I attended the annual synod for the Diocese of Springfield on Friday and Saturday. Not too much transpired. We'll have a "deficit budget" in 2010 after having run a deficit over the last year, the first time that has happened in any one's memory. We are just getting off the ground with the process of electing a Bishop Coadjutor (an assistant bishop with succession) to replace +Peter H. Beckwith, our current bishop. The Standing Committee hopes to have everything completed by February or March of 2011 (the Consecration of the new bishop). That may be quite ambitious, but we'll see.
At synod, Mother Molly spoke of the projects our Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will be doing in 2010. One of them is to purchase little heart-shaped medallions for mothers who lose their babies through still-birth or dead shortly after birth. She is a hospital Chaplain, so the ECW will help out at the hospital where she works. She gave a very good presentation and I spent the entire 10 minutes reliving my one CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) unit during which I had a day on which five babies died or were born dead. I baptised three of them and said prayers and blessings over all of them. Then, after I left the hospital that day I completely "lost it" and had to pull over to the side of the highway (I-64 in Illinois) and balled my head off for what seemed like forever. God bless Chaplains of whatever stripe, for their work is extraordinarily hard to do.
I got back Saturday evening and immediately got a call that my oldest parishioner, Earl, had taken a fall and was in the local hospital. So after a few minutes of rest, we headed for Salem to check up on him. By the time I got there he was in a room - infinitely more comfortable than an ER bunk! We visited for a bit and he told me that he had felt a bit light-headed before falling (in the bathroom). He hadn't told the ER doctors or the floor nurses about the light-headedness, because, "... my legs just wouldn't hold me up." so I spent last night and today's visit alerting the medical staff of that condition. Finally, today, Earl's son, Sandy, showed up and I told him and he said that he would personally tell the physician in the morning. I sure hope so. Earl just turned 90 and we all want to have him around for as many more years as possible!
Today, as Good Wife Sue and I were returning to the hospital to bring some flowers from the church to Earl, another of my folks, Tom, came out of the ER with two of his grandchildren. I called to him, "Hey, Tom, have you been to see Earl?" He said "No, Molly just died." Molly was the foster child of Tom's daughter, Jennifer. Jenn had really fallen in love with this little baby girl, even though she had some very severe health problems. We all were aware that she would die quite young, but had hoped and prayed that a few years with Jenn would show her the love and compassion she needed. But now she is gone and the entire family is in pain. Tom was able to baptise her as she died and I asked him to record that in our service register and I'll add her name to the long role of those who have gone to God before us. Jenn and her kids are now longer members of St. Thomas, but they will always be a part of us. And I will ask that all my people pray for her and the family. For all that the rest of us can do is to be present to Jenn and the rest of the family. In faith we give over to God's love, the soul of little Molly, praying that she rest for ever in God's peace.
Tomorrow I visit my family doctor to have a growth removed from my forehead. He doesn't think it is cancerous (nor do I), but it has gotten quite a bit larger in the last few months and is swelling up, so it is often uncomfortable under a cap or hat. So it is time for it to go. I'll just look even more ugly than normal for a few days!
And God's peace be with all this night. TAD+
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