NOTES, ON 9-11 (2021)
Twenty years. Can you believe it has been that long? For everyone alive then, the memory of that horrific day is seared in mind forever. It was one of those times when everyone remembers precisely where he or she was when they heard the news of the planes hitting the World Trade Center in Manhattan. I was a librarian in the South Carolina Room of the Charleston County Library. The magnitude of the moment was almost too much to bear. The shock has not gone away, but has eased over time.
Let us solemnly remember now all the people who were lost on that terrible day and all the brave first responders who risked their own lives, some losing them, to help their fellow human beings in peril. It was a day of the worst and the best of humanity. As we grieve, I suggest that we all think how our lives have changed in those twenty years. How do you see yourself now as compared to twenty years ago?
September 11 also happens to be another anniversary here. It was on that day in 2013 that I started this modest blog. In that time I have made 900 postings, mostly on the schism in South Carolina, but also on other topics that I thought were important or interesting. Reader, you and I have been through a lot in these eight years. The important thing is that we were together even if electronically. We are all connected. I will keep doing this blog as long as people find it worthwhile. So far, hundreds of people a day click on to see what I have to say (nearly a million hits in the eight years). For me, this blog is a substitute for the classroom that I had for many years but no longer have. I have benefited greatly from an opportunity to address issues, organize my thoughts, and express them in the best ways I know how. I have been the big beneficiary of this project.
There is a lot of bad news around these days. Since we are already dealing with the heaviness of the 9-11 anniversary, let us not dwell on more negatives today. The sorrows of the day are enough now. So, let's turn to the signs or life and hope all around us.
All three dioceses important to us are moving boldly into the future with new leadership. This is a moment to celebrate.
The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina is about to consecrate its first diocesan bishop since December 5, 2012. It was on that day that the presiding bishop released and removed Mark Lawrence as the bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. Since then there have been two part-time provisional bishops and one visiting bishop. On October 2, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., Ruth Woodliff-Stanley will be ordained and consecrated the XV bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, in Grace Church Cathedral, in Charleston. The leading officer will be Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, a long and dear friend of the diocese. This will be a major landmark in the history of the diocese and I doubt there will be many dry eyes before the day is out. The service will be livestreamed.
The contingent that broke away from the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of South Carolina and formed a new church, called the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, are also moving forward on choosing a new bishop. This will be the second bishop of the ADSC, to follow Mark Lawrence when he retires. There are three candidates, two internal and one external. The external is the dean of the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas, of which Steve Wood, of Mt. Pleasant, is the bishop. If he is elected, this could signal the merging of the ADSC and the Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas, both in the Anglican Church in North America. They are overlapping jurisdictions, mainly in the lowcountry. If the ADSC loses in the state supreme court, a significant possibility, it would be left with just six parishes, scarcely a viable entity. It would make sense for this remnant to unite with Wood's diocese.
The walkabouts of the three candidates will be on September 13, 14, 15, and 16. They will be livestreamed, starting by 6:00 p.m. on each day. Find more info on this here .
The Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina is also searching for a new bishop. The walkabouts of the five nominees will be today, 11 September, and tomorrow, 12 September. These will be livestreamed beginning at 2:00 p.m. The election will be on 25 September, at Trinity Cathedral, in Columbia, also livestreamed.
Through all these years, one force that has kept me grounded (more or less) has been my garden. There I see the rhythms of nature repeated over and over, year in and year out. Whatever else is going on the world, through all the good news and bad, God's magnificent creation goes on. If nothing else, it reminds me always that I am part of a much larger scheme that operates on a much larger scale by a much larger power. I know that whatever happens, life will go on. And so, I revel in the beauty of nature as I lovingly tend the hundreds of plants I have chosen. As with this blog, I have been the big beneficiary in this. I am the one whose life has been enriched without bound.
And so, as we grieve today, I leave with a few new images of the beauty and wonder of God's gifts to us.
Coral Drift Rose. If you have a sunny spot that needs bright and beautiful color from frost to frost, try this. It is a small shrub rose, to about two feet, that blooms prolifically and requires little to no maintenance. Best planted in a mass.
This tree has become a popular small to medium tree in my area. It is Koelreuteria bipinnata, aka Chinese Flame Tree, Bougainvilla Tree. In summer, it puts out yellow flowers that turn into dark pink capsules. This specimen in my garden is too crowded. If it had more room of its own, it would be covered with a canopy of color.
I am a great fan of ornamental grasses. In the south, we have the ubiquitous and glorious Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana). It shoots forth these magnificent white plumes in late summer/fall. Actually, I do not recommend Pampas Grass for the typical home yard/garden because it grows large (10') and is difficult to maintain. Its sharp-edged leaves have to be trimmed down to about a foot in the winter to keep it from becoming overgrown (not my favorite job). There are many smaller and better managed ornamental grasses available even though their plumes may not match the grandeur of those of Pampas Grass.
Abelia is one of the best families of shrubs for the home garden. I have many varieties. This is 'Rose Creek.' In summer it is covered in countless white flower clusters that gradually turn dark red in late summer.
