Coming Home

I'm tired. it was good to spend some time with my sister and dad but I'm anxious to get home. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a very busy time at COTM so I've got a lot to do when I get home. Thank God my Wardens and Staff are so capable.

I'll be curious about the feedback from the NRA connection. As a parish priest I always have to be careful about what I reveal about myself, as people make a lot of assumptions about how I should act or believe. I've been screamed at on the TTC Subway merely for being an Anglican Priest, even! To tell the truth, it makes me not want to wear my collar around when I'm aware that at any moment I might be verbally attacked. One time an Anglican priest I know was harassed by a woman in an airport who assumed he was Roman Catholic. When she had finished dressing him down for not ordaining women, he said calmly, "Are you finished?"
"yes."
"Then I should tell you that I'm not Roman Catholic, I'm Anglican. We do ordain women."
"I've made a terrible mistake, haven't I?"
"yes."
"I should go away and sit down, shouldn't I?"
"Yes, I think that would be best."

I'm not ashamed of my sister or what she does. And if people want to disagree with me about the rightness of her cause, that's fine. I'm used to holding a lot of opinions that other people disagree with. Even something as simple as my belief in God has gotten me into some heated debates! I've actually taken about as much heat from the "right" from time-to-time as the "left." like I've said, I really have a foot in each world.

I think that this situation will also reveal something of the difference between American and Canadian Culture. Not much I can say about that except to accept that I live in Canada and that's my home! I love Canada, but I'm an American citizen with some of the peculiarities of that culture still embeded in me. Sorry! it is confusing sometimes, I admit, even for me. Living trans-culturally isn't always easy.

So if my time at the NRA convention bothers you, I'm sorry you feel that way. I certainly didn't mean to offend, and I'm not making any statements here about Canada or anything like that. Certainly I'm committed to a peaceful and law-abiding society and believe in a God of Peace and Love. Certainly I think crime and urban violence are terrible things. Sigh. in the end I can only be honest about who I am and where I come from and where I believe I am called to go.

-t