“There is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather”*
by chuckofish
Today is my dear DP’s birthday. We are old ladies now, but we have been best friends always.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
She is going on an AirBnb getaway this weekend with her DH and I sure hope she has fun, if not super fun.
Meanwhile we are luxuriating in having daughter #2 and her petite famille home.
This is a good article by Sam Bush in which he relates White Christmas (1954) to the Gospel. Way to go, Sam. “At the end of the day, all we have to offer is gratitude. Thankfully, it’s the only gift that God receives.”
This writer on the New York Social Diary blog made me laugh: “If the idea of a new President and administration doesn’t thrill you — here’s a thought. How about a face lift? That long wanted boob, nose, or chin job? Apparently plastic surgery is booming in Covid. The masks, extended time spent at home, and no socializing gives you the perfect recovery time. A local plastic surgery clinic sent out a notification assuring their patients; “As soon as we’re ‘back to normal’ you can count on a flurry of invitations, outings and get-togethers. We can help you look and feel your best for your big post-pandemic debut.” Providing you are still alive!” However, as a person who recently had post-cancer plastic surgery, I cannot endorse this suggestion.
Also I was thinking that I remembered that at my private school back in the day we used to recite the doxology every morning in the elementary grades. Am I crazy? Anyway, regardless, I think that is a great way to start the day and here is a doxology that I like. The doxology says it all.
Amen. Today we also celebrate the birthday of Charles Wesley who wrote the following Advent hymn, which is a favorite of mine:
Come thou long expected Jesus…I really miss congregational singing, don’t you? Well, hang in there. I am officially off the grid and “at home” for 10 days. Huzzah!
*Christina Rosetti, Goblin Market
Rather than being gimmicky, the real brothers lent an air of authenticity to the film which I appreciated. The musical score by Ry Cooder was also excellent. And I enjoyed the Missouri setting and the story of our homegrown famous outlaws.
There will be cake…
…and we will toast the birthday girl once, twice…thrice!
The world is more than we know. I watched it last night and it was pretty good. But The Silence of the Lambs was the big winner that year. C’est la vie.
Personally I am leaning toward a Cary Grant marathon, which could include any of these favorites: Gunga Din (1939), The Awful Truth (1937), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Houseboat (1958), North By Northwest (1959), Charade (1963), or Father Goose (1964) or The Bishop’s Wife (1947) if you missed it at Christmas.
It might also be time to revisit Silverado (1985)–completely derivative, but entertaining nonetheless.
We should also mention that today on the Episcopal Church calendar is the feast day of Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), Protestant missionary in India, who was the real deal. She opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for fifty-five years without furlough and authored many books about the missionary work there. Her most notable work was with girls and young women, some of whom were saved from customs that amounted to forced prostitution. You can read about her 
Here she is on a dig in Jordan back in 1985 when she was a twenty-something graduate student, back when we had waistlines and tucked in our shirts.
However you want to spend the 4th of July, I’ll take my cue from those three American flyers in the German prisoner of war camp (surrounded by British officers) in The Great Escape (1962)…waving the flag, playing loud music and sipping some moonshine. (“WOW!”)
We hope this is a “big year” for him, at least in the birding sense. Come see a Pied-billed grebe or a Marbled godwit sometime! We have them in Missouri, you know. After all, we live on the Mississippi flyway.
