Days 4 & 5

Today I’m posting what I would have posted yesterday (when I was not able to partake…see Parallel Blog for details) and what I am posting today.

Day 4. Thirty-six years ago yesterday, I was confirmed into the United Methodist Church. A hip, cool and groovy Bible of that period (The Way) was inscribed by my dear mother and given to me that day by my parents. The inscription reads, “To our darling daughter, on her Confirmation Day. 1974 – April 7. Love to you – Mother & Daddy.” Ironic in its absence is a note of my baptism on that day….as most churches (including most in the Episcopal Church, of which I am now a member) require only baptism to come to the table, this was perhaps the most important of all the vows I would take on my journey to this place.

Day 5
Today at 11.55, I walked rapidly up 4th to Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati to celebrate mass. Of the two of us working the show at the Convention Center, I had been chosen to go, and I was grateful to embrace the briskness of both the walk and the morning air.

The Centennial Chapel (well sign-posted, once I learned that this was where I was to go) is an absolutely gorgeous space (okay…this is only the 7th espici space I’ve entered…and I’m beginning to think we’ve got the corner on appropriately awe-inspiring architecture and art work…wow…!).

The presider was delightful and the congregants welcoming – all 3 of them, together. No, I’m not going to digress into a rant on the absence of partakers at the celebration (twice weekdays) of the Eucharist at the cathedra in the Southern Diocese of Ohio (although I’m tempted; I don’t have the energy tonight). I’m going to say that this extremely hospital trio led and contributed to a beautiful service, with wonderful reflections by the presider/homilist on the transition to the “Resurrection Peter’’ (Acts 4) from the timidity and clumsiness of the Gospel Peter (John 21).

The Peace was passed, and, in this welcoming and informal environment, where I was from became a point of interest….after all, a 25% increase in attendance would be noteworthy at any gathering…even if that increase was only by 1 body (digression suppressed again). After saying I was from Chicago, the presider said cheerily, “Well, it’s obvious you do know what you are doing.”

We celebrated Communion together and, as a first for me, passed the elements from one to another. I did know what to do…although not licensed to serve, I do have a rather natty way with the napkin (lest anyone feel compelled to leap about pressing keys at this hour, I do know that it is more appropriately called the Purificator)…and the words, while not tripping off my tongue, did not stumble noticeably.

Tonight, at the end of a lengthy day of work at the Convention Center, we journeyed back to our room at the Cincituckey Airport, ready to have a light meal of appetizers in the room and tumble into blogs and bed. Unfortunately, neither the spicy chicken wings nor the calamari we’d enjoyed in the bar last night were on the room service menu…..so we donned shoes that tightly hugged tired feet and headed down to order what we knew we wanted. Second best would not do…neither room delivery of an over-priced steak nor a Chinese salad with cashews could fill the void we’d created as we anticipated a peaceful and sustaining dinner in the room.

The barman offered us the menu, but we already knew what to order. We dined comfortably in a hospitable environment and left sustained. As we left, he said, “You know the food!” It had been that way all day.