Church Day

The "boys" have gone off to church. I wasn't invited, but that's no one's fault but my own. I set the precedent the last time I was here. It was too hot to sit inside a building at 11am during the hot season. Instead of Mass (Church, actually - Southern Baptist), I usually go for a walk on the beach and convince myself I'm praising God's creations, when really I'm just looking for shells. Sometimes I'll get close to introspection, or talk to my grandfather, or ponder the universe. It's not a great substitute, but it's closer to Mass than how I spent my Sunday's in Boston.

I haven't gone to church without my parents and sister since college. Ever since we started holding hands during the Our Father, it makes me miss them when they aren't there. We are supposed to be an independent type family - we all do our own thing and come together every once and a while. But really, I depend on them a lot. It bothers me that we've gotten into the habit of being away from each other - I think it bothers us all.

So now my Mass experience is ruined as I'm reminded of our new family dynamics when I should be listening to the gospel. Since I'm an avoid-er at heart, (and quite frankly I've learned too much over the last two years to feel obligated) I prefer to stay away and find another way to spend my Sundays. Just something to assuage the guilt and have a little meditation. This week it's shell hunting and pondering the fate of the world.

We had a spirited debate on politics this morning as we watched Meet the Press (we get NYC TV from the satellite). Will we get anything done without Teddy in the Senate? How is the American voter making decisions these days? Is the American empire on the decline or will we get back up? How did we get to this point anyway? It was a bit heavy for Sunday morning coffee, but it's part of the fun of living with Neal. Lectures abound. He carries his classroom with him.

Other interesting things this Sunday? For the first time in a long time, our island vet sounded really depressed. I drove the truck over since she asked to borrow it to help to move her stuff from one house on the island to another. She's had a falling out with her landlord over his cutting down the trees. He hates green (on an island where green things are rare, it really got her goat that he was taking away the only shady spot in the yard.). Then he told her to move her animals and she was worried he might poison them. Her story just keeps getting crazier and today she was not in a positive mood. She's run out of time to move her animals, the government is taking away her funding, and she can't find adoptive homes for her dogs and cats.

This is causing me to do some self-reflection. Here is this poor woman, trying to do what she sees as a favor for the islands - taking care of the abandoned dogs (which started out as wild animals, please remember) - and is ending up with the short end of the stick. I feel there is a lesson here. If you are filling a need, make sure it's viewed as an actual need.

Hey, it actually relates to one of my Golden Rules of Archives: You can't save everything, just the things that qualify as having value. I'll have to remember that for the MIT interview. **knock on wood**