Dave Macy - a "hero" of mine in Maine


A few years ago I traveled up to the Island of North Haven ME (in the Penobscot Bay).

(see  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Haven,_Maine)

I was there to preach and to  celebrate the Eucharist at the one and only church on this small and isolated island.

I was a guest of my friends Fred and Diana Emrich who spend half of the year on the island, and the other half on Longboat Key, FL.

It was a lovely weekend.  North Haven ME is a beautiful place.

But I could never live there (or on any small island).

I love the bustle of cities. I am glad to have three supermarkets, two post offices, and four banks within a mile of my home in SRQ.

It’s cool to live a twenty minute drive away from the SRQ airport, and no more than seventy minutes away from a larger airport (TPA in Tampa).

And I am less than a twenty minute drive away from our opera House, our Van Wezel performing arts centre, the fabulous Ringling Museums, and seven theatres.

All of this, and scores of restaurants – many scores!

Here in SRQ we also can listen to the twin public radio stations – WUSF and WSMR.

WUSF is largely talk, with a good supply of news and commentary from the BBC in London, some programming from Canada, and all night jazz.

WSMR is a twenty four hour classical music station.

-------------------------------

‘Tain’t so up on North Haven where there is but one Church, a couple of stores and may two or three restaurants.

The nearest supermarket is on the mainland, and you get there on a 75 minute ferry ride.

--------------------------------------------------------

The one Church on North Haven has a fabulous pastor named Dave Macy.  I met Dave and his wife on my visit to the Island.

One of the lifelines on North Haven is the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.  It has offered a rich menu of news, classical music and jazz.

Sadly MPBN has decided to change its format, away from music and towards “talk/prattle/chatter”.

Of this decision Dave Macy wrote:

 “MPBN: Replacing the timeless with the ephemeral since 2012”

-----------------------------------------------------
Oh dear David, even from my place of privilege in SRQ I am “with you”.

So much of our culture is obsessed with the ephemeral rather than with the timeless

------------------------------------------------------------


So I ask my dear readers:

 “what parts of your lives are rooted in the ephemeral? “,

and

“what parts of your lives rejoice in the timeless?” .

-----------------------------------------------

Please post your responses to this blog, or on Facebook

Location: North Haven, ME, USA

Comments

  1. Anonymous30 November 2012 at 06:21

    When you are young you rejoice in a life that seems timeless but with age comes the understanding that it's ephemeral. Which means the older you get the more cantankerous and impatient you become!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not remember the words “ar
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were able to get together a few
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur
Read more