A January Update

Hello Facebook friends. I haven't posted in over a month. I have been a bit overwhelmed with all the happenings in my life and, oddly for me, I have not been eager to share them all. But this rainy afternoon seemed like a good time for an update, so here it is. It is long, so feel free just to cruise through the pictures! No quizzes coming!

 
We ended the old year with a new great-grandson, Aroon, who is now a month old and, of course, a sweetheart. At that time, we knew my sister, Barbara, was in the hospital and not doing very well. 

We also celebrated some January birthdays...Claire's 17th with a family party...Aroon's first family event. 🙂 

A very yummy chocolate layer cake with homemade ice cream!

The flower centerpieces for the table were in a beautiful wooden tray that Simeon made for Stephanie for her birthday which is a couple of days before Claire's.

Stephanie holding Aroon, a week and a day old.

We actually have 4 January birthdays and we were waiting for the 5th one to make his appearance. Simeon and Jordynn share a January birthday, but it came and went before Lazaro Alex, our 4th great-grandson was born on Jan. 20. Phil and I went over to the hospital to see him and then had a chance to visit him at home. So precious! 8 lbs. 9 oz.; 19.5 in. long.

Lazaro on the day he was born.

A few days old with his great-grandpa.

 

 

 

The day before Lazaro was born, my sister, Barbara Joan Warner Coolidge, died at 92 1/2 exactly. At the funeral of a friend the week before, the minister said, "Death is a gift of mercy from the Father." Barbara longed for and accepted that gift. When I was there to visit her in late September/early October, she wasn't feeling well, and not long after spend some time in the hospital and rehab with Covid. She told me that she "finally felt old." She had faced and conquered a very serious bout of cancer a few years before and, at first, the oncologist was not encouraging. But he hadn't had a senior patient quite like her before and told her family that she had changed his practice in how he dealt with his older patients. She was an amazing woman, always looking for ways to help others.

At 90 with friends out to lunch for her birthday!

 

 

My Grands can tell you she always took them to Sheetz for a hot dog and a smoothie. Hot Dogs 2/$1.00 with her Sheetz card!

 

 

 

 

 

At 89 she went touring downtown DC with Elizabeth and I. Here they are taking a breather at Mount Vernon! It was so hot and muggy, and then a huge thunderstorm as we drove back into town on the George Washington Parkway.

 

Phil and I flew back to spend be a part of the Memorial Service and spend time with my family. On Friday, January 26, we experienced record breaking warm weather for January...one DC area local spot had the highest temperature of 80 degrees! On our way to Thurmont we stopped at a park that highlights the C&O Canal which ran 184 miles between DC and Cumberland, MD alongside the Potomac River. Phil went to stand on the only snow around (slid in the mud as you can see). It was shirt sleeve weather.

 

Every year for 30+ years I have spent at least two weeks there in the little town of Thurmont, MD visiting Mom until she died in 1998, and then continuing to go to visit Barbara. I feel like a part of the Thurmont Church of the Brethren and have gotten to know the folks there along with her neighbors and friends. We talked on the phone often and sometimes Barbara would say, "Hi, I don't have anything to say, but thought I'd call you anyway." Then we would talk for an hour!

The service was on Saturday. It was everything she wanted it to be. Being with the family and celebrating together her well lived life of faith was such a special time. The reality of losing her will keep hitting me for many months to come, I'm sure, but I am thankful that while she is "absent from the body, she is present with the Lord." (2 Cor. 5:8) You can read about her life here in the obituary if you'd like to know her better. And here's the link to her service: Barbara's Memorial

After church on Sunday morning, Phil and I traveled north 20 miles to Gettysburg. I have been multiple times taking both children and grandchildren who went with me to Thurmont over the years, but Phil had never been. The tragedy of the loss of life hurts my heart. Here's Phil with Abe 😀

 

On Monday we went down to Harrisonburg, VA to have lunch with my sister-in-law, Lorraine, her daughter, son and her daughter-in-law. Such a joy to visit for the morning and enjoy sharing lunch together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorraine and I; Her daughter Valerie and Phil

Before we headed back to the motel in Winchester, we drove around the downtown Courthouse Square of Harrisonburg. Phil reminded me that this was were be had a civil marriage ceremony on the Tuesday before our Saturday wedding on Feb. 15, 1975--almost 49 years ago. We parked and asked a security person to take our photo.😍

 

We then drove to the communal house we were married in and where we began our married life, Gemeinschaft. That is a German word for community-individuals bound together by a common thread, in our case our Christian faith and interest in a common life with other Christians. Our household was made up of college students, so we had a limited time together. It is no longer a church community, but still know as Gemeinschaft, and is a halfway house "serving those who have recently exited incarceration." We were married there in the living room on a snowy February day. Again a kindly person took pictures for us: in the living room and on the front porch.

