text:
Decided to make a smoked chicken andouille gumbo today - have never done one with smoked chicken, so this is a bit of an experiment.
Yesterday, smoked 8 chicken thighs (along w some leg quarters for a BBQ shicken lunch). Let them cool, pick the meat off, then use the trimmings to make stock.
Here's the veggies and seasonings that went in the stock, and a batch of stock in progress:
Then, on to the mis en place. Trinity plus garlic (hadn't peeled the garlic yet), and a link of andouille from Scott, La.:
Chicken meat, picked and ready:
Now, to start cooking.
First, you make a roux....


text:
Breathe blue air.
Breathe blue air at home, in the kid's room, at work, in school and in the gym. >
Regardless of size.
Copyright © 2008 – 2015 Blueair AB
Sitemap | Legal | Contact us
Click the logos to read more about
the certifications and awards that
Blueair units have recieved.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|your basket
0 items, £0.00
One of our most popular videos has been a guide to putting on a wetsuit and how it should fit.
If you need advice on which wet suit to buy then please contact us via phone or email and we will be happy to help. Alternatively check out our blog
We prides ourselves on giving our customers 110% excellent service when you purchase from us. We also pride ourselves on giving expert advice to you before you buy. If you need advice before you make your purchase, please contact us via phone or email and we will be happy to help. If you would like to see what customers say about our service then please check out our customer Trustpilot reviews.
|Best Sellers
O´Neill Epic 5mm Wetsuit Boots
O´Neill Epic 2 Mens 3/2mm Summer Wetsuit 2015 - Blue
GoPro HERO 3+ Edition (PLUS) Camera
Havaianas Flip Flops Slim Black
O´Neill Epic 2 Mens 5/4mm Winter Wetsuit 2015
Wetsuit Centre £50 Gift Voucher


text:
To dance is to be out of yourself.Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.
Agnes De Mille
To dance is to be out of yourself.Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.
Agnes De Mille
Back to top.
Dance is arguably the most popular form of exercise in the world. We do it to celebrate, to mourn, to mate, to express ourselves, and, most importantly, to get on reality television. Not only is it one of those magic workouts that doesn't feel like a workout, but this successive group of rhythmical steps usually set to music is a major calorie burner. It stimulates coordination, stamina, and cardiovascular conditioning, and it builds muscles. The average 130-pound woman can burn more than 300 calories doing an hour of ballet. But if pink tights and pirouettes aren't your thing, there are dance styles to meet every skill level and interest, from pole dancing to dangling from a piece of material attached to the ceiling. Which form is right for you? Let's look at some options.
There is a world of dance options out there that can be fun and also help create the body of your dreams. As with all new forms of exercise, do the research and find a qualified instructor, class, or video series before you begin your journey. And if the class option is not for you, go find a dance floor in a local bar or blast the stereo in your living room, and just start dancing. Because if you think you can dance, really, you can.
Related Articles
"Boost Your Metabolism All Day Long"
"Choose and Lose: How to Lose Weight on Any Diet"
"8 Ways to Know If You're Fit"
Got something to say? Chat with the writers and other readers this coming Monday, October 5th, at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT, in the Beachbody Chatroom!
Sorry, not much rock and roll, but two out of three's not bad. Today, our Nutrition 911 class moves into its final chapter: supplements. They are the final link in the nutrition chain, but one that is very much misunderstood. Supplements can be a great dietary aid. The supplement industry, however, has distorted their usefulness by comparing them to pharmaceutical drugs. So much that we probably read as much about bogus supplements as we do about ones that work. To assess this situation, it's important to understand just what food supplements are and how they differ from food and pharmaceutical drugs. So for part one of our supplement lesson, we'll begin by analyzing the big-picture differences between drugs, supplements, and food.
According to Wikipedia: A drug is any substance containing a chemical which binds with a receptor in a cell membrane or an enzyme which produces some biological effect by altering the cellular functions as a result of that binding. It is usually synthesized outside of an organism, but introduced into an organism to produce its action. That is, when taken into the organism's body, it will produce some effects or alter some bodily functions (such as relieving symptoms, curing diseases or used as preventive medicine or any other purposes).
So it's a little scientific for 911 class, but what did you expect? Medical drugs can do some amazing things, but they still work with basic physiological principles of the body. Most drugs were created because something was found in the natural world that caused a reaction that led scientists to try improving upon it. For example, check out the next paragraph:
Note that natural endogenous biochemicals (such as hormones) can bind to the same receptor in the cell, producing the same effect as a drug. Thus, "drug" is merely an artificial definition that distinguishes whether that molecule is synthesized within an organism or outside an organism. For instance, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is considered a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is considered a drug.
I promise to stop with all the scientific mumbo-jumbo shortly, but bear with me for a sec. This is the first clue to how our lines on this topic have become blurred. What we eat affects our natural insulin levels, but insulin can also be a drug. So can't we just eat better and not need to inject insulin? Sometimes we can. Other times we can't. For a good example of this, let's look at type 1 and type 2 diabetes; where the former is a condition that requires injections of the drug form of insulin to keep the patient alive, the latter condition is a direct result of poor dietary habits.
For another example, let's look at a Tour de France bicycle rider. Each day, the grueling race breaks down his body's tissues, sapping his natural hormone stores that are needed to promote recovery for the next day's race. Eating, rest, and recuperative strategies like massage help this process greatly. But now, through medical science, we also have the ability to synthesize these substances of recovery. Therefore, a well-funded racer can have a doctor ensure that the rider has an almost perfect recovery by injecting these substances, leaving little to chance.
Okay, so that last paragraph sounded pretty cool. What's the catch? The downside is that drugs always have side effects—any time the body gets an unnatural amount of a substance that it makes naturally, it reacts by triggering or suppressing another process. Hence, side effects. These vary in severity, from potentially dangerous to life threatening. When using drugs, you're altering your body's chemistry in an unnatural way. Carefully guided, drugs can do amazing things. Experimenting with them is risky at best.
Food supplements
The third paragraph of Wikipedia's definition of the word "drug" sheds much more light on the relationship between food and drugs, and it essentially defines what we now call supplements.
It is a substance which is not food, and which, when ingested, affects the functioning of the mind, or the body, or both. However, under the philosophy of Chinese medicine, food is also considered a drug as it affects particular parts of the body and cures some diseases. Thus, food does satisfy the above definition of drug so long as ingestion of it would alter some bodily functions.
The Chinese and other indigenous cultures were the first to make "supplements," as we now call almost all of their natural remedies. Ancient doctors saw how eating different foods affected the body differently, especially herbs and plants. All plants have some type of defense mechanism that allows them to survive within the dog-eat-dog world of natural selection in which they live. Some have thorns. Some eat animals. But most rely on something called a secondary defense compound, which is usually something poisonous to one of its predators. While some remain poisonous to humans, others have medicinal qualities.
Through use of these compounds, we created the world's first "drugs," which were actually supplements. These were used for centuries, but they became less popular as Western (and now Eastern) medicine found ways to synthesize these compounds and discovered other generally more aggressive pathways to attack ailments. But many are still used by naturopathic doctors and other traditional healers worldwide. Most of these old-school drugs can now be purchased over the counter as "food supplements."
The food supplement industry has grown into a whole new scope. Our modern diets, now filled with junk foods, alcohol, and the like, have left us very deprived of the daily nutrients we need to live a healthy lifestyle. Many supplements are now condensed food nutrients, or high concentrations of nutrient-rich "superfoods." These supplements are actually more food than supplement, but we've blurred the line here as well, mainly because the word food doesn't have the healthy connotation it once did, so most of us feel the need to supplement our diets.
Because they go to work through natural pathways and are basically just food, it's very rare when supplements have side effects. Most that do are illegal, placing them in the recreational drug category (more below). Legal-supplement side effects are annoying at worst, and don't affect everyone the same way. Supplements are almost never dangerous. Well-publicized deaths from supplements were all a result of some type of abuse. You can kill yourself by abusing plain old food, too, by the way. And thus the reason for our Nutrition 911 course!
Recreational drugs
Since most of you must know that these are not the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle, I'm not going to spend much time on them. This is probably by far the most popular way we consume drugs, and hopefully, you'll use some common sense and restraint in this area. They are a topic today because they can help you understand the differences between drugs, supplements, and food. It's interesting to note that this has followed, almost exactly (probably by leading the way), our trend of modern medicine. Most recreational drugs were traditionally plants. Consuming them resulted in an altered mental state from a reaction to a secondary defense compound—most often probably from being slightly poisoned. Now many are made by chemists.
Not all of them are bad for you. Two popular mind-altering substances from natural sources, caffeine and marijuana, have been shown to have positive effects for certain conditions. Most of these substances have some degree of an addictive quality, and all, even coffee and tea, should be eliminated for periods of time to allow your body to cleanse itself and revert to a state of homeostasis, or internal balance.
Medical drugs should also be used with care and a healthy dose of skepticism—not just recreational drugs but even those prescribed to you by your doctor. No matter what the official stance is, doctors are under pressure from pharmaceutical companies to prescribe medication. Always question your doctor, and then do your own research on what you're putting into your body.
Okay, so exercise wasn't a topic of today's discussion. But since we discussed recreational drugs, it's also worth a mention. Exercise causes tissue breakdown, which stimulates a hormone reaction to help you recover. What it also does is signal your brain to crave the types of foods it needs to repair itself. This is your best ally in the fight against aging, obesity, and drug dependence.
But it also releases a hormone that acts like a drug, what you've heard called endorphins. These are essentially mind-altering, recreational-type drugs similar to the kind some procure from shady characters in the bathroom of the local club. The only difference is that they're never laced with meth, chlorine, amyl nitrate, or baby powder, and all their side effects are good for you. Okay, so you'll have to stimulate their production yourself and they're addicting. But it's the healthiest addiction you'll ever have. It's also free. Plus, you're guaranteed to never to lose your job for having too much in your system.
This is my drug of choice. I recommend that you try some.
Food pretty much does all of the above, only slower. As an example, let's look at refined sugar because it's very easy to understand. Sugar isn't natural, exactly. In its natural state, it is surrounded by fiber (in fruit, etc.) or it is predigested (in honey). Refined, such as table sugar, it is essentially a drug. It creates a rather violent hormonal reaction that your body responds to by feeling good, then crashing, and then craving more. Most of us know this feeling. But we respond along similar lines to all foods, just not as obviously. A balanced diet works subtly. You may not feel anything different, but if you're eating well, your body will respond to what you ask it to do. Foods stimulate bodily responses that help us think, run, lift weights, recover from exercise, sleep, and everything else we do. The better we eat, the less we need to rely on drugs and supplements.
Can drugs help your performance?
Obviously, drugs can be helpful when you have an illness. That's their main function. But we've begun to rely on them more and more for everyday things. We take drugs to sleep, wake up, have sex, and sit around the house watching television. Certainly, they can help, but at what cost? Since our topic is nutrition, let's analyze drugs that enhance your athletic performance because that's what we try doing with our diets.
Doping in sports has been blown out of proportion by the media to the point that many of us probably think we can make athletes from scratch. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), this is far from the case. Gene manipulation is getting to the point where this could happen in the future, but current practices are limited to a few percentage points of improvement above the talent you're born with. While this is the difference between winning and losing for two similarly talented athletes who've put in the same amount of work, it's still only a small piece of their fitness puzzle. And for someone like you or me, it won't get us much nearer to an Olympic medal than we are now.
As un-Horatio Alger as it sounds, world-class athletes are born, not made. This isn't to say that athletes don't have to put in massive amounts of work. They do, especially in this day and age of scientific knowledge when you can run a few tests on an 8-year-old and pinpoint their athletic potential. But the bottom line is that if you didn't cream everyone in your school the first time you ran around the perimeter, you're not going to win the Olympic marathon, no matter how hard you train or what kind of dope you can get your hands on.
But drugs can, and do, help the layman athlete, which some of you may have witnessed back in school when the class 90-pound weakling disappeared for the summer and showed up in the fall as Charles Atlas with acne and a bad attitude. He probably credited pumping iron and trips to the local smorgasbord for his change, but it was likely spurred more by abusing dianobol. While you can completely change your physique without drugs, massive changes in a short amount of time are often the result of drugs, especially when side effects (like acne or aggressiveness) are noticeable. Thing is, Charley could have gotten big and ripped without the juice, and it probably would have resulted in more dates and less fights. We can create the same responses with diet and supplements. It would have taken longer, but it would have happened without throwing the body's hormonal releases out of whack, which would have saved him from the side effects. So let's take a closer look at how this works.
Food vs. drugs: The performance-enhancing battle
For the sake of argument, let's lump food and supplements together and stack them up against performance-enhancing drugs to shed some light on which is more important. Now let's look at a couple of famous cases involving baseball players.
A few years back, Barry Bonds famously hit the juice and shattered a bunch of home run records. While his 'roid use got all the press, let's try to assess how much it helped him. For these substances to help, Bonds was required to work out religiously, rest, and eat well. While "steroids" (a colloquial term for performance-enhancing drugs) help performance, they require extra effort. If you aren't pushing your body to its limit, they won't help. His drugs functioned to speed up Bonds' recovery, but he still needed to do the work. And because he reshaped his body by adding bulk, more time must have been spent to keep the skills of his game on par with his bulk. In essence, a lot of hard work helped Bonds hit more home runs, aided by what amounts to a science diet. Certainly, he hit more home runs because of his added strength, but with the same amount of work and no juice, he would have come very close anyway.
On the other hand, what I haven't really heard discussed is how many more home runs Babe Ruth would have hit had he not existed on a diet primarily consisting of alcohol, tobacco, and hot dogs. Ruth began using tobacco at age 7 and reportedly smoked 12 cigars a day. His late-night carousing was a thing of legend. Only when he remarried, toward the end of his career, did he pay any attention at all to his diet. His career was rife with health problems.
However, Bonds' records should not be deleted. Steroids, after all, were not banned from baseball when Bonds used them. Most experts attribute a handful of home runs per year to "doping" during Bonds' big years. But who knows how many more home runs Ruth would have hit had he paid any sort of attention to his diet. A hundred? With ease, it could have been two or even three or four hundred in a career that could have lasted another 5 years. Because when it comes to performance, the biggest variable of all is still what you eat.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the relationship between food and supplements. Next time, we'll take a look at the different categories of supplements and what you can expect to gain from using them.
Related Articles
"Does Exercise Matter for Weight Loss?"
"The 911 on Nutrient Timing: What and When You Should Eat"
"Nutrition 911, Part VI: Sweeteners"
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, click here to add a comment in the newsletter review section or you can email us at email@example.com.
Check out our Fitness Advisor's responses to your comments in Steve Edwards' Mailbag on the Message Boards. If you'd like to receive Steve Edwards' Mailbag by email, click here to subscribe to Steve's Health and Fitness Newsletter. And if you'd like to know more about Steve's views on fitness, nutrition, and outdoor sports, read his blog, The Straight Dope.
Deep-fried, please! From frog legs to Oreo® cookies, you can find all sorts of goodies battered up and deep fried at the fair. You can even find something called a "cow pile," and no, you don't need a shovel, gloves, and a mask for this pile. You just need a spoon and a few napkins, if you're inclined. What do you know about these culinary delights? Match the fair food with its calorie and fat contents.
All trademarks, products, and service names are the property of their respective owners.
Yoga Booty Ballet is a registered trademark of Goddess in Training, Inc.
"I enjoyed your article on Nutrition 911 very informative and to the point. Here comes the BUT but one sentence bugged me please do not put caffeine and marijuana in the same light pot is illegal in NJ coffee soda and caffeine are not illegal and most people smoke pot there are a lot of dangerous side effects Great article well written"
– Doc
"i disagree with the previous review. the writer of the article is simply and quickly trying to send the message that there is a benefit to pot smoking. pain relief and it also helps with glaucoma and cancer along with M.S. and no i do not smoke it."
"Your article #376 sadly missed one of the most popular forms of dancing. LINE DANCING. it's great - can be done without a partner -millions of people world wide do it. I Line Dance 4 times a week. It's popular at nations senior centers. Skooter Lee is a leader world wide in Line Dancing Seminars. You should look into this and respond to your readers about it.Thanks for listening. Mary Dionne"
– Mary Dionne, salem, MA
Get special offers, plus free health, fitness, and weight loss tips.
Connect with Beachbody, fans, coaches, and your favorite trainers!
Bookmark or share this page by emailing it to your friends, or adding it to your favorite networking sites! Simply mouse over the Share icon below for options.
Get special offers and expert advice!
Click here to chat live with a customer service representative.
Home | About Us | Careers | Press | Beachbody® Blog | California Supply Chains Act | Customer Service | Live Chat |
My Account | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Contact Us | Shopping Cart | Index
†Results may vary. Exercise and proper diet are necessary to achieve and maintain weight loss and muscle definition.
Please consult with a physician before beginning any exercise program.
© 2015 Beachbody, LLC. All rights reserved.


