Breakin' the rules

So, there are a few topics we tend to stay away from here on CMC:

• My coworkers, now that they've found the blog.
  
• Sex.
• My real name.
• Religion.

That last one is mostly because many of my readers are unreligious, or antireligious, or religious-but-not-Christian. It's also because you're here for the funny stories, not for proselytising. Nobody likes proselytising.

Anyway.

Yesterday was a rough day for me. The whole September 11 thing hit me harder than it has in the past, maybe because I wasn't in D.C. for the first time since the attacks happened. There's some other stuff going on, too, but that was definitely big.

And several of you are having hardish times, too.

So, for the unreligious and antireligious and religious-but-not-Christian, I direct you back to our hilarious stories at my expense contest from the last time I noticed everyone going through a rough patch.

And for those of you who are interested in seeing what my religious Christian mother suggested to my religious Christian self last night, click "Read More."

Big hugs to you all.

READ MORE

There's a prayer in the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer that we don't get to use much, because it's for the eighth Sunday after Epiphany, and there usually isn't an eighth Sunday after Epiphany, because we've usually hit Lent by then.

It's nice, though, and her church used it a lot around and after Sept. 11, 2001. I found it very, very comforting last night.

Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.