Mary Cay's Memorial Day Birthday Party

We went to a birthday party for Mary Cay yesterday - Cliff and Eliza Bergh came with us and of course many friends were there, and also some couples we had never met - neighbors of Mary Cay and Manny there in Athens, VT (which is about a 35-40 minute ride from home). There were maybe twenty people in all. They have a nice deck and yard, and it was another gorgeous day. There was singing, visiting, croquet, BBQ and a pot-luck supper. Magda was there with her accordian and she and Mary Cay played while we sang Balkan songs from a wordsheet - all familar to many of us but not to all. It was a very pleasant time.

On the deck with Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, Andy Davis and Emma Davis

Mary Cay and Magda

Croquet in progress

Ellen takes a shot!

Mary Cay and Kathy Leo on a bench that Kathy & Tom found for her

Mary Cay got three cakes - made by Ellen (in the middle), Eliza (left) and Robin (right)

Downton Abbey sequel

Believe it or not, we went to the movies at 9:20p.m. last night and saw the new Downton Abbey sequel: A New Era. I would give it a C+. It was fun to see everyone again but they didn't quite seem to be themselves (all older, of course), and overall it was stiff and contrived. There were some nice moments, which made it worth going to. They all seem like family! However, I can't help but feel that this will be the last sequel - but what do I know?

Latchis Theater lobby

Downton Poster

"LarryFest" Concert

We went to Goddard College today for a 4-hour concert in honor of Larry Gordon, who died last November. This was an incredible reunion for alumni/ae of Village Harmony, Northern Harmony, and several other choruses Larry led over his fruitful musical life (e.g., Onion River Chorus, Bailey-Hazen Singers, etc.). Ellen and I met at a Village Harmony camp in 2003, I had earlier attended 4 VH Camps and toured in Germany and England with Northern Harmony in 2001, so I know of lot of folks and saw several today: e.g., Bill Fellinger (now with Social Band, who sang today); Carl Linich (Georgian music expert who was my roommate on the Northern Harmony tour; he and his sons sang beautifully today); Brendon Taffe (led the Turtle Dove workshop in Kilfinora, Ireland that Ellen, Katie, Jim, Savanna and I all went to in 2008; his group sang several of his compositions today); Patty Cuyler (was Larry's life-mate for 15 years and is still a passionate fan); Susannah Park (workshops); Moira Smiley (brought her group VIDA to Chicago Theological Seminary in 2001); Cora Nielson (NH Tour), and on and on. And of course some familiar faces like Stephan Amidon (from whom we learned that his dad, Peter Amidon, who planned to be there, was sick again and had to stay home). It was a diverse concert: a lot of shape-note music, South African, Georgian, but also a set from Sardinia - rarely heard. It all took place under a big tent, it was an absolutely gorgeous day - in the mid-70's, very joyful. Wow!

Bill Fellinger with me

Carl Linich singig Georgian music

Brendan Taffe leading his chorus

Northern Harmony from the 1990's

Stephan Amidon with Susannah Park; Stephan's children with him

View of the tent during the break

A Memorial for Fred Humphrey

Today we sang in a small choir at yet another memorial service, this one in honor of Fred G. Humphrey, 95 years old, a long-time resident of Guilford part-time, and full-time since about 1991 at the time of his retirement, and for the past three years, a resident of Bradley House. I knew Fred primarily because he was President of the Guilford Historical Society when I was researching my history of the Guilford Community Church back in the 1990's. The service today was held at the West Village Meeting House, which is home to the local Unitarian-Universalist congregation. The service was planned and led by his children, and they had asked the Guilford Community Church to provide a choir and accompanist, not because Fred was a member of our congregation, but because we are the only active church in the town of Guilford. Fred's son, Alan, explained that if they had had their druthers, they would have held the service in the old historic Universalist Church in Guilford Center, (known today as the Guilford Center Meeting House), but for reasons he did not explain, that building was not available. It is rarely used, and that may have been the problem. As President of the Historical Society, Fred had had a great deal of involvement in acquiring that building for the Society and restoring it, so it would have been the ideal location for his memorial service. However, his background was in the Unitarian Church, so West Village Meeting House was appropriate too. Fred himself was raised on a dairy farm in Western Connecticut, but his own work was as a professor of Child Development and Family Relations at the University of Connecticut, a position he held 25 years, and also as a marriage counselor. People emphasized that he was "a doer" - he took ideas and ran with them and got the job done. Our choir sang three songs - all chosen by the family: Turn, Turn, Turn and To My Old Brown Earth, both by Pete Seegar, and This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie. Patty Mayer, our Guilford organist, led us and accompanied us on the piano. I think we gave a respectable rendition of these songs. I regret to say I forgot to bring my phone, so I have no "live" photos, but here are some I have found.