They have done amazing upkeep and restoration work. It is such a beautiful old house.

And one last stop before dark...a visit to the grave of Civil War martyr, John Kline, a minister and elder in the German Baptist Brethren Church who crossed the lines to give add to all. He was shot and killed during one of those trips in 1864.

 

The next morning we headed for Dulles and our flight home via the Antietam Battlefield where the Dunker Church (part of our Church of the Brethren/Dunkard Brethren/German Baptist heritage) found itself in the middle of the bloodiest single day of the Civil War...23,000 dead, injured or missing. So sad.

The travel day on Tuesday was long and tiring. We pulled into our driveway right at midnight. Just before we left to travel east, another good friend and Modesto Peace Life Center supporter died. Yesterday we went to yet another memorial service for a friend from our younger years. I feel like Eternity has been close...kind of a swinging door for our family this month. Babies being born and dear ones stepping though to leave this life. I am so thankful for the comfort of God and the Holy Spirit. It has been a bit of a solemn time for me. Maybe that was my hesitation to share it--somehow it all feels a bit holy, rather than common everyday news. So thankful that God walks with me through it all, present as only God can be and also through all those here in this life who walk with us, rejoicing in our blessings and helping to carry our sadness. God is good and I am blessed.

Christmas to the New Year 2024

Christmas Day, 2023, brought a mid-morning brunch with our daughter, Melissa, and her two girls, our oldest grands...Jordynn with two boys and another one on the way and Cherith with her husband, Ash, and baby coming soon. Good breakfast food, lots of fun-playing and talking. Everyone had left by 12:30 ish and Phil said "We now have the gift of quiet." 😁 

 

Gathered for breakfast.

 

 

Melissa had gotten the little boys a table--came in handy!

Melissa and Zander had a good time playing with a car and a hover soccer "ball."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sisters! With babies soon coming!

 

Our grandson, Caleb, celebrated his 11th birthday on December 26!

 

Then on Friday we had a Heaven's Bounty work day morning. Seven sisters times 3 hours is a nice bit of work accomplished--out with the old and in with the new for our next sale day this Saturday, January 6, 9-2. Ya'll come! Heavens Bounty

Saturday morning, at 12:01 a.m. our third great grandson entered into this world! Finally!! We were waiting a bit impatiently all week, but thankful for his safe arrival! Aroon Carson Deo, 8 lbs 2 oz., 19 3/4 inches. He's a keeper!

Sweet new little boy!

Proud Papa

Great Grandma!

On Saturday, my friend Sue and I went to San Francisco for a Postcrossing MeetUp. It was in the Opera Plaza Community Room with about 35+ other Postcrossers--all strangers. We had a fabulous time!! One couple from Seattle, lots of various Bay Area cities represented and a few of us from the Central Valley, both north and south. The organizer had made a postcard just for the event and we signed lots of them to be mailed out all over the world. I thought on the drive home how wonderful it was that a group of strangers could come together focusing on what they have in common, in this case a love of Postcrossing, and enjoy time together. Shouldn't we be able to do the same the whole world over...respecting one another and appreciating each one. Sigh.

 

Everyone busy and lots of conversation while we worked.

My friend and Sunday Sister, Sue. A true gift to me.

Sunday was New Year's Eve and we enjoyed a church get together and toasted the New Year around 5 p.m....it was New Year's somewhere! Had great soups, sandwiches and goodies and played some Dutch Blitz. Home to bed and so we slipped into 2024. 

 
Now, here we are with two days already crossed off the calendar and on our way through a new year! A blessed New Year to ALL! Praying for peace the whole over.

Epiphany and The 12 Days of Christmas

So, the 12 Days of Christmas actually begin on the day after Christmas, which for us in the western church, is Dec. 26. Day 12 is Jan. 6-which is know in the church calendar as Epiphany and is considered a celebration or feast day. In many other countries, Jan. 6 is the celebration of the 3 Kings visit to the baby Jesus, and children receive their Christmas presents on this day. Others, mostly in the eastern orthodox fellowships, celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John and the coming down of the Holy Spirit as a dove. Epiphany means 'revelation' and both the visit of the Wise Men and his baptism are times when Jesus was 'revealed' to be the very important God-with-us.

