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.
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