The Truth About Safe Spaces

      The Upper Room as been a morning tradition with me since about 2001, I picked up the habit from my Grandad. Both he and his sister, my Grand Aunt Myrtle started their day with that devotional. This year, the theme for the Advent season has been "safe spaces", which gave me pause for thought.

     Psalm 91 describes the LORD as a refuge, a place of safety. As a born again Holy Spirit filled Bible believeing Christian, I take him as my safe space. When I was a young boy, when I wanted to feel safe, I relied on my Grandma Bergit-but then she died, there was no place of safety for me.

     Safety is becoming a basic human need, along with food, clothing and shelter. Security in an insecure world has become so sought after that some would give up their God given freedom  for a safe secure feeling, even if it is a false sense. I've heard that in some colleges and universities that students are supplied with "safe spaces" where they can go when triggered by an unsafe feeling. Trained counselors listen to concerns, give hugs when requested, they even supply the student with adult coloring books. Of course if it works more power to them. I'm taking the promise of Psalm 91 in my heart. May you find your own safe space in your own way and in your own time. God be with you and do the best you can! 

2022 Person of the Year

      As it has usually been my custom when I was an active Blogger, around this time of the year, I reflect back on the past year and choose that one person who made the last 12 months memorable for Holabird. This year marks the 20th time I've done such, and to be honest I don't even remember who all of the previous 19 are, so this year's honoree should not get a swelled head. I doubt she will, as she has quite a level head. Oh yes-I should get around to telling you who it is, and why she has been given this honor, If you can call it that!

     Now, this year's Holabird Advocate Media Person of the year is Ana Nemec! Why? Well it all started at a Super Bowl party. Ana and a couple of her friends came up with the idea for a podcast. From what I've been able to figure out, a podcast is pretty much just an audio only YouTube video. 

     At any rate, the name of the podcast is South Dakota Uncloseted. Ana and her friends (I forgot their names, sorry guys) have through this podcast have given gay people in South Dakota a voice. They have also managed to entertain and educate some straight people, like myself, as to just how difficult it is to live as a gay person in a red state. As such our Governor and republicans in general get mean-mouthed something awful (nothing I haven't heard or said before). They also give religion a hard time, and while I'd welcome gay people at Downtown Second to worship with me, not everyone there is as open to it as I am.

     Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that, while having the chance to watch Ana grow up, having her and her sisters ask me questions like "What has ears and can't hear", and reading her first foray into Blogging I have admired Ana's way of expressing herself. It is possible that those experiences help me come to this, but the fact remains that Ana has not only made life in Holabird memorable this year, she has done the same for the entire state, and it's possible that her podcast might inspire other people outside South Dakota to do the same.

     Every time  I listened to her podcast, I'd learn something new. I did wonder what would happen when Ana and her friends ran out of gay people to talk to, but even though the podcast is on hiatus they have plans to continue, and I can't wait to hear what they come up with, because I know it will be awesome! God be with you and do the best you can!

Poetry Corner: Quite a Day

 Quite a day

I had a quite a day for the day that I had

Some of it good some of it bad

Too bad it's over but it had to end

But tomorrow's a new day so see ya 'round friend

Person of the Year 2021

     It is that time once again! Ok it is well past 2 weeks past time! Time to choose the Holabird Advocate Media Person of the Year. It took a while to select this person because I was leaning toward giving the "honor" if you could call it that to Kyle Rittenhouse. It was ultimately decided to not put him back in the spotlight since at present he has crawled away from public scrutiny. And now that Time has chosen Elon Musk as their Person of the Year, I'd better get this going!

     So who gets the "honor"? Remembering that "person" does not always mean proper name, I chose to give the title to the person who got vaccinated for Corona. It was last December when Pfizer's Vaccine was approved for emergency use so chances are if you got the jab-it was in 2021!

     In the interest of full disclosure-I am currently fully vaccinated. The decision to do so was fairly easy to come by. Like many of you when news of Pfizer's vaccine came the first thing I thought of was that I could finally burn that cussed face mask! Of course I knew I had to wait my turn, but I could actually see light at the end of the tunnel here!

     Then along came Moderna, then the J&J vaccine. As nice as it was to have choices, I was uncertain which one was the best choice for me. My dislike of a possible 2nd shot caused me to favor J&J's one and done vaccine. As it turns out, it didn't quite work that way. I let it be known that I was holding out for J&J and my friend and Wesleyan Brother, Dr. Jason Lanning MD advised me to get whatever shot that was offered to me and as soon as possible. 

