A Mother's Letter

William and Kate were married a year ago today in Westminster Abbey,
a moving and lovely event.  But when will it be our turn?

From the Church Times, a publication of the Church of England, comes this excerpt from a plaintive letter that shows how minds are changing:

As a committed, Bible-believing Chris­tian, I am ashamed and ap­palled by the debate about gay marriage. My views are not those of my son, who is gay and who is now an atheist, but result from some ten years of reading, prayer, dis­cussion, and serious thought.

My son came out at the age of 20, having spent much of his previous ten years knowing that he was not growing up to feel attracted to girls, but to boys. I don’t think he even knew the word “gay” at the be­ginning of this process, but he knew that he was growing up differently.

I am now convinced that homo­sexuality is a developmental condition that is not amenable to change at any psychological level; it is not a matter of choice; and is something that has caused many boys and girls to live in shame and fear from their early teens onwards. I know that my son had no access to other gay people through his adolescence, and that it was only at university that he was able to talk this through with hetero­sexual friends, finally coming to the conclusion that he was gay.

We, the Church, over centuries have perpetrated a great wickedness on these children and developing adults, forcing many to live by deceit, in failed heterosexual marriages, and even in an inability to form rela­tionships because of their own private hell.

At least the gay-rights cam­paigners have had the courage to stand up and work on some sort of social change. It is a pity that the Church did not do this in the first place. . . .

Yes, quite so.


Honk to Wounded Bird.

Sunday Drive: No Other Love

A song of transcendent beauty, the melody based upon Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3. It was a hit in 1950 for one of the loveliest voices of all time, and a favorite of your Head Trucker's:   Miss Jo Stafford.

How to Get a Bear in Bed

Method 1: Shoot him with a tranquilizer dart.



If you are out of tranquilizer darts, I suggest several well-timed shots of vodka instead. Works for me.

Waitin' for the Weekend

Homecoming

A sweet little video made by the Coalition for Marriage Equality in Britain, where the Conservative government is pressing ahead with plans to bring about civil marriage rights for gays this year:



For the record, the United Kingdom has allowed gays to serve openly in its military forces since 2000, as well as civil partnerships since 2005.

Here is Prime Minister David Cameron giving the keynote address at a Conservative Party conference last fall.  Don't you wish our Republicans sounded like this?



Here's a link to the consultation - a request for comments from the public about the proposed law - currently open on the Home Office web site. Which makes me wonder - why doesn't our government do this?

When You Eat That Banana

. . . you're getting a little dose of radiation from the potassium it contains.  But don't worry, boys, it's perfectly safe - that's just a tee-tiny fraction of the radiation your own body already gives out, and it automatically regulates your potassium levels through homeostasis, or something like that.  (The things you learn on the way to looking up something else . . . .)

So go ahead, eat the whole thing.  And swallow.  It's good for you.

Dean Monroe

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Rawhide

Steve Hayes reviews the 1951 Western:

Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward battle a gang of escaped convicts in "the back of beyond" in Henry Hathaway's brilliant western suspense classic, RAWHIDE. Shot on location at the foot of the Rockies, with a supporting cast that includes Edgar Buchanan as Power's crusty companion, Hugh Marlowe as the "meanest of the mean," wild-eyed Jack Elam, George Tobias, and Dean Jagger as his henchmen, the action is fast-paced, the tension unrelieved, and the mounting suspense and final shootout not to be missed!

Catch more fabulous movie reviews at Steve's YouTube channel.

Sunday Drive: O Mi Babbino Caro

A touchingly beautiful interpretation on the violin:

In an English Country Garden

I wonder if any of my truckbuddies remember the tune of the same title:  it was a well-known piece that I learned to play as a kid while taking piano lessons (which, alas, I didn't continue very long).

I was reminded of both tune and title by the serendipitous discovery on YouTube of some BBC programs done in the late 1980's which are really delightful.  I don't think they were ever shown over here, but if you like to cook and garden, check these out, I think you'll enjoy them.

Waitin' for the Weekend

Daniel Villa

Three Thoughts

Some thoughts that have coalesced with me in the last day or two.  Instead of linking them explicitly with an essay, I think I will just put them out here and let my truckbuddies make the connections for themselves.

I.  Via Wounded Bird, a quote from Brother Eldridge Pendleton, Society of St. John the Evangelist:

To each of us God gives riches that we may enhance by squandering on those who need us.

II. A book by a fellow Texan whose title I've heard of many times, but somehow never bothered to find out anything about - until now.

