Awakening a Keen Observer

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Internet connected

In an article in Presbyterian Outlook on "The church is Alive" by Leslie Scanlon, he quoted at the end a young person describing their own faith...
"Being connected to God is like being connected to the internet, you've got everything you need, right at your fingertips."

I see an image of praying hands... That's my image for that... however perhaps it would be a better image like that of Mother Theresa with her hands wide open reaching out... whichever image of fingertips reaching out... it's a great image of being connected to God.

One of the girls in the Children's Home in India said to me.
"Oh don't worry about us or be sad Auntie. We have everything. We have Jesus."
Now that's connected. How do we make those connections in our everyday lives? It's for us to do. Not with hands tucked into pockets..but with hands in prayer or reaching out. Remember the song by Jewel...
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's mind
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's heart
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's eyes
We are God's hands
We are God's hands
God Abide
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2009

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Stravinsky: Petrouchka

I've missed you all hope you are well.

When I was a senior in high school and president of the drama club, the Jesters, I was called one morning by our teacher and asked to go to the Columbus Ohio board of education office to spend the day as the radio announcer for the Board's radio station. My mom took me down and I was to be picked up at 4. I walked into the building and was hustled up to the small studio, introduced to the director, and then given a notebook with page by page things to read between the music that was played.
I sat down and off I went. It was fun for the most part. The director was a kindly man and we would chat in between the numbers. This day was their Classical Music day. Which really presented few challenges but I thought after a while I should read ahead in the script and see if there was anything I couldn't or didn't know how to pronounce. And there I saw it. Petrouchka.
I asked the director how to pronounce that and he said...don't know. So I did a couple of more breaks and when the next recording started I went down the hall to find someone to pronounce this for me. I had 4 minutes. So I walked here and there in the offices and asked folk how to pronounce it. No one knew. I did this several times. But as we were approaching that piece the director smiled, chuckled, and said. Well good luck.

I pronounced it the best I could. I could see the director laughing in the other room. After the
piece started I said...Oh my what did I say? He was still laughing. I had to recover from laughing with him to make the next announcement about a happening with the school board and
a play being put on in one of the high schools.

When the break came the phone rang in the directors booth. I could hear him say, her name is Bobbie Giltz, ....she's a senior at Whetstone, ....she said it right?! ...thank you for letting us know.

A teacher from one of the schools had called in apparently amazed that what ever it was I said in pronouncing "Petrouchka" was right. Then the director and I did laugh.

The day went on and 3:45 came and I was leaving to meet my Mom when the director told me it was really a fun day for him

.All too often we don't take risks. Risks in sharing our faith, or helping a stranger, or doing something bold outside our usual expectations. Step out friends today and take a risk. Use the brains God gave you to make a difference in the world. Look at a mystery before you and take a chance that you can 'say' it just right as well. And laugh....You may just get it right.
God abide with you
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2009