Weekend Palate Cleanser; Thinking of My Wife Who Is Gone This Weekend In Florida For Her Dad’s Funeral

Okay. Odd title to the blog post. But, it is true. The weekend before last my wife was with her mother after surgery. Memorial Day weekend pretty much got ruined with news that Carrie’s Dad died. Funeral was today. Carrie and I both work and have three kids. So, weekends are pretty precious, even though we both do prison ministry weekends mostly to the detriment of each other. If you can, grab your spouse and dance to this one.

[Verse 1:]
There’s no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard,
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart,
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things,
Like a shoebox of photographs,
With sepiatone loving,
Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart ,
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it’s so hard?
It’s not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving,
I’ll tell you one thing, its always better when we’re together

[Chorus:]
MMM, it’s always better when we’re together
Yeah, we’ll look at the stars when we’re together
Well, it’s always better when we’re together
Yeah, it’s always better when we’re together

[Verse 2:]
And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they’ll be gone,
When the morning light sings
And brings new things,
But tomorrow night you see
That they’ll be gone too,
Too many things I have to do,
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I’ll be under the impression,
I was somewhere in-between
With only two,
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do,
Or places we got to be
We’ll sit beneath the mango tree now

Yeah, it’s always better when we’re together
MMM, We’re somewhere in-between together
Well, it’s always better when we’re together
Yeah, it’s always better when we’re together

Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm
I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing,
We’re better together

The New Inside Strategy: Communion Partners

COMMUNION PARTNERS
In the context of discussions about the Episcopal Visitors concept announced by the Presiding Bishop at the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans, we the undersigned have considered a need to maintain and strengthen

· our ties with the Anglican Communion
· our commitment to the observance of diocesan boundaries within The Episcopal Church
· and our exercise of our office as a focus of unity.
We believe such ties will provide the opportunity for mutual support, accountability and fellowship; and present an important sign of our connectedness in and vision for The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as we move through this time of stress and renewal.

PURPOSE:
Communion Partners is intended to

· provide for those concerned a visible link to the Anglican Communion
Many within our dioceses and in congregations in other dioceses seek to be assured of their connection to the Anglican Communion. Traditionally, this has been understood in terms of bishop-to-bishop relationships. Communion Partners fleshes out this connection in a significant and symbolic way.
· provide fellowship, support and a forum for mutual concerns between bishops.
The Communion Partner bishops share many concerns about the Anglican Communion and its future and look to work together with Primates and Bishops from the wider Communion. In addition, we believe we all have need of mutual encouragement, prayer, and reassurance. The Communion Partners will be a forum for these kinds of relationships.
· provide a partnership to work toward the Anglican Covenant and according to Windsor Principles
The Communion Partner bishops will work together according to the principles outlined in the Windsor Report and seek a comprehensive Anglican Covenant at the Lambeth Conference and beyond.

SCOPE:
Communion Partners
· is a relational fellowship
· are committed to honoring diocesan boundaries
· will be governed by mutual respect
· and will proceed by invitation and cooperation

PARTICIPANTS:

· Communion Partner Bishops (William H. Love, Albany; John W. Howe, Central Florida; James M. Stanton, Dallas; Russell E. Jacobus, Fond Du Lac; Michael G. Smith, North Dakota; Edward S. Little, Northern Indiana; Geralyn Wolf, Rhode Island; Mark J. Lawrence, South Carolina; John C. Bauerschmidt, Tennessee; Don A. Wimberly, Texas; Gary E. Lillibridge, West Texas; James M. Adams, Western Kansas; D. Bruce MacPherson, Western Louisiana)
· Communion Partner Primates (initially Tanzania, West Indies, and Burundi)
· Clergy and congregations who share Communion Partner commitments
· Other interested Bishops of The Episcopal Church

TRANSPARENCY:
Communication of activities with

· the Presiding Bishop of TEC,
· the Archbishop of Canterbury,
· the Meeting of Primates, and
· the Anglican Communion Office, and therewith the Anglican Consultative Council

This came directly from +Bruce MacPherson. A Living Church article is here.