A Shift in Vision

    Let m e expand on this, using my own African American context as an exampl
e. T he peoples of western Africa, although few may have been Christian
upon their arrival in these United states, had a deep spirituality and religious
understanding that was very much "in keeping with the true and authentic
spirit of the liturgy".
    1n African religion there is a high God cOlnparable to the Christi an concept
of a one God. But jllSt as there are many spirits in Christianity, angels
and saints, each especially en1powered ( St. M1ichael for strength, 5t. Raphael
fo r healing), so too in the African religions there are spirits for particular
aspects of creation.
    Devotio n to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints offered a rich context
for syncretism with African understandings of the holy:
    The use of sacramentals (blessed objects), such as statues, pictures, candles,incense, holy water, rosaries, vestmen ts,fashion shoes and relics, in Catholic ritual was more akin to the spirit of African piety than the coarseness of Puri tan America- which held such obj ects to be idolatrous. Holy days, processions, saints' feasts, days of fast and abstinence were all recognizable to the African who had observed the sacred days, festivals, and food taboos of his [sic]godS.
    The r eligiolls cultural ma trix of African peoples who, llpon cOlning to
these shores, were transformed into a new people (African Americans) includes
several key concepts. Religion is an all-per vasive reality and a sense of the holy enconlpasses the whole myster y of life, beginning before life and continuing after death. For lnost Africans, to live is to participate Ìn a religious dralna; they see themselves as totally Ì1nlnersed Ìn a sacred cosmos.14 N 0 dllality exists;no separation between the sacred and the secular; all of life is holy.
    Many of us are aware of these shifts but perhaps haven 't fully thought
out their impli cations for us as a church. As our nation changes, so does our
church. Many fa ces, new and old, are increasingly engaged in exploring what
it means to be the people of God, the church in the world, which is increasingly
inhabited by persons of color. 1n the United States, it is blacks, Latinos/as, and Asians who are the new yet oh-so-old faces of the Catholic church in our changing parishes.
    Many of those persons of color who will reach maturity in the twenty-fÌrst
century will be Catholic. Whether immigrant or first, second, or third generation; whether of Hispanic, African, Native Alnerican, Pacifìc 1slander, or Asian ancestry; lnany of the new and challenging voices being raised in ollr church today are the voices of ROlnan Catholics wh o are calling upon the church not sin1ply to recognize their presence but to recognize the validity and legititnacy of their unique, valuable, and lnuch-needed contributions to the catholicity of our church. T hey are more than just statistics, for st atistics don't reveal the human face of those whom they represent. 丁hey don't reveal whether or how those diffe rent peoples are being welcomed and received: those who are in our schools; those in the inner cities, those in the suburbs; who are moving from urban to suburban parishes; as well as in those who are calling for a home in a church in which they have lived as "visitors" for too long a time.
    These old but, to man只seen1ingly new Catholics (blacks, Hispanics,
and Asians) bring gifts of j oyf吐cele brati on ， of holistic gatherings, of welcoming communion, of a deep and abiding spirituality that have enabled them to
get through the "rough places and the straight." They bring feelings and emotions
that frighten those seeking to control the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
They bring a challenge, for they are the ones that knock on the door at lnidnight
saying, "1 aln here; 1 cannot be turned away; 1 will not be turned away. Feed me,
nourish lne with the body and blood of Christ, but realize that 1 do not come
empty-handed, a clean slate to be written on by others, but 1 COlne with hopes
and fears of my own that need to be shared, lifted up, and blessed by the church
as true and authentic ways of being Catholic."