text:
Northern California Section Meeting
Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 12-2 p.m.
Title: Global Trends in Group V Base Oils
Presenters: Suresh Swaminathan and Aaron Huguet, CRODA
The global demand for synthetic base stocks continues to grow as the demand for high performance lubricants grows. Group V base oils, such as esters and polyalkylene glycols, have enabled lubricant formulators to achieve the demanding requirements of equipment manufacturers. In this presentation, we will discuss technology trends in the global Group V market as well as the benefits of formulating with these materials.
Speaker Biographies
Suresh Swaminathan has been with Croda for 9 years and has been a member of Croda Lubricants for the past 4 years. He is currently the U.S. Sales Manager for Croda Lubricants. He presented at the STLE Annual Meeting in 2011 and 2012 and holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Aaron Huguet has been with Croda for 5 years and has been a member of Croda Lubricants for the past 3 years. He is currently the West/Southwest Key Account Manager for Croda Lubricants and Polymer Additives. He holds a bachelor's of science degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin and resides in Houston, TX.
Meeting Location
Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto
1919 Fourth St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch and Networking
1:00-2:00 p.m. Presentation (no charge, but RSVP to reserve a seat)
2:00-2:30 p.m. Questions/Discussion
Fees: $30.00 per person (Member and Non-Member)
Please RSVP with menu selection by October 21st to reserve a seat. Send RSVPs to email email@example.com.
REVISED NEW POLICY: We are trying out a new arrangement to expedite our lunch meeting. Please see the menu below and come prepared to order your lunch. Spenger's will take your order when you are seated. We will be able to eat earlier and finish lunch in time for the presentation.