Fred G. Humphrey (1926-2022).

The Guilford Center Meeting House, which Fred Humphrey helped preserve

West Village Meeting House - where the service was held today (photo by Paul Carnahan, when he was in high school). ******************************* After the service we got ice cream at Chelsea Royal Diner, picked up a book we are being loaned - a book about Henri Nouwen titled Flying, Falling, Catching which we are reading for a Guilford Church Book Study Group; took a walk. out of Dummerston Center for about a half-hour, and came home for supper.

Happy Birthday, Cynthia!

Today is the birthday of John's wife, Cynthia Hughes. Cynthia is a librarian, a celtic harpist, and a poet. She is also a very special person, warm and generous, full of life and fun. We are hoping we can all go out to eat together as a birthday treat, but since she works at the Marlboro School as a librarian today, that may not work today, but might be possible tomorrow or Saturday. So we'll see! Meanwhile, Happy Birthday, Cynthia! Here is one of her poems (a winner of the Montreal International Poetry Prize). I apologize for the formatting, but it is impossible to create line spaces on this blog, which is why I use **************** to separate things. The Time White Lightning Busted Out************************* Inside our guts a jitter. Inside the jitter a ribbon the color of a January morning curling past the wood box and through the shed door, to the packed dirt floor, the rusted-out hinge. Inside a velvet black the empty water bowl and inside that lack a lost pony in a blizzard, out on the hill or down a two track to the river winding along our worry, the frozen car battery, ‘til finally our tires slip the slant road to the high pasture. We scour the storm – ice crystals hurtled through the eye of a needle, threading our hearts with gleanings of tracks beside the snow fence. And inside those tracks recognition, a small hope.

Cynthia Hughes************************************************************************************************** This week has been pretty full. Monday, I took the car to Subaru and had four summer tires mounted - that solved the problem with having the spare tire donut on the front wheel, slowing us down. So now we are "good to go" as they say. Tuesday, we sang at a funeral in the late morning for Billie Pichette, a long-standing member of the Guilford Church, 95 years old, one of the last of her generation of older ladies in the church. We still have Mary Lila Gregg and Joy Hayes with us, fortunately.

The altar at the Guilford Church with a photo portrait of Billie Pichette*********************** After that funeral, we decided to drive to Concord to see Jerome. I am glad we went, but it was discouraging because he was miserable, in pain, unable to eat, even though they keep bringing him food. But he is too weak to make the effort to eat it, and there is no one there to help him eat. I hope we brought him some comfort and cheer while we were there. I've been in touch with our Pastor, Elisa, and his daughter, Margaret, since coming back, and hopefully they can visit too. ************* Wednesday, Ellen went down to Massachusetts and picked Ben Feinland up at The Academy at Charlemont where he had a job interview for a teaching position. Ben seems to be seriously pursuing a career as a high school math/science teacher. This would be a part-time position in a private school, so he wouldn't need to be certified. But eventually he plans to get an M.A., possibly at the University of Pennsylvania. He felt the interview went well. So we'll see how this evolves.

