Dorothy Sayers, thank you.

I won't bore folks with why this quote most recently resurfaced and brought deep refreshment to me.  I'll just provide the quote.

"What is repugnant to every human being is to be reckoned always as a member of a class and not as an individual person.  When the pioneers of university training for women demanded that women should be admitted to the universities, the cry went up at once, "Why should women want to know about Aristotle?" The answer is not that all women would be better for knowing Aristotle but simply what women want as a class is irrelevant.  I want to know about Aristotle.  It is true that most women care nothing about him and a great many male undergraduates turn pale and faint at the thought of him.  But I, the eccentric individual that I am, do want to know about Aristotle.  ... and I commit that there is nothing in my shape or bodily functions which need prevent my knowing about him."

Dorothy Sayers, 1947
From: Are Women Human? 

Yum Yum all the time!

Great news!
Ruth now works here!

 

Yep.  I work at a bakery in downtown Beverly, MA!  Woo Hoo!  Bring on the bread, pastries, cakes, and truffles!  And, what a great way to serve and be among my new New England community!

Trolley Tour of Witch City.

On Tuesday, I took a trolley ride around Salem, MA.  It was an hour and a half tour and then I walked around town the rest of the afternoon.  It is a cute, walkable, historic town.  I've also never seen so many pagan tourist traps and authentic witch and wizard shops in one town in my life.  And I'm from Asheville.

I stopped by the "Witch House."  This would have been the location of many of the preliminary accusations.  Witches were brought here by accusers and questioned by the magistrate who lived here.

  

 

I couldn't get much closer to this sign because of all the traffic but it says, "Victorian Gothic Wizard and Occult Shoppe." 

 

 

Some of the places, however, were definitely in business for the tourists.  Halloween is an insane time here in Salem.  The whole month of October is filled with activities and the city swells an additional 100,000 people during that month.

The trolley driver recommended this tattoo shop.  I didn't get a tattoo.

What's funny to me is how the witch motif fits in (or does it?) with all the wealthy, colonial, straight-laced parts of this New England town.  Just to throw a wrench into things, there's even a pirate museum because Salem used to battle pirates along their port.  So, unlike Asheville, there are people walking around town and they all pretty much look the same on the outside.  However, like Asheville, these people are actually remarkably diverse and they all live in this town with all of its paradoxes.  Pirates, aristocrats, witches, tourists, yuppies, wizards, puritans... feels like home!

Bob the cat.

                                                  Bob: Lagomorpha Killer!!!

Meet Bob, the cat.  Bob is HUGE... I should have put down a quarter or something as a reference.  He is also STRONG.  His paws are mammoth.  He is also VIOLENT!  And what's worse... he has a reputation for killing little bunnies!  AHHH!

Skip is so far completely unaware of this feline danger.  But, the other day, Bob came by the door sniffing and leering... I think he's on to my little furry friend.  Pray for Skip's safety... I'm worried what I might do to a cat that hurts my rabbit.  That's not a threat per se... just sayin'.

Let us just be honest about this.  Animals that kill animals are part of the problem in the animal kingdom... bunch of bullies, really.  And humans are the worst.  What exactly is wrong with a creature that desires to harm this wonderful furry friend?

Operation "Know your neighbor to love your neighbor"

Warning: Boring yet informative blog post.

Wednesday, I moved up to New England to embark on a crazy adventure.  The plan has been in development for months and now...  I'm here!  For the next 9 months, I will be working on and completing a post-graduate degree in Theology.  The program is a somewhat self-directed research degree that allows you to focus on one area of study. 

My research will involve understanding Neo-Pagan subcultures (particularly, Neo-Pagan spiritualalities found in Asheville) with the goal of finding better ways to foster dialog between Neo-Pagans and Christians.  In the end, I hope to demonstrate (through a long, boring thesis!) how the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and the incarnation serve as both the content and method of meaningful dialog with this subculture.  Then, I plan to go back home next summer and flesh this whole thing out in the city I love so much!

Fittingly, the graduate program has me located minutes away from Salem, MA, a city that boasts a title as bold as "Witch city USA."  Let's hope some research this year comes up with better alternatives to Christian- Pagan interaction and a re-defining of what it means to communicate the gospel as truly "Good News."

Where I am right now.

In the last 7 days...
1.  I left my job of 9 years
2.  Moved out of my own house
3.  Relinquished my car temporarily to the Volkswagen people
4.  Handed my beloved bunny over to my parents for safe-shepherding

Sounds like a great start to an adventure story...

... or the beginning of the craziest thing I've ever done...

... or both.

8 more days...

and I will never have to wear tights/hose again... like for the rest of my life ... unless I want to... on my terms...

Out with it, already!

I hate goodbyes. They are my least favorite thing in the whole world. I think goodbyes are hauntingly post fall-ish. Very, leaving the Garden of Eden-ish. Most evil and suffering in the world can be linked to some kind of goodbye.

Anyway, the point of this little entry is to communicate a big goodbye that is coming up. I resigned from my teaching position of 9 years last week. That's some hefty goodbyes and I've got 2 months to do it. The parents, the kids, the administration, the faculty... Ms. Vann the teacher herself. Goodbye.

It'll probably be messy and I'll probably have a lot of facial leakage in the process (already have.) But, I have to remember that this side of the kingdom, the cycle of goodbyes will happen. And this one I've chosen. Building the kingdom in Ruth's little life just took a big turn. Wish I knew the landing spot up ahead but at least I can see a little bit and it looks all yellow and happy.

Yellow and happy are not incongruent with tears and challenges, though. So I expect them with all the rest of the newness. And I pray for courage to know I'm not alone in the mess of it all... even though I'm saying goodbye.

Confusing when you're in it.

Sometimes courage looks a lot like idiocy. Or, maybe idiocy can be prettied up to look like courage. I've seen it both ways. Sure hope I'm on the right side. Beats me.

Preparations.

I've been craving "Jesus" music recently. It's because of life. Scary changes in life, I mean. Whenever I start listening exclusively to "Jesus" music I know I'm in for some challenges. It's a sure sign.

I also like staring when I'm in for it. And that's been happening a lot too... endless staring. Sometimes it is broken for a moment or two of Skip chasing. And... then... staring again.

Sad, I know. But, everything I do is slow and the bigger the task is, the slower I am at it.

So, in the meantime, I'll just keep staring and listening to Jesus music... until "action" stands up and says, "Ruth, let's get going!"

You'd think I'd at least get my taxes done...