Jack Spratt

Jack Spratt could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean,
And so, betwixt them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.

As a child, I learned this version of the fairy tale.  It's what I memorized and still spout to myself anytime I think of fat and thin.  I specifically remember the word "betwixt" in it and "you see," but this morning I had trouble finding that specific wording in any of the versions online.  I also remembered "Spratt" with two Ts, but nearly all that I found had only one.  The version above is from The Little Mother Goose (1912), and the illustration is from the Volland edition of 1915.  Even though it is not the one that was in my childhood book, I like the exaggerated fatness and thinness in the image of Jack and his wife in this illustration.

Word of the Day

be·twixt / bəˈtwikst / preposition / adverb = archaic term for between.  Example:  "And so, betwixt them both, you see, they licked the platter clean."  (Betwixt is archaic, except in the phrase "betwixt and between," which means being in an intermediate position; neither altogether one nor altogether the other.)

Hmm, does this word memory mean I'm archaic?  At 80, I'm ancient, anyway.  Maybe I should be quoting "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" instead of nursery rhymes.  Or maybe I should "rite" the "rime" of the ancient Bonnie.

Phrase of the Day

"Avoid it like the plague."

I saw that someone posted on Facebook:  "We're gonna have to retire the expression 'avoid it like the plague' because it turns out humans do not do that."

Sad, but I know it's true when I look around at all the people who have decided NOT to wear a mask — or wear it hanging off one ear.  Why wouldn't we want to "avoid the plague"?  Because "it's a hoax," or "it's uncomfortable to wear a mask."  Because "I'm young and it won't affect me," or because "I'm not sick, so why should I?"

The Paper Mask Princess ~ by Stefanie Trilling

The Paper Mask Princess ~ by Stefanie Trilling, 2020

Covid, your microscopic images are really pretty and your antibodies are really neat.  You look like a novel coronavirus, but you are a bum.

I've been enjoying the book parodies Stefanie Trilling has been posting on Facebook. She has come up with some very exceptional titles, but I especially love the one above that she posted today.  Gotta love that random roll of toilet paper there, too.  Here's the quote from the original book being parodied, and you can read what I wrote about this children's book a decade ago by clicking on the title.

The Paper Bag Princess ~ by Robert N. Munsch, 1980

"Elizabeth, you are a mess!  You smell like ashes, your hair is all tangled and you are wearing a dirty old paper bag.  Come back when you are dressed like a real princess."

"Ronald," said Elizabeth, "your clothes are really pretty and your hair is very neat.  You look like a real prince, but you are a bum."

They didn't get married after all.

The dragon on this cover isn't Ronald, a prince, but it plays a major role in this story.  Actually click on the middle picture of Princess Elizabeth in my blog post from 2010, you'll see her confronting the dragon, who burns up whole forests with his fiery breath.  Notice how the brave little princess flinches, but she doesn't run away.  The Paper Mask Princess is also unflinching, wearing her mask and green scrubs and gloves to confront that big bad coronavirus.

Holston Annual Conference 2020

Theme of 2020 Annual Conference

I'm a retired clergy member of the United Methodist Church, which is divided into "conferences."  Each conference meets annually.  My membership is in the Holston Conference, which stretches through parts of Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holston Annual Conference 2020 has been rescheduled from its prior plans to meet in person at Lake Junaluska this week (June 7-10) to meeting via Livestream on Saturday, June 27th from 1 to 3 p.m.

Today, I "attended" this year's Holston's Pre-Conference Briefing, which in the time of COVID-19 means I watched it online.  Here are some of the things that were covered:

• What a Virtual Annual Conference (VAC) is
• How the VAC will work
• Explanation on not voting
• Update on the memorial service
• Update on the ordination service
• Updates on our mission offerings

Click this link if you want to view today's pre-conference briefing.  Here are dates I want to remember:

• Virtual Pre-Conference Briefing — June 7th at 2:00 pm
  — Sets forth how we'll do things this year.
• Virtual Clergy Session — June 8 at 1:00 pm
  — The list of appointments can be downloaded afterwards.
• Virtual Annual Conference — June 27 from 1:00-3:00 pm
  — I plan to attend from St. Louis via Livestream.

More information is available at AC.Holston.org

Silence Is Violence ~ peaceful vigil tomorrow

Beginning ~ by being thrown out of a car

Sometimes in big Hollywood movies they'll have these crazy chase scenes where somebody jumps or gets thrown from a moving car.  The person hits the ground and rolls for a bit.  Then they come to a stop and pop up and dust themselves off, like it was no big deal.  Whenever I see that I think,  That's rubbish.  Getting thrown out of a moving car hurts way worse than that."

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood ~ by Trevor Noah, 2016, memoir (South Africa)

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act:  his birth.  Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison.  Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away.  Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

This is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist.  It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother — his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting.  Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty.  His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.