Ben Feinland************************************************* We have some things coming up. Today we'll be going to Grandma Miller's for morning glory muffins and eclairs! Tomorrow is open. Saturday we have another funeral we'll be singing at - this time at the West Village Meeting House, which is Unitarian-Universalist. The one being honored was a Guilford resident; not sure if Pastor Elisa is leading the service, but our own Patty Mayer is leading the choir. Maybe we'll have a birthday dinner for Cynthia Saturday evening. Sunday we're going to Plainfield, VT, to Goddard College, for a three-hour concert celebrating Larry Gordan, part of a full weekend Larry Fest. That should be really fun! LATER We ended up having a birthday supper for Cynthia at Shin La Korean restaurant Friday evening. I had not been at the Shin La for what seems like decades. That's probably an exaggeration, but it's been a long time. It was good - I had the Korean chicken and rice soup which was a favorite years ago. We also shared a big platter of Yakimandoo dumplings. Yum! It was really nice to be with John & Cynthia.

Shin La Restaurant, Outside and inside

An enjoyable Association meeting

This afternoon, we attended a Windham-Union Association meeting in Newfane, VT. I was concerned that no one would be there because several had sent out emails saying they could not come. It had been announced as a "mask optional" gathering, and I think some folks decided that was risky. We are experiencing an Omicron sub-variant surge in Vermont. But it was a respectable turn-out: ten churches were represented, and maybe thirty people. The windows were open, fans going, and people were separated in the pews. The "program" was a potpourri of music, provided by various churches. Churches had been invited to provide something from their musical talent, but Peter Amidon had been very sick with the flu (not COVID) and had decided not to come, so there was nothing from Guilford. But Newfane, the host church, had a bell choir, two soloists, and a very talented pianist; Springfield and Dummerston had guitar-playing pastors who sang; Grafton had a remarkable pianist. So it was actually quite nice, and just the right length program. About 45-50 minutes of music and a little "business." There was a magnificent spread of food afterward, but we didn't stay - John and Cynthia were coming for supper. So we got back home to prepare for their coming. It was quite warm today - about 86 degrees - but about the time J&C arrived, it started to rain, and it cooled down. So we were comfortable, and had a good visit.

Rev. Robert Hamm, pastor of the Newfane Church and Moderator of the Association, welcoming the group.

The Newfane Bell Choir************************************************* Earlier in the day, we went to church in Guilford and sang in the choir. We sang. "Jehovah Sabaoth," one of the gospel pieces we did with Kathy Bullock in the River Singers concert a week ago, Saturday. It's a beautiful piece, but we didn't really have time to learn it - some of us knew it well, but others were seeing it for the first time this morning. And there were two other anthems this morning as well. So it was no more than "o.k." We'll have to do it again, and do it justice. Our pianist this morning in Guilford was Franz Robert, a prodigiously talented young African-American man who was the organist in Dummerston for several years back when he was just a teen-ager and I was directing the choir. I hadn't seen him for years and it was great both seeing and hearing him again.

Franz Robert. ******************************************************** After church, we went up the road a bit to the Christ Church cemetery. A former member of the Guilford Church when Shirley and I were pastors - 25 years ago - who had long since moved to North Carolina, had called me a few days ago and asked if I could visit her husband's grave in the Christ Church cemetery and say a prayer. He died a couple of years ago and wanted to be buried in Guilford, and his wife, Linda, had hoped to visit his grave this month. But she was not able to make the trip. So she called me, and I said I would do that for her. So today, I did, and Ellen came with me and we cleaned the gravestone a bit - the lawn mower had left a lot of grass stuck onto the surface - I prayed, and we took some pictures to send to Linda.

By Cliff's grave

A brief visit to the Bergh's

Today we've been taking it easy and doing little chores around the house. Also the Spelling Bee - Ellen and I just came within one word of being jointly a Queen Bee - finding all the words. The one we missed? FELID. It means "cat." We don't feel too bad about missing that word, but why do they accept FELID and reject TARN (pond)? In this puzzle they also rejected FILO (an alternate spelling of PHYLLO - the thin dough used in making Greek baked delicacies like "baklava."). Oh well! This afternoon we had bills and cards to mail, and only the Brattleboro Post Office has a late Sat. afternoon pick-up, so we went there. Then after that we made a quick visit to see Cliff and ELiza Bergh. ELiza has a beautiful spring garden and they are also starting a building project - an addition to their house which will become an apartment for the two of them while Sarah and the girls, Phoebe and Maggie, take over the house. I had not seen either the garden or the excavation for the addition - so here they are:

The excavation, awaiting the forms that cement will be poured into for the foundation.