text:
What makes for a "good" liturgy?
Joseph A. Komonchak August 24, 2013 - 11:45am
Michael Garvey's thread below, about parish-shopping, has prompted an intelligent discussion which I wish many priests would read and take to heart. I was particularly struck by Claire's first post, and these two paragraphs:
These days I spend at least half of my Sundays exploring, going to parishes where I have never been before. I feel like a little bishop, witnessing the incredible diversity of Catholic Mass liturgy, yet learning to recognize what constitutes the common core. They have in common that if I prepare the readings in depth, get there early, watch everything, listen to every word of the liturgy and try to pray them, then at some point during Mass I will be filled by a sense of profound peace, of being refreshed, of having a new start for the week; and that's independent of the specifics of that particular celebration. So my impression is that this peace is the core experience of going to Mass. The other potential perks - uplifting architecture, moving music, arresting homilies, smiling pew neighbors, etc. - are just bonus, occasional unexpected gifts.
...Then there are some Sundays when I don't do my homework, and when everything about the Mass is banal, I essentially sleep through it with nothing to wake me from my slumber, and afterwards I find myself exactly as though I had not gone. What's the point? And did anything really happen? I fear that that's the normal Sunday experience of many, and that is not nourishing. If one needs something special in order to participate, say, a particular style of music for example, then why shouldn't they go where they can find it?
What I liked about Claire's comments was, first, her recognition of the importance of her own participation in determining whether a liturgy has "worked" for her, and, second, her listing of some of the elements that go into an actual event of a liturgy. And this second point prompts the following questions: If someone asked you why you go to Mass, what would you reply? What is it that you want from a liturgy? What counts as a "good" liturgy? What do you take away from a "good" liturgy? What elements make for a "good" liturgy? How would you rank them in importance? An encounter with God? Receiving communion? The biblical readings? The music? A sense of community? The homily? The priest's performance of the gestures and prayers? One's own personal participation and effort? Reverence? Quiet? Other things?
Commenting Guidelines
Can good liturgy be deduced from one single experience? I would hope that as the years pass, people grow and develop in faith through a consistently good experience of welcoming, preaching, and music--the tripod that seems to concern most Catholics, if not most Christians.
If I had my druthers, I'd probably worship in a Benedictine monastery all the time. But as a parish liturgist still far from retirement, that's not a practical thing. I hope I communicate a small collection of things to clergy, ministers, and people: details are important and errors are not, personal expressions are sometimes useful but narcissism is not, liturgy is as much good art as it is accurate ritual.
I realize and appreciate that people parish-shop. I hope the same souls realize that good liturgy takes time and that one-stop might not be enough to discern a good resting place.
I have a pretty low bar:
- the sermon should speak to the Gospel reading
- people would actually shake my hand during the Kiss of Peace, not just give a reluctant little wave
- the cantor- or whatever the songleader is called- sings in a way that I can actually sing along,too, not some high-pitched singing that I can't follow. I don't care at all what the songs are (I have no problem with the St Louis Jesuits) as long as I can sing them.
- Women are on the altar in some capacity.I would love to have women give the homily sometimes, I don't see what the big deal is about that.
I don't know what the rules allow, but it would be great in smaller Masses, if after the priest's homily, there would be time for people in the congregation to off their own reflections on the reading, if they wanted to.
I was at a weekday Mass in the South Bronx when a number of older ladies started saying the Eucharistic prayers out loud when the priest was saying them. I was startled, but thought it was kind of cool.
For me, it's the Gospels; that's the most important part of the Mass for me personally, hearing Jesus' teaching. I want to come away inspired to face another week a little better prepared to try and live more like a Christian. I also think it is important to take some time to say "hello" and "thank you" to God, which I know we can do everywhere, but it seems important to make the effort to go to Church to do it. I also appreciate having a little time to get some peace from all the clanging and clamor (I used to go to movies by myself to accomplish this).
All of these things I could do without a Church and outside of Mass. I also am looking for a community so I can be a Christian together with other people.
A welcoming environment is important for me, priest and deaon greeting people outside after Mass and members of the parish holding the door open and greeting people a they enter the Church.
Last week my husband thinking that we were a bit late asked the greeter if we were. He said, "Not at all we're holding the Mass just for you."
I should note here that at a gathering of young theologians a couple weeks at Boston College (the Catholic Conversation Project) this exact topic of local parish versus shopping constituted a major, all-evening conversation. For myself, I practice a Catholic "both/and": I go to my geographical parish, and also sing in a wonderful choir at a young adult mass in Washington DC on Sunday evenings. As a lay theologian, quite frankly it is valuable for me professionally to avoid restricting my view of the Church to one sort of parish experience or community. As a cantor and choir member, it is easy for that participation to be experienced as active and as a ministry. And in my past experience, I know exactly which parish I would point to in my past as dazzingly exemplary of what mass should be: St. Cecilia's in St. Paul, Minnesota. What distinguished St C's especially were three things: 1. good, skilled preaching, 2. high-quality music that elicited strong participation from the congregation (as appropriate for the parish's patroness!), and 3. a very close-knit community that actually knew one another. St C's liturgy was largely by-the-book - that is, the rites were followed and done well. But my experience was that it overcame the all-too-common "vertical/horizontal" debate over focus on God vs. focus on community. It was clearly and constantly both. Setting aside the issue of music, I would expect the vast majority of people to say similar things: good preaching/presiding (and this I think means a presidential style that strikes the right balance between reverence and warmth - I was at a parish one time where one associate got the nickname "Coach" because his entire liturgical style was like a pep rally leader; on the other hand, stiff, distant, fussy formality is off-putting) and good, genuine community. But I would also emphasize that these subjective goods make sense (to me) in part because of what the Mass is - and how it is a different thing than other kinds of prayer experiences. If I want contemplative peace or meditation on scripture, I might go to an empty church or light a candle at home or go hike in the mountains. When I go to mass, I want the celebration of Christ's sacrificial victory and an anticipatory taste of the heavenly banquet of the saints. In some sense, thankfully, I feel like I always get that, anywhere - that is the blessing of the fixed rite and the recognition that the banquet welcomes lots and lots of people, not just people I know. So occasionally I end up at the local 5pm Spanish mass - I know no Spanish - and it's still the mass, because I know the victory is celebrated and I am thrilled that I am in such a diverse heavenly banquet - even though I don't understand the homily or know personally those in the pews with me. But of course, everything that accentuates the celebration of the victory and the anticipation of the banquet helps.
For me, the ideal of "full and active participation" ideal is a major factor -- like Claire said, the more I prepare and focus and participate, the more I benefit from being there, and so I value a liturgy that helps me to do that; it's also important for me to be surrounded by people who are also participating fully and actively (as much as circumstances allow). One of the commenters on the OSV column that Garvey links to says "Mass should be about God, not who is sitting next to you in the pew." Nope. Private prayer is about me and God. Sunday Mass is about sharing prayer with the parish community.
Our old parish was always packed on Sunday, but packed with people who arrived late, left early, and spent most of the time in between reading the bulletin. (A surprising number of childless adults never ventured beyond the vestibule/cry room, as though they were trying to stay as far as possible from the altar and still have it "count.") The effect was weirdly alienating. Even in my new parish, which has much more of a "community" feeling, there are times I feel like I'm the only one (besides my husband) within earshot who's bothering to say the prayers or sing the songs, or even listen to the readings. It's frustrating. I came to pray with them -- what did they come for?
I wonder sometimes whether it would help if the pastor made an effort to remind the assembly of our role. Not scolding -- "Quit showing up late, it's rude to Jesus!" -- but a positive approach, encouraging everyone to see Sunday Mass as a single prayer, start to finish, with our part as vital as his. Something we come to do, not something we come to watch. Couldn't hurt, right?
I've only ever been to one church since becoming a Catholic - the one within walking distance of my house and where I went through RCIA. What I liked the most about the services ...
- the music and the chance to sing along :)
- the homily relating the gospel reading to the present
- the priest coming down to shake the hands of the people in the front rows during the kiss of peace
I did try to make the service about an encounter between me and Jesus/God but it was too hard to concentrate on that with all that was going on, though sometimes during the singing I felt pretty euphoric. I must admit that the eucharist wasn't especially moving or important for me - it felt solemn and I knew it was supposed to be important, but I didn't really know what I was doing and it didn't seem to affect me in the way it seemed to others.
Now that I don't go to church anymore I miss the music and the priest's homilies, but I can listen to music online, read very good homilies online, and my prayer life is unaffected by missing church.
A priest in our parish gave a sermon on the Mass and Eucharist. He made a comment about leaving Mass before the end. I did not take it as a scold, because I never saw anyone leave early. It was more a joke.
He said: "You know, at the very first Mass, the only one who left early was Judas."
The thing that blows my mind are the people who talk during Mass. In my former parish in Jacksonville FL during Sundy Mass two elderly men were standing at the back of the side chapel, which opens to the main Church and where I was sitting. They were talking a wild streak (in whispers) almost from the very beginning of Mass.
I said to myself: "If they talk during the Consecration, that will be the last straw for me." They did and, as luck would have it, I had to pass in front of them on the way to Communion.
I said, "I teach high school students who are better behaved at Mass than you two." Dead silence for the rest of Mass.
Ok, it was not my kindest moment, but, let me tell you, I could have said worse.
I would love to have women give the homily sometimes, I don't see what the big deal is about that.
Years ago, the Paulist Center in Boston tried pairing a woman lector and the priest for the reading of the Gospel. If the Gospel reading was five verses long, the woman would start reading about five verses before that and the priest would pick up the reading (without a break) at the point where the official Gospel began. It didn't last very long before the archdiocese shut it down - unfortunately.
What counts as a "good" liturgy?
What counts as a "good" liturgy?
What counts as a "good" liturgy?
One that doesn't begin with "Good morning" nor end with "Have a nice day." Everything else is gravy.
Years ago I teased my mother because one of our priests used to say at the end of Mass: "Have a nice day" and the congregation would respond: "Thank you, Father." I told her '"Why don't they respond: 'Have a nice day, Father.'"
So when I would leave for school: I would say to her: "Have a nice day" and she would respond "Thank you, Father."
A fond memory.
Good liturgy is when the celebrants, acolytes, EMs, cantors, lectors, etc. are "invisible"; that is, the Mass comes through them without their interrupting it with their own little flourishes or sense of being "on stage." I recently attended a funeral Mass in a small chapel to the side of the Church proper. The cantor used his Metropolitan Opera voice. With amplification. It was hideous.
I also prefer that priests begin their homilies with "In today's reading ..." or some such prelude that moves directly to the homily without an intervening joke or topical references to sporting events to be seen on TV later that day.
I do not want EMs to use my name at communion a la, "The body of Christ, Jean." I think it would be good if the altar servers did not wear flip-flops that go thwack thwack thwack up the aisle.
Finally, I think more parishes should think about dropping the hand-holding at the Our Father unless they can do it gracefully and in a welcoming way. Most people at the local parish stick out their hands right and left and grope around without making eye contact as if they were shutting their eyes, gritting their teeth, and thinking of England..
Many of these sins against decorum can, of course, be overlooked if those in charge of the liturgy convey a sense of sincerity and encouragement.
Jean: I share everyone of your wishes. About your second one: In our homiletics course, fifty years ago, the teacher urged us to tell a story at the beginning of our homilies/sermons. "Long after they've forgotten what you had to say," he said, "they'll remember the story." I remember thinking two things: 1) I don't wnat them to forget what my point was, and 2) the Gospels are themselves stories either about Jesus or relating one of his stories, so why do we need yet another story?
If the priest, the servers, the cantors, etc. do their job well, they will disappear into what they are doing. On the other hand, thinking of the celebrant, it bothers me a great deal when he rattles off the prayers with all the attention and feeling of the recorded voice that announces the stations at which the next train from Grand Central Station will stop. Thus: "ThisistheLambofGodwhotakesawaythesinsoftheworldhappyarethosewhoarecalledtothesupperoftheLamb."
Just as bad are the ditties composed for the acclamation after the consecration, some of which might be considered too frivolous for bubble-gum commercials. Did their composers even think about the words these airy tunes would accompany: "Dying you destroyed our death..." ?
I have always judged the liturgy to have been "successful" if I am conscious of being part of the "we" (local, global, historical) that prays the Our Father in union with Jesus. Not sure how that fits with the recently mandated translation of the creed (Nicene, Apostles) as "I believe"--for me this channels the liturgical flow in another direction.
Among other functions and meanings, for me the Eucharistic litugy is an "aesthetic apprehension of the group's origin and story" (Lonergan, Topics in Education CWL 10:230) especially with regard to the Church as Boldy of Christ.
For me, I like the organizational flow of the liturgy; when each part moves seamlessly to the next. I don't like abrupt or awkward transitions. So the priests, lectors and servers move smoothly, deliberately and mindfully. I like it smooth.
I like when the congregation is similarly involved in the process and responds reverently.
Attentiveness, serenity, and yes joyfullness.
Friendliness but no gladhandling. Reflective homilies, adequate spaces for silence.
aesthetic apprehension of the group's origin and story
Good phrase - exactly. Of course the aesthete will vary but it should be accessible to the community.
I like to experience something new at Mass. Could be almost anything: a new addition to a family in the parish, a fresh phrase in a hymn (or one I experience freshly), a fresh insight in a homily, something I hadn't noticed before about a Scripture reading. Something that lifts me beyond my previous perspective. Maybe that's not the same as a "successful" attendance at Mass, but it's what I like.
Good liturgy is when the celebrants, acolytes, EMs, cantors, lectors, etc. are "invisible"; that is, the Mass comes through them without their interrupting it with their own little flourishes or sense of being "on stage." -This comment from Jean says it for me too.
Not that good liturgy, sincere singing, prepared preavching, a sense of warmth etc are not important. But lacking what is ideal, the essential is that no one gets in the way of this proclamation of hope, peace and life.
Then there are the moments when spirits can be lifted when God permits slips of the tongue, as when, on a very hot and humid day in a church without air-conditioning, I brought my brief homily to an end with this fine rhetorical sentence, "And so the lesson of the readings today is that we all can use a lot more humidity."
Or when, today, as a friend reports, the celebrant addressed the congregation and said: "Brothers and sinners..." immediately recognized his slip and, red-faced, apologized to them all.
Brothers and sinners works for me, but maybe that's because I'm from Philadelphia.
Women on the altar in some capacity.
At the Mass I went to today, around the altar there were five priests including one bishop, and half a dozen altar boys. The readers, cantor, and even the people gathering the collection were all men. But that fact didn't register with me until I heard the intercession: "For all men of good will [in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt]..." and started wondering about women of good will in the Middle East.
the sermon should speak to the Gospel reading
In his homily, the bishop tried to explain, I think, that the gospel didn't quite mean what it seemed to mean. My take: today was not a good day for an improvised homily.
Yet the assembly was numerous (today was their feast day), attentive, and prayerful, so... yes, "the Mass is the Mass". I enjoyed being among people who were praying. I will be back - but not often.
Today I attended Mass in a vacation city in South Jersey. As a result of our discussion here, I was more attentive to the "little things" that are involved when a community prays together.
The priest had such a stern look on his face and said the celebrant's words with so little feeling that it appeared he was bored.
I thought what a loss of a golden opportunity.
I think Claire should write up her "visitations" in journal form, perhaps a more serious take on liturgy than the often hilarious but not-very-serious Mystery Worshipper from ShipofFools! Maybe she could trade off with other contributors who all write under the same psuedonym a la Fr. Nonomen (though I guess he's just one guy).
Today I skipped church. Outdoor Mass and parish picnic. It's almost as bad as the Christmas Eve Children's Mass (which always reminds me of the connection between "Bethlehem" and "bedlam"). Outdoor Mass w/ Picnic is always too hot, not enough shade, it's hard to hear, and people are distracted by the smell of the hog roasting.
Any thoughts about liturgies al fresco?
I would love to go to a Mass with a Pig Roast.
people would actually shake my hand during the Kiss of Peace, not just give a reluctant little wave
Today two persons besides my party shook my hand, but I watched with interest the people in the pews in front of me. In an elegant, well-practiced style reminiscent of tai chi, they all used a kind of "air kissing": two persons lean towards one another as though they are about to hug, stop and pause briefly when the first person's right cheek is almost in contact with the other person's left cheek but not quite, and repeat on the other side. There is no physical contact. Is it a local form of inculturation? As mentioned earlier, the diversity of the Catholic Mass liturgy is seemingly inexhaustible.
Well, dang, Irene! If I'da known you wanted to come, I sure would of invited you up here! There's grilled sweet corn, cole slaw, home grown sliced tomatoes, and any number of chocolate cakes turning to goo in the heat that ends up all over the front of small children. There were supposed to be recreational activities after the picnic, this year: three-on-three basketball, kids catching frogs and turtles in the culvert, and a euchre or cribbage tournament, the preferred social activity of all Midwesterners because it precludes the need for actual conversation.
The Mass is the Mass always. Some preperation and always wanting to be there are key. What brings it to the next level? 1. Celebrant with humility, reverence and simplicity. 2. Homily related to readings. I'm fine with a story that "brings it home" or brings a new' fresh perspective. 3. Connecting with the community even if it happens to be awkward for some reason. 4. Good music is a joy.
I am blest with a wonderful parish and a pastor who is a true shepherd.
The gift of communion is a major reason for why I am there.
Mary E Nolan
Last Sunday: Mass in a parish on the South Fork of LI. Pastor is from India. Parish is full of the local folks (not the 1 percent). We usually go to the family Mass when out there, when half the sermon is Q and A with kids (very effective and usually funny), and half to the "adults" who actually seem to enjoy the kids sermon. All based on the Gospel reading. This time we went to the "young people's" Mass. We may have been the youngest people there!! I am impressed by the way these parishioners (mostly Irish and Italian 70 and 80 year olds) respond so positively and warmly to their Indian pastor with his sing-song English. Appeal from Archbishops Fund featuring a short video of all sorts of people who do ministry in the Diocese of Rockville Center. Pretty impressive. I contributed!
This Sunday: Back home. Considered doing something spiritual rather than religious and staying home to read. Went though. Retired Fordham prof our celebrant, very popular...does the Gospel and always has a joke or witticism that fits perfectly. Congregation a bit sparse, but several people back from vacation which led to a long chattorama after Mass. Also: the choir on vacation, and to my ear that allowed the congregation to sound forth in a way that it doesn't when the very good choir sings and the very loud organ plays very loudly.
