called Being There, both the book and the film, a premonition of the Reagan revolution, which came to power, in part, on the strength of Reagan's ability to communicate on TV. The deathlike air of the film certainly connotes the end of something big, while the humor comments on the timeless human desire to be deceived by something that sounds good. These opposing elements give Being There an enduring complexity, although sometimes it's too bleak in its outlook to be laugh-out-loud funny.”

“In its deep cynicism about American media and politics, Being There may also have a renewed topicality in 2017. The film's penultimate moment finds a D.C. insider proposing the idea that Chance runs for president himself. I suspect that … at least one audience member will want to discuss what a Chance the gardener administration might look like and whether it would be preferable to the one that's currently running the country.”

Being There was Peter Sellers final role (he died a year after the film was released).  It was also Hal Asby’s last cinematic success as a director, having made his mark with previous films such as Coming Home, and Harold and Maude.

For those who want to see a little bit of what we’re talking about in Being There, below are some clips and film commentary on the movie.  The second clip is the soliloquy about "You only have to be white" that I referred to earlier. 

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Monday Music: Misty Blue (Dorothy Moore)

I heard this song by Dorothy Moore a few weeks ago at a dance performance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. It came as such a moving moment during the particular dance piece that I had to go find the recording.

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Saturday Haiku: River Sunset

On this holiday weekend, here is a favorite from my archives...

sometimes a river

encompasses all the world

as the sun goes down

  

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Photo,"Sunset in Alabama"
From "America's Amazon" at Camellia's Cottage blog



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Friday Funnies: Finding Oneself

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Cartoon by Chris Madden



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Thanksgiving Seating Chart

[This post was originally at The Vidalia Onion, November 20, 2016]

For all who are making those Thanksgiving plans...May you find enough Episcopalians to bring sufficient decorum to the holiday table (or at least a détente until the last slice of pumpkin pie is served).

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Cartoon by Andy Marlette, editorial cartoonist for the Pensacola News Journal (and nephew of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug Marlette).



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Monday Music: Only You (Alison Moyet)

"All I needed was the love you gave / All I needed for another day," were the lines that grabbed me when I heard it played in the background of the series I am finally watching on Netflix, Once Upon a Time. "Only You," by Vince Clarke, has something of a reggae uplift to it -- a beautiful song of celebration. The song is performed by English pop singer-songwriter, Alison Moyet.

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Saturday Haiku: Wild Geese

wild geese from the north

     who ride the wind and weather

glide the lake with grace

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Photos: Canada geese relaxing at Aldridge Gardens in Hoover, Alabama
Credit: Charles Kinnaird  


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Friday Funnies: Those Saxon Dogs

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Cartoon by Gary Larson, The Far Side



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Jazz and Jack Kerouac (with Steve Allen)

The pioneering broadcast journalist Fred W. Friendly once said, “Television makes so much at its worst, that it can’t afford to do its best.*” Steve Allen, one of the television pioneers working in front of the camera was an exception to Mr. Friendly’s observation, as we see in this television interview he did with Jack Kerouac. 

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* Quoted by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac, October 30, 2019.



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St Hilda of Whitby

Because her feast day is on my birthday, I always take joy in her remembrance on this day. She encouraged a young poet to sing his songs, and her spirit of encouragement, her "grace-of-being," calls out even today. ~ CK

Image of St. Hilda
from Caedmon's Cross

For Hilda of Whitby

In a simpler time

Of kingdoms and and fiefdoms

When liege lords and princes
Set their boundaries across the land,

Killing one another for the right to rule,

A lady arose

Who called for a higher vision.

She established at Whitby

A spiritual path,

A community of grace

For both men and women

Who sought love and life

Rather than power and death.

Learning was foremost

In a setting where

The arts

The sciences

And sacred texts

Were all studied

And held in high esteem.

Hilda became advisor to kings,

Counselor to bishops,

Encourager of poets,

Mediator in religious controversy.

King Edwin

Bishop Wilfrid

Caedmon

The Synod of Whitby

All give her thanks.

Honored as a saint
By Rome and Canterbury alike,

Followers of Celtic spirituality

Pay their respect

To the Abbess of Whitby.

The hildoceras ammonite*,

Named for the saint from Yorkshire

Connects her name

To eons past.

Thus her grace-of-being

Extends to both past and present

As Hilda of Whitby

Is remembered on this day.