Eliza's beautiful spring garden - it is actually more extensive than this photo shows.

Cliff Bergh - a picture taken from a TV program featuring Cliff and three other "wood angels" in Dummerston; i.e., a group of senior men who maintain a "wood pantry" for people in need of wood - a project of the Dummerston Church.

I don't have a close-up photo of Eliza handy, but here is a cool substitute - a quilt she made that won the top prize - best quilt in Vermont - in 1992. Isn't it beautiful?

OK, I do have one of Eliza, taken with the girls at Eliza's birthday party last March. I think maybe I posted this picture back then too. That's ok.

Hallowell rehearsal

Thursday evening, we had a Hallowell rehearsal at the Westminster-West Church - another sign of a return to a former era. We were all masked, and it was a smaller group than usual, so not completely "normal," but definitely enjoyable. And for some reason, everyone sang very gently and lightly - I don't think it was just the masks. It was lovely. Peter Amidon led (Mary Cay Brass was not there for some reason), and he alternated between his choices of songs and choices called out from the group. We did two new songs - Climbing High Mountains and I am Sending you Light. The latter is particularly lovely - we had sung it previously at the Guilford Church, but it was new to most people in this group. If you want to hear this song, go to the following link: https://youtu.be/cIsZuoNFtXg

Peter Amidon leading

Part of the Hallowell group******************************************* Friday morning I had a routine dental appointment - cleaning - and everything looked good. I was actually complimented by the hygienist about how well I was taking care of my teeth! They don't give out gold stars like they did when I was a kid, but I appreciated the compliment. As Ashleigh Brilliant put it in one of his book titles: "I may not be perfect, but parts of me are excellent!"

An Estey Dental cubical - virtually identical to what I was in.

Tributes

Last Sunday, as I mentioned in an earlier post, was Shirley Harris Crockett Award Sunday. We gave the award (with a monetary component as well as a tribute) to Katharine Breunig. We also gave the award (without a monetary component), posthumously, to Tony and Margaret Dale Barrand. This was an enotional and gratifying moment. Katharine has not let a disability keep her from being a very engaged and giving member of the congregation. We are still mourning the deaths of Tony and Margaret Dale, but their memorial service will not take place until June 25th - over a month away. We wanted to express our gratitude for them now, so we did. Here are the tributes I wrote for Kstharine and Tony & Margaret Dale:******************************************************* A TRIBUTE TO KATHARINE BREUNIG It gives me great joy and pleasure to give the Shirley Harris Crockett Award this year to Katharine Breunig. Katharine has been a part of this church family from the very beginning. I can't think of anyone who has been a more willing and passionate participant in the life of this church. One of my favorite photographs which I hope I still have somewhere is of you, Katharine, sitting on the front pew with a gaggle of girls - Carolyn Wesley, Phoebe Crompton, etc., all grinning like crazy - it is an explosion of joy. I probably can't think of everything you have done, Katharine, but here's a start: you are perhaps most famous for playing the doxology on the piano almost every Sunday. That in itself is a great gift. You sing in the choir regularly, and sometimes, like today, you take a solo part. You have done sacred, interpretive dance many times here. You have frequently been a part of the Christmas pageant. You have very often served as a greeter, and I know that in at least one instance, your greeting played a big role in the decision of a family to make this their church home. You are a very regular candle-lighter. You have done a great thing in keeping alive for us the memory of your mother, Dinah. And during the pandemic, you have been one of the most consistent and passionate participants in the Zoom coffee hour and in the Centering Prayer sessions. Most of all, you are an inspiration and I would say a role model to so many in your full engagement in life, your positive attitude, and your determination to do what you set your mind to do. We are so blessed to have you in our midst. We know your love for music, both piano and voice, and my understanding is that the financial aspect of this award will support your working with Samirah Evans in taking voice lessons. That is very exciting, and I'm sure that this church will be a beneficiary of that work in the future.