A couple of rambling thoughts. 

 
First, we enjoyed celebrating 3 Kings Day as our children were growing up. One of the traditions is to leave a greeting/gift as a surprise at someone's home for them to find. We received a number of these over the years including one that we received every year of a homemade bread that the children didn't like--okay, in all honesty, neither did Phil or I--but we loved that whoever did it made the effort and the surprise of finding it year after year is a good family memory. (We had been receiving it for probably a dozen years before we found out who the giver was.) We always read one of our favorite Christmas stories, "The Three Young Kings" that I had found very serendipitously in our local library. It was in a book of Christmas stories from around the world and this one was a treasure! The first time Phil read it aloud, he could hardly make it through it as he, and the rest of us, laughed and sighed. It is a story from Cuba. In the last years the Bruderhof Communities website posted it online and you can find it at the link below. Be prepared to laugh and cry...it is a heart touching story!

 The Three Young Kings 

Growing up Pop read aloud to me often. During the Christmas holidays, he would read Henry Van Dyke's The Story of the Other Wise Man. It is a great little novella and worth the reading. Since it was written in 1895 (the same year Pop was born) it is in the public domain and I've created a link below where you can read it online or download the PDF.

The Story of the Other Wise Man

Secondly, as I reflected this morning about the orthodox church celebrating the baptism of Jesus, it occurred to me that the western church has been sadly lacking in its celebration. Heavens! We find every other excuse to celebrate...we celebrate birthdays, our own/others baptisms, promotions and graduations, team sports wins, anniversaries, family reunions, weddings and new babies. I'm thinking we have sadly missed the boat on this opportunity. And while I jest a little here, I'm also a bit serious. It is a pretty significant part of what we know about the life of Christ and certainly was the "kick-off" of his ministry. Three of the Gospels record the story and John recounts John the Baptist's description of the event. That's a lot of "press" for something we don't talk about much!

When Jeshua and I were in Greece in 2018, one evening while he was in rehearsals, I sought out a small Catholic church close by that I had not yet visited to take some time to think and pray. I moved up toward the front and to look around and let the setting guide my meditation. There was a beautiful painting in the front of Mary and the Angel in the Annunciation moments and there was another painting to my left of the Baptism of Jesus. For a minute I had to take a deep breath and let go of my partiality to immersion baptism 😇, but when I did, I really felt the awesomeness of the event and the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit represented by the dove.

I softly sang the song I learned during our time with Church in the Park many years ago:

Let the Spirit descend on the wings of a dove as it did on Jesus that day. He was baptized by John in the River called Jordan and a voice like thunder cried, "This is my Son. This is my Son in whom I'm well pleased. This is my only Son."        

I stayed long enough that the bells rang for vespers and I stayed for the service, too. A really special "God moment" for me in our travels.

I'm thinking that a yearly reminder and celebration of the baptism of Jesus might be in order! So this January 6, the 12th Day of Christmas, I plan to blend the east and west and celebrate Epiphany with both important revelations of who Jesus was--the visit of the wise men and the baptism of Jesus. Great celebrations of God-with-us for beginning a new year.

Happy New Year!

 

A Pause in Place 2

...and another post in place to tell about the trip home from Greece and more about the fires.

A Pause in Place

So I am putting this post and the next one in place to save a spot to finish telling about my trip to Greece...as much for my own sake...I have my notes, just haven't written it up.
So, one day this post will be edited to tell about the trip to Corinth.

Mars Hill -- The Areopagus

Of all the places there are to visit in Athens, this was the top of my list. I actually knew very little about it historically, and I had no idea what to expect. However, I have read Paul's sermon in Acts 17 many times and, especially after getting my fill of the mythology of pagan gods, I wanted to set my feet there, where Paul had spoken the Truth with great courage, yet in a way that engaged his listeners.

Mars Hill (Areopagus) photo taken from the Acropolis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus#/media/File:Areopagus_hill.jpg

In classical times, this rock mass functioned as the place where court matters were settled--the sentencing of murderers and the settling of religious disputes. It was also known as a spot where someone could stand and speak out on the issues of society...hence Paul's speaking about the identity of the "unknown God."

I have never been a person who longs to go to Israel to walk in the "footsteps" of Jesus. Not that I wouldn't enjoy going, but I have not felt an emotional drawing or connection that many others I know feel. Having said that I can only explain my experience with Mars Hill as the movement of the Spirit in my life.

