FRIDAY REFLECTION, 10 MAY
It is Friday, May 10, 2019, and time for our weekly update and garden walk. I wish I had some news from court to share with you, but, alas, I do not. Waiting is the name of the game now. We are still waiting on the courts. We can do nothing else. One would think we would get used to this, but such is not easy to do. The schism has been time consuming to say the least:
37 years since the Diocese of South Carolina began differentiating itself from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church.
16 years since DSC began moving in earnest to depart from TEC, in the wake of the Gene Robinson affair.
11 years since Mark Lawrence became bishop of DSC.
6 years and 6 months since the DSC leadership declared the diocese to be separate from TEC.
6 years and 4 months since DSC started the legal war by suing TEC.
6 years and 1 month since TECSC opened its lawsuit in federal court against Mark Lawrence. Judge Richard Gergel now has this case.
21 months since the South Carolina Supreme Court issued its decision recognizing TEC ownership of 29 parishes and Camp St. Christopher.
16 months since Judge Edgar Dickson took the remittitur assignment from the SCSC. He has taken no action to implement the SCSC decision.
Thus, it is no wonder that people are worn out and a bit disheartened at the frustratingly slow pace of the litigation. Shell shock, war fatigue, whatever one wants to call it is all around us. Everyone on both sides (except perhaps the lawyers) wants closure and peace.
While we may want an expeditious end to it all, it must not be an end at any cost. The Episcopal Church is fighting for a just cause: the dignity and worth of every human being. There are some things worth fighting for, and this is one of them. Sixty-odd years ago TEC resolved to right the wrongs of the past, to champion equal rights and inclusion of people previously persecuted, condemned, and ignored: African Americans, women, and homosexuals. This was a courageous thing to do, even though it came at a high cost. But then, as we know in our religion, sometimes we pay a high price for doing the right thing, but we still do it because it is morally right. The Episcopal Church fight now is a struggle for human rights; and we must not forget that. This may not take away the weariness and hurt, but remembering the cause will help put our feelings in perspective. The diocesan leaders pulled DSC from the Episcopal Church in order to keep open homosexuals and women from having equality and inclusion in the church. What they have done since the schism makes this aim very clear. The battle lines in the war are also very clear.
Do not give up on the courts. Chances are good that we will be hearing from two of them in the next few weeks. The SCSC will have to respond to TEC's petition for a Writ of Mandamus. Federal Judge Gergel will decide whether to issue a decision on his own or to call a trial. These things will surely happen, maybe not as soon as we might like, but they will occur.
Meanwhile, let's turn from the gravity of the schism and lighten up with a walk around my garden to revel in the glory of God's magnificent creation.
Climbing rose "Don Juan." Put it in a sunny spot on a support, and you will be rewarded with numerous deep red flowers.
Florida Leucothe (Agarista populifolia) is a shade-loving large evergreen shrub that puts out tiny white blooms in spring.
Golden Sunset Spiraea (Spiraea japonica x bumalda 'Monhud'). Spiraea is one of the best families of shrubs for gardens in the south. This one has yellowish leaves and purple flowers.
Hosta, "Paul's Glory." I have never met a gardener who did not favor Hosta. If you have a bare shady spot that needs interest, try Hosta. The varieties are seemingly endless. They thrive on neglect and, since they are perennials, they return every year in their leafy glory. The problem with hosta is garden critters like them too. I think I have gotten rid of my resident rabbits, but not the chipmunks.
Fatsia japonica with variegated leaves. Being a native Floridian, I favor tropical plants in my garden. Fatsia is a tropical evergreen shrub that grows to five feet. If you have a shady spot with a little protection, fatsia will grow well in middle and lower south. This one is a companion to a stand of camellias. Otherwise, it has to be a houseplant.
Dwarf oak-leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea, Pee Gee 'Chantilly lace'). The oak-leaf hydrangeas are just coming into full flower. My garden has a half-dozen hydrangea bushes of various varieties. Hydrangeas thrive in our acid soils and can be seen in abundance growing naturally in the woodlands of the south.
