After a week of carefully arranging our Christmas decorations on mantels and hutch cupboards, covering nearly every flat surface with Mr&Mrs, nutcrackers, snow globes, and other accoutrements of the Jolly Holiday, we were ready for the grandies to hang the ornaments on the Tree.
The Jr girls are our usual tree-decorating Elves, but since I don’t get to see (in person) the New Yorkers this year, I’m trying to pull us all together via instagram. I didn’t do so well at getting the screenshot of the New Tradition, but I’ll get better. I had bought four new Mickey ornaments from WDW and Emma and Eliza directed Olivia and Samantha as to placement of the ones they chose. Eliza also entertained us, playing Christmas music on her keyboard while the Jrs. finished.
The icicle lights Outside are dazzling the passersby and our Peace Wreath has been updated with new red and white lights. The neighbors are struggling with light-outages, but so far ours have performed with distinction. As soon as I can I’ll attempt to catch the night pictures.
As soon as we’d unpacked from our Disney Celebration, we began to decorate the house and grounds for Christmas. We are quarantining for 10 days, keeping busy preparing the tree for Olivia and Samantha to decorate this week-end.
Bringing down the Christmas decorations is like Archaeology, the deeper levels going back to My childhood in the 50s and 60s, followed by my children’s childhood in the 70s and 80s, culminating in the 21st century additions from the grandies. We have tons of string lights–white, icicles, multi-colored — and no matter how many times we check them, some will whimsically go dark after they’ve been arranged on the tree; so I’m off to buy some new strands this morning.
Our new neighbors, the tree-killers, have lit up their house with bright white, triggering our inner Competitor. Our icicle lights produce about 50,000 Lux, illuminating the front garden in cold white, and we haven’t used them in several years. They will overwhelm the paltry lights of the rest of the neighbors…hahaha >evil laugh<…and Casey is using the fair weather to hang them All Around the Homeplace.
Inside, I’m still working on the Disney Pictures. Here’s what I’ve got for you…
I was prepared to share my Disney stories with you today, but yesterday we suffered yet another loss, and I’m just not ready to let go of my grief…
My daughter grew up singing. She was eight when she sang her first solo on Father’s Day 1982, “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You”, at Old North UMC, where she was encouraged by the entire congregation, becoming a member of their adult choir at 14. In the meantime, I was working as a church musician at Concordia LCMS. We occasionally worked together, but for all of those years I rarely got to hear her sing in church. Our friends at Old North were her mentors and still her fans and I’ve always appreciated their influence on her. She went on to study Vocal Music Performance, specifically classical, at IU; you can bet I was there to hear her sing, and was happy to support her move to NYC in 1997.
Anyone who dreams of living and thriving in NYC knows you have to have a day-job, but Melissa was successful at supplementing that with church gigs, working at Catholic churches, Jewish synogogues, and for the last 7-8? years she’s been part of the Music at a church that defied denomination: Middle Collegiate Church. Casey and I have attended Christmas services at Middle, and over the years I was present for Easter, Mother’s Day — whenever I happened to be in town on a Sunday. I’ve spent many a Sunday morning tuning in to their live-stream (long before lockdown), listening to some Super Sermons, crying as I listen to the Inspired music, soaking up the Spirit from the congregation even though we’re miles apart.
Now this…
Devastating New York City fire ‘crushes’ historic progressive church built in 1800s
BY LI COHEN
DECEMBER 5, 2020 / 3:00 PM / CBS NEWS
A six-alarm fire broke out early Saturday morning in New York City, destroying several buildings, including a women’s shelter and one of New York City’s oldest, most historic and most progressive churches.
Middle Collegiate Church, located in the East Village, is home to New York’s Liberty Bell, which was rung in 1776 to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and rings to commemorate the inauguration and death of every U.S. president.
Over the past year, the church has donated to Black Lives Matter programming and funded grants to help people with rent or mortgage payments, according to its website. The church also claims to be “one of the leading multicultural, multiracial congregations” in the U.S. and that it stands “firmly” for LGBTQ+ equality, is anti-racist and believes “firmly in the power of women to heal our world.”