III. By chance today I rediscovered this breathtaking Norman Rockwell painting, ''Murder in Mississipppi'', which he created in response to the killing of three civil rights workers in 1964 - click to enlarge:

In Memoriam: Dick Clark, 1929-2012

For now . . . so long.  Dick Clark, the "eternal teenager," died today at age 82. Another sad milestone for those of us who remember when record players, transistor radios, and just three TV channels were our only electronic links to the larger world.

Sometimes I sort of wish I'd been born ten years earlier, so I could have seen and enjoyed the whole progression from the fifties into the sixties - the first song I ever remember hearing on the radio was the Everly Brothers' "Dream, Dream, Dream," when I was a wee child on a road trip with my mama, and that must have been about 1959.

By the time I was 5 or 6, I was occasionally asking my parents to buy me a record - of course I mean a 45 - of things I heard the maid or the babysitter listening to. "Purple People Eater" was one that I played the wires off of, got a big kick out of that. I also liked "Splish, Splash" a lot, very amusing little ditty. And I was a great little Twist-er when that was big.

When I was in elementary school, some of the newest school buses had a built-in radio system, and I very clearly remember riding home listening to songs by the Beach Boys and the Four Seasons that way. And then, of course, the Beatles, which I couldn't get enough of, me and about fifty million other kids.

American Bandstand was just always there, every Saturday - I think it came on about noon, or maybe 11 a.m. since we lived in the Central time zone. I remember watching it lots of times, though I'm sure if it interfered with my favorite cartoons, the cartoons would have been my first choice. And for many years, it seemed as if Bandstand would just go on forever, and Dick Clark too.

But nothing does. Still, the memories are good, and in the end maybe that's all that can be said about any of us. We hope. Here's a clip that will bring back some memories for you, a quick review of hits from the fifties into the early seventies, from a 1982 special (the whole thing is viewable on YouTube, this is just part II):



And I know my truckbuddies will enjoy this little segment with the Village People from 1978:




Trivia:  Clark got his start in television hosting a country music show as Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders. Ouch!

Caine's Arcade

Via Andrew Sullivan, a delightful tale of a boy and his cardboard box:


Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

More power to him. A scholarship fund set up for Caine has already raised thousands of dollars:  you can contribute a buck to it here.

Your Head Trucker never had any luck trying to be an entrepreneur.  I remember one time, couldn't have been more than 6 or 7, I decided I would try selling lemonade - like you see kids doing in movies.  So I hauled an old wooden crate and a folding chair out to the edge of the street, set out a pitcher of the good stuff and some Dixie cups, and hung a sign on the front of the box.  And sat there all one long, hot, sweaty summer afternoon under the pine trees.  No customers, not one.  Until finally my dad came home from work, and he bought a glass, earning me my only nickel.

So I never tried that again.  Of course, now when I look back, I realize that living in a neighborhood with no sidewalks, and thus no foot traffic, that little enterprise was doomed before it started.  People drove by and stared at me, but nobody stopped. 

Which I suppose was my first lesson that life is not like in the movies.  But once in a while, somebody gets very lucky - like our little man Caine here - and that's nice to see.

Sunday Drive: Nearer, My God, To Thee

In Memoriam: Passengers and Crew of RMS Titanic

Lifeboat #6 from Titanic, as seen from the rescue ship Carpathia
(Library of Congress, via Wikipedia)

A century later, the story still astonishes and horrifies a thinking reader: so many souls, just as much alive as you or I at this moment, going about their lives full of blood and breath, dreams and hopes and fears and wishes as we are - suddenly called to meet their Maker in what was, after all, a needless tragedy.

Of course, most of you will remember the 1997 film about the great ship's destruction, marred by a silly love story and an exaggerated snobbery - but for the real facts of the event, I recommend to my readers who are interested in the human story - which is the only important one - Walter Lord's classic 1955 account, drawn from interviews with 63 survivors, A Night to Remember. Also worth perusing are the many, many personal accounts, with photographs and newspaper articles of the time, gathered together at Encyclopedia Titanica.

Browsing through those accounts, your Head Trucker has come across two possibly gay couples, none of whom survived: look up the names of Thomson Beattie and Thomas McCaffry, as well as those of Major Archibald Butt and Francis Millet, and see what you think.

Many lessons there are from this tragic episode that happened a hundred years ago tonight, many observations there are that one could make on all the little stories of friends, families, lovers, and strangers suddenly thrown together or torn apart - but here I will let some of the survivors speak for themselves, and let my truckbuddies draw their own conclusions.








