Heavenly Host

My favorite Sunday of the year, Easter is about life and joy and defeating death.  It is about family and friends and music.  We enjoyed Easter music today that included at least six brass instruments. Those serve to lift the music up to another level.

As a non-singer, I have always been intrigued by musical harmony. I certainly know how to read music and play the piano, but I do not know how to read the notes and make my voice hit that sound!  That is a complete mystery to me!   I sometimes wonder if I had had lessons in chorus as a youngster if that would have made any difference.

I always equate musical harmony with heaven!  It is not that I think all choir members are saints.  I somehow doubt that.  But put them all together with a talented director and accompanist, and what you get is the closest I've ever come to experiencing the "heavenly host", as I imagine them to sound.

People have a tendency not to always get along.  They criticize one another.  They go to war.  They abuse. They bully and shoot and hurt in ways too countless to name.

But put peoples' voices together in musical harmony, and you have got something very heavenly.  There is just something majestic and glorious about the blending of male and female voices, sopranos, bass, tenor, alto, all singing their parts.

Today's singing included an antiphonal introit.  It included singing Handel's Messiah (pictured above).  Members of the congregation are always invited to join in, if they wish, and many do.

When one focuses on their part, and sings their note, the whole is infinitely grander than the individual parts.

I imagine that is the potential that God sees in humanity.  And I am confident that the potential harmony will become a reality in the next realm.

If nowhere else on earth, heaven is embodied in the music.

Happy Easter.  He is risen indeed!

Easter Bonnets

In conversation today at lunch with friends,  the subject of Easter bonnets came up----specifically how no one wears them any more.

 The friends we were eating with were remembering one particular lady who always wore a hat on Easter.

Then we came home and our daughter called, asking if we had seen her Facebook posting yet.

Apparently some folks from her church had the same conversation, only they had it long enough before Easter to offer a challenge to the congregation to wear their Easter hats to church this year.  Daughter thought that people would go all out and wear really "grand hats".   She took a picture of her dress, and took that picture with her to the store, carefully selecting hat decorations to match her dress.

As it turns out,  her hat was the grandest of all, and it was selected as the "first place hat."   I can see why!

All the colors in the dress are on display in the hat.   Notice the dove!  And of course, my favorite Easter symbol, the butterfly!

What a really great idea!  Way to go Viki!   Very creative!

Not Yet Spring

It started off as a spring-like day--sunny and 45 degrees.  In the middle of the day, I actually heard birds singing, which led me to thoughts of spring.

Alas, it is now gray and cloudy and snowing, so clearly spring thoughts are premature!

For several reasons, I have decided that this year I am not going to plant a vegetable garden.   One reason is that we will be away for a period of time, and not able to tend to it.

Another reason is--this year I have decided that I just do not want to battle with the critters---mostly woodchucks, though deer and bunnies are also destroyers of my planting efforts.

For this year's garden, I hope to be able to identify a bunch of different kinds of flowers that animals will not love to eat.   The climbing climatis that I so wanted to grow up my trellis, is a special candy-like treat for critters, apparently, as it always gets eaten back whenever leaves appear.  I carefully tried to keep it wrapped with saran wrap, so the woodchuck would not destroy it (until it grow tall enough to be out of reach).  Not worth the effort!

I've already planted some bulbs in what should have been the vegetable garden.  In June I will select a bunch of annuals---marigolds,  petunias, and other assorted ones, which the animals will hopefully not eat.

I don't want to spend my spring and summer being mad and frustrated at the hungry animals!   So already, I give them the victory!  Have at it!

Someone I Know

I know someone who needs a blessing this week

Tis a mother and daughter of whom I speak

(though nameless shall they be.)

Single mother from the time her daughter was two,

With more struggles than most of us could do.

They’ve been through a lot; that’s for sure

Emotionally and financially, much to endure.

Of course a mother’s job is never really done—

That we also know is true.

But to send them off well prepared

Is the best that we can do.

College plans are in the works.

From ‘first choice’ they don’t yet know.

It’s the one the mother can afford,

Where hopefully the daughter will go.

Someone I know needs a prayer this week.

I’ll do that every day.

May the answer come, bringing hope to all;

This, O Lord, I pray!

Going Viral

I have learned that once your name gets 'out there' on the internet, anything can happen!  Knowing that my book was to be listed by a bunch of book retailers, I thought that I should Google my name and see what came up!

The book was certainly out there for sure.  I found it listed in almost every language imaginable, in--Ireland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy, and several  other places where I did not recognize the language at all!  I'm not sure what I think of all of that.

What surprised me most of all was learning that I have published a book of National Geographic Animal Poetry!   (Not!)   It is listed by a company located in the United Kingdom.  It gives no address, phone number, email address, or customer service number.  One could write a book review, which I did, saying: " I did not write this book. My name was lifted from the internet."   I went back later to check, but they did not publish that particular book review!

I am certainly grateful that my name is attached to the National Geographic company  (probably also lifted);  and I am especially grateful that it is children's animal poetry.  Both of those are rather benign. There is a lovely and colorful cover, but I could not copy it, ironically, to paste in here!!  

I do have to acknowledge that it could have been so much worse!

So just for the record, should anyone happen to run into this anywhere----I made no contribution to this collection of poems, and if I could figure out how to get my name off of it, I would.

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems With Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar!

by Nancy Rehkugler

$23.99 Free Shipping

Released

9/11/12

Book Genre

Grades 3-4 Ages 8-9, Juvenile

A Broadway Weekend

Last night, we enjoyed a wonderful production of Oklahoma at grand-daughter's high school.  She had the lead female role, so of course, that made it all the more fun!

