I decided to add a new section to this blog that would encourage folks to initiate conversations that may not fit with the topics of my choosing on the blog. Some of my most satisfying encounters with people, both inside and outside my congregation, have happened around a simple kitchen table or in similar settings. So please, feel free to engage me and other readers in conversations that I hope will be enlightening or “lightening” (we all need a laugh once in a while).
P.S. – The picture above is of the hearth in the original kitchen in Le Puy-en-Velay, where the first six Sisters of St. Joseph lived. (Thanks to Kelly for the suggestion to include it!)
First and foremost, Glory Be To God.
O.K… discovered you on Sister Julie’s site. You are someone that loves music . I as well. Let’s see….. just from what little repertoire I know of you…..You play Clarinet and saxes. They are marvelous instruments! Even the Angels are partial to horns. I just took up playing the clarinet, alto, soprano and tenor saxophones about a year ago and have fallen in love with them. I also own French Horns, Trumpets, Cellos, Violins, Flutes, Pianos and innumerable Guitars and Basses. Not good at a single one of them, but won’t put them down or give them up for any promises of this world.
My question is , are we a privileged few that get to understand what David could do by driving away even Angelic Beings? Noticed your living alone forum……I don’t have a choice, I’d drive someone crazy. They’d have to listen to me all the time. Have considered myself very blessed. I’m at the point in life I’m an old grandpa and I wear that understanding with gratitude and praise for God.
Your Brother In Christ,
Brother Reg
Welcome, Reg!
I’ve seen your encouragements to Julie on her web site, also. She does a great job…and I enjoy your posts to her site.
I got a chuckle about your observation that you’d drive someone crazy if they had to listen to you – do you mean listening to your playing your many musical instruments?
You remind me of my first year of novitiate, when I expressed an interest in learning guitar, and one of novitiate staff asked me if I already knew any instruments. I told her that I had played clarinet through high school, but hadn’t touched it since (for over 7 years). Anyway, she encouraged me to take it up again, so off I went to the basement to try to minimize the trauma to my other 13 housemates.
At that time, it had never occurred to me that one could play clarinet at Mass, and my big debut at the “mothership” was playing an excerpt from the 2nd movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto (was it the film “Out of Africa” that featured this piece?) at the presentation of gifts. I shocked the heck out of a lot of people who never knew I played anything.
I would never have imagined that today I would be wailing away on the sax as part of a gospel choir when, back then, I had to write out every note transposed to the right key for the clarinet.
Thanks for being my first visitor to the kitchen table!
P.S. – I love the cello!! It’s cool that you have one. I could listen all day to cello music!
I just looked at how the comments for this page appear on the sidebar…
“Sandy, csj on The Kitchen Table, Reggie Hudson on The Kitchen Table”… maybe I’ve just worked too hard this week, but the image in my mind is too funny, as in “ON” the kitchen table. My mom always thought I was a wild one…what a hoot!
Well little sis. us musicians are a strange bunch (referring to the side bar). But we’re never what we appear we are, are we?
The topic of driving someone crazy, if they had to listen to me…………..refers both to my playing and actually having to listen to me. Trust me, many should count themselves blessed that they don’t have to listen to me as well.
Music is a marvelous manifestation of God’s Love. It’s sad we live in a world that wants to hear only self gratification. Try and do something tomorrow that you can’t do today…… has always rang true in my heart and in my ears.
Thanks Sis,
Brother Reg
O.K. Disregarding the risk of being put on the kitchen table again, I just had to comment! Just read your blog about “Walking Eagle” and laughed my you know what off. Thanks sis. I”m going to jump out of here and come back with links to the Contra Bass Clarinet and Sax. It’ll blow your mind sis.
Brother Reg
Sister, here are the links.
The first is for the contra bass clarinet. The monstrosity you see in the whole group picture of the clarinet family is the Contra Bass Clarinet.
http://www.jayeaston.com/galleries/clarinet_family/clarinet_p_Leblanc_clarinet_family.html
Here is the contra bass sax
http://www.jayeaston.com/index.html
Enjoy and marvel sister! Listen to some of the sound clips. You’d swear you hear strings where there are no strings being played.