A bit off subject: In the days when parishes had five priests in residence, didn't people shop their celebrant within the parish as they now shop parishes, which usually has only one priest, the pastor?
I never heard of people shopping for the celebrant. The time was more important. At our parish in Kansas City, there were three priests.
Monsignor said the high mass at 11:00 with the "adult" choir, a highly trained choir led by a man who could sing and accompanied by the man's wife who could play the organ. It was a German parish, and the tradition of great music survived. The congregation did not sing, except for belting out Holy God We Praise Thy Name at the end.
One of the assistants said the low mass at eight, and the newest assistant got the six. In those days, no afternoon mass.
(No air conditioning, but men in coats and ties, women in "heels 'n' hose", hats, makeup, etc.)
(Going to confession on Sat. involved shopping for the confessor, of course.)
Here is my list of why I attend Mass each Sunday - and sometimes daily when time permits: Receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ (the most important for me), praying with a welcoming community and that includes discussing about my favorite sport teams with parisioners before Mass, great homilies by our parish priests who include humor - great jokes - at the begnining, great reflections (wouldn't dare say homily) once a month by our lay pastoral associate who is a woman and great music. Sometimes I attend the 7:30 am Mass when I feel like listening to the traditional hymns. Otherwise, I normally attend the 5:00 p.m. Mass when our youth choir sings. I love the modern, upbeat liturigal music. Further, I love liturgies that are simple, right to the point - no fluff like liturgical dancers or lots of latin and boring chants. I look forward to quiet prayer in our side chapel after the Mass. And I have to add that I don't like the new Roman Missal translations.
In Paris the archbishop has instructed parishes to not publish the names of celebrants, so as to prevent people from choosing the Mass according to who is the homilist. Once I heard a riveting homily at Notre Dame, but there is no way for me to know when that same preacher will be on again (I asked). I went back a few times, hoping to be lucky, but never heard him again, so I gave up. So I know that somewhere nearby there is a homilist who touches my heart, but he is hidden. It is one of the small ways in which hierarchs make us feel their power and put obstacles in the way of our conversion.
In my childhood parish the kid's Sunday Mass was at 9. You had to go and your parents went with you. There were two priests who received sighs of delight when they appeared on the altar. Both were good, but one was really good. You could feel the kids sit up and take notice when the best one appeared; little head nods when the second best showed up. Anybody else (any of the other three priests) had to swim against the tide of irritation that was sent forth because they were the wrong celebrant. Yes, yes, we all knew about ex opere operato; but that goes only so far.
...and people are distracted by the smell of the hog roasting.
Jean, speaking as someone who is CBNR, I think that if you guys just pushed the hog roast to after the liturgy by incorporating the slaughter of said hog as part of the liturgy (i.e., as a blood sacrifice), then things would probably go better.
Thanks to all for this wonderful set of observations and reflections. I love the call-and-response nature of the liturgy. I'm grateful for any celebration of the Mass that brings that incarnates that aspect of it.
Speaking of priest-shopping, this just in from Eric Metaxas's book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer (all right, not "just" in; the book was published in 2010, but I was reading it just now):
(Bonhoeffer was working in Spain with/for Pastor Friedrich Olbricht.) "On Easter, with Olbricht away, Bonhoeffer preached again and the next week too. Each time he challenged his hearers and somehow won them over. It soon happened that whenever Bonhoeffer was scheduled to preach, the congregation grew noticeably. Olbricht noticed and promptly discontinued announcing the preaching schedule."
In Paris the archbishop has instructed parishes to not publish the names of celebrants, so as to prevent people from choosing the Mass according to who is the homilist.
Announcjng the celebrant has never been the custom here. I usually go to the same Mass each Sunday. Last week it was the pastor; today it was a retired priest who helps out when needed - no advance notice.
On the other hand, the Franciscan shrine in Boston lists on their website the names of the priests who are scheduled to hear confessions at different times throughout the day.
I was away from my parish today and had the opportunity to celebrate Mass at my cousin's parish in a Boston suburb. Some family members were present including those who are likely not regular church goers. It was the "youth" mass and there was a very skilled contemporary ensemble. Though I didn't notice many youth, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that the people were singing with gusto. Though I was celebrating my 40th anniversary, the pastor told me I needed to share the preaching time with a woman speaking on behalf of the Propogation of the Faith. Her remarks were well prepared but when she began soliciting sign ups for those who wanted themselves and their deceased loved ones remembered in 40 Masses each day "forever", I found myself wondering how she distinguishes herself from Tetzel. The Mass connected me to God with all its different elements. That's what always counts for me. So what that I was required to go to the tabernacle to fetch the hosts consecrated at prior Masses. It's what they do there and I was a guest. People were glad to greet and congratulat me on the way out. All in all, a great encounter with The Lord of all kindness.
About five years ago, I undertook a pilgrimage of sorts. Over the course of 18 months, I worshiped with a parish community other than my own about two out of every three Sundays. Because I went some parishes more than once, the result was that I attended Sunday Mass at about 45 other places, most of them within the urban county where I live, which has 90 parishes for about 250,000 Catholics.
These experiences were extraordinarily diverse. Many were wonderful surprises, and there I confess that there was the occasional surprising or even jarring disappointment. Most were a mix of good and not-so-good elements.
Overall, I came to appreciate the diverse experiences that my fellow Catholics are attracted to, or sometimes subjected to.
- Churches that were full and empty and somewhere in between.
- Processions that were elaborate and simple, well-done and careless or perfunctory.
- Readings that were proclaimed with conviction, and some that I could barely understand.
- Homilies that mostly could have been better, but that also that tended to be better and evidence more preparation than what they are often reputed as.
- General intercessions from the chair and from the congregation that were conventional, moving, trite, and inaudible.
- Priests who prayed the Eucharistic Prayer (this was before RM3) with varying levels of quality: some in quiet monotone, but most with reverence and passion, including a few who seemed to make the prayer itself sing, even though they weren't singing.
- Music probably evidenced that greatest variation – in both presentation and participation; the best, regardless of style, were those where the people seemed to express the prayers in their hearts through their singing; the worst were places where the selections were musically or pastorally in conflict with one another or the liturgical moment.
- In some places, quiet and incense were used effectively.
- People usually behaved as a community worshiping together, though sometimes this was not very evident.
As I tried to take in all of this, I could see that in each of these parishes, there are people who belong and attend out of choice, and who even see their parish as a special place, regardless of how I may view their liturgy. I also came to a greater appreciation for the benefits of being a member of a community, not just a visitor – even an occasional visitor to the same parish. I believe that the people I worship with can help to deepen my experience of the immanence and the transcendence of God.
Jeff, what is your experience in term of liturgical details? I should have taken notes so I could speak with more confidence, but here are my impressions:
- Latin: I am surprised that Latin has almost disappeared from the liturgy. A large majority of Masses have not a single word of Latin! Even in monasteries, and even in Italy (unless I just got unlucky) or in the Holy Land. I personally regret it, because having a sprinkle of Latin helps me connect to Christians of the past, because I find that music beautiful, because many old people, if you ask them about it, remember it with nostalgia and would be grateful for an occasional Latin song, and because a little bit would help me participate when I travel to countries whose language I do not speak. I am not sure why there is such a complete rejection of Latin. If I had my way, the Mass normally would have the Kyrie in Greek and the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei in Latin, and a few times a year the assembly would be exposed to the Gloria, the Credo, and to one or another favorite Marian hymn in Latin.
- Music: people sing more than they have a reputation to. The music, by and large, seems to be the principal effort of parishes towards liturgy. On the music itself, it seems that people do the best that they can given the taste and skill of the volunteers in each parish. (The music is usually better in the US than in France.) My main regret is the poverty of the lyrics. More often than not, the words are banal, generic. That was not the case in the 70s, when the lyrics were Scripture-based and I built much of my understanding of the faith by pondering the words I was singing.
- Lectors: there is a surprisingly large and maybe growing minority of parishes with superb lectors. I think that there is a general widespread awareness of the importance of the readings.
- Women: currently it seems to me that the majority of parishes have altar boys only. It did not use to be like that. I believe that the hope is that, like in the past, having male altar servers will foster vocations to the priesthood. Personally, I think it's an illusion that smacks of desperation.
- Preaching: the homily is always directly connected to the readings. The majority of the time, it is solely focused on the gospel. It is normally not particularly engaging, but there is usually something in it for the person who makes the effort to listen. But by and large, it is ineffective. The preaching style is typically better in the US than in France.
- Welcome: people in France are more reserved than in the US. It used to be that one would not talk to strangers until a formal introduction had taken place. The idea of welcoming people by talking to them informally even though you don't know them is alien to traditional French culture. I imagine that the protocol is: first, anonymously come a few times. Then, once the pastor knows your face, shake his hand after Mass a few times (assuming you're lucky enough that it's always the same priest and that he likes to stand and greet people after Mass.) Then tell him your name and introduce yourself. Then he may introduce you to a couple of people. Make sure to remember their names and always say hello to them after that, and then the next time the parish has a social event, with luck they'll introduce you to a bunch of other people, who at that point may already be aware of your existence and ready to meet you. In terms of behavior towards people on the margins: Don't Ask Don't Tell.
- Clericalism: clericalism is alive and well among lay people in France. You never contradict Father to his face (behind his back is another matter, of course). What Father says is what goes (unless it's impossible for lack of volunteers or passive resistance by inertia). Pastoral councils are a rarity. When I mention accountability and financial reports, people look at me as though I had landed from the moon. The modus operandi is: willing parishioners make themselves available, and Father decides how best to use them. People would not dream of taking initiatives. There is no sense of an equal partnership to jointly discuss needs. It seems to me that, except for music, there is very little lay leadership, and that parishes are still not adequately prepared to deal with the decrease in the number of priests and the aging of remaining priests.
- Prayer: I have the impression that the liturgy is more alive than, say, twenty years ago. In most places one gets the sense that many people are there not by mere habit but because they have chosen to be there. The number of Masses has diminished and the number of people attending may be small, but they want to be there. We pray together.
Re: Paris, I would imagine that this decision is quite possibly related to the many immigrant priests, whom people might seek to avoid when possible for reasons having to do with culture, accent, or plain old prejudice.
"My main regret is the poverty of the lyrics. More often than not, the words are banal, generic. That was not the case in the 70s, when the lyrics were Scripture-based and I built much of my understanding of the faith by pondering the words I was singing. - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/what-makes-good-liturgy#comments."
This comment from Claire prompts a question that perhaps someone can answer: What happened to the music of Lucien Deiss? Very scriptural in content,It was used quite commonly in the 1970's but seems to have disappeared from the usual canon today. I wish that some of his pieces could be recovered.
a) Women giving the homily. I recall with great pleasure going to a small church in Europe, where a woman did just that, the priest seated behind the altar and smiling benignly. As far as I could make out from my less than fluent German, it was a pretty good homily too. I asked my local diocese under what conditions a woman preacher might be permitted, and in response I got a lot of words and citations from canon law which generally seem to have provided the answer, "Never." I would think it a very good idea if women, or even -- gasp -- members of the laity could preach. Quite apart from everything else, it might catch the attention of the congregation and cut down on the incidence of wool-gathering.
b) allowing the people to offer their own reflections on the readings. Wonderful idea. How many of us have been to children's masses, in which the priest invites the children to gather round the altar while he reads the gospel, and then in the homily, asks them for their views, and engages them in conversation?
I expect that it's all right to do this with children, because they can easily be put in their place if they raise awkward questions, but adults are too dangerous and too fearsome to be allowed to talk.
I remember Fr Deiss's music, have copies of both volumes of "Biblical Hymns and Psalms" -- I even attended a workshop he gave at a local parish (in the 70s, in NW Washington). A few of his pieces (All the Earth, Keep in Mind) are still to be found in OCP's Breaking Bread for this year. But most of it does seem to have disappeared, at least in the US. I don't know why, and would be interested to know.
Irene Baldwin August 24, 2013 - 12:43pm
When you are next in San Francisco, come here: www.mhr.org.
(1) happens all the time. If it didn't the presider would hear about it ASAP. We get lots of guest presiders and they all know that we expect good preaching; not a 7-10 minute lesson in pablum and boredom.
(2) hell, you can even count on a hug, unless you look like you'll faint if that happens. Then a vigorous shake will be extended.
(3) we use professionals to do just that, i.e., they are paid musicians. They know how to lead and we are all good at making a joyful noice unto the Lord.
(4) women abound around the altar, and women giving the homily happens periodically ... and God hath not smote us into many pieces yet. (What Abp Cordileone doesn't know, doesn't hurt him. If he does know, he shuts up. We are an actively vibrant parish with no debt and money in the bank. And we know what financial solvency means to a bishop.)
The downside? There are so few parishes like ours. And, if you come, you'll have to get used to seeing 'those people" in great profusion, loving God, each other and the visitors who regular come. (There are no strangers in our parish.)
A picture is worth more than any words ... and here are a lot of pictures to give you an idea of how a great parish looks and celebrates: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhr_sf/collections/72157626561594067/
Re: Lucien Deiss - a number of his works are in the one-volume Christian Prayer (which dates from the 1970s), and it is a pleasure to sing those scripture-infused lyrics, even when I am singing them alone.
His compositions tended to have irregular meter, which made them a bit less accessible for cantors. And they were composed for the organ, which has fallen a bit out of favor the last couple of generations.
Perhaps another factor is that the St. Louis Jesuits, in the 1970s, were also composing works with scripture-infused lyrics, but generally with regular meter and scored for guitar, and easily arranged for piano and C instrument. And situated more in a 'pop' vein.
Musically, I've thought that Deiss's compositions were in the original spirit of the liturgical renewal - their modes and the chant-like quality of their settings. That the church largely hasn't kept his repertoire alive says something about church music today. For one reason and another, conventional thinking about music programming, and conventional practice, would tend to preclude Deiss compositions from being chosen.
FWIW, people with an interest in some of the great contributors to the original liturgical renewal might be interested in this Liturgical Pioneeers site. In addition to Deiss, there are biographical sketches/remembrances of Joseph Gelineau, Jan Vermulst, and many, many others.
This is an interesting discussion for me because I finally admitted to myself a few years ago that liturgy was no longer supporting my spiritual life.The parish was way too big to be a community (I grew up in a town that had a total population that was considerably smaller than my parish's population), the readings and homilies were so familiar after so many years that even when I tried to force myself to pay attention, I would drift off (there are only so many ways that priests come up with to talk about the same scripture passages). Like Crystal, the eucharist is not especially meaningful. Etc. It's my "fault" I suppose, but once I was honest with myself, I started to shed my guilt over finding Sunday mass to be an obligation rather than meaningful.
For years I attended mass with 500- 700 others at the same time, at one of 7 masses during the weekend for a parish of 3400 families (not individuals). Even though I was pretty much always active in one or two ministries, I did not know anywhere close to 7% of the congregation that Tom says that he does, but maybe a couple of dozen of those who were involved in the same ministries that I was. I was around enough so that the pastors knew my name, but I wasn't a priest groupie. Very often I did not recognize even a single person in the pews on Sunday.
I found that weekday masses in a small chapel of another parish were better - more contemplative, with no music at all, a simple liturgy, brief homily, no smells and bells to distract. I belong to a small centering prayer group and it feels much more like a real community than did Sunday mass with 700 strangers. After 30 years in one parish, I did parish shop (other article). After hanging in through four pastors, a fifth arrived and changed the dynamics of the parish and its nature very dramatically. To use shorthand, it changed from being a "Vatican II" parish to an EWTN parish. Many long-time parishoners left for green pastures after a while. Although my new parish felt more "comfortable", it also made me face the reality that Sunday liturgy had been empty of real meaning for a long time. My husband had come with me for 30+ years on Sunday although he is not Catholic. So I agreed to join my husband as often as I could at an Episcopal parish on Sundays.
The exception to repetive homilies came when I started attending that Episcopal church with my husband, a church with a woman priest as well as a male priest. It took a minute for my brain to absorb what she was saying the first time I heard her speak, a homily on Mary's visit with Elizabeth. I was stunned into sitting up and listening and didn't have to fight to pay attention because she was talking as a woman as well as a priest. She was talking as a mother. She brought feminine insights and understanding to that scripture that no male priest I have ever heard had ever done. I felt like standing up and shouting "YES, YES!" - you understand! You really understand! I still go to that church with my husband frequently, because she touches my mind and soul through her homilies in ways that no male priest ever has, and, I would suggest, cannot - because they are male celibates and they don't understand certain things in their brains, or their hearts, or in their bodies. This priest had conceived and carried a child, she had given birth, she had nurtured the child, she had been a frightened new mother, and several years later, she was a somewhat frightened single mother. She understood Mary and Elizabeth in her own body memory as well as in her heart and her head. So her homilies are not as often repetitive - not to me, anyway, because I spent almost 60 years listening to scriptures as filtered exclusively through the minds and experiences of celibate men.
It is somewhat amusing in a way, because this Episcopal church's liturgy is very much what so many Catholics say they want - we attend Rite I, primarily because of the time it is offered. It is more traditional than Rite II, with thees and thous, classical music (Mozart missas etc), the Agnus Dei, Gloria, Sanctus are often sung in Latin (as well as other hymns), and the Kyrie in Greek. It is a small, historic church and we even kneel for communion (in the hand though). Rite II is the less formal liturgy, popular with families. It seems to me that the Catholic church could do the same on Sundays - offer liturgies with different styles of music - and maybe cool down the endless liturgy wars (My preferences in music are better than your preferences in music, Latin is better than English, NO, English is better than Latin, etc, etc, nanny, nanny, boo,boo)
I'm not sure hymns should be "scriptural," in the sense of paraphrases. The more ancient way of hymns is to incorporate allusions to scripture. F
About the Author
Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.