The ruins of the present abbey reputably near the site where Hilda had her first monastery Streonashalh on the headland at Whitby. The present ruins are from an abbey built by the Norman knight Reinfrid in 1070s which was rebuilt in 1220s. (From the Parish Church of St. Wilfrid website)

Hildoceras Bifrons ammonite
Early Jurassic Period

*From Wikipedia: The genus name has been given the name Hildoceras in honour of St. Hilda of Whitby (614-680 AD). Legend has it that this lady was required to found an abbey on the cliffs above Whitby, in the north of England. Finding the site to be infested by snakes (a devilish omen), she prayed to the Lord and the snakes coiled up and were turned to stone. She picked them up and threw them over the cliff, and that is why there are so many ammonite fossils in the rocks below the abbey. The specific name bifrons comes from Bifron, a demon, another name for the Roman god, Janus

For Further Reading: 

• The Journal of Antiquities: Caedmon’s Cross, Whitby, North Yorkshire
• Our Saints and Martyrs: Northern Saints, Saints & Martyrs of our Diocese
• Anglican History Blog: Hilda of Whitby
• St. Wilfrid Church website: St. Hilda

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Monday Music: Sea Image (The Chieftains at the Movies)

One of my favorite songs by the Chieftains was used as the main theme on the soundtrack for the movie The Grey Fox. It is also known as "Sea Image" on The Chieftains 8 album.

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Saturday Haiku: Oak Hill

up on the hillside

among tombstones, still and grey,

oak and maple thrive

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird: Oak Hill Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama



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Friday Funnies: Celestial Strings

Favorite Recipes: Butternut Squash Lasagna

I am repeating this old favorite because I served it again at our house last week, along with a side of Leseur Very Young English Peas. It is a great fall recipe that is simple and easy to make. I found last year at Winn Dixie Supermarket. In fact it is from their Flavors recipe magazine that is free to WD customers. 

The first time I tried it, the family declared it to be worthy of making again, so it went into my recipe file. We have enjoyed it several times now.

This vegetarian recipe can easily be adapted to vegan, which is the way I prepare it. Instead of heavy cream, I substitute coconut creamer. Since the coconut creamer does not thicken quite the way dairy cream does, I mix up some flour in a little bit of water and gradually add it to thicken it the same way you would thicken a stew. For the Parmesan  cheese, I use Follow Your Heart brand "Dairy Free Parmesan Style Shredded Cheese Alternative." 

Here is the recipe as it appeared in the Winn Dixie Flavors magazine:

Butternut Squash Skillet Lasagna

Preparation time: 15 min.

Cooking time: 40 min.

Serves Four

VEGETARIAN INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb.), peeled, seeded, and cut into ½" pieces
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken crosswise into 2"-long pieces
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

SAUTÉ squash in oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in shallot, 1 Tbsp. sage, garlic, and ¾ tsp. salt and cook for 30 more seconds.

STIR broth and cream into skillet, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Scatter pasta over squash, but do not stir. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 25 minutes.

SPRINKLE with cheese, walnuts, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sage and serve.

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Monday Music: Ashokan Farewell

When I heard this beautiful piece as a theme in Ken Burns' The Civil War series, I thought it was a Civil War-era song. It certainly has that feel of early American music influenced by memories of Irish and English ballads. It is actually a modern work, composed in 1982 by Jay Unger.

I have also learned that there are lyrics to the music, written by Grian MacGregor (see below).

Words by Grian MacGregor
Music by Jay Ungar

The sun is sinking low in the sky above Ashokan.
The pines and the willows know soon we will part.
There’s a whisper in the wind of promises unspoken,
And a love that will always remain in my heart.

My thoughts will return to the sound of your laughter,
The magic of moving as one,
And a time we’ll remember long ever after
The moonlight and music and dancing are done.

Will we climb the hills once more?
Will we walk the woods together?
Will I feel you holding me close once again?
Will every song we’ve sung stay with us forever?
Will you dance in my dreams or my arms until then?

Under the moon the mountains lie sleeping
Over the lake the stars shine.
They wonder if you and I will be keeping
The magic and music, or leave them behind.
©1983 and 1991 by Swinging Door Music-BMI, PO Box 49, Saugerties, NY 12477
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Saturday Haiku: Last Light

distant pastel clouds

reflect the last light of day

tomorrow’s promise

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Photo bu Charles Kinnaird: Dusk at Orange Beach, Alabama



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Friday Funnies: In Meeting Rooms A and B

Creativity and Living the Metaphor

{The following essay was first published in November of 2018 under the title, "On Spiritual Practice, Poetry, and the Inadequacy of Language"


I am currently reading one of the most exciting books I have read in a long time, Sophia: The Hidden Christ of Thomas Merton  by Christopher Pramuk. I found out about the book while I was reading Merton's poem, "Hagia Sophia." The book touches upon many of my own interests. I could try to tell you about it but instead I will refer you to a review of the book by Catholic priest and peace/environmental advocate, John Dear in an article for the National Catholic Reporter, "Living our theology with Merton's feminine image of God." 

