Tuesday, July 30, 2002

Link of the Day:

In Between Naps, Amy Welborn's commentary site on all things Catholic. She's a bit farther right on the horizontal plane than I am. Nevertheless, she is well-spoken, concise, thoughtful, and informed. Give her a visit.

Monday, July 29, 2002

Quote of the Day:

Lifted from Prairie Home Companion...

Y'know, it's 90% of lawyers that give the rest a bad name.

I never tire of lawyer jokes.
Link of the Day:

Contemporary Catholic Music - once a Yahoo Club, converted to a group earlier this year, where they lost all our photos. Two notes to the no-help-at-all desk haven't resolved that. Our discussions on music tend to be light, as does traffic, despite 250+ members. We expanded our membership early on to reach out to persons from other denominations, other countries, and at times we spend nearly as much time discussing traditional music as we do contemporary music.

So, possibly misnamed, but a friendly place. And it's nearing its 4th anniversary - ancient by WWW standards...

Friday, July 26, 2002

Questions about St. Cecilia?

Here's the primer.
Quote of the Day:

He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.- Douglas Adams

lifted from The Boar's Head Tavern
Wedding Tomorrow:
For a young lady who clearly had some serious thoughts about her wedding music. She actually asked for some very good stuff, including Twila Paris' "How Beautiful", some sacred classical pieces, and the p-n-w hit "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever", but, given our limited prep time, we couldn't accommodate her, except that she also wanted Jernigan's "My All in All". She was especially disappointed about the Paris tune (I DID play it once, about 7 years ago, but Debbie didn't know it, and I would have needed time to refamiliarize myself with it), but only got argumentative about our refusal to use Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer's Night's Dream" as recessional - only sacred music in the mass. Although the mass is technically over before the recessional, the American perception is that it is part of the mass - I know of very few parishes that don't close the mass with a sacred song, except maybe Palm Sunday.

Here's the list:

Prelude:
Covenant Hymn (Cooney/Daigle)
We Are Called (Haas) - on our list as recessional, but first time chosen here...
Ave Maria (Schubert)

Processional:
Trumpet Voluntaire/ Christ, Bless This Marriage (Clarke/ Ricketts) - we "converted" this secular processional into a sacred song - once everyone's in, Debbie leads it responsorially, from the ambo.

Psalm:
128, Blest Are Those (Haugen)

Gospel Acclamation:
Alleluia from Ps. 96, "Sing a Song to the Lord" (Lawton)

Unity Candle:
Make Us One (Cymbala)

Presentation:
Amazing Grace (NEW BRITAIN) - on our list as both processional and gathering, but also first time here...

Mass:
Mass of Creation (Haugen)

Communion:
You Are My All in All (Jernigan) - lyrics to be included in wedding program. CCLI license strikes again!

Recessional:
Ode to Joy (Beethoven)
Link of the Day:

Commonweal Magazine. Intelligent, skinny, genteel, Catholic, worthwhile. Not from any single perspective, and decidedly non-rabid about its issues. Give it a look, take a trial issue.

Thursday, July 25, 2002

New Feature:
Link of the Day. Now that I finally figgered out how to fit more than a couple of links on the sidebar (Duh, you use the Template rather than the Settings. NSS.), I'll be adding them, but a day at a time. Much like the less-than-aptly-named Quote of the Day, it may or may not be daily - most likely not.

Today's link: America's Best Christian, Betty Bowers, tells you why she's going to heaven and you're not. Not quite seamless (she steps out of persona when she's afraid you won't get the real point), but uproarious at its best, and still worth a chuckle when the seams are showing.

Wednesday, July 24, 2002

Finally, the personal stuff:

Andy's our 18 year old son. He's always been a bit, um, difficult - extremely bright, but not interested in schoolwork, or in public acceptance. And it's not that "I want to be unique, just like all my friends" stuff. He skipped the piercings and the gothness and the weird hair (I'm covering the weird hair thing for him...), he really doesn't care much what the rest of the world thinks.

He moved out after 11th grade, shortly after his 17th birthday. He dropped out of high school, and enrolled in an on-line high school, opting to get his diploma that way rather than shooting for the GED.

Two years before that, he met a girl, Sarah, over the internet. She was nearly 3 years older, but seemed nice, and he liked her a lot. She lived about 45 miles away, so we'd drive him out to meet her in Davison, about 35 miles. He only had a learner's permit then. They'd go to the movies, or dinner.

And, apparently, dessert. Shortly after the beginning of 10th grade, Andy wrote us a note telling us that Sarah was pregnant, he was the father, and he wanted to marry her after finishing high school.

Wesley, now 2, was born 6/6/2000. We saw him, once, when he came home from the hospital. Andy and Sarah were married 6/22/2002. We found about about it with a wedding announcement received through the mail. Her family knew, but apparently did not attend either - it was a private ceremony.

Kim (my wife) and Andy were very close, and the last couple of years' events have broken her heart.

Since the wedding and my original post, Sarah and Kim have made some faltering steps toward reconciliation. Kim's putting on a post-wedding shower for our side of the family, Sarah and Kim have had dinner - and Kim finally got to see some Wesley pictures.

So, there you have it. Our little soap opera. Missing a lot of the day to day agonies, thoughts, motives (both perceived and/or real), and other details that went into the decisions and reactions. But you get the drift, I think.

Back to work.
Funeral went fine. My aside to Caroline: "Gee, I hope more people die so we can do this again." Not everyone appreciates my sense of humor.

Friday, July 19, 2002

Quote of the day:

"If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans." Mother Teresa

Thanks to Paul for sharing it...

Thursday, July 18, 2002

Funeral this Saturday - actually, another memorial. Family asked for me, I deferred to Anne (our new director) she asked me to take it so she could observe. Caroline will copilot/cant. I'm really looking forward to working with her! I used to sort of take it for granted...

