All Saints Day

I think most Episcopalians could do without the bloody cross. We far prefer the symbolism of the Eucharist, a welcoming table.  Bread turned into body, wine turned into blood. A remembrance, a reminder to do this and remember what I stood for (fill in the blank). We come to a common table that is for the purpose of being shared with everyone, and we drink from a common cup.

It’s an ancient practice, older than Christianity. 

Together we vow to forgive. To heal. To love. So to me, the ceremony of the Eucharist has a very functional purpose—going over the pros and cons of my week, hoping to come away sorted out or at least a little more relaxed about whatever it is on my mind. If I’m happy, then the purpose is to take a quiet moment to be thankful. (I know it would be good to live life in a spirit of thanksgiving every moment, but I’m hoping that’s just the ideal!). To find comfort and to ask for strength and courage. The Eucharist has so many wonderful uses!

In any case, today was All Saint’s Day and Patricia read from a list of names of people we love who have died. I share them here:

Jocelyn Bowman

Daniel Woodard

Loretta Kelly

Harry Walker

Narda Sanchez

Betty Williams

John Rayson

Also, we remember loved ones in our Memorial Garden:

Madonna Emery                                 William Davidson

James Robinson                                  Martha Crank

Jane Dickson                                       Frederick Octavius Branch

Ruth Wolfson                                     Thomasine Bradford

Nancy Grede                                       John Loud

Patricia Hart                                        Margaret Davidson

Henry Linss                                         Rosalie Onofrio

Virginia Temple                                  Katherine Whisnant

Robert Neal                                         Richard Hall

Julius Elrod                                         William Barnett

Morgan Cronan                                   Mary Birch Hayes

Harold Earle Davis                             Clare Fleming

Katie Allen Harris                               Irene Goldsmith

Sharyn Riddell                                    Anne Robinson

James Bradford                                   Charles Yates

Jane Hall                                             Eugene Taylor

Kathryn Elrod                                     Billie Neal

Julia Riddell                                        William Riddell

Tillman Dandridge                              Roy Reece

Ron Letcher                                        Caroline Dandridge

Carl Feuchtinger                                 Daniel Woodard