The Witness of Abraham Heschel

I recently read a passage in Sophia: The Hidden Christ of Thomas Merton in which the author is quoting Rabbi Abraham Heschel. I found Heschel’s words to ring true from my experience as they may to some of you who are involved in a spiritual practice. The writing is dated in that he uses “man” where current writers would use “humans,” or “humanity,” but he captures very well the moments in prayer when words fail to convey experience. While that concept is nothing new, Heschel takes that experience itself, that state which the spiritual practitioner finds unutterable, and reveals how it can further nurture our being as “the nursery of our soul, the cradle of all our ideas.” 

“In no other act does man experience so often the disparity between the desire for expression and the means of expression as in prayer. The inadequacy of the means at our disposal appears so tangible, so tragic, that one feels it a grace to be able to give oneself up to music, to a tone, to a song, to a chant. The wave of a song carries the soul to heights which utterable meanings can never reach. Such abandonment is no escape, nor an act of being unfaithful to the mind. For the world of unutterable meanings is the nursery of the soul, the cradle of all our ideas. It is not an escape but a return to one’s origins.

“What the word can no longer yield, man achieves through the fullness of his powerlessness. The deeper the need in which one is placed through this powerlessness, the more does man reveal himself in his essence, and himself becomes expression. Prayer is more than communication, and man is more than the word. Should we feel ashamed by our inability to utter what we bear in our hearts? God loves what is left over at the bottom of the heart and cannot be expressed in words…The unutterable surplus of what we feel, the sentiments that we are unable to put into words are our payment in kind to God.”

(From Man’s Quest for God by Abraham Heschel)

The Witness of John Keats 

Along a parallel vein, and somewhat related, I serendipitously came across an essay that speaks of how the poetic imagination can attempt to convey those higher aspects of reality that might otherwise defy description due to the inadequacy of language. The article, “John Keats and the Need for a New Renaissance in Poetry,” addresses trends in poetry and brings to the forefront the difference in Keats’ approach to poetry compared to other Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth.

Wordsworth, for example, was intent upon describing the world that is known through the five senses. He admittedly avoided the abstract. His purpose was to bring the reader into an experience of the beauty of the world, to allow a full appreciation of the experience of being alive. Keats, on the other hand, saw how inadequate mere descriptions of the physical world are, no matter how beautiful the words, in conveying an experience of higher awareness.

Keats’ contribution to poetry was the creative use of metaphor to bring the reader close to those ineffable moments of awareness – those incidents in which we seem to know that something absolutely marvelous is happening around us and to us and with us. He truly brought English poetry to a higher level in his day.

“John Keats and the Need for a New Renaissance in Poetry,” is calling upon modern poets to take a cue from Keats rather than focusing on mere descriptions of life as it is lived. It speaks to the use of language, the limits of language, and how the creative use of language can point the reader to what would otherwise be considered inexpressible higher aspects of reality.

Near the end of the article we find the following passage:

“The most profound creativity emerges from an intense and impassioned feeling that longs to communicate something located deep within one’s soul. It is beyond anything that can be grasped directly through the senses. The process of digging deep into one’s soul, and struggling to bring these passions into this world, to 'name' them, is arguably one of the most difficult challenges any mortal can face. It also parallels the process of discovery any great scientist must go through in order to develop a hypothesis, which the universe will accept.

“For Keats, the imagination was not the mere fancy of a Romantic, and the material world of sense perception was not the defining basis of his poetry. Rather than being concerned with a precise description of the 'real' world, the agency of the creative imagination was the hallowed realm in which a greater Truth about the nature of man and the universe could be captured…”

For those interested in reading this fascinating essay in full, you can find it at https://www.thechainedmuse.com/single-post/2018/10/29/John-Keats-and-the-Need-for-a-New-Renaissance-in-Poetry

Living the Metaphor

If I may make one more attempt to tie these two pieces of writing together, what Heschel is doing in his passage on prayer is that he is making the experience itself a metaphor by which we can lay hold of an intangible experience so that it becomes a means for a higher purpose. Keats demonstrates how the use of metaphor can allow us to find higher meaning in our everyday experience.

In Sophia, Pramuk is using the writings of rabbinical scholar and poet Abraham Heschel, along with the work of poet and Anglican priest John Henry Newman*, to illustrate the path taken by Thomas Merton who was a Trappist monk, scholar, and poet. He explains that these spiritual practitioners, unlike the typical western theologians, make use of poetics to describe a relational spirituality. Pramuk speaks of how poets have made use of metaphor to expand the efficacy of language and thus demonstrates how theology, when taking the poetic approach, can more effectively speak to the ineffable experience.

I would add that Heschel has shown us how the person who gives oneself over to the practice of prayer/meditation can actually become the metaphor that enlightens and enlivens.


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*John Henry Newman was an Anglican priest who later became a Catholic priest and cardinal. In his earlier days as an Anglican priest, he was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement which sought to restore Catholic liturgy and ritual to the Church of England. Those efforts are still seen today in Anglo-Catholic parishes. He became one of the most important theologians of the 19th century, but may be best remembered by students of literature for his role as poet. 



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