Songlist is the usual, except we're doing (blush) Lara's Theme From Dr. Zhivago, Somewhere, My Love. Apparently this was the decedent's personal song, he'd sing it to his wife, his kids, and his grandkids. Prelude only, though. Not in the mass, not on my watch! Family was fine with that.

So I went to Border's last night, and found that WB has put out three fake books (Standards, Jazz, and Blues), much in the tradition of "The Real Book", except these are legal. But they even use the same typeface. Anyone who ever used the infamous RB will instantly recognize it. So I bought the standards book - over half my funeral fee, but good for a lifetime. I still use my Real Book, 15 years later.

Right after the funeral, I rehearse with Debbie for a wedding the following week. Still not sure what we're doing, bride & mom want to get together after 11:00 mass on Sunday. Since our rehearsal is before that, not sure how much we'll be able to accommodate. I know they want the Schubert Ave, though, so we'll rehearse that.

Monday, July 15, 2002

Huh

Commenting links are gone again. Not an Enetation thing, 'cos the rateyourmusic blogs are missing them too.

Last time just had to wait a few hours and they came back. We'll see.

BTW

Personal issues are gonna go here. Just need...
Mr. Scott
...more time, Cap'n, I've got to have more time!
Caught!

I'll have to be more careful. "St. Blog's proofreader", over at nihil obstat, snagged me in THREE errors. Biggest error - not checking his site sooner...

I'm not redoing "pricy" until I check a dictionary. Hmm. Maybe an occasional misspelling will increase site traffic?

Sunday, July 14, 2002

Quote of the Day:
The best things in life are fried. - Tom Keith

Thursday, July 11, 2002

Apologies...

...if you're stopping in and not seeing much new - work's a real challenge this week! Will try to post something of substance soon - I have so much to say!

Tuesday, July 09, 2002

Gleaned from a friend's tagline - thanks Ching! - but is this really CHER??? Wow.
Quote of the day

If grass can grow through cement, love can find you anywhere.
Cher

Friday, July 05, 2002

Check out this Janis Ian rant on the Napster et al issue. Very well said. Not entirely sure I agree, but she makes a strong case.
Check out Mark's page:

Contemporary Christian Artist - Mark Hargrave - Contemporary - Christian - Artist - Singer - Songwriter - Recording - Music - SonLight - Guitarist - Composer - Footprints - Footprints in the Sand - Folk - Slidell - Louisiana

Mark and I go around a bit about politics, but he's a good guy, and a great voice for Catholicism. Give him a listen...

Wednesday, July 03, 2002

Check out this article on fellow npmuser Marcy: CatholicGlobe.Org - God's Gifts: Music's a gift that keeps on giving

Just got a nice note from Marcy on my personal issue (the one I haven't decided whether to post here yet) - she's been there too. So now we're praying for each other.

Anyhow, WTG, Marcy!

Tuesday, July 02, 2002

Speaking of Giving Away Songs:

Four of the folks over at npmusers took me up on my offer to send copies of my "Even the Rocks Would Cry Out". I mailed them today, a few bucks postage. Tossed in my Psalm 66 for one of 'em, my published "Joy!" for another.

I've always gotten a kick out of the thought that someone else somewhere might be singing one of my songs. This is one of my better ones:

Even the rocks would cry out,
Even these stones would name you "Lord";
If every voice were stilled,
If every tongue were silent,
Even the rocks would cry out that Jesus Christ is Lord.


Copyright 2001, Jay Ricketts. All rights reserved.

So I'm paying to give my songs away - but I bet Johnny Appleseed had to buy his own seeds sometimes, too.
Here's a goodie:
African Chant, courtesy of a monastery over there. French language only, but they plan to add English. Thanks to Amy Welborn for the heads-up.

I can't listen at work, but it's high on my list-of-things-to-do when I get home.

Monday, July 01, 2002

It is finished

My last weekend at St. C's was far from a thing of beauty. Bangless, whimpering, tearless. A few warm farewells, a card (with cash! I spent it on bowling) from the deacon, a couple of strange, almost weird, guest priests, a "new" psalm - Haas' 116 - we'd sung it responsorially before, but I taught them the verses this time.

And then it was over. I packed up my remaining stuff - magazines, sheet music, cables. I made arrangements with my successor (because they can never "replace" me) to loan my wedding music until she can replace it, and I was gone. We'll swap keys Thursday.

I still need a place to practice my organ lesson - I'll broach subject w/ Fr. and Ann on Thursday. I'm still a parishioner, maybe they'll cut me some slack. Sad to leave it behind, but I feel oddly liberated today. O freedom, O freedom, freedom is coming, oh yes!
touch.pray.touch

Hold my hand
Be as
One
with me, if only just for this moment
As we stand as
One
before our maker, praying the prayer that Jesus taught
Us.
When we don't know what else to pray, let's
pray and touch. Together.

Touch me while
We hallow God's Name,
Touch me as
We long for the kingdom,
Feel my hand tremble as
We ask that God's will be done on earth,
Secretly hoping he shares our will.

Touch my hand and
We will ask for bread every day:
Foodbread.
Sacrificebread.
Lovebread.
Godbread.
Forgivenessbread.

God has the kingdom,
The power,
The glory,
Foreverandeverandeverandever. And ever.

I have your hand,
Just for this moment.
Thank you for that.

When we touch again,
We
will pray that
We
share the peace of Christ.
Et cum spiritu tuo.

Touch me.
Two times.
Before we share the table.

Then
When we share Christ's table,
Then
I will have touched Jesus
Three times today.

Copyright 2002, Jay Ricketts. All rights reserved.