The New York City Fire Department said when they arrived at the scene, they knew it “was going to be a big operation.” Four firefighters received minor injuries while containing the spread, according to FDNY assistant chief John Hodgens. No deaths have been reported.
The FDNY told CBS News on Saturday evening that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but that there is “extensive damage.” There was a three-alarm electrical fire at the same location in February caused by building wiring, but the FDNY said Saturday’s fire is “unrelated.”
Reverend Jacqui Lewis said that the church is “devastated and crushed that our beloved physical sanctuary” was burned, but that “no fire can stop revolutionary love.”
“We know that God does not cause these kinds of tragedies but is present with us and to us as we grieve, present in the hugs and prayers of loved ones,” Lewis said.
The church has been conducting services digitally since March, and Lewis said it will continue to do so.
“We pray for the first responders. We pray for our neighbors who are also affected by this fire. And we covet your prayers as we grieve,” she said.”
Photos of the aftermath show the Tiffany stained glass that has long decorated the building completely shattered. The inside of the building appears to be gutted, and the roof has disappeared.
Benjamin Perry, a minister at the church, said he is “too devastated” and “heartbroken” to convey how he feels about the building the church was housed in, but said the congregation’s “love is too fierce, too bold, too brilliant to be consumed by any flame.”
“It feels like someone I love has died,” he said.
Workers at Middle Collegiate tweeted that “church is not a building, but buildings matter. This is home.”
“To our incredible congregation: Cry. Mourn. Howl. And know: God is weeping with us. But like a phoenix, we will rise from these ashes,” Middle Collegiate tweeted. “Resurrection will always have the final word.”
Many followers of the church quickly tweeted the toll of the loss, many pointing to the church’s role in providing addiction recovery services.
“It was a refuge to countless people trying to find peace in their lives,” one person tweeted. “To say that it was a pillar in the community is an understatement.”
The fire also devastated a women’s shelter next door that has stood side-by-side with Middle Collegiate Church since it was built in the 1800s.
The Women’s Prison Association’s Hopper Home, which was built in 1874 after a fire destroyed its first location, had to evacuate its 15 residents when the fire broke out. The home is a single-women shelter for those who have a history of, or at risk of, involvement with the criminal legal system. The association provides the women with shelter, workforce development, employment services and housing services.
Olga Rodriguez, who works at the shelter, told CBS New York that the fire took over the shelter “in minutes.”
“It was very scary, and the ladies were running in their slippers, in their bathrobes, in their pajamas. They were sleeping,” she said, adding that she’s not sure what will happen if the building is deemed unsafe.
“These ladies have gone through a lot,” she said. “They don’t need to go through this, too.”
Diana McHugh, director of communications for the association, told CBS News that everyone is OK, but women had to leave behind personal belongings, including phones and clothes.
“It’s a huge historical loss, but people matter more,” she said.
The association tweeted earlier that it is awaiting news about the structural integrity of the building and the extent of the smoke damage, but McHugh said on Saturday afternoon that “given the extent of the damage, it’s not likely” they will be allowed back into the building tonight. At the time of the call with the association on Saturday, McHugh said it seems as though the third and fourth floors of the building have the most damage, but they have not been able to enter the building to determine the full extent.
The women, who were soaking wet from standing in the rain this morning after being evacuated, have been temporarily relocated to a nearby family shelter in Alphabet City. Residents at the family shelter provided the women with food, blankets and dryers for their clothes.
After a fire broke out Saturday morning, more than a dozen shelter residents at the Women’s Prison Association’s Hopper Home were forced to evacuate. The community quickly donated dozens of bags of clothing to help. WOMEN’S PRISON ASSOCIATION
McHugh said, however, that the association is expecting high costs because of the fire.
“We’ll be OK, but it will certainly have an impact on us, especially mid-pandemic. This has already been a very difficult time for our residents, just from a safety perspective and a mental health perspective.”
By Saturday night, McHugh said “safe and appropriate sleeping arrangements” had been made for the residents. Despite their own loss today, she said Middle Collegiate church members took the residents shopping for personal care items, and the community has donated so much clothing that the organization cannot currently accept anymore. Both the church and WPA are accepting donations to rebuild. ……..
