::are you interested?

Just a few things I often wish I were interested in:

Sports
All the grand declarations of "Sparty On!" and the sparring of "Go Blue!" and "Go Green!" are completely lost on me.
It seems to offer a great deal of camaraderie, so I do regret my deep apathy sometimes.
But sports are simply not intriguing to me at all.
I'm so non-competitive, I feel bad when I give someone the "Draw Two" card in UNO.
During the Super Bowl, I read Entertainment Weekly.






Star Wars
I saw Return of the Jedi in the theatre when I was little...and fell asleep.
I have yet to see any of its prequels.
I can appreciate the innovative storytelling and creativity of George Lucas.
But my affinity for this series is simply nonexistent.





Cars
Top Gear bores me to tears.
Antique car shows? The auto show? I'd rather go to the dentist.
I have the highest respect for mechanics, especially the honest, gracious one who's been fixing my car for as long as I've owned one.
I can muster a vague interest in an authentic Model T at Greenfield Village.
Therein lies the apex of my fascination.


Boating/Sailing
To be fair, these things are not entirely uninteresting.
They're just terrifying.
When I was sixteen, I was in a canoe that tipped over in very deep water.
As I tried to push my way to the surface, my foot got trapped in some sort of undergrowth, and I became paralyzed by the fear of drowning.
This terror-induced paralysis has lingered; Ergo, I possess no desire to kayak, or canoe, or voluntarily operate any manner of watercraft.

::funnies

Oh, how I LOVE Modern Family.
It's the only show in recent memory that I can watch with my whole family, and it makes every one of us laugh.

::page turners

I stole this from Stephanie.

Please, by all means, feel free to steal it from me, dear reader.

Name fifteen authors (poets included) who've influenced you and who will always stick with you.

List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

1. David Sedaris
   
   
2. David Dark
   
   
3. C.S. Lewis
   
   
4. Roald Dahl
   
   
5. Wally Lamb
   
   
6. Dante Alighieri
   
   
7. Billy Collins
   
   
8. Garrison Keillor
   
   
9. Anne Lamott
   
   
10. Flannery O'Connor
    
    
11. e.e. cummings
    
    
12. Augusten Burroughs
    
    
13. Ralph Waldo Emerson
    
    
14. Walt Whitman
    
    
15. Henry David Thoreau

::canine + toddler = Canon Moment

Three days a week, I care for Emma.
She is two years old.
She is my niece.
And she is utterly delightful.

She has definitely inherited our family's love of dogs.
As you might imagine, it's adorable.




See?
Yesterday morning she tried to hug Camille - the neighbors' Doberman - through the cyclone fence.
Future veterinarian?
I wouldn't be surprised.

::autumn nuptials

Perhaps I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE Autumn.
October is my favorite month of the year.

I love its colors, its implications both obvious and subtle, its chilly breezes and crunchy leaves, its celebration of apple cider and warm, cinnamon-saturated doughnuts.

Two weeks ago, I went to a wedding, and found it such a beautiful celebration of such a worthy season, and for such a worthy couple, Megan and Todd.


These two are incredibly, irrevocably Made for Each Other.

As a congregation, we sang a few songs during their ceremony.
As we lifted our voices for "How Great is Our God," I felt tears pooling inside my eyes as I watched Megan, holding Todd's hand with one arm, and raising the other toward the sky. Forging a Covenant with the man with whom God blessed her, and passionately praising Him for the blessing.

I became acquainted with Megan via my lovely friend Kim, who is a kindred spirit of the highest caliber. She looked especially gorgeous as the Maid of Honor.



Merriment continued at the reception, complete with - in the style of a salad bar - a Candy Bar, overstuffed with all manner of autumn treats.

treasure boxes filled with...

Personalized M&Ms

Kim, Emma & me (looking silly) on the dance floor

Beautiful, festive centerpiece

Capped off by an evening spent in the wonderful hospitality of Kim's house, and some good strong coffee and a delicious homemade breakfast the next morning, I felt overwhelmingly blessed to be included in the company of such loving, generous, joyful people.

::reading writing (sans 'rithmetic)

So, it's official.

I'm a teacher.

My parents are both (now retired) teachers, my older brother is a teacher who married a teacher.
And then there's me, who never harbored any desire to be one.

I tried to outrun my family's Teacher Gene, but it chased me down and tackled me.


After reading a few poems at Trinity House Theatre in June, accompanied on guitar by the brilliant Paul Murphy (proprietor of Blue Fish Music), I was asked to teach a poetry class at Palaestra, a co-op group for home-schooled children and their families.

My class has five students, which feels more akin to leading a small group; a task with which I am tremendously familiar.

I've found that it's a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.

:: fred phelps

Many times, when called upon to write some sort of autobiographical paragraph, I am often compelled to write, "I believe empathy is the most paramount of all virtues."

Attempting to empathize with the plights of others has always been a very natural practice for me.
I recognize that I am very fortunate in this respect.

But it deeply disturbs me to encounter people who obviously make no attempt at empathizing.

This is particularly upsetting when the issue is homosexuality.

My younger brother Joel, whom I love immeasurably, is gay.
The day before our grandmother's funeral in 2004, he came out to me.
I had known for several years, but his official declaration left me feeling indescribably honored.
I have sat with him and listened to his story.
I try my best to share his burdens and steep uphill struggles.

I cannot even count the number of times that my poor ears have been assaulted by some ignorant blowhard, yammering on and on about Homosexuality is an Abomination! and The Gay Agenda is Taking Over! and Next Thing We Know, They'll Want to Marry Their Dogs!

Whenever I have been able to summon the strength to actually engage these people in conversation, I find that they are not personally acquainted with anyone who is gay - surprise surprise! - nor do they have any desire to be.
They are speaking from those all-too-familiar perches of As Far As I Know and As Far As I Can Tell.

As David Dark reminds us in The Sacredness of Questioning Everything, "as far as I know" and "as far as I can tell" are not far at all.

Many who make these ill-informed, hateful statements also claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, which is even more tragic.
They don't even have one iota of interest in meeting an actual gay person, much less (gasp!) hearing their story and attempting to see the world through their eyes.

I write these reflections for the all-important task of drawing attention to the ineffable role of empathy in the human experience.
It's one of the best gifts we have to offer, dear reader.
Give freely, and often, and with humble sincerity.