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Lloyd Wright

    On a hot summer Sunday after the morning service at the little
country church where every neighbo r attended, the ladies were preparing
for a church picnic. 1he men had set up a long table on sawhorses and
the ladies spread sheets over the table. As the children played the men
sat around and talked. The ladies took fried chicken and potato salad
along with all the trimmings from their picnic baskets and set it on the
table. Kyle and Elsie had been sitting under a shade tree watching the
rest of the children run and play. They both were secretly wishing they
could join their friends. Elsie now was wearing leg braces and could use
crutches to drag herself around. Kyle noticed their dads had moved off
away from the other men and were having a private talk.
    The afternoon passed quickly as well as all the fried chicken and
potato salad. It was then time for the men to get the ice cream freezers
which had been sitting in the shade packed in ice. Kyle ate his home
made ice cream so fast it gave him a head ache. When he mentioned it
to Elsie, Ellie was standing close by listening and told him.
    "That's what you get for being a hog."
    She then ran off knowing that her sister and Kyle could not
follow and catch her. After the dessert was finished, it was time to put
everything away and pack up to go home. It had been a great day for
everyone.
    That evening a丘er all the evening chores were complete, the family
sat on the front porch listening to the sounds of the approaching night.
Kyle sat on the edge of the porch and let his legs hang off of the edge.
As he sat there, he swung his crippled leg trying to regain the strength
in it. He could now put a little weight on it. His parents were slowly
swinging and enjoying the cool of the evening. Finally, Kyle's dad broke
the evening silence when he said.
    "Mr. Tucker told me Elsie would be going to school this f过1 and
Ellie will be starting school. He has been watching how Molly has
carried Kyle to and from school and so has the other neighbors. He
knows where a pony cart along with a set of pony harnesses is located.
1he blacksmith has an old cart in an old storage shed and is willing to
fìx it up and give to us. Another neighbor has the pony harness and has
no need for it. He is willing to give it to us also. Mr. Tucker thought
maybe Molly could be used along with the cart to carry the children
to and from school. He was wondering if we would be willing to see if
Molly would let us harness her and hitch her to a cart. He suggested if
we agreed to try it, he would talk to the blacksmith about any necessary
repairs to the cart and then bring the harness and cart over to try out.
You know Kyle, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try before school sta口s and
see if Molly can be used to pull the cart. It will give her time to get used
to it. You know Mr. Tucker was nice selling Molly to you for ten cents.
If you could give his girls a ride to school everyday, it would give him
more time to work in the fìelds."
    Kyle sat quiecly for a moment. He could just visualize in his mind
Molly pulling the cart. He thought it would be fun and he would enjoy
Elsie's company going to school. Kyle then replied.
    "i would like to try Dad. Do you think Molly would really pull a
cart?"
    "i don't think it would hurt to give it a try. It sure would help them
out." His dad replied.
    Kyle's mom quickly agreed.
    One week later, Kyle and his dad had just finished putting a load of
alfalfa hay in the barn when Mr. Tucker came rattling in the driveway
in his old pickup truck. He had a little pony cart hitched onto the
back of the truck and a harness for a pony in the truck bed. After he
squeaked to a stop by the barn, he got out and shook Kyle's and Mr.
Wyatt's hand.
    "If you have time, let's try this harness on Molly and hitch her to
the cart." Mr. Tucker said.
    Kyle put Molly in her stall and she was soon harnessed. 1he collar
and harness fit perfectly. Molly was led outside and hitched to the pony
cart. Molly seemed to be a little nervous with the harness on her when
she was first hitched to the cart. Mr. Tucker took hold of her bridle
and led her around the barnyard under the watchful eyes of Kyle and
Fetch. Molly was at first kind of skittish but soon acted as if she had
done this before.
    "Let's give Kyle a try driving her with the reins from the cart." Mr.
Wyatt said.
    After Kyle was safely onboard with the reins in his hand, he spoke
to Molly and she pulled the cart like she was enjoying it. Fetch was
walking along by her side and watching Molly's every move. Both men
agreed Kyle should practice with Molly in the barnyard for a week
before he ventured out on the road. 1his would let Molly get used to
pulling the cart and give Kyle experience in driving her.
    One week later, Molly pulled the cart to school with Fetch checking
on her all the way. As Molly pulled the cart down the road, she was
under the watchful eyes of Kyle, Fetch and all the neighbors. One day
as Kyle drove Molly down the road, he saw Mr. Tucker standing out
by the road waiting for him. When Kyle stopped by Mr. Tucker he saw
Elsie and Ellie sitting on the ditch bank.
    "Are you ready for a couple of passengers?" He asked.
    Kyle readily agreed and the girls were soon tucked safely in the
cart along side of Kyle. Mr. Tucker followed along behind on a horse
to make sure all was well. He soon found out he was not needed. Kyle
and Fetch had everything under control except for Ellie's scolding of
Kyle about his driving of Molly.
    When school started again, the sight of these children in a cart
being pulled by a pony and a watchful dog trotting close by became a
daily sight. Fetch would stilllead Molly home after the children arrived
at school. In the afternoon, he would be seen faithfully leading Molly
back to school to bring the children home. 1his was the beginning of
daily ritual during the school year.
    The men in the community got together and decided a shed should
be attached to the woodshed at school for Molly and Fetch to stay in
when the roads were muddy and the weather was bad. This would
allow Molly and Fetch to make only one round trip a day during bad
weather. They all donated material for the shed and hay and straw for
Molly.The teacher agreed to have the older school boys help unhitch
Molly in the morning and hitch her back to the cart in the afternoon.
this proved to work out great. All the children enjoyed helping care
for them and that they were fed and watered. Molly and Fetch soon
became a part of the school. The students liked caring for them so
much they would wish for bad weather so Molly and Fetch could stay
at school during the day.
    Weeks led to months and months led to years. During this period
of time, Kyle had regained enough strength in his leg to walk without
crutches. Elsie could stand on her legs but still required crutches to
help her along her way.They both agreed how lucky they were. 1heir
childhood friend, Bobby, was free from the iron lung and was now in
heaven.
    Molly remained a faithful and gentle pony but was showing a litde
gray on her muzzle. She had regained a little of her eyesight. She still
had to depend on Kyle and Fetch going to and from school. She could
fìnd her way from the barn to her water and could see just enough to
keep from running into large objects. Fetch still had to keep her away
from the barbed wire fences.
   

