Miranda Means Business

I experienced my first rugby game today. No, not as a participant. That would require a certain amount of discipline and sports ability which I have not had since seventh grade. I was an observer. I was at the Rugby fields in Elkhart at the Moose Family Center. I was there to support Miranda Stage of Warsaw Community High School, and of Claypool United Methodist Church.

Rugby seems to be a fun sport. But it is a sport for the very dedicated.

The weather was uncooperative. Oppressively overcast sky, cold and rainy. But the grass was a lush green with freshly drawn white chalk lines.

Multi-colored umbrellas helped to keep the rain and wind off the heads of observers.

   The whistle blew, the game began. Much like a cross between soccer and football, rugby moves up and down a field being played by fifteen players on each side. The ball, a fuller version of a football, takes a bit of practice to hang on to in these cold, wet, days.

It was my first experience at a “scrum”. A scrum looks like a huddle of the two opposing teams with the intent to “hook” the ball to a player on your side that can then advance the ball toward the goal.

Another notable observation about the game…when the ball goes out of bounds, the pass back into the field is toward two players, of both sides, being lifted high so as to gain better position to catch the ball.

A fun sport indeed!

    No wonder why Miranda seems to enjoy playing this sport. Miranda seems to enjoy a challenge. She has been playing rugby for about three years now. She likes being outside and she likes the aggressiveness of the game. This is a full contact sport with tackling your opponent a common experience. No safety gear, no pads, no helmet, these are pretty intense girls that play this game. And Miranda is pretty intense. Not only does she show up for the game, there is the week day practice.

Dedicated and disciplined, Miranda means business.

And it’s not as if she will take a break during the off season, next week Miranda will be with her high school band in competition.

Yes, Miranda also plays an instrument. She plays clarinet.

Miranda is one of those young folk that reach as far to the physical, sports side of interests as she does toward the cognitive, musical side of interests.

Good going, Miranda! Continue to inspire us all!

Cemetery of Convenience

    “Cemetery of convenience”, now that is a phrase I never heard before last night at the Elkhart County Historical Museum.

    Jeannie Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives for the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, presented a very informative lecture on cemeteries, graves, the histories of such and some legal does and don’ts.

   It was obvious that most of the folk in attendance were either cemetery historians or genealogical hobbyists. I am neither. I like history in general. And Jeannie did an excellent job of presenting her information such that a person of casual interest could understand and have their interests and musings stirred.

   And stirred mine were.

    A “cemetery of convenience” would hardly happen today. They happened during early days of exploration, railroad laying, or other large work efforts where people were far from civilization yet had to provide for a decent burial of someone deceased. In other words, they got buried where they died.

   Nineteen people showed up for this meeting. Jeannie discussed history, preservation attempts, and legal matters regarding cemeteries. When asked questions, she immediately had a relevant and well informed answer. Of course she should, she has been doing this since 2002.

   Always articulate in her language and descriptions, she held everyone’s attention for a little more than an hour. I am a preacher, and after fifteen minutes, I can see that I’ve lost people.

Jeannie did an excellent job.

You can find out more about cemeteries at    http://in.gov/dnr/historic/