Katharine playing the piano

Katharine singing in the choir Sunday (with Robin Davis)************************************************** A TRIBUTE TO TONY AND MARGARET DALE BARRAND It is impossible to list everything that Tony and Margaret Dale have given the Guilford Church, but here is an attempt: In the area of music, there is so much to say! Just 2 1/2 weeks after they were married in the church on July 12, 1986, Tony & Margaret Dale participated in what was called a "Summer Musicale" - an evening of music in the church performed by a wide variety of people. In addition to singing, Tony did clog dancing that evening. Later that year at Thanksgiving, 1986, he introduced Captain Kidd and also sang Come All Ye Jolly Plowmen. In the following years, he introduced what became traditions - reading the King James version of the Lukan Christmas story on Christmas Eve; singing Over the Hill and Over the Dale and The March of the Kings at Epiphany; celebrating Candlemas Sunday (mid-winter) and Mothering Sunday (mid-Lent); each with its appropriate carol (we must be one of a handful of Vermont churches who observe these British holy days); singing My Old Dutch at the occasion of a wedding anniversary - often that of Phil and Peg Hunter; The Bells of Norwich at the beginning of spring; The Merchant's Carol on Palm Sunday; I Come Like a Beggar before Communion, The Prodigal's Return and God Beyond all Names on many occasions, and on and on. Margaret Dale often sang duets with Tony and also sometimes accompanied him on pipe and tabor. On several Sundays from 1991-1996, Tony and Margaret Dale led an entire service in the absence of Shirley and Larry - that happened on at least 8 Sundays during those years. And of course in 1991 Tony composed Shirley of Guilford which was inspired by Julian of Norwich and Hildegard of Bingen, and was premiered by Tony and a rowdy church band at a church birthday party celebration at the old fire house on March 10th. It has been sung many times since. In 1996, when the church was moved to its present location, Tony filmed the entire day: and that is a fascinating video to watch! When Larry retired from being choir director in 1997, Tony was one of the three - Peter, Andy and Tony - who took over directing the choir. As MS claimed more and more of Tony's body, his voice was almost miraculously spared and as we all know he sang almost up to the very end and was a living model of perseverance and an inspiration to us all. On top of all that, Margaret Dale was hugely responsible for the gardens which adorn the church grounds, beginning with their original design. Over the years she put in countless hours in the church gardens - with help from others, of course. She has also provided altar flowers on many occasions. Margaret Dale, I believe, created the beautiful May quilt which adorns our wall. She initiated and for many years prepared and led the Seder Passover celebration and meal which preceded our Maundy Thursday service. She has served as a teacher in the Sunday School and has often given the children's story during the Sunday morning service. And quietly behind the scenes, I'm sure her care and devotion made it possible for Tony to actually get to church, and many other places as well. One could go on, I'm sure. But that is enough to make clear what this church owes to this remarkable couple. Rather than saying we will miss them, I will say that we will have occasion to remember them, again and again and again, for years to come.

Margaret Dale and Tony (a few years ago)

Lots going on

Things are getting busy! Monday I had my stress test. Tuesday, Max Feinland and his friend, Mais, came for a visit - Ellen actually went down to Northampton and got them and brought them up. Mais, who grew up in Colorado, had never seen Vermont. So he got a quick tour that included a stop at Allen Brothers in Bellows Falls for Maple Creamees! We also took some back roads to show him the Vermont countryside. Tuesday was a nice day for a drive. I think before they got me he also got a glimpse of downtown Brattleboro. Max has finished the academic year, but I think he plans to go back to Colorado for the summer to get a job and earn some money. I'm not clear on the details. Wednesday, I had a meeting of retired clergy, but in-person, not on Zoom. Unfortunately, that led to a small disaster: I had to make a U-turn to get to the house we were meeting at, and I accidently ran over some boulders that I couldn't see because they were below my line of sight over the hood. I not only damaged the bumper (again!!!) but something on the rock pierced the sidewall of my right front tire, and it went flat. So I had to call AAA, and it took them over two hours before they finally arrived. That meant I had to keep interrupting our discussion to leave the room and talk with AAA on the phone or look out the window to see if they had arrived. Sidewalls cannot be repaired, so the guy just put the donut spare tire on and that was that! I have four summer tires waiting to be mounted, but no one could do that for me right away. So I have an appointment next Monday afternoon - that was the earliest I could get an appointment, and it is at Subaru. Meanwhile we have to drive with the donut, which limts our speed. No interstate travel. We had to go to Northampton last evening for a concert of the Northampton High School Chamber Choir that Tamar is in. To get there, we traded cars with Robin Davis, and used her Honda Fit to get there. The concert was at the Smith College Chapel - Helen Hills Hills Chapel - at 7:00p.m. We originally planned to pick up Brendon first, but he decided not to go at the last minute, so we got there early. It was a beautiful concert - they are really good! It was full of people, but the audience was masked. Singers were not. A bit risky, so fingers are crossed. Tonight we have a Hallowell Rehearsal at Westminster-West Church. That will be masked. We are supposed to do a rapid test before going. Tomorrow I have a dental appointment. I just got a call to make a date for an echo-cardiogram. That will be in early June. So, as I said, things are busy!

