What a beautiful Sunday we've had. I went to the 10:30 service at St. Philip's but didn't sing in the choir, in fact didn't have much voice left after the first couple of hymns. At least, I didn't have to leave coughing. The choir sang a couple of anthems by Mendelssohn,  "I waited for the Lord" with beautiful solos by Mary Buchanan and Tessika McClendon, then they blended for the duet, and the second was "He watching over Israel." Really sorry I wasn't able to sing with them. I love those anthems.

Being in church and not able to sing is, for me, like sitting down to a banquet and not allowed to eat, really difficult to do, especially at our church. Father Tom gave a wonderful homily on the disadvantages of exclusivity and how we try to box God into a much smaller God than He actually is. He based it on our Gospel reading for the day Luke 4:21-30. Tom is an excellent preacher, thought-provoking and deep, but brief. Silas would have loved his sermons.

Then Mike and I went to El Portrillo for lunch with friends Jon, Trish, and Kyle, enjoyed great food and company. I impressed 12 year old Kyle by remembering several plays from the Vikings-Saints game last week. He is a huge Saints fan.

Next Sunday my friend Yvonne is hosting a Chick Super Bowl Party that Lucy and I are planning to attend. This should be a unique experience, as there will be no testosterone in the room, just the virtual kind. Usually that's my favorite part of watching football is observing how emotional boys and men can get over a game. I'll have to let the guys on TV provide all the macho stuff, I guess. Or I could go to the party at church, which includes a chili cook-off, but it's shaping up to be mostly couples and families, which is fine if you're part of a couple or a family that loves football. With Mike, I'm the closest thing to a sports fan in the house. He had rather watch a faucet drip than watch a ballgame.

It's been an interesting day, had breakfast at Primo's with friend Yvonne, then lunch with friend Carol. It was too cold for anyone with good sense to be out, but there were plenty of us who refused to stay at home. Mother Nature threw a few flakes of snow at us, but none that stuck. I don't think it got above freezing all day. Tonight I'm quite content to be in my office with my trusty little electric heater under my desk keeping me toasty warm. After hibernating most of the week with sinusitus, I was going a little stir crazy, so it was nice to connect with two of my favorite people today.

If I'm feeling okay in the morning, I'll probably go to church. Haven't been for the last 3 Sundays, so I've really missed it. I probably won't sing with the choir, however, since my head is still congested.

I tried to find something on TV that interested me, but didn't have much luck, so I've been playing computer games and listening to music. When I couldn't go back to sleep at 2 am this morning, I found another night owl, a Facebook friend, and played some Lexulous with him. It's like Scrabble, and people who know me know what a fanatic I am about that. I've got no less than 7 games going right now, none of them progressing fast enough to suit me, but that's okay, I enjoy it anyway.

If any of you haven't discovered the fun to be had at Facebook, you need to look into it. If you want me for a FB friend you'll find me with the name "Ceejay Garrett." There were already several Cathy Garretts and I didn't want to be one of many. I am, after all, a very unique individual.

When my son and my niece commented recently about this blog being on hiatus and how they missed it, I took it as the best sign in a series of signs that I should try again to generate the motivation it takes to do this regularly. (Thanks, Benji and Laura!) I'm not making any promises, but I am going to give it another try. Let's say it's part of the mindfulness practice I'm starting.

According to Wikipedia, mindfulness plays a central role in the teaching of Buddhist Meditation where it is affirmed that "correct" or "right" mindfulness is the critical factor in the path to liberation and subsequent enlightenment. My understanding of it is "paying attention to everything I'm doing and why I'm doing it." I have a habit of putting my mind in cruise control and not really thinking about what I'm doing or why.

Now, before my Christian friends start praying for a soul that has strayed too far from her fundamentalist roots, let me assure you that this soul is still Christian and practices her faith every Sunday at St. Philip's Episcopal Church and every day with prayer and meditation. She's not quite as fundamentalist as she was in her Baptist days, but still fairly orthodox by Anglican standards.

With that said, however, I must tell you that exploring the psychology of Buddhism has opened new vistas of understanding into how the mind works that I never got in my somewhat limited study of psychology and my more substantial study of the Bible and Christrine doctrine. Information about all these subjects is easily accessed on the internet and much of it is free. Most days find me reading articles that interest me and listening to lectures and music, all  while playing computer games, fooling with Facebook, performing household chores, and caring for my disabled husband. Sounds quite ADD, doesn't it? Yeah, I'm that, too.

Actually, it was the ADD and my inability to focus and concentrate that led me to the subject of Buddhism; that, and my problem with Destructive Emotions.  And for now, as Forrest Gump said, "that's all I have to say about that." There will be more.