Nunsense Is Habit Forming

For the second night of Minot State University's Summer Theater last night, Martha and I were there with the kids and several other family members (let me think ... Mary, Margaret, Breanna, and Josceline, and Margaret's I'm-not-sure-what-he-is Milton). I was just arriving due to some techie issues at my workplace and got with Martha and Sarah who met me past the parking lot (it's an outdoor theater, now in its fiftieth year) and got to my seat maybe twenty minutes before the show started -- Martha's sister Mary had already gotten us tickets for this one. While Nunsense wasn't exactly drop-dead funny -- at least I didn't think so -- I will agree I needed something lighthearted after work yesterday. Oh, work wasn't so bad in terms of the people I met or what I did when it was slow ... it's just that when about 90% of what you do involves being online, it's a headache when the browser slows down (or slows up; tricky language, English).

I even got a prize for answering a question right! During the first act of Nunsense the Reverend Mother and the novices sing -- oh, did you know Nunsense is a musical? -- about the origin of their abbey (nunnery?), how it got started in mission work south of France, apparently ending up in southern Africa and then, in order to not compete with the Protestant order setting up base there, challenged them to a foot race and lost. Turns out THAT was the detail I paid attention to and raised my hand to get called on, and the actor playing Sister Mary Amnesia (called so because a crucifix fell on her head and she didn't remember who she was, an important factor later in the play) sounded about how she got her exercise in getting to me on the top tier, and not to be outdone I replied that's just one of many services I provide! Sister Mary showed me a card and asked me to identify the saint, and it took me a few seconds to think of Francis of Assisi. It was the lamb that gave him away.

When the play was over we got home and had the kids brush, floss, fluoride (their BFF), pray with us, and then go to bed. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, watch over me all through the night so I will wake with morning light. Amen. God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, God bless Sarah, Jeffrey, and auntie Mary, [then when we remember follows a listing of our prayer partners at church and now two counselors at Camp Metigoshe this summer -- sometimes we're THAT tired!] and God bless me." I get it, I know prayer doesn't need to be a formula and to be quite honest if you read or heard some of mine you'd know there's no timetable or sometimes rhyme or reason to them. If I know a need, I pray. Isn't long and drawn out, may even be while I'm busy doing something else -- I once had an atheist carp at me that I don't know the slightest thing about prayer or faith. (I suppose he'd know.) That's stuck with me, that's a thorn with me, and keeps me moving.

It's a habit, David