Jeshua had spoken to our tour guide about our wanting to go to Mars Hill and she had said that it would be easy to fit it in after coming down from the Acropolis. So we walked down to the meeting spot and asked her for directions. She pointed down a wide marble expanse and we headed off. It literally is just down the hill and around to the northwest of the Acropolis...not far at all. 

It really is just a huge rock!

Three things to notice about the above picture that I will refer to: 1) to the far left you can see a set of large steps that lead to the top; 2) just left of the center you can see two steps that lead to the steps that are actually carved into the rock itself--and some folks going up who disappear behind the trees and a few emerging at the top; and 3) the large plaque inlaid in a stone wall on the right hand side of the photo.

When we arrived to the view you see above, it took me aback. I don't know what I was expecting, but there's really not much to it, is there? When I stopped to take the picture, I thought, "Okay, I guess I've seen it." The choir kids were ahead of us and were already moving up the stone stairs. I told Jeshua to go ahead up...that I may or may not make the climb. 

Jeshua almost to the top.

I was tired. I'd taken plenty of Advil that morning to prepare for the hike up to the Parthenon, and I thankfully did okay. But it is tense walking when the ground is slippery and/or hole pocked...and being determined not to slow down the group too much. 😎 And now Mars Hill looked like a bit of a letdown...just a big rocky hill. 

The bronze plaque are the words of Paul from Acts 17:22-31.

It's all Greek to me!!

Standing there in the open area, I realized that, oddly enough, I was pretty much by myself--no one was close by. I started thinking about the courage it must have taken Paul to speak out in a way that ran against the current of the times. From Mars Hill you could easily see the temples of the Acropolis and one phrase from Paul's sermon came to mind...(my paraphrase) "that God--the creator of the whole universe--does not live in temples made with hands."  As I stood there, I suddenly felt as though Paul was standing beside me, his arm on my shoulder. And "we" simply stood there...a few tears overflowing on my part.

The next thing I knew, the decision was made. I was going up! I walked over and went up a few of the rock stairs and knew I could not climb them--they were varying heights, no railing to hold on to, lots of loose stone/dirt. It was then that I saw some folks coming down those steps at the left...I had not seen them before...and I went over and up...slow, but up.

Almost to the top.

Jeshua and the choir kids were gathering to sing and as I stepped off the stairs, I could hear their voices...the Truth again being proclaimed in this place as it had been in the first century.

I didn't wander too far from the steps...you needed the surefootedness of a mountain goat! Looking at the top of the photo, you can see how close it is to the Acropolis.

 But I enjoyed the singing and felt the worship of the moment...and took a picture of the view.

The view of modern Athens from Mars Hill.

I'm so glad I went up, but even more so I'm thankful for the moments with Paul--whether for "real" or in the Spirit--I can't explain the experience. I just know it was real for me!

The next day I would again follow in Paul's footsteps as the plan was to go to Corinth. I was looking forward to it.

The Acropolis!

A good night's sleep, but an early call time for the bus to the Acropolis! And we didn't want to miss the anticipated famous breakfast buffet, so up we got and off to breakfast.

And quite the breakfast, it was! There were about nine stations, each with different offerings.

This was the honey, jams, butters and nutella station! Plus it had a bowl of very nice cookies each morning and some other odd things I didn't recognize.😄

I was glad for the cut, prepared fresh fruit, which was so lacking in Syros. And, of course I longed for bacon, which they had here, sort of...but not quite like home. There was a made to order omelet, eggs and waffle station that seemed to attract a lot of attention.

And the little strudels which had been apple on Syros, were cherry here...equally yummy.

The cheese selection was okay, but I missed that local Syros cheese...San Michali Cheese. But there were a few new ones to try and plenty of feta. We had the luxury of this breakfast for three mornings. Delightful!


After breakfast we climbed on the bus to be dropped off at the base of the Acropolis. My cane and I took a deep breath and we were off and climbing. 

Just like in Syros, the paths were of marble and other slick stone...climbing, climbing upward.

Each of the buses (I think there were four) had a tour guide. Ours for this day was a delightful woman who was an archeologist. She grew up in Canada and had great English and shared both history and mythology. As we climbed along, she would give us a shady break under a tree while she shared more with us.

Our whole group was interested in all that she shared.

Part way up, we stepped off the path to take a look at the Herodeon, a music performance venue originally completed in 174 AD. Like so much of Athens, it was destroyed and rebuilt off and on over the years, but had mostly been left to ruin until the late 1800's when it was rebuilt to accommodate more modern performances including some during the German occupation of WWII. By 1955 it was more completely restored and hosts orchestra concerts/ballets/operas/Greek tragedies, almost always to a full house--which seats 4,680 folks.