Update: Via JMG, somebody has already written a book about those possible gay guys your Head Trucker noticed all on his own.  Check out a short YouTube interview here.

Waitin' for the Weekend

Where Are the Friendly Voices?

Ross Murray, Director of Religion, Faith, and Values at GLAAD, writes in Huffpo:

As someone who identifies as gay and Christian, I see parts of myself reflected in the world around me. When I turn on the television, I get caught up in the drama of gay and lesbian students on Glee. I can laugh with a gay couple raising a child and trying to relate to the rest of their relatives on Modern Family. I can cheer on a Chaz Bono, the first transgender man to "dance with the stars."

When I sat in Easter worship this last Sunday, I was surrounded by many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, as well as supportive and affirming straight people. I heard an Easter sermon that acknowledged my existence and affirmed my faith in the Easter message.

However, I still long for the day that those two realities, my representation in the media and the affirmation from my faith, would become one reality. My desire to hear an affirming message of faith being broadcast over television or printed in a newspaper grows stronger as I see both increasing representation in the media and growing affirmation in religious communities. And I am not alone. Thousands of us want to see the LGBT-affirming voices of faith lifted up in the mainstream media. But so far, the media has done little to reflect the new religious reality in America. . . .

According to a recent survey by the Knight Program in Media and Religion at USC and the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, journalists, producers and bookers are far from experts when it comes to religion, which makes them return to the same voices that they have used for so long. They tune to "Christian" television to find what the "Christian" viewpoint is on LGBT people. Anti-LGBT groups use their PR operations and sell spokespeople as representative of the religious voice - when in reality they speak for a very narrow viewpoint that is becoming progressively narrower within religious circles. Add in the fact that the media suffers from a conflict addiction and tends to put stories about gay and transgender people in terms of controversy, and we have a recipe for only extreme religious voices being given platforms in the media to reach millions of Americans. . . .

The media needs to stop promoting the false notion that being religious is synonymous with being anti-LGBT. By contrasting anti-LGBT religious voices against pro-LGBT voices with no identified religion, the media has reinforced a misleading and dangerous 'religion versus gay' frame. This frame is misleading because it gives media consumers the false impression that to be religious, particularly Christian, is to be inherently anti-LGBT. Experiences like the one I had in Easter worship are not reflected in the media. The frame ignores religious people who increasingly support equality and discounts the thousands upon thousands of LGBT people like me whose faith plays a central role in our lives.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Ball of Fire

Steve Hayes reviews the 1941 film, which your Head Trucker recommends also.

Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck are a laugh riot in Howard Hawk's "Ball Of Fire." Produced by Samuel Goldwyn, with a screenplay by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett and based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the two stars get hysterical support from a terrific group of character actors. Playing the dwarfs/professors are comedy veterans Henry Travers, Richard Hadyn, Oskar Homolka, Leonid Kinsky, Tully Marshall, Aubrey Mather and the adorable S.Z."Cuddles" Sakall. Also along for the hijinks are handsome Dana Andrews, Dan Duryea, and Kathleen Howard. This was the second time that Cooper and Stanwyck were paired in the same year. They loved working together and you'll love the results.

Catch more fabulous movie reviews at Steve's YouTube channel.

The Shared Truth of All Religions

Bob Schieffer on this morning's Face the Nation:

Easter Sunday 2012

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The Incredulity of St. Thomas
by Caravaggio

Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin,
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Collect of the Day:

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Seven Stanzas At Easter
By John Updike

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that--pierced--died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

Holy Saturday

The Entombment of Christ
by Caravaggio

Redemption

by George Herbert

Having been tenant long to a rich Lord,
   Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,
And make a suit unto him, to afford
   A new small-rented lease, and cancel th’ old.

In heaven at his manor I him sought:
   They told me there, that he was lately gone
About some land, which he had dearly bought
   Long since on earth, to take possession.

I straight return’d, and knowing his great birth,
   Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
In cities, theaters, gardens, parks, and courts:
   At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth

Of thieves and murderers: there I him espied,
   Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, and died.

Collect of the Day:

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so may we await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Good Friday

Christ of St. John of the Cross
by Salvador Dali

A reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15:

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

From the Great Thanksgiving:

Holy and gracious Father:
In your infinite love
you made us for yourself,
and, when we had fallen into sin
and become subject to evil and death,
you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ,
your only and eternal Son,
to share our human nature,
to live and die as one of us,
to reconcile us to you, the
God and Father of all.