    My parents, being well over 60 years of age were ahead of me in line. My dad's only reluctance was getting ahead of first responders and teachers. The people at Avera assured him that all such folks had plenty of opportunity to get the shot and to get in line himself. Once done it seems all I could think about was getting me in line. I got a call from Avera wanting me to go to Mitchell to get shot. I managed to get an appointment at St. Mary's in Pierre 2pm on April 1-April Fools Day(you can't make this stuff up folks)

     Long story short-I got the jab. Then came my 2nd dose on April 21 at 11:15am. There were some hiccups along the way-but I got it done. I even got a booster shot on November 30 at 11am as well. No regrets at all. I've heard all these crazy stories. The "friend of a cousin's neighbor" and all, I even had someone tell me that If I got the shot I'd be dead in 3 years. I countered that 3 years was longer than Corona gave Charley Pride. Either way I'm glad I made the decision. I hope those of you who got vaccinated can say the same. YOU ROCK! Congrats to all of you who were able to do that. There is still time! God be with you and do the best you can!

The Truth About Communion

     I've recently decided to become a more active blogger. For a while now I've been told that nobody cares about me opinion, and that could be. But here lately I have had something to say and I'm gonna get it said. If you the Reader want to know what it is-here we go!

      Since my Vlogging days many things have changed-others have not. One thing that has changed is that we have a new President in this country whether we needed him or not. He's only the 2nd Catholic President and the 1st such in 60 years. Comparisons to JFK are inevitable, but the biggest difference I've noticed is that Biden was denied the Holy Eucharist-what Methodists like me call Communion.

     Methodists practice an "Open Communion" because we think of the communion table as belonging to Jesus-not to the Church or clergy. This practice appears not to be the same in the Catholic Church-hence the denial of Biden. I personally feel that Jesus calls out to his flock to all who wish to know him more. I've also seen many people leave the church worship service before Communion because they feel unworthy or not ready. But it is the unworthy that need to know Jesus more. If only the worthy took Communion the worship service would be a lot shorter.

     Jesus calls sinners to repentance-both the great and the small. If either President Biden or I come to the church or our choice looking for Jesus-it is the clergy's responsibility that we find him. We as humans are sinners in need of a savior-it's in our nature. If we choose Jesus, as I believe we all should, it is the clergy that should take us to him. They should not deny us-heaven forbid it! But as I said earlier-Catholics do things differently.

     To clarify, Biden was denied Communion because, it is said, of his views on abortion. Now there are those who claim that because abortion is not mentioned in the Bible that the point is moot. But is it? By no means! Abortion, as the bumper sticker tells us, kills a beating heart-that makes it murder, which is mentioned in the Bible several times. 

     Is Biden a sinner? That question is above my pay grade to answer, but I know that he won't be denied Communion at the Methodist Church and that would make the point moot in that case. I'll be keeping both President Biden and the Catholic Church prayers until this issue is resolved. I hope you will as well! God be with you and do the best you can!

White Rabbits?

 We all know the well-known sayings 'pinch punch first day of the month' and 'white rabbits, white rabbits'. They are said to bring people luck if you say them on the first day of the month before midday, but where did they come from?

The theories:

• It originates from Medieval times when people believed in witches. Salt was believed to make witches weak, so the pinch part of the saying is the pinching of the salt and the punch part was to banish the witch once she was weakened by the salt.

• According to some, president George Washington met local Indian tribes on the first day of each month and at the meeting he would supply fruit punch with an added pinch of salt. This tradition became known as 'pinch and punch on the first of the month'.

• 'White rabbits, white rabbits' was written in the 'Notes and Queries' book from 1909. It reads "My two daughters are in the habit of saying 'Rabbits!' on the first day of each month. The word must be spoken aloud, and be the first word said in the month. It brings luck for that month. Other children, I find, use the same formula."

• Apparently it was a common belief among RAF bomber aircrew during WW2 that saying "white rabbits" the very first thing upon waking would protect oneself.

• According to playground rules, your pinch and punch has to be followed immediately with the words, "White rabbits, no return". By saying so, it means you can't be pinched back.

• In the West Country, the retaliation is 'A flick and a kick for being so quick'.

All these are, of course, theories.

Jerry Hinkle Program Ep. 121 Jerry is Presenting Aiyana