An open apology to my friends......

I have been awful lately. I have not been a very good friend to several people, and I need to apologize.

I could say that it's been due in part to the craziness at work -- training my replacement and adapting to my new role. I could say that it's because I just got a pet -- and I'm trying to find a schedule that works and having every possible thing come up to make it crazy.

My brain has been scrambled and addled in about 49 different directions, and I have neglected the people I love most. I have forgotten things that are important. I have not e-mailed as I should. I haven't called as I should.

I am truly sorry.

June will be better. It has to be.

A strange thought or two.

This probably belongs more in my BCA blog, but since it's read by so few.......

I was sitting in church today, and during the homily, I confess that my mind wandered a little.

I looked at the faces around me, and realized how wonderfully diverse my parish is. Part of that comes from it being in a college town -- today, for example, Asian students, Hispanic workers, black families, and Caucasians from every possible European background sat and listened to a Nigerian priest celebrate Mass.

I remembered the first time I'd ever seen a black minister (except for Rev. Ike on TV): I was around 3 years old, and we had a missionary come speak at my church one evening. We were running a few minutes late, and when we got there, Mom says that I looked at Rev. Mathura (already in the pulpit) and said very loudly, "Mommy! He's black!" (He was from Trinidad). My mother says she wanted the floor to just open up and swallow us both whole......

It was unusual in my church -- or for that matter, in much of America. I have often heard it said that the most segregated hour of the week is 11:00 on Sunday mornings. While some of that is thankfully changing, it's still true in many churches of every denomination. De facto segregation born of a time when it was de jure. And my congregation was as lily-white as they came. So a black minister was cause for jaw-dropping.

Luckily for me, Rev. Mathura took everything with a big dose of laughter, realizing it came from the mouth of a child. Even years later, when we might run into him in public (once he left the missionary field and returned to a congregation), he would laugh and say, "Yes, little girl, I'm still black."

Today also reminded me of the first time I visited an "inner-city" parish. There is a parish nearby that is specifically there to minister to the African-American community. I went there with some friends, and enjoyed it tremendously -- their Gospel Choir was so good (and only 5 of them there that early!). Truth be told, the racial makeup of the parish is closer to 50-50 black and white/other. Later that fall, one of my friends took his parents -- who are Midwesterners and have lived in fairly large cities most of their adult lives. His mother was amazed: "What a great parish and a wonderful Mass. And I hate to say it, but you'd NEVER see this diversity even where we live. There are black parishes and white parishes, and rarely do they meet." So much for the "racist" South.

Today, it made me proud of my church -- open to all, welcoming of all -- and especially of my parish, reaching out to everyone in a spirit of brotherhood. It is one of the many reasons I love St. XYZ.

Maddox's Lick With Fame

Maddox had a "lick with fame" over the weekend. We were standing in the checkout line at PetSmart. Standing behind us was one of our local anchorpersons -- wearing a polo with their station logo on it. I wasn't going to say anything like, "Oh my God it's really YOU!" because I figure they get enough of that. He was there with his daughter, and it wasn't exactly fair to either of them.

But Maddox -- dear, lovable Maddox -- didn't care either. And showed it by going over and licking his feet (he was wearing sandals). I could have croaked. But to his great credit, Mr. Anchor was rather nonchalant about it, and remarked that Maddox probably smelled his own dogs on the shoes. At which point my dog promptly begins to scratch himself......

I love him to death!!!

I'm A Mama Now!!!

There's a great reason I haven't posted much --- I am now a mama! My baby is 11 months old and already at 76 pounds..... Here's Maddox the Mad Mutt!

He's a Lab/Husky mix -- looks much like a Lab, except he has that huge, furry, fluffy Husky coat. And he has more of the Husky ears -- when they're perked, they are PERKED! And at night, when he's lying down at our feet, and you look at his features, you definitely see the Husky then. He is a gentle, sweet, loving dog and also very protective. When he senses that something isn't right, he doesn't hesitate to bark or even growl. It doesn't happen often, but I'm glad it does happen!

Someone at work had him and could no longer care for him. The e-mail went out, and I went to see him at the kennel that day. That sealed the deal -- I fell in love at Minute One (so maybe there is something to love at first sight after all). I've had him a week now, and it's wonderful. It had been 20 years since we'd had a pet.

So far, we've been walking.... much slower pace than what I'm used to because Maddox is determined to be the town botanist. Every plant along the walk is something he has to sniff out. It doesn't matter that we've walked the same path 3 nights in a row. It's like he thinks, "Hey! What's this plant? Seems vaguely familiar, but I have to check it out to be certain."

Oh, and he's also Mr. Ladies Man! Several years ago, many of the regular walkers in town figured that if you went alllllll the way up Front Street to Peachtree, turn right on Peachtree for a block to Main, came alllll the way back down Main to Anderson Drive, and followed Anderson back to Front Street, it's exactly a mile. A lot of folks walk it in the evenings -- mostly other women. Well..... Mr. Ladies Man makes sure to introduce himself every time to the lovely ladies of Liberty. They come up and he's all "Hello, baby! Come on over...." I laugh my butt off! But of course, everyone loves him so far.

So that's my baby!