text:
Tuesdays, September 25 - November 13
(class will not meet on October 9)
7:30 - 9 pm
with Laura Burges
Is human happiness possible? Find out the surprising answer in this class, "Buddhist Perspectives on Happiness, Part II." Buddha said that he taught about suffering and about an end to suffering. In this class, we will consider Buddhist teachings that promote equanimity and peace, as well as brain research that sheds light on this question.
Please obtain a copy of the text for the class, Beyond Happiness by Ezra Bayda, and bring writing materials.
It is not necessary for you to have joined us for Part I in order to take this class. Please register by September 20.
Class fees; seven class meetings: $105; $95 current SFZC members; $84 limited income.
To Register: Use the Ticket Table below. Or call our toll free number 888.743.9362 or local number 415.475.9362.


text:
Member Since: 05/05/08Send moosecfd368 a Message Give moosecfd368 a Gift Add moosecfd368 as a Friend
You can complete this milestone by accruing more than 50 reputation points in the last 7 days
You can reach this milestone by being one of the first 1,000 members to gain a star.
You can reach this milestone by becoming one of the top 100 users on the Reputation Leaderboard.
You can reach this milestone by becoming verified.
moosecfd368: Groups
- Volunteer Firefighters
- Arson
- New York Volunteers
- Hardheaded Firefighters
- Fire Society
- Fire Service Knick-names
- Items for Sale or Trade
- hazmat responders
- NFL Fans
- LODDs and LODIs
- Stress Relief
- Vehicle Extrication
- Pipes Drums
- Mission Teddy Bear
- Rescue Operations
- Remembering our Children
- Best Practices Lessons Learned
- Antique Fire Equipment
- Burning Bright For God
- Fire Prevention
- 91101 Never Forget
- not for what you know but who you know
- The real world stinks over 18 FF EMS only
- fire investigators
- Safety Officers
- Codes OfficersTechnicians Fire Marshals and officials
- Fitnessworkouts
- Extracation 101
- Emergency Services Photography
- Family helping family with PTSD
- salvation army emergency disaster service
- Firefighting History
- Suffolk County N Y Firefighters
- IFPA - International Fire Photographers Association
moosecfd368: Quiz Results
Stew Smith's Fitness Challenge taken about 7 years ago
You Meet Fire & Rescue Fitness Requirements
Tools of the Trade taken about 7 years ago
You Know Your Tools!
Fire Anatomy 101 taken about 7 years ago
Fire Hotshot
moosecfd368: Gifts
moosecfd368: Activity
Right now my county is flooded from Hurricane Irene. I was deployed to the city with work ( I work for the state) and in between evacuations ...
I never noticed that part of the Grants before and now realize why we never won the grant...
Hello Tonia, moose here. Just wanted to add something to Chase's reply as well. Although I understand your frustration with not being a...
Comment Wall
Add moosecfd368 as a friend to write on their Comment Wall.
Account Removed
over 6 years ago
Thanks for the add and stay safe.
over 6 years ago
3106 comments
Thank you for the Reference ;)
I'm sorry to hear that your lovely ladies have been sick. They are lucky to have you to take care of them.
It stinks that the promotion thing fell through but it is good that you are weighing out the options and not just jumping into something that would not make anything any better. P&PT heaed your way for your job situation and for the girls to be better soon.
Our new SIL will be headed to boot camp sometime next week if they can get a date and time out of the recruiter we'll know exactly when.
Thank you.
See you when things get better (?)
I am a little more than an hour north of Uitca, 10 miles east of Watertown. Yes, we are not that far. I am sure your firehouse is a lot nicer than ours though. LOL You can check out ours at www.feltsmillsvfd.com if you wish. We should get together though. Have a good weekend if I do not talk to you. Steve P.S. There are no sheep here so I am not sure what you will do for entertainment while visiting. LOL
over 6 years ago
2716 comments
Thanks for the add!
over 6 years ago
718 comments
Just taking time to stop back in and say hello brother Moose, how of you been doing?
Hey brother! What county is Cobleskill in?? Have an awesome day!
Your avsence has been noticed. Hope all is well with you these days. That new job keeping you away? Hope Moira amd Osabella are doing okay too. Hope to TTYS.
over 6 years ago
2960 comments
Crack me up! HAhaha! Here all week! HAha! No, your right. This is suppose to be a corner of the internet where emergency workers can share with one another their education and experiences...and some people just had to complain about something to get recognition You said it right. Well take it easy man. Good talkin to ya. Write back any time. See ya around the forums!
I read your thread on "anonymous"! That was awesome. 2 thumbs up from me! Well put man!
Account Removed
over 6 years ago
hey brian good to here from you! tonia and I are fine, our oldest daughter got married mon, and my new son-inlaw ships out to army basic next week. our house has been put on hold for now while we fix up our other house AGAIN down state (long story) our middle daughter plans to live there with her 2 kids while we fix it back up and try to sell it. ....... take care brother and have a good week


