[Magdalen] Happy New Year

Sat Jan 2 21:30:10 UTC 2021

Hi, Judy—good to see you here. I’m interested in the way you’re doing communion, because we aren’t allowed to do it like that.  Are the elements pre-consecrated, and are you offering in both kinds? We’ve been told we or LEVs can bring home communion to “shut-ins” as we would normally would, but only in one kind and only for a 15-minute visit. No provision for what you are describing, which I would be willing to do, especially since we’re so small.

> On Jan 2, 2021, at 3:45 PM, Judy Fleener <fleenerj at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Happy New Year to all of you.  It has been a long time since I found you
> all.  I remember some wonderful characters that I got to know here.  I have
> met many of you in person and I value the memories of those travels.
> 
> It was very icy here overnight. I was supposed to deliver communion to 6
> people today so that they could have it with the Eucharist streamed
> tomorrow. When I called them they said in one voice, "Stay home." We do
> this once a month for about 50 people.
> 
> Our priest, much loved, was with us for 2 1/2 years.  He was retired and
> worked at St. Paul's part time.  His health took an unexpected turn and he
> has retired for a second time.  Our new priest is currently a deacon. She
> will be ordained to the priesthood on the 16th in a closed liturgy.  Two of
> her 4 children will be there as the limit is ten people.  She is a local
> person and a good friend.
> 
> I spent a lot of time reading last year. I read too many books of little
> consequence in 2020.  I will be trying to make better choices in 2021
> 
>> On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 11:57 AM Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> it's wonderful to hear from you, Sally, and in such rich detail!  Thank you
>> for persevering with the typing despite the difficulty it presents.
>> 
>> Onward and upward in 2021.
>> 
>> Marion, a pilgrim
>> 
>>> On Sat, 2 Jan 2021 at 02:43, <sally.davies at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Happy New Year to everyone still in the Pub!
>>> 
>>> It is lovely to hear from you all. I have finally managed to clean up my
>>> formerly unusable Gmail account and made it a NY resolution to keep
>>> clearing it. The Spam was unbelievable - much if it due to my addiction
>> to
>>> US politics. Honestly I do not know how you guys stand all these PACS and
>>> people pretending to be Nancy Pelosi!!
>>> 
>>> These days I do everything on my phone or iPad so typing is less fun and
>>> much slower unless I dig out the Bluetooth keyboard. Still, I have a new
>>> phone which allows me to sweep what Malcolm Guite calls the “Twenty Six
>>> Summoners” into life, and I just need to master this peculiar new trick
>> to
>>> befriend social emails again.
>>> 
>>> We are still in the Eastern Cape, in a village called Blue Horizon Bay.
>>> Both kids out of the house though Evan (our younger son) is studying in
>>> nearby Port Elizabeth and starts with my sister in town so we see him
>>> often. Keith has been at home the whole year with very little work but we
>>> get by somehow.
>>> 
>>> I’m still working in InPatient rehab which has not been much of a fiesta
>>> this past year but continues to provide an income and a wonderfully
>>> supportive team. It’s been a sad and uncomfortable year togged out in our
>>> PPE; I am not working with known Covid patients (due to what my young
>> team
>>> mates, with unnecessary frankness, consider to be my advanced age) but of
>>> course you never know who will unexpectedly test positive in a so called
>>> Green Zone. So far only one of us has been infected so we did well; she’s
>>> now finally back at work but struggling with post Covid symptoms -
>> further
>>> reinforcing my conviction that however inconvenient life may be, we are
>> not
>>> taking any chances with this awful thing.
>>> 
>>> Unfortunately the young tend to consider themselves invincible (‘twas
>> ever
>>> thus) and when what has undoubtedly been a very tough year dragged to its
>>> end they wanted to celebrate and to party. So now we have a second surge
>>> and even a new variant of the Rona that appears to be both more
>> contagious
>>> and more inclined to affect children. Our city was the first to hit
>> crisis
>>> with this; TBTG our numbers are going down now but other places are
>> really
>>> struggling.
>>> 
>>> After gathering frustration and concern about the platform’s ethics and
>>> willingness to accommodate bad actors of all types,  I deactivated my FB
>>> account so regrettably have lost touch with Pub friends of yore who were
>> on
>>> there. I persisted with Twitter @sallyshuttle - but if you seek me there
>>> currently, you will not find me. Owing to an Unfortunate
>> Misunderstanding,
>>> sooner poor phrasing, and inability to resist tweeting historical
>> minutiae,
>>> I am exiled to “Twitmo” and currently have little hope of escape from
>> that
>>> lonely isle since their idea of investigation is “when did you stop
>> beating
>>> your wife”.
>>> 
>>> I am therefore exploring and so far enjoying the visual feast that is
>>> Instagram - will gladly follow any of our number who is on there - let me
>>> know how to find you. IG handle is Sally_D_in_SA.
>>> 
>>> Being confined to home when not at work, I’ve been improving the shining
>>> hours by delving into Shakespeare plays throughout 2020 - with occasional
>>> diversions into other delightful works such as the Ancient Mariner,
>>> Wuthering Heights, and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. I don’t read much anymore
>> -
>>> eyes tire too easily - but YouTube is a firm friend. Theatre productions,
>>> including some wonderful American ones, are available and sometimes
>> movies
>>> as well. I haven’t had to pay for anything yet!
>>> 
>>> I can’t imagine how tough it would be to get through a year like 2020
>>> without the boon of IT - from Zoom to What’s App (yes, I know that’s also
>>> FB, to whom I bite my thumb)- to YT, Twitter and Netflix. Also Apple
>>> Podcasts...
>>> 
>>> In August, our little Mimsy cat passed away quite suddenly from kidney
>>> failure, leaving us sadly reduced. But in October, just as our elder
>> child
>>> and physics boffin Donal headed back into the wilds of Cape Town after 7
>>> months confined patiently at home, our fur family expanded to include
>>> Gimlet, a silky, slinky and highly adventurous black kitten. He’s now
>> four
>>> months old and growing by the day. Our bush surrounded home is full of
>>> dangers for small cats, not least our own dogs in the back yard and next
>>> door’s 3 cats, but Gimmi is fearless! So once again we are parents of a
>>> “teenager”, caught between his angry meows at being kept indoors, and
>>> anxious scanning of the yard as we wonder where he is and who might be
>> with
>>> him!
>>> 
>>> Whatever 2021 may hold for all of us, let us hold fast to our own guide
>>> rope. We are not yet even close to the surface of this deep, gloomy dive
>>> into which 2020 has plunged us but we slowly rise toward the light; and
>>> blindly cling on, knowing Whose hands are firmly grasping the other end
>> of
>>> the rope.
>>> 
>>> Love and blessings
>>> 
>>> Sally D
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Fri, 01 Jan 2021 at 02:02, Roger Stokes via Magdalen <
>>> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> If I had any doubt the noise of fireworks would remind me that 2020 is
>>>> making way for 2021 as I write. Some aspects of 2020, such as Covid
>>>> restrictions, will necessarily still be around for a while and here in
>>>> the UK we are now in a different relationship with the European Union
>>>> but we are called to face the future with confidence and faith.
>>>> 
>>>> Roger
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul.
> Judy Fleener, ObJN
> Western Michigan