The Northampton High School Chamber Choir at Helen Hills Hills Chapel

Getting Maple Creamees at Allen Brothers

Shirley Sunday

Last Sunday(May 15th) was Shirley Harris Crockett Award Sunday, and it proved to be a truly wonderful day honoring her memory and legacy. We made an award to Katharine Breunig and posthumously to Tony and Margaret Dale Barrand. That in itself made it a special day. But we also sang Shirley of Guilford, a song which Tony composed in honor of Shirley back in March, 1991. We have sung it many times since, and almost always with some new verses to adapt it to a new time. This was the first time we have sung it since we no longer had Tony to sing the verses. And in addition to that, I gave the children's story, and decided to meld two favorite things: Shirley's old Raggedy Ann doll, which was a very frequent "prop" in her children's stories, and the story of The Mended Cup, which is one of her best and actually was the title of the first published collection of ber stories back in 2002. I got the inspiration to merge Raggedy with the Mended Cup when I realized that because Raggedy was Shirley's doll when she was a little girl, and the Mended Cup story is based upon a real-life incident in Shirley's life when she was about 6 years old, and in the story Shirley goes to her bedroom and sobs on her bed, in all liklihood, Raggedy was there in her room at the time. So here is the new story: **********Raggedy Ann and the Mended Cup*********** May 15, 2022 Larry: Hi Raggedy Ann! We haven't seen you here in church for a long time! RA: It has been a long time! Larry: I'm wondering, how old are you now? RA: I'm getting close to being 90 years old! If Shirley were alive, she would turn 90 in September, and I was her doll when she was a little girl. Larry: Wow! That's amazing. Do you remember when Shirley would tell stories to the children with you? RA: Oh yes, but there is one story that is my favorite because I was there when it happened. Larry: You mean when Shirley told the story? RA: No, no. - the story was about when she was a little girl, and I was there. Larry: O My goodness - what is the story? RA: "The Mended Cup." She tells about going to her room and crying, and I was right there on her bed when she cried. Larry: Isn't that an amazing coincidence - I just happen to have that cup with me this morning! Would you like me to tell the story? RA: Oh Yes, Please! Only this time, mention me! Larry: OK! It's a deal! Once upon a time there was a girl named Shirley, about six years old. She was a very sunny and happy girl and she loved to jump. She loved to jump over the cracks in the sidewalk (she lived in the city); she loved to jump rope; she had a pair of stilts and she even liked to jump with them! One rainy day she could not jump outside, so she went upstairs and started to jump on her parents’ big bed. It was lovely jumping there until her mother heard her and came upstairs and scolded her and told her not to do that again. Her mother said, “If you have to jump, go down in the basement where you can’t hurt anything.” So Shirley got her jumping rope and went into the basement. But what her mother had forgotten was that in the basement there was a box of old dishes, which was waiting to be unpacked, that had come from Shirley’s great-grandmother’s house. Right on top of that box was the only remaining cup of her great-grandmother’s wedding china, a cup that had come all the way from China to New Hampshire. And sure enough, as Shirley was jumping rope, she tripped and fell right on top of the box of old dishes and smashed that cup! When Shirley saw what had happened, she began to cry, and her mother heard her and came running, and when she saw what had happened, she began to cry too. “Oh Shirley,” she cried, “How could you? How could you? How could you do this to me?” Shirley felt as miserable as anyone could feel and she ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door and fell sobbing on her bed - and Raggedy Ann was right there on her bed and she tried to comfort Shirley! (RA: Thank you!). Pretty soon, Shirley’s mother remembered that she had told Shirley to jump in the basement, and that she had forgotten all about the dishes being there, and that it wasn’t really Shirley’s fault that the cup was broken, that it was an accident. So she went upstairs to Shirley’s room and said she was sorry she had gotten so angry and said what she did, and Shirley said she was sorry she had broken the cup, and they hugged and held each other until they both felt better. Then they went and got all the broken pieces of the cup and glued them back together as best they could. And when it was all glued together, they saw that it would never be the same again, but that the relationship between a mother and daughter was a lot more important than a cup.
This cup has sat on the shelf all these years, a symbol of all the broken things in life that can be mended by love. And here it is: it obviously has been mended, but it also just may be that having been broken and then mended, has given this cup a greater beauty than it had before.
RA: I love that story. And it is so true! Larry: Raggedy, I think you have lived by that truth all of your long life! Prayer: O forgiving God, help us to recognize the pain of brokenness in life; but help us also to know that your love can help mend that brokenness through restoring love. Amen.********************************** And here's a picture of Raggedy holding the Mended Cup with a photo of Shirley:

