"There’s a storm comin’! I tell you astorm!” Pastor yelled, pounding the pulpit. “ARE YOU READY?”
The congregation shouted Amen, Praise the Lord…waking
Emily from her nap on the pew.
Mama was standing, being one of the Amen
group.
Emily rolled and then planted her chubby little
feet on the maple floor. The walking
thing was still iffy, but she had the crawl-ing down. Distance to the pulpit wasn’t far at all,
and at a fast crawl, Emily
could cover it before Mama noticed.
And, off she took, under pews, between legs,
around feet, past purses. Oh, Emily knew
she was fearless, and this would be another time she found
freedom, with her white diaper bottom wagging behind.
“Can you make a joyous noise to
the Lord??” Pastor roared. Cue the organist, who joined in with a chorus from
different hymns.
Emily reached the pulpit and pulled herself up,
pounding on the cross
“Root out sin! Let joy rise as a fragrance to the Lord!” He
raised his arms, pointing to heaven.
Emily plopped down on her bottom, onto a loaded
and ripe diaper. You betcha! Emily
clapped and cooed as Mama came running.
Thank you, Elephant's Child at its original form for
providing the bold underlined italicized words! She tossed 6 to 12
words out at writers to take up a challenge in their writing each week.
Wherever we go, there are some amazingly cute precious babies. I look at the parents with a smile, pat my chest, saying "Grandma"
This is a repost from 2022. Wednesday Words is a genre free challenge created by Delores, who probably could not have predicted how it would keep going.
Cancel culture has its sights set on comedy.Unfortunately, it’s having a major negative impact on movies and comedic performances. But Monty Python’s John Cleese refuses to bow to the woke trans mob and won’t remove this one joke from a classic movie.
Offensive in today’s environment?
The hilarious scene features a man claiming that he is a woman and that he can have a baby.
Cleese is currently working on a stage production of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, a 1979 movie about a man who is mistaken for Jesus Christ.
However, actors in the stage version have allegedly told Cleese one
scene would need to be cut out of the reproduction because it was
offensive in today’s environment.
The scene in question features a character named “Stan”, who wants to become a woman and have babies.
“I want to be a woman,” Stan declares. “From now on, I want you all to call me Loretta.”
Cleese’s character Reg looks at him and bewilderingly asks, “What?”
“It’s my right as a man,” Stan fires back at Reg.
“It’s every man’s right to have babies”
The scene goes on and gets even funnier and more prophetic.
When asked why he wants to be a woman, Stan said because “I want to have babies.”
“You want to have babies?” Reg replies.
“It’s every man’s right to have babies if he wants them,” Stan yells.
When Reg informs Stan that he “can’t have babies,” Stan plays the victim card and tells him “don’t you oppress me.”
“I’m not oppressing you, Stan, you haven’t got a womb,” Reg replied.
“Where’s the fetus going to gestate? You gonna keep it in a box?”
Other characters in the scene agree that Stan can’t have babies but do believe he should have the “right to have babies.”
“What’s the point of fighting for his right to have babies when he can’t have babies?” Reg responded.
Another character answered that “it is symbolic of our struggle against oppression.”
Reg then said Stan has a “struggle with reality” for thinking he can give birth to a baby.
Monty Python is “transphobic”
Of course, critics claim the scene in the movie from 44 years ago is “transphobic.”
However, conservatives argue that it’s prophetic.
But despite the controversy, Cleese has confirmed he will not be removing the scene from the upcoming stage show of Life of Brian.
“A few days ago I spoke to an audience outside London,” Cleese wrote on Twitter. “I told them I was adapting the Life of Brian
so that we could do it as a stage show ( NOT a musical ). I said that
we’d had a table reading of the latest draft in NYC a year ago and that
all the actors – several of them Tony winners – had advised me strongly
to cut the Loretta scene. I have, of course, no intention of doing so.”
Cleese went on to say about the actors in the upcoming production
that “these were absolutely top-class Broadway performers and they were
adamant that we would not get away with doing the scene in NYC! I asked
them, ‘Are Python fans not going to come because we’re doing a scene
they’ve been laughing at for 40 years?'”
Why do babies cry, and what can a frantic parent
do to satisfy this tiny 8 pound being?
This being who, essentially, has become the emperor/empress of the
house?
Oh, I remember those days years ago where we parents
were enthralled by this sweet little infant who was waving fists and screaming
red-faced.
First child: frantic; second child: not so much;
but, third child? We would have moved
heaven and earth when she started crying.
We figured out the basic answers, however, the
last one leaves us baffled. These are:
The baby is tired, but is in denial.
The
baby is hungry. No problem.
The
baby needs a diaper change. Your turn.
Our own grandson after taking a three-pacifier nap.
The
baby wants to be comforted. Find the
pacifier, rocking chair, and blankie.
The
baby wants to go on a car trip, even though it is 3 a.m.