text:
Soccer and Women's Volleyball Teams Return For Training Camp
Fall sport coaches prepare for 1st date of practice
- Release Date:
- July 20, 2011
- Contact:
- The Office of Sports Information
- (716) 649-7900 ext. 333
HAMBURG, NY –The Athletics Department at Hilbert College will welcome back the men's soccer, women's soccer and women's volleyball teams who return early to campus in preparation for their fall pre-season training sessions. All three squads must attend a 4 pm mandatory compliance meeting Sunday, August 21 in order to be eligible for their first day of practice.
The women's volleyball and women's soccer teams will begin organized practices Monday, August 22 while the men's soccer team will begin Tuesday, August 23. Any interested student-athlete should speak with the correct coach prior to arriving on campus for the early move-in and the first day of training camp (staff directory).
All athletes must complete NCAA and Hilbert College compliance paperwork and show proof of an updated physical prior to their participation in their first practice and proof of medical insurance. Each athlete (first year as well as returning) must have a physical on file which clears them for Division III athletics competition as determined by their primary physician. The medical forms can be found by following these links (physical release / participation and insurance waiver). The Enrollment Management Office will provide information on a 'Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan' if a student-athlete does not have medical coverage. Please call (716) 649-7900 to speak with Linda Frenzel.
The women's soccer team kicks-off their season September 3 when they travel to Hiram College (OH) for a 2pm match. That same day, the women's volleyball team travels to the west side of Buffalo and competes in the AMCC vs. NEAC Challenge hosted by D'Youville College. The Hawks will face Keuka College at 1pm and Morrisville State at 3pm. A few days later, the men's soccer team opens their season up in a 4pm game at Keuka College September 5.
The cross country and golf teams will attend a mandatory compliance meeting Saturday, September 3. Please speak with your respective coach for details.
All other student-athletes must attend a Student-Athlete Orientation Meeting the first week of classes. This meeting date and location will be released on the website mid-August.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college's engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college's first graduate programs and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.
Upcoming Events
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 14, 2015
- Summer Session A2 Ends
- Aug 21, 2015
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 28, 2015