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MY HusBAND's CALLING Is MY CALLING Too

    I once had an interesting conversation with a woman whose husband
had enrolled in seminary to prepare for ministry. "He can take
classes all he wants, but I didn't sign up for the preacher's wife thing,"
she said. Since she didn't believe her husband would actually follow
through, she went on to tell me she planned on humoring him until
the day his calling affected her. And if that day ever came? Well, sh e'd
just cross that bridge when she came to it.
    He is still in school. She is still in denial.
    I'll never forget the response of the youngest woman. She was a
mom of toddlers and was obviously distressed. "The hardest thing for
me is everyone wanting a piece of my husband and not acknowledging
me in the least," she said. "I feel like the person in the background
who is only here to take care of the kids so he can be free to take care
of everyone else."
    I was grieved by her raw response. All I wanted to do was wrap
my arms around that girl and assure her she had it all wrong. That
she was an integral part of her husband's ministry. That her calling
in that season was her children. That no amount of public success
possibly mattered if her heart and home were in shambles. The sad
thing is that I've met many more like her in the past fifteen years
during my own life as a minister's wife. If anything, this has intensified
my desire to embrace and encourage women whom God has
charged with supporting the men He has ordained to proclaim His
Word.
    The fact that I just typed that last sentence still baffies me. You
have no idea how surreal it is for me to be writing this book. There
are many of you reading who have been Christians as long as you
can remember and always knew you would marry a preacher. Many
more of you grew up as the child of a minister and swore you would
never marry one yourself, only to find yourself eating your words.
Some of you have pursued callings to various vocational ministries
and met your mate in college, seminary, etc. Some of you married
men who were already serving in the church.
    And then on the lunatic fringe are girls like me whose life and
marital background weren't exactly resume worthy.
   
   

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The Hostage Taker

    Have you ever met somebody, girl or guy, who you really didn't want
to hurt. They seem fragile. The "hostage taker" takes this fragile state to
the next level. They may actually make statements such as, "If you break
up with me, I'm going to kill myself". These are the guys who always seem
to have some kind of drama in their lives and you get sucked into rescuing
or "being there" for them. I'm not saying that it's inappropriate to help a
friend out, or to be supportive of a boyfriend.
     The challenge comes when a person becomes so involved in the other person's problems that they lose sight of their own needs, responsibilities, and boundaries. When a person threatens to "kill themselves" if you make a choice to leave the relationship, don't take it upon yo urself to "save" him. Don't take it upon yourself to be his counselor, pastor, or parent. He needs some serious help. He may be using this threat to keep control of you, to get attention, or because he is seriously depressed and suicidal. Do you want to be the one to find out if
he's serious? As mature as you may believe you are, this is an adult issue that
needs some serious guidance and intervention. You are not the person to
help the boy, and it's not fair of him to put that kind of pressure on you.

    Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world) but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what Gods will is his good) pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of
yourself more highly than you ought) but rather think of yourself with sober
judgment) in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4
just as each of us has one body with many members) and these members
do not all have the same function) 5 so in Christ we who are many form
one body) and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different
gifts) according to the grace given us.

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Doggone It

    Just beyond Sibley's business district lay a city block square

grassy area called The Dog Park. I don't know why; dogs in those

days were not taken somewhere to romp with other canines and

fetch sticks or balls. Dogs had the run of the town-much to

my dismay.

    While I'm in awe of the varied animal kingdom throughout

the planet, I prefer all creatures great and small in their natural

habitat, which is to say not up close and personal with me. I'm

going out on a limb here to state that I'm not fond of dogs. I

don't fully trust them. I dislike being sniffed, slobbered on,

and clawed from feet to waist as the animal climbs my jeans

to say hello. I make no apology for these admissions. I have a

right to my wariness, as canine lovers do to their admiration

and fascination.

    Maybe it's because the dogs I encountered as a child did

not endear themselves to me. My earliest memory of being

frightened by a dog was in Ashton, so I would have been about

six. The dog belonged to two bachelors whose last name was

Gaster.

    Once when the family was coming to visit, the oldest child

said she couldn't wait to see my pets. What to do? I purchased

two fish, which Grace and her younger sister, Sarah, named

and fed while they were here. Goldie and Sunny had the usual

life expectancy of fish and were not replaced. By the next time

the kids visited, they'd forgotten about Granny's pets. Except

for thinking the gators in the pond out back were pets. One, we

named Snappy.

   Living here on Worlud Pond, with a woodland preserve

behind it, is like having the Discovery channel on a panoramic

screen. There are birds of prey: owls, hawks, eagles, vultures, and

osprey, and water birds of all kinds, including a lunatic limpkin

that screeches day and night. Sandhill cranes strut their stuff

in pairs or quartets, often with fuzzy chicks toddling behind. In

and around the pond are gators, turtles, otters, toads, snakes,

swamp bunnies, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, the ubiquitous

lizards, and a host of frogs that set up a mighty chorus than runs

from dusk to beyond midnight and from spring to fall. We've

seen a mother bobcat and two kittens, and coyotes have been

spotted. We've witnessed a gator take down a large bird or two.

A gator has, on occasion, wandered up to someone's front door

and we once saw one sitting by our mailbox by the road. Yes; we

waited before picking up the mail.

    Our first year here, Grace discovered a baby gator in the

water. She named it Flower Linnet. As babies are wont to do,

Flower had a growth spurt and, at about twelve feet in length,

became a nuisance. The gator wranglers arrived to cart her

away. Grace still believes that one of the many gators that have

come and gone since is Flower, her gator.

    After school and on weekends, Shirley and I played school;

we were the teachers and our younger brothers were the

students. Before long, though, real school and playing school

became boring. We moved on to other activities and plodded

along, awaiting Christmas vacation, and then Valentine's Day,

Easter vacation, and, finally, the last day of school.

   Report cards in hand, showing that we'd passed to the next

grade, we raced out the door, shouting, "School's out, school's

out; Teacher let the monkeys out. No more pencils, no more

books; no more teachers' dirty looks."

    Off we scrambled once again, helter-skelter into summer

fun: playing outside long after dark, picnics, the 4 th of July, and

the County Fair.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW F ROM H EEL TO TOE

    If you don't have any foot discomfort at all, you're at a huge

advantage. But don't congratulate yourself just yet: you must take

steps to ensure that you don't develop any problems. Here are the

most common problems affecting women who wear fashionable

shoes on a regular basis.

