Six Boxes of Books: Depraved Deep Valley

Six Boxes of Books: Depraved Deep Valley

Episco-what?

It's been awhile since I wrote here but something came up that I'm excited about.

As a cradle Episcopalian, I grew up with almost everyone saying “Episco-what?” when I told them what religion I was. Imagine my surprise and delight when I was in seventh or eighth grade to discover in the school’s library a series of books featuring a girl my age who was an Episcopalian, too!

These delightful books by Maud Hart Lovelace have been in and out of print since their publication began in 1940. Betsy, her family and her friends live an idyllic life in fictional Deep Valley, Minnesota about 1900. It starts with Betsy’s fifth birthday and goes through her first few years of marriage. But while it’s an idyllic life, it also shares some of life’s hardships: disappointment, heartbreak, and death.

In the first four Betsy-Tacy (1940), Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941), Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (1942), and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown (1943) Betsy attends the Baptist church while her friend Tib goes to the Episcopal church. These four books have usually been in print since their initial publication.

However, in the harder to find Heaven to Betsy (1945) Betsy and her older sister decide to become Episcopalians! In some of the wisest writing I’ve ever read Betsy’s father says of their decision,

“The important thing isn’t what church you want to join but whether you want to join a church at all.”

After more discussion he says,

“And we support the church. You have to think of that. Churches need the income just as a family does; and it is your duty to support your church if you join one. With more than money, too. A church needs members who take an active part in the church work. Mother and I don’t do as much as some, and some folks overdo it, in my opinion, but we try to carry our load. My point is that if you’re going to join a church, you want to be prepared to support it, both with money and time.

“But that’s just the beginning,” Mr. Ray went on, and sat straight in his chair. “It isn’t enough to go to church, and to support the church. The most important part of religion isn’t in any church. It’s down in your own heart. Religion is in your thoughts, and in the way you act from day to day, in the way you treat other people. It’s honesty, and unselfishness, and kindness. Especially kindness.”

I can pretty much say that everything I learned as a kid about faith, religion and the Episcopal church, I learned from Betsy Ray and her father, thanks to fellow Episcopalian Maud Hart Lovelace. (The change of religion was so controversial when it was released in 1945 that some libraries, such as the New York Public Library, banned it!)

On September 29, 2009 HarperCollins in reissuing six of these out-of-print books in three volumes as part of their Harper Perennial Modern Classics:

• Heaven to Betsy (1945) and Betsy in Spite of Herself (1946) with a forward by Laura Lippman
• Betsy Was a Junior (1947) and Betsy and Joe (1948) with a forward by Meg Cabot
• Betsy and the Great World (1952) and Betsy's Wedding (1955) with a forward by Anna Quindlen

Finally, two very hard to find books set in Deep Valley will be reissued in 2010 as Harper Perennial Modern Classics:

• Carney's House Party (1949) and Emily of Deep Valley (1950)

I hope that you find these books as delightful as I have over the past 30 years. I have worn out library copies, paperbacks, and hardbacks reading and rereading this series, and am delighted to have the chance to buy more copies to share with my friends and family, especially my church family.

What's in a name?

The Bishop sent me a link to Wordle today that he thought I could use for future graphics. I was intrigued and played around with it to see what it could do. As I typed I started thinking about the names of churches in The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona and wondered how they would appear since Wordle makes words larger by seeing how many times it is used.

The most common word? St. It was so large I had to remove all but one. What came next? It appears to be a tie between Paul and Andrew and possibly John. We Episcopalians are predictable.

Have mercy on your servant

I learned today that the retired Bishop of Arizona, The Rt. Rev. Joseph T. Heistand, died yesterday at his home in Virginia. Since our Diocesan Convention begins day after tomorrow I don't have time to write much but did want to post a few thoughts.

I attended Bishop Heistand's consecration on Aug. 28, 1976 in Phoenix at the age of 12. I got to know him over the years as I grew more involved with journalism and photography and was honored when he and his wife bought reprints of my photos.

One of my favorite photos of him was taken when Arizona executed Donald Eugene Harding, the first man to be executed in Arizona in 29 years. I was watching Bishop Heistand as he stood outside with death penalty protesters and saw his reaction when he was told that Harding was dead. He pursed his lips and shook his head and looked so sad about the death of fellow human being.

I wish I could post some of those photos now but they're all in storage after my recent move. Since I am preparing for my second Diocesan Convention as the Diocesan Communications officer I had to scramble to find another source of photos. My former employer, the East Valley Tribune, provided the one seen here.

I don't think I saw Bishop Heistand after his successor, The Rt. Rev. Robert Shahan, was consecrated in 1992 but I have thought of him frequently over the years (especially as I come up the stairs to my office and see his photo) and wished him well.

And now I must go back to work preparing for Convention. But as a retired Bishop who presided over many a Diocesan Convention himself, I know he'd understand.