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock (11201892y)
Historic East Village Middle Collegiate Church and adjacent building destroyed by fire on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. Fire started in a vacant adjacent building and then spread to the 128-year-old Middle Collegiate Church. Six-alarm fire completely destroyed the building and church. According to firefighters, the building will be demolished and the church will undergo structured evaluation. All Tiffany windows and Tiffany skylight dome were destroyed as well.
NY: Aftermath of huge fire at Middle Collegiate Church, New York, United States – 05 Dec 2020
… …
If you had Ever stepped foot in this Building called Middle, you would have felt that you had truly come Home to a Family where you are accepted and Loved as You Are. I will pray for and contribute to their rebuilding efforts.
But in the meantime, the Family and Spirit of Middle Church is unscathed, still Living the Message of Revolutionary Love. “To our incredible congregation: Cry. Mourn. Howl. And know: God is weeping with us. But like a phoenix, we will rise from these ashes,” Middle Collegiate tweeted. “Resurrection will always have the final word.”
So much Loss this year… Still thankful that Change is on the horizon. Still Hopeful that Everybody can get together and try to Love One Another.
It’s Goldie’s maiden voyage and we’ve had a smooth trip down, though Atlanta Always insists we move verrry sloowly through their town. The only time we didn’t get stopped/slowed there was the year we drove down on Christmas Day, many moons ago.
Truly, this is a drive we have taken dozens of times in our years together, whether it’s just Us, or with our kids, or with our kids and their kids. We often take the Alabama route, adding about 60 miles to the trip, not just to avoid Atlanta, but also Chattanooga where there are too many Runaway Truck Lanes to suit me, especially when we were pulling a trailer.
Today is the last Pretty-Weather day of this outing — first is the last. Per the weatherman, rain will be “steady” all day tomorrow, ushering in a cold front that brings lows in the 30s on Tuesday… I keep looking to see if it’s changed, but it’s pretty much a sure thing.
Not to be daunted, we have jackets of all sorts, as well as Boots — something I’ve never worn in Florida. We are accustomed to the cool, though, and looking forward to the Extra Warmth from our Masks.
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving week-end. No rest! It’s time to swing right into the Advent/Christmas Season! Disney is decorated for the Holidays, so we hope to return to Eville with lots of Spirit and most of our shopping done — I’ve arranged for a video shopping trip with each of the grandkids at the parks.
We were headed down here for our Anniversary back in August, but opted out for various reasons, deciding we’d celebrate 40 years of wedded-bliss at the same time as Casey’s Birthday (tomorrow). That’s a lot of Celebrating, so I’d better get started…
I was taught early on to say “please” and “thank-you”, but it took me many years to learn to Be Thankful, a state of Grace often called “Thanks-Living”, or an “Attitude of Gratitude”. It is my Way of Life, one that brings peace and abundance.
I’m so thankful for the ties that bind, the Love that is flowing between all of us, sustaining and inspiring us. Despite the distance that is measured in miles or minutes, that Love transcends all barriers and makes us as One. Sure, I wish we were able to be physically together, but I Know that being With family is not always as pleasant as thinking of them fondly…
“With your Feast now feed us.With your Light now lead us. Unite us as One in this Life that we share…”
from “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing”
My blessings are too numerous to list, but You are definitely one of them.
Before the race starts, the horses parade around the saddling paddock, led closely by a horseman. Crowds line the perimeter, folks watching closely for signs of their readiness to run: do they look energetic, ears alert? are they feisty or placid? When the bugler plays the Call to Post, the jockeys swing up to their backs and together take to the track.
Here at the beginning of Thanksgiving Week in the year of our Lord 2020, today is the day I jump up on the horse and head out to the starting gate. Even though our holiday will only include people in our Pod, that’s nothing new for us.
The New Yorkers (sadly, Not in our Pod and We not in Theirs) have had a serious tradition pulled from them: Oireachtas, the annual Irish Dance Gathering in Philadelphia, has been cancelled. They have attended the competition for the last many years, preparing for it Non-Stop in the lead-up. They’re bummed, but stoic.