Shirley, Raggedy and the cup

Telling the story

A big Test

This morning, I had a medical test that was no ordinary matter -it was a chemically induced stress test. It is designed to show whether there are any blockages in the heart which prevent blood from being fully delivered and thus reduce the efficiency of the heart, causing shortness of breath, which is what I am experiencing. It took about three hours to do the whole test, though probably half of that time I was just sitting and waiting. It involved having a chemical injected into my blood stream, which opens the blood vessals around the heart, much as would happen if I were exercising. Radioactive particles are then put into my blood, and many pictures taken of my heart. It involved maybe 10-15 minutes of some discomfort after the chemical was introduced. But I was closely monitored, both by instruments, and by having a cardiologist constantly asking me how I was doing. It left me a little wiped out, so I have taken it easy after coming home. However, John came over and we had a good talk. He also tried to see if he could fix a problem with my computer, but it proved to be too complicated. While he was here I got results on the phone from Dr. van Dyke. My heart is functioning fine, but I had A-fib. So that may be the issue. More tests!

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, the Richards building where I had my stress test. Ellen took me and brought me home. It pretty much took up the entire morning.

A surprise discovery

I got an email yesterday which really surprised me. It led to a Facebook post by the Brattleboro Historical Society which told of an event which took place 40 years ago in Brattleboro. Here is the post:

Article about a KKK rally in Brattleboro in May, 1982. Accompanying the article was a picture from the Brattleboro Reformer at that time:

Surrounding the Klan with "We Shall Overcome" - that's me in the center, leading the singing. *************************** I had no idea that that event had been written up in the Reformer, with a photograph of me, much less that it had been put up on Facebook. I remember the event very well. But suddenly, a lot of people I know were learning about it for the first time. I even got a comment from my first cousin, Francis, in Mississippi!

