Been spending a lot of time the past week with extended family and sharing memories of our newly departed +Vickie Elizabeth+. The lighter side of our memory of Mama Vickie is all the colorful phrases she used. Being the daughter of unknown ancestors which mom referred to as ridgerunners, she would often use phrases that could only be defined and understood in the context of how they were used. Below is an attempt to bring some formal definition to some of these mom-isms:
Continue readingNovember 15/28, 2023
Commencement of Advent & the Nativity Fast
Celebrated my birthday this past weekend. The older I get, the more I long for the kind of birthday presents that involve making memories instead of collecting things. Been going a lot lately to free concerts held at nearby Boston colleges and universities. A quick online search came up blank for colleges holding events as campuses are mostly closed for Thanksgiving Day weekend. So I searched next for concerts at the iconic Boston Symphony Orchestra and came upon a great Boston holiday tradition– Handel’s Messiah performed by the Handel and Haydn Society. I usually prefer the standard abridged version of the Messiah performed by amateur choirs in area churches especially as these performances are often sung as part of worship services and invite congregants to sing along during the chorus parts. This time, though, H+H’s unabridged 3.5 hour long professional performance seemed like the perfect way to spend my birthday money. And it was more and not less divine though it was not sung at a church. It carried its usual power to transform hearts and minds towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 23, 2023
What a whirlwind of activity surrounded the death of my mother this past Monday. The official obituary and announcement of her upcoming funeral went live just yesterday. She died peacefully in her sleep sometime early Monday and by the evening she was whisked away to the local funeral home to await her funeral and burial next Thursday as an Orthodox Christian.
Just yesterday my father and I finalized plans with the funeral home, and the director gave us the best gift: allowing us to visit with mom! She was not yet arrayed in the splendor of her maternal office, but a warm and colorful quilt was draped over her. Mom was a classy lady, so I am sure she will look smart for the funeral next Thursday. But for this more intimate visitation, I cannot think of an object more fitting for this domestic queen who lay in state before us.
Continue readingWe finally made it happen! It has been a dream since my children were born to visit the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Sure we have been to the city often enough for concerts and business at the Russian Consulate, but this trip was purely for taking in the city itself.
With fall and colder, bracing weather upon us, it is a terrific time to curl up next to a warm fire or radiator and soak in a good story. Spiritual memoir has to be my favorite genre, and there are two out this year that are knocking my socks off.
First, North Korea defector Yeonmi Park has returned with a follow up to her first autobiography In Order to Live; she now writes about her more recent struggle in While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector’s Search for Freedom in America. She writes about the cancel culture and critical race theory that threatens our current liberties. As a survivor of the one of the world’s most repressive regimes, her command of the English language and the eloquence with which she advocates for freedom is compelling. What kind of hell on earth she went through to be free makes one cherish what America has given to the world.
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Am watching now the newly released twelfth season of BBC’s Call the Midwife streaming on Netflix (and probably other sources, but this is the one I use). What a terrific show! Where else can you see a popularized, but faithful rendition of Christian monasticism alongside life-affirming midwifery care for expectant mothers?
True, the show often pays lip service to the supposed virtue of abortion, but for the most part, it champions the rights and stories of mothers in all walks of life and in all socioeconomic conditions. I really recommend the BBC in general, but this show specifically! Hope you get a chance to at least sample its wonder.
Saturday, October 15/28, 2023
Mother of God Who Ripens the Grain
Finally most of us are in the thick of the regular fall schedule. Since we are also in the season of electing or re-electing officials in November, it is a time to think about social change. I listened to this commentary about the lack of conservatives in the political activist space and whether or not this poses a problem. The article came down on a very interesting and subtle point: that the way to change the world is not so much by directly agitating the powers that be for social change, but by building enduring institutions which promote healthy and God honoring values. In this time of great social upheaval, I would like to express my gratitude for at least two enduring institutions that have meant the world to me and my family.
Continue readingI have blogged before about the Magic of Cape Cod. As the years go by, there is a particular part of the Cape that has become dear to us: Nickerson State Park. This Labor Day weekend marks the third time we have camped here this summer, setting a new family record.
Boston is truly a world class city. I was able to make it downtown tonight with my three oldest daughters and one of their friends. Have only done this late night trip into Boston 2-3 other times for fourth of July fireworks. When Tchaikovsky’s beautiful 1812 Overture begins (as I hear it now), the moment is beyond poignant.
I have blogged often here about the dehumanizing effects of Disneyland and the curious American desire to amuse themselves at the expense of sobriety, prayer, and deep peace. So one might be surprised to hear that there is one amusement park that we actually endorse enthusiastically. Storyland in Glen, NH has been a family favorite for years and today we bring our three youngest here to relish in its culture and treasures
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