Brother Reg
Thanks, Bro, for the links to that web site! Very informative and impressive. I think I’ll stick with my B-flat Selmer Series 10G. I’ve moved too often to even think about accumulating too many more instruments…
Sis,
Not familiar with the 10G series but am well acquainted with Selmer. Since I own several different horns Selmer is somewhat of a lust point for me(a confession moment). They are by far the finest horns ever made.
Have you ever just set back and wondered, “how in the world did someone ever come up with this instrument?”. We think learning to play it was difficult, what about the concept of the creation of the instrument itself? It baffles and humbles me greatly. There are rudimentary principles of physics in the very design of this instrument.
The Lord never ceases to amaze me.
Brother Reg
O.K. Once again I sit at the kitchen table and there’s no coffee, no donuts. You’d think that maybe there would even be an occasional cherry cheese cake. Just giving you a hard time sis.
How’s the clarinet and sax playing going? Just sharing something I sent to Bill in an e-mail earlier. Quote from Bach…”Music is given to us for the edification of mankind and the Glorification Of God…..anything else is not music”. I cried like a baby the first time I read those words.
Brother Reg
p.s. you know maybe even a Starbucks Vente Ice Mocha would be nice at the table.
Reg,
For your donut, go to this post:
February 20, 2007
How about I work on the coffee another time?
Just thought i’d leave a note to say howdy. I have been reading your blog for awhile now and really enjoy the topics you write about. I am an associate member of the SSJs in Erie so, it was neat coming across your blog. I have a suggestion…maybe for thise part of the blog to give it a homey look maybe put up a picture of the kitchen in Le Puy…. God’s blessings…and hopefully I can find some good conversation to join in on!
Kelly,
Great idea…I was actually in Le Puy last year, and I do have a photo of the kitchen hearth there. Thanks!
🙂 That was quick work! Must have been an awesome experience being there. I would love to visit there someday.
BTW….do you have any advice for someone discerning?
Kelly, sounds like you are discerning vowed membership, is that right? Feel free to send me an e-mail..perhaps we can connect sometime. You can send me an e-mail from the “About Me” page on this web site.
You might also want to check out my friend Julie Viera’s web site, “A Nun’s Life” (see my sidebar for a link). Her sidebar has a section called “Decoding Formation”. It may or may not be a good starting point for you.
I’ll be on retreat July 6-12, so if you e-mail me and don’t get an answer right away, don’t despair….
Greetings Sister Sandy ~
In keeping with the retreat in which you are partaking, I came across the following post in my reader that you may find of interest.
Here is the link : http://ryandunssj.blogspot.com/2008/07/on-prayer.html
It is written by Ryan Duns, SJ and pertains to prayer and our restlessness.
I believe the author does a nice job with his analogy of a cabin, getting things in order and a tea-kettle.
If you feel it is has merit, maybe you can create a entry in your blog that draws out your thoughts on it as well as what you have found helpful with your prayers and conversations with God.
I hope all is well with you.
Kaz
Thanks, Kaz!
Yes, I’m a frequent reader of Ryan’s blog, and we go back to his days as a novice in the Detroit area. Great idea for a topic…
Hey Sister Sandy,
I saw your animated avatars. Pretty cool stuff!
I just read your recent entry “Honor and Shame” from yesterday, August 21, and connected it with the goings on with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit.
And, unsettling as the situation is in Detroit, what was more unsettling to me is/was the application directly to my own actions and life.
Thank you for sharing the fruit of your reflection.
Thanks, Kaz!
I’d be interested in hearing more about how you connect this with Detroit and its mayor. And if you feel so inclined, sharing how it applies to your own life might be edifying to other readers – but I don’t want to pressure you…
Hey Sister Sandy!
I’ve been getting your RSS Feeds to your entries and keeping with your posts.
I thoroughly enjoy them.
I ventured back to the Kitchen Table and saw your response ( about a day or two ago ) about my connecting your recent entry “Honor and Shame” with the Detroit Mayor as well as how it applies to my own life.