Loquat tree, aka Japanese plum (Eriobotrya japonica). My garden is on a house building lot that is pie shaped, the narrow part on the street. The wide part has an L-shaped steep and weedy drainage ditch going along the very back edge. On the highest point, the elbow, I planted this Loquat tree. It was being crowded by a large shrub which I recently removed. Loquat is a tropical evergreen tree, similar in appearance to magnolia. It has small orange colored plum-like edible fruits. This tree is twenty feet tall.
I hope you enjoyed our little garden stroll today. These are some of the app. 700 trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, groundcovers, palms, and bulbs in my garden. Everyone needs therapy hobbies. Gardening is a great one: fresh air, beauty, and exercise. Besides, there is something liberating about one's primal return to the earth. Remember when you were a child and how much fun you had playing in the dirt and mud? Getting one's hands in the soil is good for the soul. Gardens certainly are good for the soul too. Just look at the number of times gardens appear in the Bible. In fact, humankind started out in the greatest garden of all. Indeed, many of the key events of the Gospels occur in gardens.
My parents dabbled with growing things when they could. This must have been good for them as my father lived to 96, mother to 94. For their funerals, both of them requested the hymn, "In the Garden." It is one of my favorites too.
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses...
37 years since the Diocese of South Carolina began differentiating itself from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church.
16 years since DSC began moving in earnest to depart from TEC, in the wake of the Gene Robinson affair.
11 years since Mark Lawrence became bishop of DSC.
6 years and 6 months since the DSC leadership declared the diocese to be separate from TEC.
6 years and 4 months since DSC started the legal war by suing TEC.
6 years and 1 month since TECSC opened its lawsuit in federal court against Mark Lawrence. Judge Richard Gergel now has this case.
21 months since the South Carolina Supreme Court issued its decision recognizing TEC ownership of 29 parishes and Camp St. Christopher.
16 months since Judge Edgar Dickson took the remittitur assignment from the SCSC. He has taken no action to implement the SCSC decision.
Thus, it is no wonder that people are worn out and a bit disheartened at the frustratingly slow pace of the litigation. Shell shock, war fatigue, whatever one wants to call it is all around us. Everyone on both sides (except perhaps the lawyers) wants closure and peace.
While we may want an expeditious end to it all, it must not be an end at any cost. The Episcopal Church is fighting for a just cause: the dignity and worth of every human being. There are some things worth fighting for, and this is one of them. Sixty-odd years ago TEC resolved to right the wrongs of the past, to champion equal rights and inclusion of people previously persecuted, condemned, and ignored: African Americans, women, and homosexuals. This was a courageous thing to do, even though it came at a high cost. But then, as we know in our religion, sometimes we pay a high price for doing the right thing, but we still do it because it is morally right. The Episcopal Church fight now is a struggle for human rights; and we must not forget that. This may not take away the weariness and hurt, but remembering the cause will help put our feelings in perspective. The diocesan leaders pulled DSC from the Episcopal Church in order to keep open homosexuals and women from having equality and inclusion in the church. What they have done since the schism makes this aim very clear. The battle lines in the war are also very clear.
Do not give up on the courts. Chances are good that we will be hearing from two of them in the next few weeks. The SCSC will have to respond to TEC's petition for a Writ of Mandamus. Federal Judge Gergel will decide whether to issue a decision on his own or to call a trial. These things will surely happen, maybe not as soon as we might like, but they will occur.
Meanwhile, let's turn from the gravity of the schism and lighten up with a walk around my garden to revel in the glory of God's magnificent creation.
I hope you enjoyed our little garden stroll today. These are some of the app. 700 trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, groundcovers, palms, and bulbs in my garden. Everyone needs therapy hobbies. Gardening is a great one: fresh air, beauty, and exercise. Besides, there is something liberating about one's primal return to the earth. Remember when you were a child and how much fun you had playing in the dirt and mud? Getting one's hands in the soil is good for the soul. Gardens certainly are good for the soul too. Just look at the number of times gardens appear in the Bible. In fact, humankind started out in the greatest garden of all. Indeed, many of the key events of the Gospels occur in gardens.
My parents dabbled with growing things when they could. This must have been good for them as my father lived to 96, mother to 94. For their funerals, both of them requested the hymn, "In the Garden." It is one of my favorites too.
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses...
