Rev. Lynch
-
Posts
25 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Calendar
Posts posted by Rev. Lynch
-
-
I think if they'd said 'Ten aid workers killed' there's a good chance, as sad as it may seem, that the story would not have got anywhere near the intended reaction. At the same time, the friends and families of those killed may have felt that the press had shrugged it off as something insignificant compared to the killing of military personnel. It could also be a case of the media editors wanting the rest of the world to know that aid workers do come from different cultures and backgrounds.
My hope, is that this incident does not delay aid getting to the people that need it.. when we stop doing everything we can to administer medicines and humanitarian aid, even in really dangerous regions, then we become a little less human.
-
RevAl
Not only are you and yours in my prayers today, but I'll do what I'd normally do for those close to me who are experiencing a harrowing and destructive set of circumstances that appear to be gaining momentum and causing so much hurt.
I'll keep a candle burning for your family to help keep them in my thoughts today and hope that your situation improves as quickly as possible.
God bless
-
Thanks Hex and RevRainbow.. I believe it's something to be shared for lots of reasons and I'm thankful to you both for taking the time to read it!
-
For fantasy and without any doubt whatsoever...
Stephen R Donald's 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever' series... brilliantly conceived plot and characters and written with intense skill!
David Eddings - 'Belgariad' series - undeniable classsics!
Raymond E Feist - start with Magician from the 'Riftwar Cycle' series and I promise you won't come back to this reality using willpower alone ;o))
-
My father passed away at the age of 84 on 6th April 2010 in a hospital bed in England.
He was diagnosed with bowel cancer over ten years ago and in that time endured a few minor strokes but recovered quickly, had glaucoma, and in the last three years walked with a frame. His wife of 20 years was an alcoholic and this contributed to her death in November of last year.
My father had a Roman Catholic upbringing, served 7 years in the British army (1939 - 1947), and worked as a labourer for most of his life. We were never really close and I spent most of my childhood witnessing the consequences of his drinking on my mother... she died in 1985 after enduring 6 years of Alzheimer's. In contrast, my mother was raised in catholic convents, she had a very simple and positive outlook on life and although she wasn't an active catholic, she held her beliefs close to her heart.
Just before Christmas, and living in Canada, I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be visiting my dad and so I made plans to see him in January. He was a very practical man and was never really one for accepting gifts of any kind. However, I wanted to take him something meaningful.. something that he'd keep hold of.
I visited a local Christian shop and bought him a silver cross... nothing ornate or decorated... just a plain and simple cross. I considered it a risk... he could say "What's this for??" and leave it at the back of the draw with his collection of broken pens and nuts and bolts. I thought to myself... I have no idea how he is gong to react.. but if this cross gives him a fraction of comfort... then it would have been worthwhile... it would have been meaningful.
When January came along, I received news that he'd fallen and broken his hip and that my visit to England would be spent visiting him at hospital, getting into small talk, and looking at my watch. It sounds harsh... but it's reality. We never really got on too well and his situation wouldn't make much difference.
Finally, I got to the hospital with my son and daughter and presented the cross to him: "Look dad... I got you this in Canada... it's a decent one... I had it blessed."
My dad sat up despite the discomfort and pain and despite the haziness of the drugs he'd been administered. I could see in his eyes that this little silver cross had far far greater meaning to him than I had assumed it would.
After two weeks, I returned to Canada, and among the trials and tribulations something kinda wonderful happened amidst the chaos of the time.
My dad spent one week in a private nursing home where he had 100 pounds ($200) stolen from his side cabinet. There was nothing we could do.. it's not uncommon. But this man who was very 'careful' with his money throughout his life but the theft had him completely unconcerned... he had his cross.. he clung to it in his final hours and it brought him immense comfort.. that's all that mattered now.
On the night before he died, my daughter was with him and he told her: "Look... I am dying... I am telling you this because I don't want you here to witness it... they (the hospital) will phone you and tell you 'you're granddad is drawing his last breath...' or 'we really do think you should come to he hospital to say goodbye'. He died the following morning.
I arrived in England two days later and made arrangements for the funeral that would be very small, simple, practical. He would have wanted people to spend money on keeping food and juice on the table rather than to buy flowers and cards. There were maybe half a dozen people attending at the crematorium. We had a short catholic service with 'I am here Lord' and 'Amazing Grace' playing in the background.
My daughters and I dispersed his ashes from the ferry in the River Mersey as he had requested.
In clearing his house and belongings, I found something I never knew he kept. In the inside pocket of his jacket, he kept a Pope Paul card and a small lapel pin.. he'd had kept these close for most of his adult life and I never knew. The silver cross will be given to my son when he is old enough to look after it.
I wanted to share this because in this story there is something positive against the despair and the suffering, it's the simplicity of comfort that this cross brought to a man in his final hour.. something encouraging and meaningful.
Rev. Lynch
-
For a short while during her mid-teens, my daughter was becoming increasingly anxious at school and especially as she did well in class and with homework but tended to blank out during exams.
It's awful for any parent to witness anxiety in a child (or teenager in this case) because it can so often be an 'enclosed' almost introspective process for the kid and teachers are not always equipped with the skills to deal with it effectively.
The report my daughter brought home had a parent's comment section that you simply comment in and return to the school for their files. Nowhere did the report mention her anxiety in any detail, just a loose reference of how she was 'a great pupil with great marks but "exams seem to phase her sometimes". Loosely translated that means 'we haven't got time to go into this but we're sure it will burn itself out after a while.'
So in my comment back to the teacher I wrote a gentle hint at how my daughter and the school might want to view the situation:
'My daughter, I am sure, is as conscientious at school as she is at home. Her report is heart warming to say the least, but we think she really does need to accept that, exams are not these huge mountainous obstacle that she thinks she is walking up backwards.. they're really just gentle slopes that stand before the hills of progress."