text:
Here's a look at four crafts ready to multi-task for today's families.
Tearing down walls, but keeping memories.
Beauty, smarts and practicality. Discover 23 products for renovating your cabin.
Make a statement with your stairway design.
American Robins, a log studio, history of drywall, bookshelf, reverse osmosis water treatment systems, skipper test, fishing tips from Larry, lake association spotlight, kitsch, fun festivals, ATV buying tips, and more!
Creating a cabin that honors the past, and a cherished lakehome transformed.
7 Tips for picking the right gas grill. Plus, a recipe for grilled lamb with roasted garlic sauce, and luscious lamb-friendly wines.
Free Twice-Monthly E-Newsletter
Receive useful tips & inspiration from Cabin Life


text:
Had this in layaway forever! Way too far of a drive to that gun shop lol
Already I have a problem in that the aftermarket top cover with scope rail doesn't work with the Para main spring, because the Para main spring is retained by the top cover, instead of inside the buttstock. So now I have to modify this top cover to work or find a para-compatible scope rail/top cover.
The stock seems longer to me than in the pics I've seen of Rhody para folders. I wonder if DSA makes them longer like with the AK "Nato length" buttstocks? I may shorten it an inch... just seems LONG!
All I need to get it to the Rhody style is the grenade sight/shut-off and that's pretty much it. I may get one of those factory quick-release bipods as well. I like the folding charging handle since this one digs into you when slung, but I don't think the folding handle is correct for a Rhody.


text:
This morning (August 11, 2013), Jason 'Mayhem' Miller was arrested in Orange County, California and is being held at the Central Jail Complex in Santa Ana, California. Initially details were sketchy as under California Government Code 6254(f)(1), the only way to receive an arrest report is to ask for one in person.
What we did know was that he was being held on a $50,000 bail.
MMA Mania's CJ Tuttle has learned from a source within the Orange County Sheriff's Department that Miller was arrested and charged with Attempted Burglary. Under California Penal Code 459 PC, Burglary is defined as "entering a structure with intent to commit a felony or (a petty theft) once inside."
Burglary is considered a "wobbler" under Penal Code 459


text:
Mr. Theriault was born Dec. 10, 1948, in Lawrence, Mass., and had lived in the Middle Georgia area for the past 25 years. He honorably served his country as an air traffic controller with the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Mr. Theriault was a former deputy sheriff, serving in Key West, Fla., and also worked for the Federal Aviation Administration. He retired in 2000, and joined his wife in the operations of the family business, DeLong's Gizzard Equipment. Mr. Theriault also served with the Jones County Volunteer Fire and Rescue for 11 years, as well as working as an EMT on the ambulance crew for The Medical Center of Central Georgia. He was a member of Greenwood Baptist Church and was preceded in death by a brother, Richard Chase.
Mr. Theriault is survived by his wife of 24 years, Patricia Theriault; son, Bobby Harris; daughters and sons-in-law, Sabrina Theriault, Susan Theriault, Dawn Nickles, Carrie and Adam Smith and Mary and Robb Murray; father, Arthur Paul Theriault; mother, Mildred Pearl Gosselin; brothers and sister-in-law, Bill Theriault and Eldon and Jan Chase; sisters and brothers-in-law, Lyn and Kevin O'Brien and Cheryl and Steven Camire; 14 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and by numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Greenwood Baptist Church Youth, 3400 Gray Highway, Gray, GA 31032.
The family may be contacted at the residence at 168 Liberty Ridge Drive in Jones County.
Bridges Funeral Home and Crematory in Gray had charge of arrangements. Please visit the online memorial at www.bridgesfh.com.


text:
Tech Podcast Network is made up of nearly 150 family safe technical podcast both Audio and Video Based. Millions of listeners tune in each month to the content created by these new media publishers.
Discover the best in original web series.
© 2014 Blip Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Blip is part of Maker Studios


text:
A second press conference was held at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 in relation to the 1996 murder of Jonesville officer Sgt. Gregory Keith Martin.
"As I first announced last night, an arrest has been made in connection with this case," said Police Chief Roger Reece with the Jonesville Police Department. "Thirty-six-year-old Scott Vincent Sica is charged with first degree murder. Mr. Sica was taken into custody in Cape Coral, Fla. last night at approximately 7:45 p.m. He is currently being held at a detention center in Lee County, Fla."
Reece went on to say that there are plans to extradite Sica to North Carolina in the near future. Reece said that the arrest was made after members of the Jonesville Police Department, Elkin Police Department, N.C. Special Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked together in the investigation to gather information and physical evidence that led to the arrest of Sica.
Reece said that both the NCSBI and the FBI are processing additional evidence to further the investigation.
"I know everyone is very eager to hear the specifics on the evidence against Mr. Sica, but you must understand that no additional details can be released in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation," Reece said. "Sixteen years' worth of work has gone into solving this case. Sgt. Martin's murder has haunted this community, this police department and the members of the law enforcement agencies here with me today. We must do everything we can for the judicial process to proceed successfully, both for our investigation and for the rights of the accused in this case."
Sgt. Martin's sister, Melissa Blakely, was in attendance at the press conference to share the family's feelings on the arrest.
"Wow, 16 years and we got him," Blakely said. "Justice is in sight. I would like to thank the Jonesville Police Department, the FBI, the Elkin Police Department, the NCSBI and all the agencies for them not every giving up on our family. Our family just can't express our gratitude. We are full of emotions. A lot of emotions are coming back: anger, sadness, frustration. But we're on the right path."
Reece invited the media and public to attend the annual memorial service that is held every year on Oct. 5 at 2 a.m. The service begins at Jonesville Town Hall and officers will leave from town hall to make a memorial ride by the site on I-77 where Sgt. Martin was shot. Officers and observers will return to town hall after the ride for a prayer and bagpipe presentation at Sgt. Martin's memorial.
A family's closure
Family members stayed on hand following the press conference to speak to the media and share their feelings on this emotional day.
"Roger Reece called us yesterday and asked us to come down to the courthouse because he had something he needed to tell us," said Brittany Hart, Sgt. Martin's daughter. "When he told us that they had a suspect in custody I just thought 'thank God, it's about time'."
Sgt. Martin's brother, Jeff Martin, was also on hand at the press conference.
"It's been a long time coming, and he's been free too long," said Jeff. "I hope he gets what he deserves. We also realize that it won't bring him back but it will start to bring closure. It's amazing that it's finally coming together."
Brittany had similar sentiments when it came to the upcoming trial for Sica.
"I hope he gets what's coming to him," Brittany said. "I hope karma comes back to him and pays him back tenfold for all of the pain and suffering he's done to our family."
Brittany said that the fact that the arrest comes so close to the anniversary of her father's death is very surreal. She said she's still trying to remind herself that it's not a dream.
"I am so relieved, and I can finally sleep at night," Brittany said. "It's just a lot off my chest."
Blakely still wears a pair of hand cuffs that served as a tie pin on Sgt. Martin's uniform. She wears it proudly today as she remembers her brother.
"It's been 16 years that we've been waiting for this and not just our family; the police department has worked hard, the community has worked hard," Blakely said. "He respected and loved this town and he loved the people in it."
Blakely said that she had spoken to her brother the week that his murder took place and they joked back and forth over the phone while they filled each other in on their families. Blakely said that she can't find a way to rationalize why someone would choose to take her brother's life.
"There's nothing [Greg] could have done that warrants [Sica] to take my brother's life," Blakely said. "I was the same age as the suspect when he killed my brother and there is no reason that he should have ever done that. Greg was doing his job."
Blakely said that she knew exactly what she would say to Sica if she got the opportunity to talk to him.
"I would just ask him why," Blakely said. "I would tell him that I was his age and he didn't have to do this. I would tell him that I made the wrong choice."
Blakely said that Sgt. Martin's mother is still alive but in poor health. She was not able to make it to the press conference but seems to feel relieved that a suspect has been arrested. Sgt. Martin's father passed away in 2001.
"I think he died of a broken heart," said Jeff.
Blakely said that she expects this year's memorial to be a completely different experience and more emotional than years passed.
"It's going to put a whole different meaning to it," Blakely said. "Not only can we celebrate his life, we can celebrate that justice is in sight and he can rest in peace."
Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Camp America participants will automatically gain access to the forum when they reach the Ready To Place status. Until then, the forum and its contents are read only. When an applicant reaches the RTP stage, accessing the Participant Zone will automatically create a forum login and users can begin posting and replying to forum content.
Whatever your skills or special talents, there's a place for you to use them on summer camp! There are four different positions available and each one offers the chance to get involved...
If you're wondering about what the Camp America programme is all about, you should head on over here to find out…
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
American Institute for Foreign Study (UK) Ltd. Registered in England No. 939488 at 37 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5HR United Kingdom
Camp America (AIFS UK Ltd) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), FCA Firm Reference Number 493329. Full details can be found online in the FCA Register http://www.fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do or by contacting the FCA on 0845 606 1234.