Separation of Church and State

Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is apparently a huge supporter of the Bill of Right’s First Amendment, which is frequently referred to as the “separation of church and state.” He supports it so much that he (the state) is separating people from their churches.

A Hispanic Episcopalian was pulled over recently and asked to show his papers. He was born and raised in the U.S. and had his valid Arizona driver’s license with him but that wasn’t good enough for the deputies since they’ve seen “too many fakes.” So now he, and others like him, are avoiding church because the congregations are afraid of detainment or harassment by over-zealous deputies.

The problem? He, and many others, worship within one of Arpaio’s Crime Suppression Operation, which is bordered by 16th and 40th streets, and McDowell and Indian School roads in Phoenix. Most are of Hispanic origin and they have been pulled over and asked to provide their papers.

According to my boss, The Rt. Rev. Kirk S. Smith, Arpaio's deputies interrupted a confirmation service on April 6 in a Roman Catholic Church in Guadalupe, a largely Hispanic neighborhood where Arpaio started another Crime Suppression Unit. And on Good Friday Bishop Smith received a call from the priest at a Spanish-speaking church in Phoenix. He drove to the scene and found an officer. "I tried to explain to him that not only were his men frightening law-abiding citizens, but they were in fact violating if not the letter, then at least the spirit of the Constitution by preventing people from going to church--it's called freedom of religion. Suffice it to say, the deputy, although polite, was not interested. He had his orders."

This despite the fact that Arapio’s own press release dated Jan. 18 stated, “The posse members and deputy sheriffs will not racially profile anyone in this operation.”

How can Arpaio’s office say that on the same page as “Illegal immigration arrests anticipated.” Are they pulling over French speakers to make sure they haven’t come here illegally from Canada? Are they pulling over blue-eyed blonds as suspected illegal European immigrants? How about people of middle-eastern descent?

A second press release released Jan. 22 crowed that the “Operation nets twenty-seven arrests in first ten hours, including five illegal aliens.”

Let us not forget that Arpaio and his deputies are doing this “as a result of a letter to the Sheriff from business owners in the area who asked for his help saying they have more faith in the Sheriff’s office to reduce the ongoing property crimes occurring there, including the illegal immigration problem.”

More faith in the Sheriff’s office than who, may we ask? Who is he going to go after next? The Holocaust comes to mind when “recent” racial profiling was enacted under the guise of politics protecting the people from a targeted minority. It didn’t matter if you were Jewish it just mattered if you looked Jewish.

I can only hope that Sheriff Joe Arpaio faithfully reads this.

On the Net: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2008/04/11/20080411churcharpaio041108-CR.html

Great photo

I haven't had time to write lately but I wanted to share this photo I took of my mom and daughter at Trinity Cathedral in November. A horizontal version of this is my computer's wallpaper and everyone who comes into my office loves this image. I hope you like it, too.

Death of a four-legged friend

0 God, you created all that is, and you love all that you have made: we come to you this day in grief and with thanksgiving. We grieve the death of our beloved Berry, who has been our companion on the way, and we thank you for the gift of his presence among us as an effective sign of the richness of your creation and of the generosity of your love; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire's Liturgy for the loss of a pet or other animal: http://www.nhepiscopal.org/artman/publish/article_279.shtml



I lost a friend this morning of the four-legged variety. Why am I writing about this in Episcayune? Because it's my blog, my prerogative, and pets are more popular than ever. Our churches are recognizing that fact since most have a Blessing of the Animals.

As I was writing this I was delighted to find that the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire even has the above liturgy for pets! Since my family has struggled in the past when burying pets I'll be printing this out and putting a copy in my prayer book. When I get Berry's ashes back I'll say this litany as I bury or scatter him.

(As further proof that animal-lovers are not in the minority anymore, I also found an excellent article by Jean Fitzpatrick entitled When a Pet Dies at Episcopal Cafe.)

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." Matthew 10:29 - NRSV.


Berry, a one-eyed lavender-smoke Devon Rex male, would have been 16-years-old next month. As I recall, Berry was abandoned at a groomer's shop in 2001. I got him about six months later when I was hoping to write a book about Devons. (I had written my book The Guide to Owning a Cornish Rex Cat and had several Cornish Rex but wanted more Rex experience.) Sadly, 9/11 tanked the idea of a Devon book but I never regretted getting him.

Berry lost his eye as a kitten and I'm a sucker for the under-dog, or under-cat in this case. But Berry never considered himself to be an under-cat. He packed a lot of punch in his one-eyed glares. In fact, I tearfully laughed when, as he died, his head rolled in my direction for one last (loving) glare.

I'm glad I'll have this litany tonight as I try to explain to my 4-year-old daughter about death for the first time. It's going to be rough, so prayers would be appreciated.

You can also see Berry at my Rainbow Bridge page: rexphiles.com/rainbow.

Another good source for Episcopal animal lovers is the Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare: http://www.franciscan-anglican.com/enaw/