We must have read it back to her fifty times over the coming year ;o) and in some ways it helped to re-steer her fear to become something just as powerful but positive.
She did exceptionally well at 18 in arts, drama, and English and is now quite a good web/multimedia designer. So I guess if you don't want your kid to be an advertising executive or a banker or maybe even a lawyer... write something nice and meaningful in their school report!
a recollection to be shared
by Rev. Lynch
-
I became ordained as part of a spiritual 'fine tuning' process in a world where it's so easy to become completely de-tuned by world events and the negative stuff we're bombarded with on a daily basis.
As a child with an RC upbringing in England, I liked going to mass for the most part. I had many a conversation with the crosses and statues along the way and my friends and I would play 'Priests' in the outside toilet complete with curtains for vestments and candles at each side of the toilet for an altar. Some of my mother's brass ornaments were used for added authenticity.
Since then, I've seen the dodgier side of religious institutions, looked fleetingly at other faiths and beliefs, and got to where I am today... quite happy in my new role and hoping that my participation here at least, will lead me to meeting some interesting and decent human beings who, like me, are fine tuning their faith and beliefs too.
So please be patient with some of the stupid questions I'm likely to ask and I look forward to meeting you.
-
Classical music is a very interesting title for music written and composed years ago or just the other day. Sadly, many people look at classical music and particularly the idea of attending a classical concert as something only the ‘fur and pearls’ brigade would be interested in.. the guys that would likely step over the homeless on their way into the carpeted foyers without even noticing the person at their feet!
One thing is for sure… classical music belongs to us all, doesn’t really have any borders or social barriers except for the ones we, as individuals might want to construct. Nope… it’s the music that matters and whether we realize it or not, we have all been inspired, moved, or gently persuaded by classical music throughout our lives in the form of film and TV soundtracks, commercials, jingles and God knows what else!
Do we have to ‘study’ classical music to be able to appreciate its immense value to our hearts and minds? Of course we don’t… what a stupid question! Do we need to know anything about the composer behind the music…? Nope! Ok… but classical music is for the ‘horsey set’ and not for the rest of us isn’t it? Nope!
Classical music is, as I have said, something we bump into on an almost daily basis and we can take it or leave it in very much the same way as we do with other musical forms and genres but it’s handy to understand a few things that kinda explain why it can often be perceived as less popular and/or ‘different’.
Let’s take the most popular classical composers that include, for example; Beethoven, Mozart, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, and hmmm maybe Strauss, Bach, or Paganini. The first thing to get straight is that they all have silly names let’s be honest! Nicknames would not help these guys either… ‘Mozzy’, Beety’ Paggi’ ‘Tchai or Tchivvy’ just would not work. Pictures or paintings of these guys does not help in the slightest as, if you check them out, they look like podgy, pale, serious types from some European King’s ancient Court.
I personally am not impressed that such and such a composer may have written their first score as an embryo or as a guy deprived of one or more senses. It is the music they composed and how well instrumentalists or orchestras in more modern times manage to present it in their performances. The Billy Bob Round Thing Orchestra for instance, covering a Mozart violin concerto might sound great, but Maggie’s Fleeting String Thing Quartet may have done something spellbinding! And… that’s the thing with any form or genre of music… composers and performers can spellbind you from what they do with classical instruments or with a Fender Stratocaster! Either way… music is THE BEST - as Frank Zappa pointed out, and all we have to do is listen!
So what else? Well… you can get a decent and probably unmarked boxed classical collection from a second hand shop or thrift store for relative pennies. It’s not so easy to do with popular rock!!! If you are scared… just do what I did; recognize the decent record label (Phillips, EMI, Naxos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon etc), see what it says on the box, liner notes or whatever, and if it ‘looks’ good… get it!
On the other hand, you might want to go online and listen to some samples of recordings at a number of decent sites to give you some idea of what’s available and more to the point… what you may have been missing! You can also ask the guys n the store to let you hear bits OR if you are concerned about picking up ‘the wrong thing’ then get something like Absolute Classics or a Classical compilation to start you off.
Eventually, you’ll get to know who’s great and who’s a bit weird. After a while, you’ll know the ‘real’ difference between things performed by a full orchestra, symphony, quartets, and chamber music.
Generally, classical music really can be breathtaking. It may have its roots back in the King’s Court or in some New York basement in the 1940s, or, it could well have been composed, recorded and produced completely digitally from beginning to end just a few months ago… either way… it’s what sounds good to your ears folks and so try not to turn your nose up at it but give it a chance and I guarantee… you’ll get to love it with an insatiable appetite for more and more and…!
-
Very cool pre-fab four!! Thanks for sharing!
My Coworkers Suck
in Creative Expression & Cultural Arts
Posted
So that was the co-worker 'who's Anne Rice' experience... pitiful!
BUT... let me take you back to a London side street in 1989 when I was leaving work with a girlfriend when suddenly, the Beatles record producer "Sir George Martin' was walking by... not a care in the world.. nice and casual! So I gasped and checked my pulse and blinked to be sure it wasn't a dream before chanting "Oh my God that's George Martin... GEORGE MARTIN!!!!!!"
The girlfriend frowned and enquired "Er... George who????" At the age of 22 and with a lovely complexion and nice brown eyes before the comment... she very very quickly turned into a shockingly ugly medusa like thing in my eyes ;o) I couldn't believe the girl had survived that many years and not known the Lord of record production has deigned to share the same ground she was walking upon!!!
I let her live of course... and quickly found other reasons to move on ;o)