Povey Prattle

There will not be an entry on Povey Prattle for a couple of weeks. "The Pove" will be otherwise engaged. Look for this blog again on March 6th. In the meantime sing/pray/meditate upon/or simply read this song. It's been my direction towards hope ever since Hunter Pope died. 1. Will you let me be your servant? Let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too. 2. We are pilgrims on a journey. We are travelers on the road. We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load. 3. I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night time of your fear. I will hold my hand out to you; Speak the peace you long to hear. 4. I will weep when you are weeping. When you laugh, I'll laugh with you. I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey through. 5. When we sing to God in heaven, We shall find such harmony Born of all we've known together Of Christ's love and agony. 6. Will you let me be your servant...

Molly sent you a message. -------------------- Subject: Hunter The wake is on Friday at Brady & Fallon Funeral Home on Tower Street right by the Forest Hills T-Station The funeral is on Saturday at Saint James Episcopal Church in Porter Square He'll be wearing the 'Free Hugs' T-Shirt he made on Friday for Valentines Day (Thats why he wouldn't stay home from school) The camo pants he was obsessed with No shoes (he NEVER wears shoes) He'll have his lion blanket (whenever someone touched it he made my mom wash it) He'll be in a box because it fits him and he hides in boxes a lot and we're going to cremate him on Fern Hill in the Forest Hills Cemetery For anyone who doesn't know, he died of influenza type B, and they couldn't keep his heart going and they couldn't stabilize him, it ended up being heart failure And the news got it all wrong, they took all the wrong information on purpose When they came to interview us, we told them that it had not...

Hunter Pope Hunter’s family came to St. James’s, Cambridge, MA in about 2002. Hunter’s Mom had played her flute at a wedding there. She was so delighted with the Liturgy that soon afterwards she, her husband Ken, and their four children became regular attenders. In due course I drove from Cambridge, MA to Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA to have dinner with the six Popes: Ken and Tess (parents), Ramsey and Connor (older twins), and Molly and Hunter (younger twins). It was a jolly evening. Each of the Popes responded to my silly-ness, and laughed alongside me. Each of them: except for Hunter . He refused to look me in the eye; and refused to giggle with us. After dinner, Ramsey, Connor, Molly and Hunter took their baths. Then we all went to a bedroom for a story, and for bedtime prayers. After a bit of romping, Hunter stood up on the top level of a bunk bed. He looked down, and then said something which I have never forgotten. He said: “Michael Povey, I like you”. Those were the first words h...

A joyful reunion My Brasilian friend Gabriel and I drove to Lakeland, FL (about 70 miles north east of Sarasota) to have lunch with my niece Anne Weston, her husband Stuart and their daughter Olivia. The Westons, from England, are on vacation at Disneyland – which is maybe 40 miles east of Lakeland. Anne and Stuart had told Olivia that she would be meeting her “crazy Uncle John”. I lived up to that appellation by being silly enough to make Olivia giggle. I’d officiated in Bristol, England, at Anne and Stuart’s wedding, but had not seen them since my mother’s funeral in 2001. We had a lovely time together today. jmp, Stuart, Anne, Olivia. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A ghastly tragedy. Also in 2001, or maybe it was 2002 a wonderful family joined St. James’s in Cambridge. They were the parents Ken and Tess Pope, and their four children - two sets of twins - Ramsey and Connor, the older boy twins, and Molly and Hunter, ...

Sermon for 15th February 2009 The Revd. J. Michael Povey at All Angels by the Sea, Longboat Key, FL 2 King 5:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Mark 1:40-45 I look at my cats. They are each black with those gorgeous greeny-yellow eyes. Their needs seem simple. Food is at the top of their lists, followed by sleep. They are devoted to keeping themselves clean. On occasion they will play, chasing each other around the house, or even better, toying with a hapless lizard which has come indoors by mistake. My cats, Ada and Adelaide can be aloof or clingy. Sometimes they will ignore me, other times they beg for my attention. They like me most when I tickle their ears. I look at my cats. Then I look at myself. My needs are simple too. Food, shelter, sleep: the occasional bit of play. I sometimes crave company. I often like to be alone. We look at ourselves. At first blush we are clearly animals. Food, shelter, procreation are at the top of our lists. Some of us are solitary animals...