Another loss

This week I learned of the death of another friend: Robb Lapp, who lived in Arvada, CO. Robb (full name: The Rev. Robinson Lapp) was a seminary classmate, Class of 1957 at Chicago Theological Seminary. He was a member of an informal group of guys who fixed our meals in a rough, basement kitchen at CTS - Robb, Clyde Miller, Don Sevetson, Bill Hobbs, Paige Birdwell and myself. I am now the only one still alive. Robb and I attended our 50th reunion in 2007, and we were the only ones there from Class of '57. There were others there from other classes, so we were not alone, but it was sobering to be just the two of us. I don't think there was a 60th reunion as such. This year will be the 65th! I think all graduations are now held on Zoom. I saw quite a bit of Robb when I was Pastor-in-Residence at CTS, 1999-2001 and living at the seminary. By then, Robb was a member of the Board of Trustees, and a lot of things were happening which brought him to the seminary from Colorado. Robb did not pursue a typical parish ministry. Pretty early on, he got interested in low-income public housing, and eventually: "he organized and led the Metro Denver Fair Housing Center. Later, in helping create the New Town of The Woodlands in Texas, a HUD Title 10 New Community near Houston, Lapp developed New Town’s governance, schools, municipal services and health care facilities. After returning to Colorado, Lapp mentored the creation of businesses that provided equal employment opportunities for women. In his mid-60s, Lapp co-organized and is still an active leader of Archway Housing and Services, Inc., a Colorado faith-based nonprofit partner of the UCC’s Rocky Mountain Conference. Archway builds low-income housing and provides social assistance for marginalized community members. Archway has completed and operates 11 multi-family projects containing 641 apartments, while its social service programs include ESL classes, employment counseling, food banks, after-school tutoring and activity programming for children." He was awarded the CTS Honorary Alumnus Award last year. Ellen and I visited him, his wife Jan, and great-granddaughter, Aubrey, at their home in Arvada, and also went with him to the church he attended in Boulder, CO during the time we were caring for Betsey. He and I also went together to the dedication of the new CTS building - he had just had surgery back then and needed an arm to lean on. We actually stayed together at my brother, Stewart's apartment in Elgin, to save the cost of a hotel in Chicago for that event. So, we've done a lot together. I have seen him regularly on CTS Wednesday Reflections Zoom sessions during the past year, as recently as a couple of weeks ago, so I was shocked to learn he had died. I later learned he died of complications following shoulder surgery. That's the reason I have not pursued getting a shoulder replacement - which has been recommended for me! I have heard too many stories about people my age not surviving shoulder surgery.

Robinson Lapp (March 27, 1933 - May 6, 2022). Twenty-five days younger than I am!

Mother's Day and a visit with our sisters

We sang in the choir at Guilford Church this morning in a militant celebration of Mother's Day. Pastor Elisa talked quite a bit about Julia Ward Howe's initiation of a Mother's Day commemeration that was really a protest against war - a response to the terrible death toll of the Civil War. We sang three pretty militant songs: The White Goddess, which was inroduced to the church decades ago by Tony and Margaret Dale Barrand. It celebrates woman as a trinity of "Maiden, Mother and Crone," birth, life and death. Then we sang Bread and Roses, which celebrates working women, or more accurately, affirms a woman's right to be paid well for her work (Bread) and to have beauty in her life (Roses). And finally, we sang Mark Miller's innocuously titled Prayer Chant, which reads "We resist, we refuse to let hatred in; we rise up, we won't back down; we're in this to the end." So - we threw down the gauntlet!

Mark Miller, composer of "Prayer Chant." Mark Miller currently serves on the faculty at both the Drew Theological School and the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University where he teaches music and worship. He also is Director of the Gospel and Youth Choirs at the Marble Collegiate Church, in New York City. From 1999 to 2001 he was Music Associate and Assistant Organist of The Riverside Church in New York City.*************************************** After church, we drove down to Shutesbury to celebrate Katie's 73rd birthdsy and spend some time with our sisters. Ellen had made a lovely lunch, including a yummy carrot cake! Ellen and Katie took a long walk while I took a shorter one and then spent time with Savanna. Brendon had fun reading Katie and Savanna's palms - he's been reading a book on it. We left the house this morning in a bit of a rush to be on time for choir and forgot to bring either cell phone, and then went directly to K&S's after church, so I have no photos of the cake or anything. It's sort of odd, because I used "Photo Booth" (which is on the computer) to take a picture of the spring flowers outside the church this morning. Why didn't I remember I could use it at the birthdsy party? That's my poor brain these days! But on the way home, I did remember it again, and I experimented using it out the car window as we drove along, and got more spring pictures. My only excuse for not using it earlier is that it is awkward using the computer to take pictures with people around, so maybe I was subconsciously rejecting that idea at the birthday lunch.

The GCC church garden

Down the road from K&S's house

A house down the hill

One of our favorite houses on the route to K&S's house. These Photo Booth photos turned out pretty well, considering.