Windsor Continuing: Reflections on Matt being at the place of my birth without me

Five years ago, or six, or four, or whatever it was, Matt and I came to the end of our first grueling year of parish ministry and were rewarded with a month of rest and rejuvenation with his family. We spent a week all together with his family, we spent two weeks with his parents, and the last week we went away together to a lonely place in the hill country of Texas. And, of course, we spent every spare second online watching the horror of General Convention 2003. It was clear what would be done. We watched in horror, hitting refresh desperately on Titusonenine. And now here we are at the next meeting, four babies later, 'long' years of parish experience behind us, a law suit in the works, this time spending our vacation time on two separate continents. There hasn't been a time in our married/family life when this crisis hasn't been in the fore of our lives, playing over our days like some big screen train wreck.

Matt has been raving about the scenery,the beautiful walks, the very good food, the immensity of Canterbury Cathedral. He had, I think, a fairly dismal view of England before he went. Americans always hear about the bad food and terrible driving (well, that turned out to be true).

Although more and more we hear about the appalling pervasive atheism on one hand and the rapid spread of Islam on the other-a toxic, to be honest, combination. In response to this, and to the rending of the world wide church, the Archbishop of Canterbury is having another meeting, another press conference, another n'daba moment, another time to reflect together, to dialogue, to respectfully listen.

I am, basically, a patient person. I'm becoming daily more patient with my children. I'm becoming excessively patient with the people I disciple week by week. I'm extraordinarily patient with Matt. We've been very patient with this mess. But its clear, from the Third Report of the Windsor Continuation Group that nothing is ever going to happen.

And why, you might ask, is nothing going to happen? Because the Archbishop of Canterbury, bless his heart, does not understand what is going on, does not see what is at stake. Or, if he does see, and he does understand, he isn't willing to do anything about it. Asking the Episcopal Church to do again what she doesn't want to do is a waste of all our time. Its time to think of something else to do.