River-Rat Reflections: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Plugging Along

The flood has long ago receded and I keep plugging away at the book still playing catch-up from last summer. I will be turning the manuscript into a church historian in July, having him search out errors. Then it will come back to me for corrections and on to my editor for a final line by line editing. In the meantime, John will be editing it again. With my long days of editing I still haven't gotten my garden in this year. But will have it planted, I have vowed, within two weeks. Last year everything was coming up nicely when I got the dog bit and from that point on it all went to weeds. This summer will be different.

Friday, May 01, 2009

ANOTHER FLOOD ON THE GRAND RIVER

We've now set a record---6 floods in the space of 15 months. Part of the problem is that West Michigan had near record snow for 2 winters and near record rainfall for the past year or so. This morning John and I kayaked through the wooded wetland across the road from our house. We can kayak the whole 1 mile of Abrigador trail--have never done that before. Here's a photo of me in the woods and another of our house.

This one is taken from the road in front of our house. Our house is and island; the only dry land is part of our yard that faces the river. Our 2 vehicles are up on high ground.

About Me

I am married to John Worst and have a son and granddaughter, Carlton and Kayla Tucker (now married to Ariel Sosa) as well as two step-daughters, Laura and Sarah and three more grand-kids, Mitch, Ashley and Zach. I did my doctoral degree in history and have written more than twenty books and have taught at colleges and seminaries for more than 30 years. John taught music at Calvin College for 35 years and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Besides reading and folk-art painting, my favorite activities (with John) are hiking, biking and kayaking. Most of our days are spent at our shop, Carlton Gardens, which we refer to as a "hobby gone wild."

My Calvin Seminary Story

I began teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2000--the first full-time woman professor in the school's 125-year history. In 2003, less than 3 months after Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. was installed as the new president, I was, without warning, removed from tenure track and given a terminal appointment. I have repeatedly asked that all the evidence be opened only to be blocked by a dishonest cover-up. When independent mediators were retained by the seminary board in 2005, they called for "retroactive pay to 2003" and my appointment as full professor. They also stated that the charges against me were inflammatory and should be removed from the record. That report was buried. I finished my second terminal appointment on August 31, 2006, and shortly thereafter published my story here.

A Provocative Poem

PEDESTALS

Thousands
cheer,
chant,
and clap
as one of their own
is proudly carried toward the
lofty pedestal.
The audience
urges him
up the stairway,
step by step,
higher and higher,
far above the masses
on the prominent platform.
The media is there
with lights,
cameras
and prime-time coverage.
Publishers huddle
around the base,
for they know
pedestal-people
sell well.
The crowds
on satellite hook-ups
hang on
every last word,
for he seems
so close to eternity.
Yet he feels
unsure,
unworthy,
afraid
and very alone . . .
But at that height
no one notices,
no one questions,
no one confronts.
And so,
in a split second,
the trap door swings,
the noose tightens,
the crowd gasps.
Undeterred, the mob moves on
to build more pedestals;
to encourage another
of their own
up the starlit steps.
But mostly
to wonder
why those
at the pinnacle
keep falling
from the heights.
© 1988 James N. Watkins