Our children are amazing -- Coming of Age 2006

Balanced, not on the head, but on the point of the pin that is the dangerously beautiful tightrope walk between childhood and youth, they take to the pulpit and make us remember why we do this work.

In my congregation, the Coming of Age 8th graders take responsibility to plan and implement the entire COA service. Music, readings, chalice lightings, meditation -- and they all write and read credos. They dress up (for them.) There's a little pomp and ritual as we welcome them from childhood into the world of youth.

They don't come from nowhere, but from hundreds and thousands of hours of community and content and collective responsibility. This responsibility is shown in myriad of ways -- from Sunday morning RE classes to potlucks and trivia contests and Habitat for Humanity Saturdays and October Halloween Haunted Houses (if your congregation doesn't take advantage of this group building leadership development opportunity, ask me how), to Middle School Rallies to making beautiful gift baskets for our winter shut-ins. All of these are oportunities within our community to model a meaningful religious life and spiritual practise, and lead our young people in exploring their community one with another, their faith community, and their larger world. All of these things are part of what our community contributes to the beauty that we see in these young people on that special day each June.

We initiate them into a world where risk and responsibility dance in close proximity; a world where we commit ourselves to stand near as a community to catch them if they need, but no longer require certain acts or participation as when they were young children. We step back and provide structured autonomy within which they can continue to explore and grow.

Every June I am reminded why I love my job.

Amy Goodman Colored HER Hair!

I take credit.

Amy Goodman made me color my hair

Democracy Now!s Amy has fine hair for radio, not so much for TV... even public access. I've eschewed coloring my own for a few years, although my partner kept after me.

"No," I said, "I like the salt and pepper."

Turns out Salt and Pepper is a different color from grey and slate and brown. And it took Amy Goodman (and this very disquieting imaginary PeaceBANG voice in my head) to make me see that natural isn't always a good idea.

So thanks Amy, and PeaceBANG, for ruining my ability to have cheap haircuts every 10 weeks.

"Sister Womyn Sister" & "You Look Veryveryprettytoday"

Recognize these lines? THE KATHY AND MO SHOW: Parallel Lives is being run on HBO in Demand until June 18th. Whether you lived through the 80's as an adult, or have always wondered what your elders like PeaceBANG are making fun of, this show is the most brilliant piece of off-off theatre comedy that existed that decade.

(PB: sorry I called you an elder; really, we're middlers, but that didn't flow right in the sentence)

Although this show was filmed by HBO in '91, I first saw it in a gay bar in Philadelphia in '85 or '86, which began my own personal Rocky Horror-esque stalking of the show wherever and whenever they took it. I still have my Giant Kathy and Mo button.

Some of my favorite bits didn't make it from the full length stage to the one hour tv format (most of the material about religion and sex and abortion and the deletion of these bits made me cranky.) That whined, everyone should run out and pay for HBO for a month just so that you can watch this incredible piece of cultural commentary. It won an OBIE and 2 Cable Ace awards, and I can nearly guarantee that if you lived through the 80's you'll wet yourself laughing. If you're younger and don't remember the womyn's or LG culture from the time it'll be an interesting experiment in cultural observation. You can let me know if it's funny to you.

Also, Harold and the Purple Crayon is playing if that tips you over the top.

HappyCindy needs a PDA

CrankyCindy has sniffed at PDA's and silently scoffed at those who use them, clinging desperately to the struggle to structure a life as she always did, out of her head and a paper calendar when it wasn't lost. Unfortunately, CrankyCindy isn't all that well organized, and HappyCindy has to clean up after her all too often. I had to add an online calendar, and now I've got to start writing to-do lists.

Like other things I've scoffed at over the years (chemical/perfume sensitivity, coloring my hair) I've had to humble myself and acknowledge that I was wrong.

My memory no longer carries everything around in it like it used to, and I need a PDA.

Any recommendations from those of you who use one (and who just found out that crankycindy scoffed at you for knowing better than I what the future would hold and how to manage it?)