They were setting up the stage for an upcoming concert.

Our path wound around to several sets of stairs that would take us up through the Propylaia which was the gateway to the temples on the Acropolis. It was built during the years 438 to 432 BC. In its time it was a collection of buildings that formed a structure that you had to go through to reach the actual tableland of the Acropolis. I have looked at lots of pictures of it since, but at the time, I just concentrated on the steps...the first several sets of wooden ones leading to the final flights of marble ones. In ancient days, the marble steps still preserved at the top came most of the way down the hill. You can see what supported them at the bottom right of the photo.

I actually took this photo from Mars Hill, a lower hill sort of beside the Acropolis. It shows the lines of folks zigzagging up and down both sides and then up/down the central stairs and through the "Gates"--and gives you an idea of how large the whole thing was. Look at the columns!

Once we were on the top, some folks walked right to the edges of the Acropolis to look over. Totally not me! I was happy to take their photo doing it! This is to the right once you are through the entrance gate.

The stones/rock/marble that make up the walking surface on top show the evidence of the millenniums of wear and tear...

I was so very careful...determined not to fall, but had to watch carefully where I placed both my cane tip and my feet!

It was pretty amazing to be there...the whole thing is so much bigger than I had imagined. (The surface length of the flattened hilltop is over 300 yards long).

Once you passed through you found yourself with a good view of the Parthenon. I somehow always thought that the Parthenon was built to honor Apollos...but it was a temple to Athena (Athens...duh--that I'm a little slow on my historical connections is an understatement). Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war, and a host of other things. She was the only goddess depicted with armor and was the patron of Athens.

 

Restoration has been ongoing since the 1980's. It is like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces having been scattered all over the hills of Athens.

One of the choir kids took this photo...as I was standing there, I thought about that little blond toddler who held my hand...I never dreamed the two of us would be standing here!

The Parthenon started out its life as a temple to Athena; after a few hundred years, it was used as a treasury for the city of Athens, and eventually, in the 500's AD became a Christian church. After Greece became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 1400's, it was changed into a mosque. Then in 1687 when part of the building was used as a munition depot, it was fired upon in an attack by the the Venetians (yes, Venice--a kind of city state in Italy) and, in essence, blew itself up. So the pieces were scattered all over and have been painstakingly gathered and each one numbered.

These little "scrap yards" were in various locations around the Parthenon. Each piece has a number in red lettered on it.

I will confess, that I lost enthusiasm for wandering over the whole grounds to each of buildings. Again, the sadness that all this work and money and slave labor built all of this to honor mythological characters who were worshiped as gods. I'm really glad I've been...but it makes me look at some of that ancient history a bit differently than before. It is true that the nature of humans is that they are looking for something greater than themselves to give their lives to...sadly for the citizens of ancient Athens, Athena was not it! (More about that later on Mars Hill).

As we walked along the outer side of the Parthenon to make our way back to go down all those steps and the path, I got a good look at the back of the Propylaea--the gate.

It looks like they were making the first lego blocks for decorations!

It was mid-morning while we were on the top, but it was already a hot day. There was a nice breeze, however, that made it very bearable. 

I made it down the stairs and down the pathway back to our guide near the parking lot. Jeshua had talked to her about our wanting to go to Mars Hill and she sent us off in that direction. But that is a story worth telling all on its own and I will do it in my next blog post!

Unbeknownst to us, while we were enjoying the Acropolis, a fire had started in small coastal towns to the east of Athens and the breeze that kept us cool fueled the fire into a disaster with loss of homes and life...I think 80 people eventually died from it. While we were on top, another tourist mentioned that the "clouds" we could see in the distance were actually smoke from a fire and the air got smokier as the day went on.

And yet another fire had started on this same day to the west of Athens in the direction of Corinth. Corinth isn't labeled on the map below, but it is to the west of Kineta--  about in the center of that little bay just off the main white road. It's the Aegean Sea to the south and the Ionian Sea to the north. We were hoping to go to Corinth the next day.

I recently found this photo taken by Theodora Tongas/AP and posted online at: photos-of-the-devastating-wildfires-outside-athens-greece 2018

This was the sky over Athens that evening as the winds blew the western fire's smoke across Athens. You can see the  Acropolis rising up over the city.

 And next will come the journey to Mars Hill. I had no idea what was in store for me, but it was no surprise to God!