I’ll be given this some more thought and more than likely place a post rather soon – – – I am anticipating perhaps as soon as this weekend –Labor Day . . .we’ll see as my son may be coming home from college .
No worries about any pressure on relaying a post .
I must say I sincerely appreciate the manner in which you placed your request to me.
In this your communication to me – as with other times — I am learning from you on how to be gentle and gracious in spirit and putting it in practive in my daily life.
Until next time ~
Kaz
Hey Sister Sandy ~
I re-read the part of your entry in “Honor and Shame” that struck home with me.
Here it is :
” This is a profound challenge to the gender-based honor/shame system—a shameless woman is honored and Jesus is apparently shamed. Rather than slinking offstage or mounting a counterattack, Jesus broadens his understanding of who the kingdom is for and honors his opponent: “Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:28).’
My reflection on it applies to my life.l
I belong to a community internet forum.
And, on the forum, there are at times heated debates on various topics.
I, as a personal code of conduct, do not engage in flame-fests toward other posters.
However, I do catch myself ( even if it only noticeable to me)
being less than charitable to these people.
I am careful to be diplomatic in my responses so no one would be able to point their finger at me and say “A-ha!.”
Yet, internally, I know what were my intentions and motives.
I once heard a wise saying : ” A person can be right in an argument. Dead right.”
Which translates to me that a person may be right in their argument, yet kill the relationship.
The part of your entry that really “got me” was this part :
” Rather than slinking offstage or mounting a counterattack, Jesus broadens his understanding of who the kingdom is for and honors his opponent.”
Jesus’ broadening his understanding of who the kingdom is for and honoring of his opponent, is the aim that I feel is applicable in my daily life – online or person to person – and to which I strive – yet struggle – to achieve.
May God continue to bless you and your work.
Kaz
Kaz,
Thanks for your thoughtful reflections…you are right…it is very difficult to regulate our internal motivations and judgments. And it is a very human thing to struggle with this.
And it is difficult to refrain from acting on them; not very many people even attempt to do this, so your care to be respectful and diplomatic is an unusual gift.
There will be times I slip and lash out unkindly at someone…it’s not the end of the world…the important thing is to acknowledge the mistake and try to make amends and learn even greater humility.
I love your take on the “Dead right” saying.
No website….still ….thinking
The “Kitchen Table” caught my interest
Coming from a French Canadian family we always sat at the table to converse. Many good souvenirs.
You have such energy, active and interesting life….’
Question?? what do you do on your time off, or do you take some time out………if not need to know source of energy
Salut
Francoise,
Bienvenue! Glad you stopped by, and hope you feel free to enter the conversations we have here at any time.
Thank you for your interest. You ask a great question…what is the source of my energy? I realize that this may sound a little “nunny”, but the source of my passion for life really is my relationship with God.
If you’ve ever been “in love” then you have a sense of this energy, no? Being in love gives me tremendous energy, and even when the relationship is a little less intense, knowing that this God is madly in love with me, just as I am, it somehow gives me what I need to go on, despite what at times are difficult circumstances.
My time off…you remind me that I need to be more attentive…I have not taken much time off as late – the nature of the beast in academia. However, I love reading, hiking, biking, conversation and just hanging out with good friends. I love technology and young people, so in many ways, my work often feels like play…I really am blessed!
Does this get at what you are asking? Let’s keep talking!
My kitchen table has been pretty lonely lately…anyone feel like stopping in to chat about anything? You pick the topic…
yes indeed…it has been lonely…but…what topic to discuss….that is the question! 🙂 I think perhaps we could begin again with a discussion on what inspires us since so much seems upside and backwards and dark in our world today.
What inspires me is seeing that parts of our younger generations are understanding what it is to help the neighbor. MY parish always participates in a 30 hr famine. And the other day I was out with my family and there was a group of youth in town who were collecting canned goods for the poor and homeless raising awareness. Seeing our young take on such missions always gets me thinking about what I am doing or not doing to help and show love to the ‘dear neighbor’.
Kelly, you are so right!! I think our young people today give us a wonderful example of what it means to just give of themselves to help those who are less fortunate.