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Fly Away: Inspired by The Mincing Mockingbird

It’s not like I can become a major art collector, but I do like to try to collect pieces that I really love and have a special connection to when I can.

There has been a lot of death in our congregation in the past six months. Yesterday, while thinking of the latest lovely lady to leave us, I came upon the works of The Mincing Mockingbird in a South End Boston gift shop. I had gone into the shop to buy some baby gifts, but I fell in love with the birds on my way out the door, as they were hanging behind the cash register.  They have such personality, such soul, and such humor.

I took home a small collection. They know who they are and who they represent, and why. They also represent a time in my life in ministry that feels connected to bird song and flight.

You can look at the droll and delightful work of  The Mincing Mockingbird on etsy.com and here.

 

isn’t that a li’l cunning bird?

 

I want all of these hilarious magnets.

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I Love a Good Snappy Christian Retort

Sometimes people’s meanness is hilarious. They take themselves and their insults so seriously, trying to land the blow just right. My heavens. Look, I’m not proud of it, but let me just say I learned the “art” of harsh criticism from some experts in my formative years. Amateurs amuse me. What I can never tell them is how grateful I am that they apparently haven’t been exposed to enough truly vicious criticism in their lives to have perfected the skill themselves. Thank the merciful God for that.

So that’s why I hooted with appreciative laughter when one of the founders of the lovely SALT Project shared her response to a nasty comment left by someone who saw a cute short film that SALT produced. The short video is an animated bit set to the song “Have a Little Talk With Jesus” recorded by Loretta Lynn. There’s that lyric in the song, “set a little prayer wheel turning,” and the animation shows various negative words being fed into little paper cut-out cog wheels and being spit out the other side as beautiful flowers and hearts.  The idea is that talking with Jesus will transform pain, suffering, hatred, etc. into love, flowers and beauty. The last word to be fed into the cogs is “death,” which gets transformed into flowers. Okay, I though it was a bit corny, but also charming.

So this person saw this sweet little film on YouTube and commented, “This is terrible! If Jesus could see this he’d be rolling in his grave” (It looks like the comment has been deleted).

Which just sent me, because how do you call something like that terrible?  Really? With war and violence and genocide in the world, you’re gonna tell me that an animated video about prayer is TERRIBLE and that it will OFFEND JESUS HIMSELF? I was already cracking up, and then I read SALT’s response and just about fell off my chair. They said, “Jesus isn’t IN his grave!”

That’s when I spit Irish Breakfast tea all over my keyboard and laughed and applauded until the dog and the cat both came running. Indeed, SALT.  It’s not often that we get to use good theology as a two-snaps-up rejoinder and I have to send you a major PeaceBang high five for that.

There’s always gonna be haters, Negativos, buzz stompers, and the kind of sourpusses my friend Amy calls “cross.” They’re too uncreative to even offer constructive or interesting critiques. Best ignored, while we roll on. Keep that prayer wheel turnin’.

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Key West: A PeaceBang Review

I have spent the past five days vacationing in Key West and I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.

PeaceBang’s Top 6 Reasons To Vacation in Key West, Florida:

1. Although it has a reputation as a party town, Key West is relaxed and friendly. Duval Street is the only place where you’re going to see rowdy, obnoxious tourists stumbling around drunk, and even that isn’t out of control.  There’s a good mix of outdoorsy types, families, retirees and party kids. Everyone seems to get along.

2. Unlike many other tropical destinations, Key West doesn’t try to hustle you for every last dollar. Things are expensive but not insanely so, and since it’s an island, even the locals are paying more for their necessities. That they pass along the cost to the tourist seems fair enough.

3. There are a lot of local businesses to support, and I like that. The bars and restaurants aren’t chains, and lots of people came down here from the mainland U.S. to live their dream by opening a little shop or cafe. They’re friendly and eager to share their enthusiasm for good food or drink or frozen yogurt with you.

4. When I take a winter vacation I look for a few things: good weather, the opportunity to swim, some sort of cultural and educational dimension, safety and affordability. Key West had glorious weather all week, I spent hours every day in either the pool or the ocean, I enjoyed the Hemingway house, live music, a drag show and karaoke, and I appreciated learning more about Cuban boat people and what happens when they reach the islands out here. I felt very safe as a single, female traveler and I paid $119 a night for a large room with a kitchenette.

5. Key West is known for its live-and-let-live attitude, and that seems to attract a more free-spirited kind of person to live and vacation here. I felt very comfortable everywhere, even with the naked guests at my clothing-optional hotel pool. The atmosphere isn’t ridiculously sexually charged the way one finds in, for instance, New Orleans. It’s just open, free, relaxed, sunny and happy.

6. You don’t need a car. It’s a perfect island to bike around, and you can rent scooters or little carts.