Betty Burnett told me about this Trevor Noah memoir, and I got it for my Kindle.  I found this YouTube video (recorded May 29, 2020 by Trevor Noah), which I posted on my Facebook page on June 1st.  It's powerful.  After watching it, I wondered:  "Are we upholding society's contract?  How?  By not looting?  How about by not murdering black men just because you can?"  Here are a couple of quotes I pulled from the 18 minute video:

Trevor Noah says, "There is no contract if law and people in power don't uphold their end of it" (at 11:11 minutes into this 18 minute video).

"If the example law enforcement is setting is that they do not adhere to the laws, then why should the citizens of that society adhere to the laws when, in fact, the law enforcers themselves don't?" (at 11:53-12:03).

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What is mine to do?

Educate myself

I watched this powerful movie yesterday, a true story that feels like a documentary, except that we see into this young Harvard graduate's heart and his passion for justice.  It follows this brand-new lawyer as he defends a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence.  Johnny Lee (played by Jamie Foxx) was convicted of the murder of Rhonda Morrison.  The conviction was based on perjured testimony.  Bryan Stevenson (played by Michael B. Jordan) has come to this Southern town to defend the poor and bring justice to death row cases.  He believes Johnny Lee is innocent and attempts to get his conviction overturned.

Usually, I choose to read the book rather than watch a movie.  But yesterday, someone posted a link on Facebook to the article Warner Bros. Offers Free 'Just Mercy' Rentals to Help Educate on Systemic Racism.  A free movie?  The subtitle of the article says, "The 2019 legal drama stars Michael B. Jordan as Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson."  I found information about it on Wikipedia.  Wow!  This is a brand-new movie that opened in theaters at Christmas, a mere five months ago!  Look at the accolades for this New York Times bestselling book turned into a movie:

Named one of the most influential books of the decade by CNN • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • Esquire • Time • Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction • Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize • An American Library Association Notable Book

The real person, Bryan Stevenson, was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need:  the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system.  One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit.

This may be the best movie I've ever seen.  It's for sure I'll never forget it.  Here's how you can view it for free, too.  I went to Amazon.com, did a search for "Just Mercy movie," signed in, clicked that I wanted to get it, and it was immediately available.  I could watch it immediately, with 48 hours to finish viewing it.  So I closed other "windows" I had open on my laptop and sat down to play it right then.  Warning:  I was in tears several times, so be prepared.

Wear a mask

The Crown Center for Senior Living requires that we wear masks whenever we go outside our apartments.  If we don't, it's is considered a lease violation.  And nobody can enter the buildings without a mask, as signs like this one at every door show.  We have large groups of Russians and Chinese as well as English speakers, so notice it's in three languages.  A new study shows that face masks greatly reduce the risk of getting the coronavirus, so I'm very happy the staff here are enforcing this rule.

Exercise to stay healthy

Have you been exercising?  Here's a 30-minute stretch and mobility workout from Silver Sneakers, if you want to try it.  I haven't done this one yet, but I plan to.

Joyful June Calendar

Click to enlarge calendar

This Joyful June Calendar from the Action for Happiness folks has daily actions to help us look for what's good, even in difficult times.

June 1
~ Decide to look for what's good, even on the difficult days.
June 2
~ Reframe a worry and try to find a positive way to respond.
June 3
~ Think of three things you're grateful for and write them down.
June 4
~ Show your appreciation to those who are helping others.
June 5
~ Smile and be friendly, even while you're social distancing.
June 6
~ Notice the upsides during the lockdown, however small.
June 7
~ Find a joyful way of being physially active (indoors or out).
June 8
~ Write a letter to thank someone for what they did.
June 9

~ Find the joy in music today:  sing, play, dance, or listen.
June 10
~ Take a photo of something that brings you joy, and share it.
June 11
~ Say positive things in your conversations with others today.
June 12
~ Make a plan with friends to do something fun together.
June 13
~ Appreciate the joy of nature and the beauty in the world around.
June 14
~ Do three things to bring joy to other people today.
June 15
~ Rediscover a fun childhood activity that you can enjoy today.
June 16
~ Ask a loved one what they feel grateful for at the moment.
June 17
~ Be kind to you.  Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend.
June 18
~ Send a positive note to a friend who needs encouragement.
June 19
~ Create a list of favorite memories you feel grateful for.
June 20
~ Make time to do something playful today, just for the fun of it.
June 21
~ Enjoy trying a new recipe or cooking your favorite food.
June 22
~ Share a happy memory with someone who means a lot to you.
June 23
~ Look for something to be thankful for where you least expect it.
June 24

~ Thank a friend for the joy they bring into your life.
June 25
~ Eat food that makes you feel good and really savor it.
June 26
~ See the upside in a difficult situation you learned from.
June 27
~ Watch something funny and enjoy how it feels to laugh.
June 28
~ Create a playlist of your favorite songs, and enjoy them.
June 29
~ Take time to do something that makes you happy today.
June 30
~ Make a list of the joys in your life (and keep adding to them).

"Every day may not be good, but there is

something good in every day." ~ Alice Morse Earle

Word of the Day ~ Week? ~ Month?