Sunday, May 5, 2013

First nice Sunday of the year / "Hexenschuss".

We have finally got some pleasant weather, today. --And I am laid up with a bad back.  In German we say:  I have a "Hexenschuss"--a "shot from the witch".  This obviously is some medieval expression, but quite fitting.  It does feel like someone just shot something nasty into you.  OUch.

In trying to figure out how this happened there were three things done differently this week.  One thing unusual was that I ripped out carpet with my husband.  In thinking about that, the posture was really very bad and the pulling really hard.  That's practically asking for trouble.  I am getting too old to be trotted out  for the occasional hard labor.  Two, I increased the tension on the elliptical trainer quite a bit all at once, and started working out in the morning.  And then we had our choir dress-rehearsals and concerts which involved a lot more standing than we don't usually do. Then there was all the sitting at the conference.  It seemed it was the standing at the concert really finished off the back.

I don't know.  I tried to walk around the block, and my sister-in-law says take lots of Ibuprofen and layer on the Voltaren.  None of this is really helping.   Maybe it's a little better since I am actually managing to sit on this chair.  But now it's over and I won't write about the conference, which is what I actually wanted to do.



If I can make something quick and enlightening out of this, I would say I am glad that such non-sense as medieval witches shooting things into people and giving evil eyes does not really appear in the Bible.  All that folksy inventiveness and superstition is not what we find in scripture.  When Satan appears the subject matter is much more profound dealing with the breaking of God-given boundaries, with the reason for suffering, with pride and such important matters of spirit.

I didn't get to church either, but I saw an interesting piece on Deutsche Welle with a priest and his class visiting a modern church.  He was discussing the modern artwork with them and linking biblical themes to modern sacrifices and witness, at around 4:00 PM, Mountain Standard time.  What a good idea for a Sunday program.  It can probably be found on-line still.  I would find it, if it wasn't that I have to get out of this chair.  Hope everyone else is having a better and blessed Sunday.

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