|
Words For The Wind
Dear Friends,
I was talking about names, names
for a baby, with a young couple the other day that are
planning to have their child baptized in our parish
after the child is born.
They wanted to know if I thought
“Pepsi” was a name for a boy or a girl. It seems that
they had many memories in their relationship that
involved the soft drink and they want to name the new
baby, Pepsi.
I wasn’t really sure but I told
them I would do some thinking about whether it would be
a good name for a boy or a girl. What do you think, by
the way?
We hear all kinds of names for new
babies, if you listen when we ask the parents the name
when we do baptisms at Mass. We hear all kinds of things
about baby’s names at our Baptism Dinners before we
baptize a baby, as well.
Naming the baby it seems to me has
taken on a rather different slant over the course of the
last few years. Parents want their child to be
significant, and they start with a name that has
personal significance to them.
Perhaps, they have learned that
significance isn’t easy to find in these times,
seriously.
All of us want to be significant,
we want to matter, we want our story to count, if you
will. It is not easy in these times, though, to believe
that our story counts, that we matter.
External validation plays a big
role in our lives, we need to hear or see that we are
significant. That is, often, easier said than done, I
would suggest.
Frequently, we don’t have time to
share stories with other adults. There is not the time
to “chew the fat” as it were, to sit in the garage and
have a beer with a neighbor.
Our time with other adults is
limited for many reasons. If you are a young family with
kids, you are going to spend a lot of time driving your
kids take an awful lot of your time.
When do you take time for you, I
mean when do you take yourself off the clock? I know
that there are some things that have to be done. I know
that we like doing things for others, especially our
children.
When is your time, though? When do
you take the time to think and converse with adults that
you like to be with? When are you away from kids so that
you can talk about things that are interesting,
important, and good for you to have ideas about?
Sundays used to be “off the clock”
and people visited and, perhaps, had a special meal. I
hear of “date nights” for parents. That is not a bad
thing at all. If you forget each other, your kids will
know and it will matter to them.
Just some thought on this midsummer
solstice weekend.
You know, in addition to the names,
there is another thing I worry about for young couples
and babies. Not now, perhaps, but in 4 or 5 years when
these current junior high kids are parents (sadly some
are now, I know), who will change the diapers and how
will their babies learn to talk?
I mean, most of them will have
hands riddled with arthritis, gnarled, twisted fingers
from years of “texting”, how will they negotiate a
diaper pin?
Babies only learn to imitate speech
patterns that they hear and that resonate in their
memory, they can’t text.
By the time many of these kids are
parents they will only be able to text, the spoken
language will be but a distant memory to them. Guttural
grunts will be all that is left, that, and weirdly
spelled nano-words beyond pronunciation.
Happy summer,
Father Niblick
OUR TOWN: The Play
On July 1, at 7:00 PM in the
Church, anyone who is interested in doing a read through
of the Thornton Wilder play, Our Town, is invited
to join me. My plan would be for us to read through at
least the first two acts that night together and see if
we have the energy to continue.
There are 10 major characters in
the play and several minor characters. There will be no
memorizing, no make-up, no costumes, just our reading
the play with some knowledge and feeling. Anyone is
welcome. No age limits, although, there is only one
small part for a child of 8 or so, so I would say that
12 and above, is good.
The setting is a small town,
Grovers Corners, in early 20th century
America.
We would aim to do a public reading
at a date and time that would be determined in a coffee
house/wine bar setting for anyone who would like to
come. A discussion would follow the reading.
If you are at all interested but
can’t come, July 1, please email me at
nedgan@yahoo.com or call me at 865 8956. CWN
|