He stretched out his arms upon the cross,
and offered himself, in obedience to your will,
a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

Agnus Dei, composed by Samuel Barber:

Maundy Thursday

The Sacrament of the Last Supper
by Salvador Dali

A reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14:

While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The General Thanksgiving:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Honk to The Daily Office West for prayers and readings from the Lectionary.

Unexpected Meeting: my Maundy Thursday story, for whatever it's worth to anyone.

Pie Jesu, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber:

Wednesday in Holy Week

Forgiven
by Thomas Blackshear

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

--Isaiah 53:6

GENERAL CONFESSION
from Enriching Our Worship 1

God of all mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you,
opposing your will in our lives.
We have denied your goodness in each other,
in ourselves, and in the world you have created.
We repent of the evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have done,
and the evil done on our behalf.
Forgive, restore, and strengthen us
through our Savior Jesus Christ,
that we may abide in your love
and serve only your will. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

Canticle Kyrie Pantokrator
from the Prayer of Manasseh:

And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart,
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
and I know my wickedness only too well.
Therefore I make this prayer to you:
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.
Do not let me perish in my sin,
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent,
and in me you will show forth your goodness.
Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy,
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.
For all the powers of heaven sing your praises,
and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.

Collect of the Day:

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Honk to The Daily Office West for prayers and readings from the Lectionary.


Turn Your Ear, O Lord, by John Michael Talbot:

Tuesday in Holy Week

Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew

Psalm 12:

Help me, LORD, for there is no godly one left;
the faithful have vanished from among us.
Everyone speaks falsely with his neighbor;
with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart.
Oh, that the LORD would cut off all smooth tongues,
and close the lips that utter proud boasts!
Those who say, “With our tongue will we prevail;
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
“Because the needy are oppressed,
and the poor cry out in misery,
I will rise up,” says the LORD,
“and give them the help they long for.”
The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined from ore
and purified seven times in the fire.
O LORD, watch over us
and save us from this generation for ever.
The wicked prowl on every side,
and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone.

The Collect of the Day:

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Anglican Rosary Prayer
said on the cruciform bead

Dear Lord Jesus,
help me do the things I should.
To be to others kind and good.
And in all I do or say,
grow more loving every day.

Take Up Your Cross, by John Michael Talbot:

Honk to The Daily Office West for prayers and selections from the Lectionary.

Body Without Soul

What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

A story that needs no commentary from me, only deep sympathy for a lamb strayed from the fold.



From Sunday's New York Times:  The Life and Death of the Therapist Bob Bergeron, by journalist Jacob Bernstein, gay son of famed authors Carl Bernstein and Nora Ephron.

Lord, have mercy.  Grant to him and to all the departed eternal rest, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Monday in Holy Week

A reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, verse 25:

Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

Collect of the day:

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Prayer of St. Francis, exquisitely sung by John Michael Talbot (large screen view is best):

See also: Jesus in the Temple, and the Odd Business with the Fig Tree.

St. Laika's Church Welcomes You

Say fellas, want to tell you about something that I like a lot, and that is the online Holy Communion podcasts done by a fellow blogger called MadPriest - aka the Reverend Jonathan Haggar, who lives in Yorkshire, England, and is a (currently unemployed) priest in the Church of England.

For my truckbuddies who are believers but who, like me, cannot get to church for one reason or another, Jonathan's podcasts are the next best thing - they follow the Book of Common Prayer, but with Jonathan's delightfully quirky musical choices:  everything from cathedral choirs to rock and roll, black gospel and white gospel, old familiar hymns and newly written pieces.  Yet despite the eclectic mix of service music, it's all reverent and fitting, and surprisingly relevant to each week's readings, though you'd never hear the same stuff in church.

I think Jonathan's onto something good here.  Go check it out, if you need some spiritual nourishment, I think you'll like it.  I've posted the link in my Help & Support section in the sidebar, but here it is again:  The St. Laika Podcasts.

Everyone is welcome at St. Laika's, believers or not; you don't have to give your name or sign up for anything, and there are no membership requirements, only your interest in what's posted there. And if you do enjoy the service, which is available in three different audio formats, do consider leaving something in the virtual collection plate - although Jonathan says, "nothing at all is okay with me. I'd rather you listened than didn't listen because you are unable or unwilling to donate anything."

Sunday Drive: We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder

This Palm Sunday morning, an old spiritual exquisitely rendered:




And I also came across this moving excerpt from the Ken Burns series on the Civil War, which somehow seems to fit with the song: