I’m not religious by any means but still often, pop into church.
To quote Bunny Mellon…I’m a different sort of Christian. I don’t really come by to pray, I stop in to talk with God because he’s a dear, dear friend of mine.
But unlike Bunny, I do still pray, like the dickens, as a matter of fact.
What do I pray about? You name it, knowing that prayer causes shifts in the worst possible circumstances.
Take this cold for instance where people are suffering. A couple I know who live in a loft have had no heat for over two weeks, sleeping in their clothes surrounded by electric heaters.
And they’re the lucky ones since their pipes have yet to freeze.
Rumor has it, city shelters are turning people away because they’re overcrowded, many sleeping in the subway to keep warm.
This is a glimmer of what it must have been like during the depression when people were out of work, living in tents because they lost their homes. It’s why my grandmother loved FDR so much, keeping his picture framed on her mantel next to all those she loved.
He showed up on his steed, well if one could call a wheelchair a thoroughbred, to inspire hope and lessen fear saying, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
My friend Tom who makes fun of my love of history likes to say, FDR gets the Big Balls Award for saying such bullshit to people who had nothing to eat but stale bread.
All I know is, if only someone would speak like that now, how much better would we all feel, even if just in theory.
Hope is what prayer is all about, besieging the powers that be to intervene for those of us needing intercession, or at least its possibility.
Where there is no way, God opens a way, they say around the altar.
I don’t formally consider myself Catholic anymore for a number of good reasons, one being, God gets such a bad rap being used by religions he had nothing to do with.
We blame him for the priests that stray and those who protect them, like a celestial scapegoat with wings. That’s not to say he answers every call, but the world is collapsing at the speed of light remember, so one has to just realize, he’s very busy.
Maybe as we pray, it’s like taking a ticket at a good bakery. You just need to wait your turn.
PRAYER NUMBER 4,809.
Finally!
That’s me God…
I was just wondering…
SB
SB,
You rock so beautifully when you’re ruminating on all life’s matters big and small. And I LOVE that quote by Bunny Melon.
FDR would be ashamed at how fear has become a commodity which our country’s power brokers peddle for their own profit. There used to be a sanctity to so many things, from church to leaders. We didn’t expect perfection, but we did expect that our prayers had a place to call home and that political promises resonated with a collective strength.
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
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…a commodity which our country’s power brokers peddle for their own profit. Great alliteration. I LOVE Bunny Mellon, great pal of Jackie’s. Even from the ethers, she has influence. My apartment in its shabby chicness, reflects her taste preferences, how nothing should be noticed. All you know is, you’re in a really, pretty, comfy room. Of course she had van Gogh and Matisse on her walls, but Bunny is such a bunny nonetheless.
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A sad truth SB.
The great ones are like that.
Yeah, Van Gogh and Matisse are pretty fine company no matter the weather. Pretty and comfy works, and I like that idea of how nothing should be noticed. How you should just feel at home. Perfect.
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She was the only non family member in Jackie’s room when she died. Was the one who did the now famous White House rose garden asked by JFK way back when. When she died at 103, in 2010, she asked that the window be open so she could be close to nature as she made her way. I’m touched by all this.
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So she was one of those “friends” that John Jr spoke of when he addressed the press after Jackie passed. Interesting.
Yes, I remember when he spoke about her passing, saying that his mother passed “surrounded by friends, family and her books,”
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She ran the show, his mom, right till the very end.
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She sure did.
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Isn’t it amazing with the exception of Caroline, all gone, she being the last one standing. Must be so bewildering for her on some level.
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I’ve often thought about that myself. I cannot imagine. What strength, to not only go on but to be so involved. The genes.
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After I run, I come out of the park facing 1040 Fifth, Jackie’s old building. I always look up to the 15th Floor, then remember the day John came out to make that statement. How handsome he looked, so like his father, to quote his Uncle Ted in the eulogy he gave for him. He said, they both had every gift but the length of years. sigh
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Do you notice how our conversations so oftentimes veer to the Kennedys? Mutually, they do.
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It’s cause we like them, their lore, good and not so good. They were so beautiful in the 60s, before it all ended. We didn’t know the dirt then we know now. It doesn’t much matter since, it’s all part of their history. Jackie was only 34 when JFK died. Imagine. One of the first things she did was call Bunny to come to all the flowers at the church and Arlington. She worked all night. Anything for her friend.
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All so true.
I am thankful that Camelot happened before social media. In today’s TMZ world, their great good work would’ve been given short shrift what with all the goings on between the brothers. It’s not about condoning, but rather, accepting that human beings have their slip switches.
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He would have made Clinton look like loose change. To think Jackie knew. Her dad, whom she adored, was a notorious womanizer so she just assumed, that was the deal with all men.
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I’m of the opinion that a married couple’s business isn’t everybody’s business. The dynamic of husband and wife and whatever else goes on shouldn’t be made available for public consumption. But there’s a market for it, unfortunately.
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Teddy Roosevelt coined the word muckraker back in the day. It certainly applies now more than even then.
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muckracker.com was bought as a domain but the owner didn’t imagine the word had the requisite pop in today’s abbreviated LOL world.
okay, I made that up, but it sounds true enough.
run with it! LOL
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I see. I just know it as a Teddyism. He’s my favorite pres by the way. He was just so bully. 🙂
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Is is wrong not to have a favorite President?
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I’ve just read about them all finding the topic fascinating. John Quincy Adams comes in as number 2, Abe bringing up the rest.
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Abe is a great number three, tell you what. No cleanup hitter in that lineup?
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Lol
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Oh how we miss and could use a positive message. As for your approach to religion & church, I smiled – good for you.
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Hi Frank. I was just musing over things that voila, turned into blog essay # 1,876. She needs a bigger life. 🙂
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Beautifully written, Susannah. That Bunny quote is the best (and all that chitchat between you and Sorryless was such an eye-opener for this here Canadian…)
Prayer, when used for good, no matter in what form, should always be an option…
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Yes, agreed. I can talk history till the cows come home, so it seems Sorryless can too. These little facts fascinate me. Human, yet grand, interesting in their opulence.
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With good reason. Those little facts are fascinating…
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Yeah…they keep one’s mind taut and tenderized, plus I think it helps one’s art to know these things…they inspire and influence.
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And makes us better conversationalists. When I think of how much “useless” information is stored up in my head…
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It’s not useless. Consider them personal files. 🙂
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Oh, I agree. That’s why I put quotation marks…
And I do. Sure helps in a game of Trivial Pursuit 😉
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I’ll bet. Next time play for money. 🙂
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😀
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I’m so glad you still pray. I, too, enjoyed the conversation with Sorryless.
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He gets an A in repartee.
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I’m a lapsed Catholic too. I pray so seldom that I figure when I do it should count extra. The hope that comes from prayer is where the true power of prayer lies. And the peace that one finds inside a church of any denomination is good for the soul and helps us see our way more clearly.
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Now that’s great writing Skinny. AMEN!
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It’s what makes LoA (Law of Attraction) so close to my heart. We can pray (discuss, whatever) and, through God’s efforts, our convictions, deep down, are brought into play and reality begins…
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I like that quote, Susannah. That’s the point of it all, to have a relationship with God, not to do any specific rituals. Great post. 🙂
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I’ve been going to mass lately, to pray, and what’s interesting is to see how packed it is. No one seems deterred in their faith despite all the scandal being addressed. It’s because you can’t blame God for the bad behavior of anyone, even his professed representatives. He’s innocent, and I’m sure as appalled, and disappointed as anyone.
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