Sunday, January 28, 2007

Farewell Mozart 250

One year ago yesterday, January 27, 2006 was the 250th anniversary of the birth of Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Big celebrations were held in his native town of Salzburg, Austria, and in many other places around the world. Concerts, festivals, and other extravaganzas were held not only in the days leading up to January 27, 2006 but also in the months that followed. In fact, some proclaimed a year long celebration, calling it "Mozart 250". During "Mozart 250", Wolfgang's music filled countless concert halls, radio waves, not to mention cyberspace channels. For some folks, this surge in Mozart's music was a welcome delight. For others, it was a detraction from the music of other (and according to some, more worthy) composers.

No matter how you feel about the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, now that January 27, 2007 has passed, we can all say:
"Here endeth the year Mozart 250".

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Burns Night!

January 25 is the birthday of Scotland's beloved poet and songwriter Robert Burns who lived from 1759-1796. Even if you don't have a bit of Scottish blood in you, you certainly have been affected by Robert Burns in one way or another. If nothing else, you've sang (or at least heard) Burn's best known song "Auld Lang Syne" on New Year's Eve when the clock strikes twelve.

The celebration of Robert Burns is a big event in Scotland and other Celtic-influenced lands. Traditionally, a "Burns Supper" or a "Burns Night" is held. As Bennett Fischer states, Burns Suppers/Nights "range from stentoriously formal gatherings of esthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts." However, as Fischer notes, "most Burns Suppers fall in the middle of this range, and adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honoured form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard."

I'll leave it up to you, dear readers, to determine the most appropriate way for you to celebrate Robert Burns birthday.

To conclude, I leave with you with one of the Bard's most beautiful poems.


A Red, Red Rose (1794)

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile!

Saturday, January 13, 2007

A New Addition to the Family

Rebecca and I are proud to announce our latest addition to the family: Kohlby! Kohlby is an American Shorthair cat, approximately 4 months old. His coat is a combination of black and dark brown, with hints of tabby spots and stripes (hard to see from the above photograph).

When Rebecca was returning to her office after the church choir party on the evening of December 13, 2006, she found a small kitten waiting for her on the steps of the church. The kitten immediately took to Rebecca and was all over her. When I arrived on the scene sometime later, the kitten took to me as well. We don't know where the kitten came from. He was cold and lonely. Perhaps he was abandoned. We couldn't bear to leave the kitten by himself on that cold December night, so we took him home.

Since we already have another cat, Braveheart, we kept the two cats separate until we could have the kitten checked out by the vet. In the meantime, Rebecca came up with the name Kohlby for our new kitten. When Kohlby went to the vet, he received a clean bill of health. Everything checked out well. So we introduced Kohlby to his new older sister, Braveheart. There was some discordance between the two cats at first. But now more than four weeks later, they seem to be getting along well.

Kohlby went to the vet yesterday. He received his first rabies shot and again checked out in great health. Kohlby is growing and shows all the signs of being a happy and healthy cat.

Please join us in welcoming this new addition to our family!

He's a playful little kitten!

Kohlby playing with his big sister Braveheart.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Epiphany

Today, Saturday, January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is the day in the church calendar when we remember the visit of the Magi (a.k.a. "Wise Men") to the Christ Child, as recorded in St. Matthew 2:1-12.

The visit of the Magi is an interesting story because the Biblical account gives us only scant details. As a result, a mythology of sorts has developed over the ages about the Magi since the Bible tells us so little. Consider the following:

1. Wise men? Considering the culture of the time they probably were men. But the Greek word "magoi" could refer to a group of men, women, or a mixed gathering of men and women.

2. The Bible says nothing about there being Three Magi. There could have been any number. But the fact that three gifts were given: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the conventional wisdom has been "one gift per person".

3. "We Three Kings"? The Greek language has a different word for "king", so they weren't kings. The term "magoi" was used for people who might be described as sages, scholars, scientists (of a sort), teachers of wisdom, mystics.

4. Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar? Giving names to the Magi comes along much later, and such names are not universally recognized throughout Christendom. According to on-line Catholic Encyclopedia, these names date back to at least the seventh century A.D.

5. And then there's the whole issue about how old Jesus was when the Magi arrived. Matthew 2:11 makes it clear that Jesus was no longer in the manger, but now staying in a house somewhere in Bethlehem with Joseph and Mary. And based on Matthew 2:16, we surmise that Jesus could have been upwards of 2 years old when the Magi came to visit.

I don't mean to rain on anybody's parade by pointing out these issues, but it is a classic example of how layers of tradition have been built upon a rather obscure story. The Magi are only mentioned in Matthew. We don't know where they came from. And we never hear from them again. But if we can look past the mythology to the heart of the story, one point becomes clear. Even at a young age, Jesus of Nazareth came not just for the Jews, but for the whole world. Why else would people from a far away country travel all those miles and present costly gifts, unless this child also held something special for them as well?

May the light of Christ which shines around the world, shine into your hearts this Epiphany!

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

10th Day of Xmas

Today is the Tenth Day of Christmas. That means I am supposed to give my true love "10 Lords a'Leaping". I have no idea where to find 10 Lords. The only Lord I can think of is Jack Lord, star of Hawaii 5-0 (pictured above with Danno and another cast member), but unfortunately he has passed on. And then of course, is our Lord Jesus Christ, but I'm not sure if JC is into that sort of thing.

I know that one of the chambers of the British Parliament is known as the "House of Lords". I suppose I could make some phone calls and see if 10 of them would be able to fly across the pond, so that they could leap around in front of my true love. But just think of the air fare costs, not to mention other expenses they would require.

I'm guess I'm just out of luck on this one. Tomorrow is Eleven Pipers Piping. Now is that Pipers as in those who play a pipe (i.e., a flute like instrument), or those who smoke a pipe?

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Farewell to a President

As most of you know, the National funeral service for Gerald R. Ford, Jr., the 38th President of the United States of America, was held today at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. After the funeral, his body is to be transported to Grand Rapids, Michigan for burial.

Whether you are a republican, democrat, or something else, you have to give President Ford credit. As president he helped this country through a painful time of transition: the aftermath of Watergate and the end of the Viet Nam war. Historians can argue about whether pardoning Nixon killed Ford's chances of reelection. Certainly being challenged by Ronald Reagan in the 1976 primaries didn't help Ford's campaign any. (As history shows, most incumbent presidents challenged within their own party during the primaries tend to lose re-election. Just ask Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush, to name a few).

One can only speculate what might have happened if Ford/Dole had won in 1976. Although I am only an "arm-chair" historian, my guess is that the "Reagan Revolution" of the 1980's would not have happened if Ford had won reelection in 1976. Ford tended to be more of a moderate who was skilled in compromise and negotiation. He tended to fall in the middle between Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Thus, it was the sharp differences between Carter and Reagan that helped fuel the "Reagan Revolution". Four years of a moderate president (if Ford had won reelection in 1976), would have set a very different tone for the 1980 elections.

That's all in the past, especially now since both Presidents Ford and Reagan have passed away. And speculation about "what might have been..." may be an intriguing way to pass the time, but it really doesn't accomplish much. Instead, we must continue to learn from the past so that we can work together to make a better future.

So for the time being, we say: "farewell our dear departed comrade!"