What
can we do?! Good Lord, help us!
Do not feel obligated to watch the entire 28 seconds.
The
final one hits every parent. But we have
some ideas.
Maybe the baby has heard about the recent House of
Parliament appointments?
Maybe the last presidential elections went the
wrong way?
Maybe the baby wants the wall in the nursery repainted?
While these are obviously ridiculous answers, desperate
times call for desperate measures.
Even if you have not had children oreven plan to in the future, all of us have gone on a plane with a baby screaming in seat 27A, while our own seats are two rows ahead, 25AB.
p.s.
Our babies are adults with children of their own. We grandparents smile and nod our heads with
no sage advice to give. God is good.
I do not
think I can hit #18, but will at least write a few.
#1 and most
important is my relationship with God.
Even when my beliefs were wobbling, God kept His hand over me,
protecting me. Through Jesus Christ, my sins
are forgiven.
#2 is the love
my husband and I share.
#3 …my
children who are now mature adults. John
and I were young parents, in our 20s, and did not know what we were doing. Somehow, these wonderful people did not know
that at the time.
#4 …writing,
which began when I was barely able to read. Pencil on school lined paper or pen on
better paper, writing is more than just tossing some words. Writing is a constant growing experience which
expands the brain and makes me smile.
#5 …art. My aspiration at one time was to be an
artist. Have a minor in art. I watched my gr-daughters quite a bit when
they were young; we did art together, with me teaching. (I had a “Grandma Bag”
which carried a variety of art supplies.)
Maybe I will be more active now that my gr-daughters are pursuing other
arts.
#6 …quilting…which
is also art. Colors make my heart sing.
#7 …reading
and journaling. Books of all types and
genre. My husband loves astronomy and so
do I.
#8 …my
siblings are precious to me. There were
once five of us, three brothers and my sister.
Two brothers died while in their 40s.
#9 …memories
of my parents and long-past relatives.
#10 …the
stories from my family that I recall and write down, now with the speed a
computer provides.
#11 ...seeing a baby...holding a baby...watching parents holding babies....a baby's smile...
Well, now
you have it! There are more but they
would probably seem unimportant when I re-read this.
Our time with our granddaughters, Bright Eyes and Sunshine, gets shorter every year as they march away from us and run to school.
I spent much time with Sunshine when she was still in pre-school, and her sister was in full-day school. We had three hours together and Sunshine used every minute to tell me about her thoughts on big questions and thoughts.
Now, Sunshine is in kindergarten, and we have a short hour on alone time, but Sunshine manages to educate my husband and me on anything important (to her).
My youngest daughter will be having a baby in June or July, so there have been a number of discussions about this and travel to Switzerland to see the baby when it comes. Sunshine has heard it all.
Yesterday, in that short hour between kgt, and regular school dismissals, Sunshine opened her heart and mind to share her wisdom.
“You know, Grandma?”
No, Sunshine, what?
“When I have a baby, YOU and GRANDPA will be GREAT-grandparents!!” *giggle* And MY MOMMY will be GRANDMA!”
Yes, sweet baby, we will be.
Then Sunshine made a point here that we call her ‘baby’ because we remember that she once was a baby, and that her mommy was our baby, but she’s a grown-up mommy now, and…..
“Well. When I have a baby, you can come and visit, y’know?”
Oh, we’d love that! Thanks, ba….Sunshine.
“But, you will have to wait a day or two after the baby is born…”
Of course, we will. But why?
“Well, I’ll have to teach my baby a few things. ??? I’ll have to teach her what to do and what not to do. And, what to say and what not to say. Grandma? Do babies move their mouths when they are just born?”
We were caught short here, and I tried to explain that everything is new to a baby, so they move everything.
“Well, you’ll want to see the baby before she opens her eyes. Babies look so cute before they open their eyes, all squished up. Don’t you think so, Grandma?
Before we could formulate an answer, Sunshine moved to a different topic about a bird that she just now saw, “Out there, Grandpa! See it?”
The past year has been hard for my family. Over the past 15 years, we lost two brothers, our father, and now our mother. The rural area that had been ‘home’ for generations dating back to the 1820s, now has no ties for us. When our mother died in April 2011, there went the last reason to return to the farmlands and small towns. Most probably, we would never again drive down those country roads we once knew so very well.
All this made me realize how truly wonderful life is in general, and my life in particular. The things and events that have made me stop and reflect have been small in the large scale of life, but significant. This list may not make sense to anyone but me, but here goes:
1. The smell of angel food cake baking.
2. The sound of a violin solo and getting goose bumps
3. The jasmine blooms winding over the front door
4. Holding hands with my husband in a dark movie theater
5. Churning homemade ice cream under a maple tree on a hot summer day
6. That first cup of coffee (or tea) in the morning
7. Holding a baby
8. Walking on the beach with the tide washing over my feet
9. Watching a smiling young couple pushing a baby stroller
