First world problems on a hot Sunday

 The neighbors have invited my husband for a sailboat ride, and now it's starting to thunder.

I told another neighbor I saw his daughter waiting tables at the Patio this morning.  Staffing is so light the "alumni" wait staff from years ago have been called in.  He told me she isn't his daughter, but was friends with his daughter and everyone makes that mistake.

My husband rarely complains about a sermon, but today we had a sweet young thing in her second church and third pregnancy.  It wasn't a bad sermon, but for people in our 80s, it was completely irrelevant.  We're finding that a lot these days.  "How to do it good" sermons and articles just have lost their appeal.

Speaking of that service, Michael Shirtz did a lovely, jazzy contemporary (his own, I think) arrangement of C. Austin Miles' "I come to the garden alone."  We don't hear it much these days, but early in the 20th century it was either loved or hated.  Adeline Jasper sang it at my grandmother's funeral in 1963, not knowing that my grandmother was one of the haters (according to my mother).  She considered it too shmaltzy and danceable for church--as did many others.  But it was a very popular hymn in those days.

Last night's program at the gazebo was breathlessly hot, both in weather and music.  The terrifically talented Chozen-Few from Cleveand played Motown, reggae, pop, jazz, blues and mostly 80s, so the gen-x grannies and over the hill boomers were getting up to dance to prove they've still got the moves. The squirrels in the tall trees surrounding the gazebo were going crazy jumping from limb to limb.  After 1.5 hours we left, and found out today it went on another 30 minutes.  We missed the sunset.

I left my beach towel at the Patio Restaurant this morning--I'd used it to cushion the hard bench in the park at morning worship. So I had to walk back in the heat to retrieve it.

On my way to the store, my neighbor on Oak handed me a sack of homegrown tomatoes while packing up his truck to go back to Dayton.  When I got them home I put two in the sun to ripen a bit.  Now it is cloudy and the sun has disappeared.  Wondering, is it too early for Ida to hit Ohio?  Ike (2008) did a few years back and in Columbus many neighborhoods were without power for days. 

Nap time is beginning earlier and earlier.  Today it was 11 a.m.

Primo dierum omnium, hymn of St. Gregory

First of All Days

Hail, day! whereon the One in Three
First formed the earth by sure decree,
The day its Maker rose again,
And vanquished death, and burst our chain.

Away with sleep and slothful ease!
We raise our hearts and bend our knees,
And early seek the Lord of all,
Obedient to the Prophet’s call:

That he may hearken to our prayer,
Stretch forth his strong right arm to spare,
And, every past offence forgiven,
Restore us to our home in heaven.

Assembled here this holy day,
This holiest hour we raise the lay;
And, O, that he to whom we sing,
May now reward our offering!

O Father of unclouded light,
keep us this day as in Thy sight,
in word and deed that we may be
from every touch of evil free.

That this our body's mortal frame
may know no sins, and fear no shame,
nor fire hereafter be the end
of passions which our bosoms rend.

Redeemer of the world, we pray
that Thou wouldst wash our sins away,
and give us, of Thy boundless grace,
the blessings of the heavenly place.

That we, thence exiled by our sin,
hereafter may be welcomed in:
that blessed time awaiting now,
with hymns of glory here we bow.

Most Holy Father, hear our cry,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most High
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee
Doth live and reign eternally.

This hymn is attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604) and there is good reason to think he may have written it. The ancient preface to St. Columban's Altus prosator describes the arrival of St. Gregory's messengers from Rome bearing gifts and a set of hymns for the Liturgy of the Hours. In turn, St. Columban sent a set of hymns he had composed to St. Gregory. There has been considerable debate of late as to whether St. Gregory really did write the hymn or if he simply sent what was current in Rome at the time. Considerable evidence can be put forth for both positions.