The Best Cultural Weekend Ever!

 My friend Sharona and I had the best cultural weekend ever!  That’s what she said yesterday as we walked back to our cars after an Alvin Ailey Dance Performance at Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley.  The dancers were amazing: athletic, graceful, powerful in their movements and were able to communicate the theme of the dance and much more. It was all remarkable, but what deserves comment here is their last piece “Revelations.”  It was choreographed in 1960 by Alvin Ailey and consists of three parts each with three different dances.  The final one “Rock My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” was the dramatic ending.  It was so rhythmic and joyful it left the audience standing and clapping on three different occasions during the piece. I just couldn’t sit still.  

And the day before we went to an amazing concert at St. John’s Presbyterian Church.  It is a beautiful mid-sized sanctuary tastefully decorated.  The program was what attracted us.  They were playing Meditation from Thais and a Rachmaninov Sonata for Cello and Piano.  We’d never heard of the artists but they (of course) had good reviews.  They were both outstanding musicians, but what made the concert for me was their attention to each other.  The music was perfectly balanced.  The first half had several pieces composed by young composers this century.  The Cello Sonata by Kevin Day was composed in 2016 when he was only 20 years old.  It was rhythmic, beautiful, lyrical and very interesting.  We loved it as did the whole audience.  But they saved the best for last!  They played the Rachmaninoff Sonata with such balance of the complex parts.  The loud piano part didn’t dominate the cello.  I think the cellist played the whole piece with his eyes closed, off in another place where he was one with the music.  The piece moved me to tears on several occasions and afterwards, I was breathless.  

When I got home on late Sunday afternoon, Liam and Arne were here.  They’d come for lunch and for Liam to work with Grandpa on the boat they’re building together.  Liam loves to work with Grandpa on anything.  Liam also likes to make cookies and so he and I made a half a batch of Snickerdoodles.  It makes me so happy that he is happy to come and to be with his grandparents still.  Because he is our youngest grandchild, we both treasure our time with him.  

Being a Minister in Holy Week

Since the beginning of February, I’ve taken on being a half time minister at the little church where Bob and I attend.  I’m not doing this alone, thank goodness, the other retired minister in the congregation is also ministering half time.  Together we make a full time team and complement each other in many ways.  Most of this time has been focused on getting to Easter.  Lent started mid-February with a wonderful Ash Wednesday service.  I took on the discipline of doing a piece of art every day and writing a few words about where I am.  It all flowed, the art, the ministry, the worship services we both led.  Then we got to Holy Week and for me things got intense.  It is the most intense week of the year for a minister.  I took on early in Lent organizing the leading the Maundy Thursday service.  As I said in worship, a number of times, “it is my favorite service of the year.”  I planned a simple Soup and Bread supper.  I made a long list of all the different things that had to be organized—food, set-up, the music, the bulletin, the sound, the lights and so on.  Between the supper and the worship service, I had 25 people doing things.  It did ensure good attendance.  37 people turned up, including those 25, which is astounding for a little church with the active membership around 40.  The worship ended with the music guy playing Amazing Grace on his saxophone.  He went outside and moved around so the music got fainter and fainter.  We expected everyone would leave during this, but not a person moved.  And after he stopped playing, folks just stayed a while to let the abundant spirit soak into them.  It was an amazing ending to a wonderful service.

Then before I knew it, Easter morning dawned bright and warm.  The church filled up with especially lots of visitors.  We ministers call them C and E Christians (that’s Christmas and Easter).  That’s what makes it so challenging to preach the resurrection.  I pulled out all the stops and my sermon was appreciated audibly with applause.  That’s the first time that has ever happened to me.  The music was wonderful.  We sang the old Easter hymns, the choir sang “O Happy Day,” the Bells rang and everybodywas smiling, joyful and happy, caught up in the Easter spirit.  . A funny thing happened in the announcements though.  The spirit flow was broken by a presentation and then an announcement that seemed to go on and on about choosing bathroom flooring.  After the service was over everyone crowded up front to take the  Easter photo.  I thought, “Well that’s church for you.”  Resurrection and then bathroom tiles.

I was thrilled Arne drove up and came to the service.  Paul and Shelley had intended to come but didn’t make it to our house until 3.  We had a nice visit and ended up taking flowers to Bob’s parents grave as a remembrance of them on Easter.  Back home, my fatigue set in.  It was big and deep and it’s taken a few days to regain my energy.  But it was worth it.  

A Sheep Ranch Weekend

 Bob and I had a wonderful weekend at Sheep Ranch!  We moved the weekend a bit to be from Thursday through Saturday, so we could all be back in time for church on Sunday morning.  Our friends Nancy and Larry have invited us up to spend time with them up in Sheep Ranch, over the years.  Each time has its own high points and focus.  This time for us was just being fully present and enjoying time with my dear friends.  Sheep Ranch is a tiny little burg up in the Sierra foothills.  A hundred years ago it used to have a gold mine.  The landscape has tall dry pine trees and lower growing Manzanita.  There is a small community of all sorts of people.   We go on walks, this time to the local cemetery.  It had graves of all sorts, many caved in and untended.  A few had all sorts of tokens and fake flowers.  My favorite was one from the 19th century.  People have lived up there for a long time.  Sheep actually are free range and wander about the town.  So do a couple of horses and of course, there are deer and foxes.  Wildness is closer there.  And up there, Berkeley seems very far away.  Little things become big things, like igniting the burn pile.  We all had to go out and watch Larry try.  It didn’t work because the brush was so wet.  But it was morning excitement.  Nancy and I went to Murphys to go to find used books at the public library. For me the best was just hanging out with my dear friends, having time to sit together and read or do art and just talk about everything and nothing.  I am so grateful to have such generous friends and to be together with them for a spring weekend away.