text:
This adorable Floppy Monkey is extra-soft and perfectly huggable! His happy expression is sure to bring smiles! Measures approximately 12" in height.
Toys bearing the Asthma & Allergy friendly™ certification mark have been scientifically tested and shown to be more suitable for people with asthma and certain types of allergies. These toys can be washed frequently to keep allergen levels low, and they do not contain harmful chemicals at levels known to trigger symptoms.
Ages: Birth & up


text:
"Now you can put the work of world-class artists and innovators on your personalized Google homepage." Google added a gallery of iGoogle themes dedicated to fashion designers (Oscar de la Renta), musicians (Coldplay, Beastie Boys), actors (Jackie Chan), sportsmen (Lance Armstrong), photographers (Yann Arthus-Bertrand), choreographers (Mark Morris), cartoonists (Robert Mankoff), illustrators (Camilla Engman), architects (Cameron Sinclair) and more.
It's a great way to discover interesting people or to decorate iGoogle with the work of people you love. And I'm sure many companies will start to create themes to maintain the brand loyalty.
"As you may know, iGoogle has always provided you with great tools to access and arrange the content you want on your homepage. Just like a person's book or music collection is an extension of their personality, a user's iGoogle page is also a reflection of their loves and interests, both in terms of content, and now, visually," says Julian Sonego on Google Australia Blog.
In an unexpected move, Google promotes the gallery on the homepage using a graphic designed by Jeff Koons and an invitation to check the new feature: "What happens when great art mixes with your homepage?".
{ Thanks, Jeng, Jaime and Andrew. }
Update: If you can't decide which theme looks best on your iGoogle page, try the sampler theme. "With this theme, you'll get to try out a new featured theme every day and decide whether you want to keep it."
April 30, 2008
iGoogle Artist Themes
This blog is not affiliated with Google.


text:
In Idaho, a 30-pound kindergartener is unaware just how different he is from other boys his age. He just knows he's happy to be alive and that something is terribly wrong with his heart.
He's too pure, too innocent, yet at age 5 he is intelligent to even know that some day, that broken heart he has may be the cause of his last breath.
However, before that happens, Tayt Anderson has one wish: To go on a date with his "girlfriend," Ellen DeGeneres, to Disneyland.
In contrast, Jordan Johnson has pain in his elbows and knees. His parents thought it was just a normal case of growing pains. But Jordan, a 12-year-old Azusa, California resident, was also sensitive to light and he wasn't eating well.
Then one day in March, Jordan collapsed while playing video games. His parents rushed him to the hospital and a CT scan showed a golf-ball sized tumor in Jordan's head attached to the lining of his brain.
Though Jordan today is in recovery and didn't request a wish from a celebrity, he and his family can now look forward to more moments together with a six-day trip to Oahu, Hawaii, sponsored by the Make a Wish Foundation. The foundation stepped up to give respite to a family that's been living in turmoil.
Many stories pertaining to terminally ill children go unnoticed, though. They're not attached to glitz, celebrities, or vacations. Many families find hardship from the difficulties coping with the manifestations of terminal medical conditions, thus opting to isolate the loved one from public spotlight.
Closer to Elkin, all Nathan Norman wants for Christmas this year are Christmas cards from cops, firefighters and paramedics – his heroes.
Nathan, a 5-year-old boy battling terminal brain cancer in Rustburg, Va, admires no one more than people willing to risk their own lives to save the lives of others.
Virginia State Police recently put out a special request to police agencies across the country. The request went viral.
Now Nathan's Christmas wish has gained national notoriety with city cops, firefighters and paramedics throughout the United States, many sending "get well" cards, patches, posters, shirts, hats and autographed photos to Nathan's home. And Nathan's story has even traveled abroad through our U.S. Armed Forces.
"People from over twenty-two nations have shipped Nathan cards," said Nathan's father Bobby Norman in an exclusive interview with the Tribune. During the interview, the family was traveling back from vacation, and they were told by Nathan's grandmother that more than 2,000 boxes were shipped to Nathan and await his arrival.
It's not just first responders supporting Nathan. Local churches in Elkin have joined in the effort shipping cards of encouragement to Nathan.
"What got me interested in Nathan's story was how simple his request was," said Judy Baldwin of Mount Calvary Baptist Church.
The sentiment was echoed by Beverly Byerly of Island Ford Baptist Church in Jonesville. Byerly said, "Nathan could've asked for toys, could've asked for a miracle, but instead he asks for cards … you want cards, you're going to get them." Island Ford Baptist is one of several local churches that are collecting Christmas cards to send to Nathan Norman.
Nathan has been fighting brain cancer since January 2009, when doctors found a tumor. They immediately operated. But over the next three years, the brain cancer progressed.
Now, Nathan has an inoperable tumor in his spine.
"Nathan's destiny is in the hands of Jesus Christ, and we've been happy to serve as his vessel," said Norman. "Right now Nathan is in good spirits though chemotherapy has taken a toll on him. He's recently completed his 6th treatment of chemo and after this treatment all that's left are clinical trials."
Last Friday night, the 5-year-old cancer fighting hero got perhaps his biggest honor yet. He joined Gov. Bob McDonnell in Richmond, Va. where Nathan got to flip the switch for the Christmas tree lighting in the capitol.
The family says that Nathan understands his role and responsibility and anything he can do to make a difference in the lives of people, he will.
"We're sending through your paper our complete and sincere thank you to all of the residents of our neighbors in North Carolina, and each of you should know how much your support is appreciated," said Nathan's father. "It's made such a difference in Nathan's life and ours."
If you would like to send Nathan a Christmas card this holiday season please mail correspondence to: Nathan Norman, 81 Dunivan Drive, Rustburg, VA 24588.
Reach Anthony Gonzalez at 835-1513 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
|The most helpful favorable review
|The most helpful critical review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
By Dale from USA on 2009-10-26 17:46:30Things I liked:Compact and ease of setup.Helps to check the preformance of mods,ammo,pressures,and difference in fps with each setup.
Things I would have changed:Nothing
What others should know:Fast shipping and fair price from pyramid air.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
By Greg from USA on 2012-04-02 23:34:47Things I liked:Nothing - doesn't work at all.
Things I would have changed:Make it work - and stop selling it until it does.
What others should know:I am calling PA tomorrow to get a refund on this junk. The unit I received flat did not work at all under any lighting conditions. I was only able to get the chrony to register velocity a few times by putting a large piece of white legal paper over the entire unit in bright sun - but the paper would blow off at the slightest wind. I tried it on sunny days and cloudy days with and without the sun shades exposed to open sky and under a porch cover. Shot straight over the sensors from 1" to 5" above the sensor. Nothing worked. Every now and then it would register a velocity and otherwise it would just read error 1, error 2, and no reading at all. Don't buy this unit unless you read some online reviews saying they copped to the problem and fixed it.
|By Phillip from USA on 2012-06-05
CheckoutSubtotal (USD):
does not include shipping and tax


text:
Fill out the information below to vote for your favourite festive room and you'll have a chance to win $500 from Air Wick®.* (Your vote is private and will not be shared.) Thank you for voting!
*No purchase necessary. Contest is open to all residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority within their province/territory of residence. One (1) Grand Prize is available to be won consisting of $500 (Cdn). The Grand Prize will be issued in the form of a cheque payable in the Winner's name as it appears on his/her entry. One (1) contest entry per person per day. Contest closes December 29, 2012. See complete rules and regulations. ®/TM/MC used under license from Reckitt Benckiser Inc. Copyright © 2012 House & Home Media. All rights reserved.