Kyrie eleison

"Neither you nor I can conceive the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God." - Graham Greene

A photograph by John K. McGuirk

From the Desk of the Grand Dame, Emeritus

۞ Never put you hand on a man, except in dance

۞ Whispering and giggling at the same time have no place in good society

۞ Don't think you can be rude to anyone, and escape

۞ Whispering is always rude

۞ Don't hang on anyone for sport

۞ Never stand or walk with your chest held in,
and your hips forward in imitation of reverse letter "s".

- From House of the Blue Danube by Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra

I'm Still Here!

I've gotten through, "Hey Lady! Aren't you 'who's it?'
Wow, what a looker you were."

or better yet, "Oh, sorry, I thought you were 'who's it.'
What ever happened to her?"

From Follies by Stephen Sondheim

Funeral Blues by W.H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let airplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribing on the sky the message "He Is Dead",
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood,
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Peanuts by Charles Schultz

Unimaginably Complex Order or Chaos

"We are all of us children, in a vast kindergarten trying to spell God's name with the wrong alphabet blocks."

From: Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams

Hebrews 11:1

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen..."

The Story – from "Frog and Toad Are Friends" by Arnold Lobel

One day in summer Frog was not feeling well.

Toad said, “Frog, you are looking quite green.”

“But I always look green” said Frog. “I am a frog.”

“Today you look very green, even for a frog”, said Toad. “Get into my bed and rest.”

Toad made Frog a cup of hot tea. Frog drank the tea then he said “Tell me a story while I am resting.”

“All right,” said Toad. “Let me think of a story to tell you.”

Toad thought and thought. But be could not think of a story to tell Frog.

“I will go out on the front porch and walk up and down,” said Toad. “Perhaps that will help me to think of a story.” Toad walked up and down on the porch for a long time. But he could not think of a story to tell Frog.

Then Toad went in the house and stood on his head.

“Why are you standing on your head?” asked Frog.

“I hope that if I stand on my head, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.

Toad stood on his head for a long time. But he could not think of a story to tell Frog.

Then Toad poured a glass of water over his head.

“Why are you pouring water over your head?” asked Frog.

“I hope that if I pour water over my head, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.

Toad poured many glasses of water over his head. But he could not think of a story to tell Frog.

Then Toad began to bang his head again the wall.

“Why are you banging your head against the wall?” asked Frog.

“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall hard enough, it will help me think of a story,” said Toad.

“I’m feeling much better now, Toad,” said Frog. “I don’t think I need a story anymore.”

“Then you get out of my bed and let me get into it,” said Toad, “because now I feel terrible.”

Frog said, “Would you like me to tell you a story, Toad?”

“Yes,” said Toad, “if you know one.”

“Once upon a time,” said Frog, “there were two good friends, a frog and a toad. The frog was not feeling well. He asked his friend the toad to tell him a story.

The toad could not think of a story. He walked up and down on the porch, but he could not think of a story. He stood on his head, but he could not think of a story. He poured water over his head, but he could not think of a story. He banged his head against the wall, but he still could not think of a story.

Then the toad did not feel so well, and the frog was feeling better. So the toad went to bed and the frog got up and told him a story.

The End."

"So how was that, Toad?” said Frog.

But Toad did not answer. He had fallen asleep.

The Most Guilty are the Least Generous

"Les plus coupables sont les moins généreux" - Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumachais from "The Marriage of Figaro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 

photograph by John K. McGuirk

From "Gibran on Love"

But if in your fear you would seek
only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you
cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor
into the seasonless world where you shall laugh,
but not all of your laughter,
and weep, but not all of your tears. 

 - Gibran Khalil Gibran