    THIS IS a misalignment of the joint of the big toe. Health care specialists often refer to this condition as ((hallux valgus," which is a fancy way of saying that the joint of the big toe (hallux) is bent outward (valgus). It is the most common foot disorder among women. The base of the big toe enlarges and angles toward the second toe instead of facing straight ahead. It's caused by abnormal pressure placed on the big-toe joint because of excessive pronation and ill-fitting shoes. There is also a genetic component: a history of bunions tends to run in families.

    To treat corns and calluses: Same as above: change your shoes. See a medical professional to determine the best course of action. She might

trim the corn or callus (you should never do this yourself). Over-thecounter

corn pads are available but avoid medicated pads, which have

acid that can burn the skin. If coms and calluses don't go away, you

probably need orthotics or over-the-counter inserts.

    PRONOUNCED: Plant-R Fa-she-1-tus. This condition causes sharp heel pain that usually presents itself first thing in the morning when you get

out ofbed and stand for the first time after having had your feet elevated.

If that happens to you, it means that your plantar fascia is overstretched,

injured, or inflamed. Plantar fasciitis is often confused with

heel spurs, an overgrowth ofbone in the heel, but heel spurs are actually

a response to plantar fasciitis.

    Plantar fasciitis affects women and men in equal numbers, and is

seen in both the athletic and the sedentary. Factors that may lead to its

development are being oveiWeight or gaining weight; excessive pronation;

wearing shoes without arch support; exercising more than usual

or engaging in any physical activity in which you impose excess pressure

on your heels; standing for long periods on a hard surface; or just getting

older and having the plantar fascia lose much of its elasticity.

    To avoid or alleviate foot pain, switch to better shoes that do not

force your foot into an unnatural position or shape. Otherwise,

over time your naked foot will come to mimic the unnatural position

or shape of the shoe, which is not only highly uncomfortable

but also horrifying to look at.

    A landmark study for the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle

Society in 1993, coauthored by Dr. Carol Frey, demonstrated that

almost all women wear the wrong shoes. 26 There were 356 healthy participants between the ages of twenty and sixty.Among her findings:

    • Eighty-eight percent of the women in her study wore shoes

that were too small.

    • The average woman wore shoes that were too narrow by a

half inch and too short by a half size or full size.

    • Eighty percent reported significant foot pain while wearing shoes.

    • Seventy-six percent had foot deformities, with bunions and

hammertoes the most common.

    • Fifty-nine percent wore uncomfortable shoes every day.

    • Seventy-nine percent had not had their feet measured in the

last five years when buying shoes.

    Even the women in the study who did not have pain or deformity

wore shoes that were too small.

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The Psychological Key

    Meeting the Writer Half-Way
   
    All well-conceived roles have psychological truth, but it
does not follow that they are all unlocked with the psychological
key . I hope Maria Lebiadkin had a psychological truth even
though I approached her physically.Characters from Congreve
to Coward have a believable inner life for all their
comedy of manners, and Brecht's. characters are not made
two dimensional because the actor keeps a certain detachment
from them.The best route to Juliet may be through her
language, you might get Richard lll via his hump, and God
alone knom how Shakespear-e arriwd at them, but hundreds
of years later they totally pass the test of mndem psycho-
logical scrutiny.
     To be able to trust the playwright is half the battle. In
the best instances the playwright has already done most of the
psychological groundwork, and the actor has only to go halfway
to meet him/her, rather than build the entire road alone.
     ProvidJed actors work honestly, they can be the best litmus
test of the psychological truthfulness of a piece af writing. If
a writer has made an unbelievable link between one moment
and another for the sake of a neat plot or joke, or in order to
be controversial or sensational, the actor will be quick to spot
it. It is a question of survival. Trying to stretch the audience's
belief every night in an all contrived scene feels a bit like
walking a frayed tightrope over a plunging gorge. We need
that bridge to hold.
    The actor can eventually get to a place where he/she
knows the character better than anyone, including the writer,
but it is vital to hold on to an objectivity about where the character
fits into the whole;
    When I worked with John Berger and Nella Bielski on their play .
A Questilm of Geography and had to play a sane where I was arrested by
Stalin s heavies and torn from my son, Nenas. one contribution was
to give me a white scarf to wear. It must be that scarf worn in that
 way and no other. I never quite understood it,but I recognised it
 I had come full circle. back to Liubimovand his physical clues.

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