Hello all, hope you are feeling, energized, happy, and, full of, Spring. An eventful week, this past week. Firstly, it was my birthday, I turned 53, a meh kind of a number, but, a nice birthday. I received a lot of love, from my mom, from my girl, from my friends, from my students, much cake and food, restaurant and beer outings, a really nice birthday. On May 19 th, my dad would have been, 80 years old. Ours was a complex relationship, difficult, even, at times, but, I loved him. On May 19 th, Prince Harry of England, married Meghan Markle, an American actress. I'll let you in on a secret, that is, not so secret, I love weddings, I love royalty, I know, makes no sense but, hey, I, like, all humans, the simple and the complex, am a walking, talking, breathing, thinking, mass of contradictions. I am what I am And what I am needs no excuses I deal my own deck Sometimes the aces sometimes the deuces It's one life and there's no return and no deposit One life so it's time to open up your closet Life's not worth a damn till you can shout out I am what I am-song from La Cage Aux Folles(Broadway musical) I had a really good long weekend, lots of rest, lots of traveling, time with the one I love. I traveled to Ottawa by train, and it was my intention to read, on the train, but, it was noisy, high pitched voices, made my eardrums throb, and I felt my annoyance level... rise. I am not one of those people who can, listen to music and read at the same time, reading is quiet time for me. Also, my free Spotify has expired:-) So plan B, I had a load of podcasts, on my phone. I used to listen to podcasts, about fashion, menswear, a major source of interest in my life, but, kind of- been there, done that. Over the past six months, or so, I have become fascinated with, a series of You Tube videos, The Bible Project, they also have a web page, and a podcast, this is good stuff. It is content for the curious, the searching and questioning, smart and stimulating content. As I scrolled through the, available episodes, I tunes suggested another podcast. It's called : Exploring My Strange Bible. Tim Mackie is a theologian, professor and,one of, the creators of The Bible Project. He is from Portland, and so, very close, to my sensibilities, in lots of ways. I listened to four one hour podcasts, on the Psalms and how to pray them, through fear and pain, through confession and doubt. My mind has been blown. One of the things, I enjoy most about, my Christian journey, aside from the sense of peace and the friendships is the intellectual aspect, the philosophical stretching of my mind. My investigation and quest, are truly, a Godsend :-) Be well, all of you. Later girls, BB