That Was the Week that Was

This past week we marked yet again the anniversary of 9/11. Seven is not such an impressive number in the decimal system, but in the psyche of man, it has some important connotations. The seven year itch is when we need to renew or refresh our marriages, on peril of losing something that is too valuable to toss aside. After seven years living with something, it's pretty old hat, it changes from jarring, to just background noise. So seven years ago, our worlds shifted. Now we read reminisces of 9/11 like it had been some sort of natural disaster, a Katrina. It was nothing of the sort. Three thousand people died, and they were killed with malicious intent. The white hot anger of that realization is no longer with us, but that day we knew we were targets. All of us, and all of our loved ones. Now seven years later without a reprise on American shores and it seems like something of an anomaly. Thank God we've not had repeated wake up calls. They've happened, but not on American soil, so we can let out attention drift. Beware. Lack of caution is what leads to a lot of car wrecks... so put down your cell phone and remember, reconnect with that trauma.

This was also the Week of the Palin Impaling. I've read much, much, much of the writing about Sarah Palin. I'd be very surprised if you hadn't as well. The dems and their candidate felt the earth shift under their feet. Peggy Noonan puts some perspective on the whole howling week, and seems to be seeing it much as I do, and better, she takes it in directions I would not have found, but they feel right. A two non consecutive paragraph snip:

Democrats, hit reset. Accept the fact that the race has changed utterly, that you're up against a ticket that has captured the public imagination. Now you must go out and recapture it.

This race is not over. Everyone I know thinks it is, but I don't buy it. Mr. Obama just suffered a catastrophe, his first. Mr. McCain just enjoyed a triumph, maybe not his last. GOP strategists are experiencing premature triumphalism; they're puffing up like blowfish, emitting great bubbles of self-regard. Democrats, be encouraged by this! They make mistakes when they're winning. They always start to think they're the reason.

Fitting here is the clip from Proverbs 5, still reminding against the peril of adultery.

Proverbs 5:11-14

At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.

You will say, "How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!

I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.

And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God's people."

Marianne informs me that she is terribly nervous about Sarah Palin's conservative Christian roots. That really doesn't worry me. Christianity comes in a great many flavors, appealing to people at different places on their spiritual journey. But the way to keep on the road is to stay in a church. As a nearly wholly committed atheist, Marianne finds the Pentecostal background too offputting. Our national press organs reflect the same feeling. But I suspect there are still a lot of good Christian people who are not afraid of a good woman of faith. The ground shifted in the presidential race. It just got a lot more interesting. The lunatic fringe is very entertaining!

Now for a picture, from the end of July, the miracle Bible School at First Presbyterian. If you recall the story of our church with no children, no youth, we ended up with a bible school for twelve children. They were welcomed by the puppets, and most were totally enchanted from start to finish. It was a magical undertaking. But I think God loves a good fairy tale. That VBS was a small local fairy tale!



On the personal front, the week past was the longest stretch of work in this semester. My days are much fuller with the teaching, but goodness sakes, the class at the High School was just what the doctor ordered. The teacher of the higher level math classes at Pearl River High School is a retired PhD. Engineer, a tiny wiry guy, who went into financial advising after retiring. Post Katrina, no one was wanting to invest, so he took the job at Pearl River High, with no education experience. They thus have a teacher who knows where math is actually used, and what it's for that they're learning this field. With me teaching this section two or three days a week, he gets to see a more experienced teacher in action, and he may not feel like it's a great experience for him, but he does know it's a bit of time he can actually catch up on paper work. This last week during the evacuation for Gustav he came down with a monster cold, and is sick as a dog, but still hanging in, teaching. So today he was reasonably glad to see me coming!

Quilting this weekend. Katie sent me a bunch of fabrics from her stash, and I'll have to get her a thank you note out... and at bridge the Mosses loaned me a book, The History of the World in Six Glasses. It appears to be a winner! Life is good, life is very good. I even got one of those instructional lessons like the Proverbs refers to, not relating to adultery, but still an important one. I will be working to put it in action in my daily days.

What was the highlight of your week? Good news? Memories of 7 years ago?