Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Mentor & Friend
By Pat Holden
special sort of mirth, overflowing like a brook. I am sure that her mirth instigated a particularly memorable Liturgical Clown
skit that Chip envisioned, orchestrated, and then hoodwinked her Liturgical Clown compatriots here at Emmanuel to
perform…which is to say Chip was the one we were ready to blame when we were excommunicated and/or run out of town.
Chip decided that what Ascension Day really meant was that when Jesus ascended into heaven, he left behind his heart-
broken friends, which she thought we Clowns were obliged to portray. She developed an overly elaborate and somewhat
daring skit: she unearthed Michael Vermillion’s size 20 clown shoes…. Chip coerced Link and fellow clown spouse Boyd Perry
to re-engineer the rope that had previously only raised the advent wreath about 10 feet (three hours of climbing up and down,
into and around that old dusty attic!) The new rig would then, on cue, hoist--clear to the ceiling-- those huge high topped
sneakers, representing “Jesus ascending”….until those wings, barely taped to the shoe heels, would somehow flutter down
as they hit the ceiling. “Jesus’ grieving disciples” (the rest of her marginally supportive liturgical clowns) would eventually
discover these separated wings and look befuddled (at that point not difficult!)…then would try to fly with one wing….before
fiddling with these paper wings until “Jesus’ friends” finally realized that these same wings could be joined and reconfigured
into a heart across our chests. Next, we clowns would drift into the even more befuddled congregation (if any remained) and
help turn all of their wings (hanging by yarn bridle) down their backs, until all displayed on their chests new hearts made from
their re-connected wings.
Chip had enlisted anyone who could not escape her drafting-by-twinkling-charm recruitment routine to cut out zillions of those
paper wings (“So that everyone will have a pair!”) and to then connect each pair by yarn…tedious and boring tasks which only
Chip could convince everyone else to do, as if they had been especially selected and therefore privileged to labor for The Holy
Cause. The workers grumbled. The Liturgical Clowns wondered (aloud) if she had lost her mind. The production was
becoming very unwieldy, not to mention liturgically risky in her “cutting edge” interpretation.
As some of us dared doubt the theological tastefulness of this rather edgy skit, she immediately and confidently invoked Bobby
Sullivan’s wisdom (our best resident plain-clothes clown ally) to bolster her credibility and her own original, radical theological
interpretation: “You know…” Chip intoned in a far away voice, “one time Bobby said that those clowns tell the truth and make
people laugh… and then just break their hearts.” Our mutiny was thus temporarily quelled.
The last part I shudder to reveal (in case you did not have the privilege of being startled by this chancel drama in person) was
the musical accompaniment Chip single-mindedly selected and promoted for this complex production. Chip had brought
kazoos for all of us clowns to hum at the time of Ascension what she decided would be the perfect song as Jesus ascended:
“Auld Lang Syne,” as if we were celebrating the beginning of a New Year and the ending of the Old…along with extremely
sentimental friends, so devastated and forlorn that their friend Jesus was disappearing before their eyes, when they were left
behind. (This impudent musical touch was where I finally drew the line and seriously considered mutiny.)
So…indeed, as those humongous tennis shoes ascended, Chip’s Liturgical Clown Wanda whipped out her kazoo. She boldly
began bobbing and solemnly piping: “Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot…..” I believe there were some gasps, even from us
clowns, but her enthusiasm was dangerously contagious…of course. As she fixed her twinkling eyes on us, we had no doubt
she was counting on us to perform with her. So I weakly and finally joined in with the others—all led by a totally exuberant and
mirthful and by then totally super-empowered Wanda, the Playwright. Wanda/Chip was thoroughly pleased with her
shenanigans that had somehow managed to enlist all of us into participating in her own personal interpretation of what
Ascension Day was like for Jesus’ left-behind friends.... while the rest of us fervently hoped that no one would ever uncover our
true identities behind our clowns’ white faces.
“The clown’s job is to tell the truth and make people laugh… and then break their hearts.” How ironic that many years later, on
Thanksgiving Day, Chip would happen to remind us again just that with her own ascension…but in plain clothes and with her
full and open and mirthful, healed heart.
Of course Chip has left each of us the work of our own ongoing healing and recovery. As we help each other become more
whole, more mirthful, even, and probably a little more daring, we carry The Gospel, along with part of her and all those we have
loved, but may no longer see… into this broken world which could use a little startling every now and then to hear… see… and
respond. She would, in fact, expect us to do so, and to do this while singing boldly and taking others, instead of ourselves,
more seriously.
So when the early morning sky or the sunset splashed with what looks like brightly colored scarves of scarlet, gold, sparkling
white, and cobalt blue, we can be certain that Chip and Michael Vermillion are finally juggling together again… Happy New
Year, Chip. Of course your “acquaintance” will never “be forgot.” We thank you for stretching our hearts—and our limits of
theological understanding--with your exuberant spirit.
