Comments on: Focus on the Family helps AIDS fund raiser

By: Eddy

Eddy — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 09:03:50 +0000

Yeah, forgot all about it until mom sent a pic a while back. My memories of gram were perfect…the dress, the shoes, the apron…I just forgot the bonnet. (Never knew my grandpa on dad’s side; he died a few years before my mom and dad even met. I’ve heard he was an itinerant ‘fire and brimstone’ type preacher. ) Mom’s side is all Irish Catholic. Dad converted in order to marry mom and we were raised Catholic. I begged my way out of Catholic school after 9th grade.

Another fun ‘gram’ memory. I’ve mentioned that I’m very short. Well, some occasion came up…I was probably between 8 and 11…and we went to visit grams sister.

First, the idea of gram having a sister threw me. Gram was Gram. She always had been. What’s this deal about having a sister and a past life? So, then we get there and, now that I understand, I can’t wait to see this person.

We find her in the kitchen, with the freezer door ajar. She’s small and a bit bent. I notice the age like I never did with gram. I also notice the shortness. Her eyes are barely level with the bottom of the freezer. My six brothers and I are all standing at our ‘most polite attention’ and I start nudging mom to ask a question. Sensing it won’t be good, perhaps, she shushed me. And again when I nudged again. On my third try, she finally asked, “What?” I pointed at ‘Aunt Sadie” and, with dread in my voice, iwhispered rather loudly “Is THAT going to happen to US?”

By: jag

jag — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:56:22 +0000

Eddy…it’s funny that you overlooked the bonnet because if was on grandma. lol…

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:39:55 +0000

Ann,

What a lot of people do not realize is that there are many sects of christianity as well as sects of judaism, and muslim. And we of any particular group choose to be of that group and do not agree with others of our “same” religion. Believing in the same prophet does not mean believing the same about the prophet.

There are even splits among the mormons, the catholics, etc.. There are the Calvinists the Weslyans among the protestants – and on and on it goes.

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:11:11 +0000

yes, this is the reason I wanted to know the breakdown – I really think it will tell a story and hopefully direct any future concern/criticism to the right place instead of just clumping all of Christianity together. From what I have seen with these statistics, it is a very big and diverse religion that has the capability to respond individually according to the individual beliefs of the denomination – even there, I see some inconsistency. I really hope Christianity (faith and belief) is not judged on what one errant or provoctive denomination, church, staff, or members do or say. I also feel the same about other organizations and religions.

By: Eddy

Eddy — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:57:05 +0000

Thanks JAG.

LOL…I remembered a few of those other groups that would be lumped under “Protestant”…Mennonite, Amish sects, Quakers. Strangest thing about forgetting them is that I’m originally from Pennsylvania and my dad’s mom actually wore the white bonnet most of her life. (Funny…when it’s ‘gram’ wearing the bonnet you don’t even notice it.)