Hail Mary, Full of Grace; Hail Mary, Full of Grace...
Well, I've done it, this time. Fifteen minutes into Coffee Hour and I'd committed the sin of gossip. Wait, is gossip a sin? I guess St. Paul says something about it. I'm not sure whether Moses did.
It all started with a rather gray, drizzly morning. I volunteered to exchange places with Parishioner X for usher duty which meant very little time for breakfast; just a couple of gulps coffee and some apple pie bars at McDonald's.
Usheriing was uneventful. It's actually nice being among the first people to meet and greet parishioners, especially if you don't get a chance to speak to some them very often.
Oh, I should add that I rode part of the way in with a neighbor from my building. We've been bumping into each other for years, at the exact same subway stop; he gives art classes Sunday mornings on West 57th Street. I never knew that. We are still terribly shy around each other and this was only the second time we've actually had a real conversation. He's a very serious person; I think he takes his identity as an artist seriously. I had a distinct sense of his weighing his words very carefully before he spoke (something I need to do more often.) I think the fact that we both probably carry a plethora of thoughts, at all times, all close to the surface, probably comes close to explaining why we are always on the verge of shutting down around each other.
Then, no sooner did I make a train connection at Times Square, than I bumped into another dance teacher from the Studio. I don't know his name, but I think he teaches tango. He shook hands with me as soon as we made eye contact across the aisle, then resumed reading a book he had with him. Moments later he brushed past me on his way out and offered his hand again. I think I wound up grabbing his wrist in my haste to avoid the closing doors.
Anyway, Mass sped by very quickly. I don't remember much except that there were a lot of shepharding allusions, thanks perhaps to this Gospel selection from John 10:11: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10:11
And, Elizabeth Swain went "down low" into the well of the church to give a truly spectacular Stewardship message (I meant to go up to her at Coffee Hour to get a pledge card, but, I guess I was too busy gossiping.)
And, there is this Youtube version of "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" (#664) that comes closest to what I heard from the Adult Choir, right after Communion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG7OI4T-zq0&feature=related
Which brings us to Coffee Hour.
I guess I don't feel as bad about gossiping *per se* as I do about the fact that I pulled Richard into it with me. We were trying to be discreet. But, every time he leaned in to whisper a well-considered detail, every ear within two feet seemed to stop what it was doing and bend forward with us to catch it. And, ask that he repeat it. And, answer questions regarding it.
It probably contained nothing that we each wouldn't have received directly from the "horse's mouth" in a week or so. It wasn't done with any malice. In fact, far from it: we all like the person immensely.
But, I have to admit, a line might have been crossed.
It all started with a rather gray, drizzly morning. I volunteered to exchange places with Parishioner X for usher duty which meant very little time for breakfast; just a couple of gulps coffee and some apple pie bars at McDonald's.
Usheriing was uneventful. It's actually nice being among the first people to meet and greet parishioners, especially if you don't get a chance to speak to some them very often.
Oh, I should add that I rode part of the way in with a neighbor from my building. We've been bumping into each other for years, at the exact same subway stop; he gives art classes Sunday mornings on West 57th Street. I never knew that. We are still terribly shy around each other and this was only the second time we've actually had a real conversation. He's a very serious person; I think he takes his identity as an artist seriously. I had a distinct sense of his weighing his words very carefully before he spoke (something I need to do more often.) I think the fact that we both probably carry a plethora of thoughts, at all times, all close to the surface, probably comes close to explaining why we are always on the verge of shutting down around each other.
Then, no sooner did I make a train connection at Times Square, than I bumped into another dance teacher from the Studio. I don't know his name, but I think he teaches tango. He shook hands with me as soon as we made eye contact across the aisle, then resumed reading a book he had with him. Moments later he brushed past me on his way out and offered his hand again. I think I wound up grabbing his wrist in my haste to avoid the closing doors.
Anyway, Mass sped by very quickly. I don't remember much except that there were a lot of shepharding allusions, thanks perhaps to this Gospel selection from John 10:11: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10:11
And, Elizabeth Swain went "down low" into the well of the church to give a truly spectacular Stewardship message (I meant to go up to her at Coffee Hour to get a pledge card, but, I guess I was too busy gossiping.)
And, there is this Youtube version of "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" (#664) that comes closest to what I heard from the Adult Choir, right after Communion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG7OI4T-zq0&feature=related
Which brings us to Coffee Hour.
I guess I don't feel as bad about gossiping *per se* as I do about the fact that I pulled Richard into it with me. We were trying to be discreet. But, every time he leaned in to whisper a well-considered detail, every ear within two feet seemed to stop what it was doing and bend forward with us to catch it. And, ask that he repeat it. And, answer questions regarding it.
It probably contained nothing that we each wouldn't have received directly from the "horse's mouth" in a week or so. It wasn't done with any malice. In fact, far from it: we all like the person immensely.
But, I have to admit, a line might have been crossed.