Here at Sonnystone, the Jrs usually arrive early for the Macy’s Parade and we have our Dinner around noon–turkey, mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and pumpkin pie, along with assorted side dishes. That will remain unchanged, since NYC is offering up a fake Macy’s Parade that we Truly Appreciate. After sleeping off the feast, they have always celebrated at Jessica’s grandma’s house; not this year.
Traditionally we have put up our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Weekend, but why should we be Traditional when so many people can’t be? Instead, This year, I’ll send as much food back home with the Jrs and start packing. We’ll leave early Saturday morning and drive to WDW, our Home Away from Home.
As usual, we are bringing cooler weather with us as we head to Florida; high temps in the 80s are now predicted to be barely 70 during our stay. I actually like that, and don’t mind a little rain, either. The masks will feel more comfortable, the crowds will be thinner, and I’ll wear a jacket with pockets so I don’t have to carry a purse.
Ha! you say…she’s preaching about pods and restrictions, but takes the risk of traveling herself! Well, I will Not use truck-stop bathrooms and I will not have contact with the Unmasked…Even my doctor agreed that Disney World is Safe. If only there had been a mask mandate right out of quarantine, the whole world would look like Disney.
So I’m picking up my pace as I near the starting gate, looking alert, feeling a little skittish, not sure if I’m the jockey or the horse…
Samantha’s visiting again today to help me with decorations.
The sound of the wind,, like a distant train, woke me this morning. It didn’t wake me Up, but rather woke me Down, with the plaintive refrain of the Son Volt song, “Windfall” stuck in my brain:
“Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel, May the wind take your troubles away…”
It’s still stuck there, though I’ve been piddling around here for hours trying to cheer myself up.
Went for a physical exam this week and was thrilled to find that I’m in excellent shape for an old broad. Had the grandkids over on Wednesday, took them to Barnes & Noble on Saturday and that’s always Fun. So what’s my problem? Could it be that Mars is in retrograde right now? Or is it the shift in barometric pressures with all this Weather?
The relief that I experienced just after the election dissipated as my focus went back to the pandemic. The compassion I feel for nurses and healthcare workers is overwhelming me. The Indiana Department of Health has kept me on their list for call-outs, and I got a notice the other day that many of our hospitals are in dire need and requesting volunteers. I’m way too far from my hospital days and would be more of a hindrance than a help, but I feel guilty. My heart is heavy with the suffering.
But then, we all know people now who have had Covid and have not gotten sick. Their message is, hey it’s not that bad. The fact that we’re able to treat the infection better now, especially if you have access to $100,000 therapies, seems to embolden some, as well. It looks rather hopeless — not for me, because I wear a mask; not for the folks refusing to wear a mask, because they don’t care; but for the hospitals and nursing homes and the people who need care and the folks who provide it. I am fervently praying for them.
My son-in-law, Eric, buried his beloved mother on Saturday up in Indy, that swamp of corona. Sonya Torres Jose’ was a Wonderful Woman and I was proud to be her friend. She had been ill for a while, finally passed on November 2. She was a widow for nearly 20 years, and I know her boys are comforted to think of her and their Dad together again, dancing in heaven.
While I worried about Eric traveling, there’s the cognitive dissonance from planning a trip during this time… We’re going to Disney World to celebrate Casey’s birthday, leaving the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Disney is doing a great job of enforcing their mask and social distancing guidelines and it’s seriously the Only Place I feel safe to visit…
The Wind is still huffing puffing like the Big Bad Wolf, sending the dried leaves swirling like cyclones across the garden, as the sun peeps in and out from behind the scurrying clouds. There’s a cozy book-chair waiting for me to curl up and work my way through my “To Read” list.
Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer, and I promise I’ll snap out of it soon, but that’s the way I’m feeling this second Sunday in November…
Now and then it keeps you running It never seems to die The trail’s spent with fear Not enough living on the outside Never seem to get far enough Staying in between the lines Hold on to what you can Waiting for the end Not knowing when
May the wind take your troubles away May the wind take your troubles away Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel, May the wind take your troubles away Trying to make it far enough, to the next time zone Few and far between past the midnight hour Never feel alone, you’re really not alone
The News from Sonnystone Acres 