The whole show was very well done.  It was lively and funny.   It had amazing sets.  There was an orchestra that played almost three hours non-stop, with a short intermission.  And the kids did a fantastic job!  How they can remember that much dialogue and lyrics is beyond me.

My hat is off to all the seniors at Newfield High School   Thanks for a wonderful and memorable rendition of Oklahoma!

Favorite Entertainment

The second annual Broadway on Church Street!   This just might be my favorite entertainment of the year!

The cast was made up of approximately 30+ extremely talented people.  There were the young and the older.  The child and the youth.  The short and the tall.

And lots of singing and dancing and lively choreography!   (The choreography was not simple---looked especially challenging!!)

Classical show tunes came from Les Miserables,  from Sound of Music, from Gigi, South Pacific and any number of other familiar and not so familiar musicals, too numerous to remember.

An all male ensemble sang "There Is Nothing Like a Dame".  This number was especially funny with a motley crew of rugged (ragged) sailors singing about the "girls" and all their shapely qualities.

Judie Murphy sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" complete with a real live Toto puppy who behaved perfectly from the first note to the last.  The puppy belongs to the local veterinarian so was perfectly trained.

Accompaniment was by the gifted Paulette Fry and Sue Bonne, with additional sound effects added via a synthesizer.

I could go on and on talking about how much I enjoyed it.   I cannot believe how much talent is concentrated in that one choir group  (plus a few extras.)  

And I simply have no words for how much I love these people!!

Apoptosis

I was reading an article on line about cancer and its causes and treatment (one out of three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes).  I encountered in that article an interesting word I did not know:  apoptosis.

It is also an interesting concept. Apoptosis is the body's natural process of killing off and destroying old dying cells.   I will include the full definition below, as found in the medical dictionary.   

What is so fascinating to me is that cancer is not some outside disease, or external foreign substance that somehow invades the body,  like a virus or bacteria, but it is instead an interruption of the natural process of cells killing themselves off.

Cancer is uncontrolled cell growth.  Cellular disease occurs when something gets in the way of of the cells process of self-destruction, or natural life cycle.  Cells  are designed to live for a time, and then die off and be replaced by new cells.

One could apply this notion to any number of ideas.  One could especially apply it to other living organisms besides the human body:   Organizations, institutions, agencies, governments, religions.

What does not flow and change and evolve according to a natural life-cycle process can easily become cancerous or diseased.   I suppose the challenge there is trying to figure out what the natural life-cycle process is supposed to be.

So that's my philosophical observation for the day.

Definition of APOPTOSIS

: a genetically determined process of cell self-destruction that is marked by the fragmentation of nuclear DNA, is activated either by the presence of a stimulus or by the removal of a stimulus or suppressing agent, is a normal physiological process eliminating DNA-damaged, superfluous, or unwanted cells (as immune cells targeted against the self in the development of self-tolerance or larval cells in amphibians undergoing metamorphosis), and when halted (as by genetic mutation) may result in uncontrolled cell growth and tumor formation—called also programmed cell death

++++++++++++

 

Polenta

When I was growing up in the south,  you mixed a little bit of corn meal with an egg and some milk or even water, baked it in a cast iron skillet until brown, and that was what you had with dinner every night.  Good old fashioned cornbread.  A skillet of cornbread might cost you about five cents.

Then later in my life, watching cooking shows on television, and reading recipes in magazines, as an adult, I discovered polenta.   If purchased as a dish in a fancy restaurant, a serving might cost more like fifteen dollars.

Because of my childhood experience with corn meal,  I have never actually  either tasted or made polenta----until this afternoon.   Oh, how I wish I had taken a picture.  It was so very lovely!

I watched Mario Batalli make polenta on The Chew, and it looked so delicious, I wanted to try it myself.   I read some recipes on-line and learned the basic process.  I usually modify recipes to use what I happen to have on hand.  

What I selected was a mushroom and carmelized onion version, a topping for the polenta.  It was so absolutely out of this world,  that I'd have to say we really had a gourmet dinner!  Polenta along with an herb roasted pork loin and roasted asparagus.

I have definitely gotten over my prejudice about polenta!   I see from the recipes that you can also bake it  (which I did for part of it), and cut it into a variety of different shapes and it becomes so very versatile. The possibilities are endless.

There are so many new things to discover later in life!   Goodbye cornbread  (which I no longer cook or eat anyway) and hello fancy-pants-polenta!

Event Planning

Event planning is something I have done my share of, from time to time.

Last year it was the planning of our 30th Anniversary Celebration event, a special occasion with approximately 80 people in attendance, with program, slide show, games, food, etc.

This year, I am planning our road trip.  When I first began this project, I had no idea how complicated and time consuming it would be.

First, one identifies the route, the states, the highways that get you from point A to point B, and ultimately where you want to be.  After that, I got Guide Books and maps from AAA.   Then I began to figure how many hours of travel it would take from A to B.  What things would we do and see?  Where would we stay?   I have a notebook filled with a day by day plan, complete with reservations and confirmation numbers.   Hopefully, I can add to my 'event plan' a Trip Tik.  (I've never actually seen one before!)

Truthfully, many a worship service is an "event to plan", especially on those high holy days, and on many other occasions as well.   It definitely requires a detailed plan, a theme, a focus, and a specific vision of what that "event" will 'look like', and feel like.

 To this day, that's the kind of worship service I most enjoy, where the entire event is tied to the specific scripture for that day---the liturgy, the hymns, the anthems, the children's message, the prayers.

Yes, I do sometimes miss planning those events. These three things I loved:  writing, preaching, planning, but the greatest of these is planning!