I got started on FaceBook because the niece and nephew out here in AZ use it to post pics of their kids, and since I don't get to see them very often it's nice to see how they are growing. You know that those preschool years kids change so fast that it's hard to keep up.
Anyway, I started a FB account for that purpose never intending to use it in any other way--after all I don't have a need to tell people how my "farmville" work is going, or ask for boards to build a new barn, and all those other things that folks get involved in on that social networking site.
Funny thing has happened, though. No, I didn't get hooked on the "games" part of it. But I have started reconnecting with former students from my early years of teaching at Richmond-Burton High School in IL. I think the earliest year is class of '73 so far. That happened to be a student who was in China on business at the time he responded. I had requested his connection because his sister said I was always one of his favorite teachers. We've started a correspondence and are catching up on 37 years of history.
With some students, as it is with friends, it's like no time has passed at all with regard to the comfort level of the reconnection. With others, it's awkward at best once you get beyond the "do you remember when's" of the conversation. Same with family--sometimes the months/years apart are like they never happened. Other times, it seems the gulf is as wide as the Grand Canyon; and bridging it feels impossible.
But whether it's friends, former students, or family . . . those connections are the lifelines that strengthen and support our lives. They form the fabric that we call living. As such, they claim all the importance and effort needed to sustain them.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Reflections
The holiday season generates lots of memories--family times in years past, friends who have traveled life's road in a different direction, and those who have gone on ahead. Each brings thoughts of joy, sadness, but always gratitude for the times shared.
I've been in a reflective mood these last few weeks as I've said good-bye to two more friends who left this world; and two other dear friends are dealing with serious life-altering medical conditions. It makes me think again how very fortunate I am to have them in my life, and how grateful I am for that same life.
Pastor Myron's sermon this past Sunday was eerily appropriate--"Are You Prepared?" As this is the season of Advent in our church year, I assumed his message would focus on our preparations to celebrate the birth of Christ. However, he took a diffrerent slant on the message to focus on our preparation for the second coming of Christ. He noted how it seems so much is wrong in our world today and how much of it seems to relate to the Biblical predictions in Revelations as to the state of the world when Christ comes again. He referred to the preponderance of violence in our world, the decline in morality and honesty, the concentration on material possessions, the disintegration of our society in general.
Add these thoughts to the Dec. 21, 2012, predictions from the Mayan calendar, and it does cause one to consider seriously: Am I really prepared for the end of all things? Certainly puts our simple concerns of everyday life into perspective.
I'm not a doomsday proponent, but I am thinking more and more these days about what's really important in my life . . . what I hold dear . . . who I hold dear . . . and what I want to do about those two. Haven't made any life-changing decisions, just thinking.
I've been in a reflective mood these last few weeks as I've said good-bye to two more friends who left this world; and two other dear friends are dealing with serious life-altering medical conditions. It makes me think again how very fortunate I am to have them in my life, and how grateful I am for that same life.
Pastor Myron's sermon this past Sunday was eerily appropriate--"Are You Prepared?" As this is the season of Advent in our church year, I assumed his message would focus on our preparations to celebrate the birth of Christ. However, he took a diffrerent slant on the message to focus on our preparation for the second coming of Christ. He noted how it seems so much is wrong in our world today and how much of it seems to relate to the Biblical predictions in Revelations as to the state of the world when Christ comes again. He referred to the preponderance of violence in our world, the decline in morality and honesty, the concentration on material possessions, the disintegration of our society in general.
Add these thoughts to the Dec. 21, 2012, predictions from the Mayan calendar, and it does cause one to consider seriously: Am I really prepared for the end of all things? Certainly puts our simple concerns of everyday life into perspective.
I'm not a doomsday proponent, but I am thinking more and more these days about what's really important in my life . . . what I hold dear . . . who I hold dear . . . and what I want to do about those two. Haven't made any life-changing decisions, just thinking.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Home Visits
It's always good to see family again. My generation is now the oldest one, and that's a sad thing to realize. Often I wonder about some event or person in our family's past only to realize that there is no one to ask for information. Wish we could have been smarter sooner and asked those questions when our parents were still with us. Now that time has passed and we'll never know what we have lost to the passage of time.
Got the flowers changed at the cemetery. In doing so, relived in brief those times of sadness and loss. In some ways it seems like it hasn't been long at all since our parents died. It's hard to realize it's been 13 years for Daddy and 11 years for Mother.
All in all, it was a good visit.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Birthdays
Why is it that as I age, I dread the birthday thing more? I should celebrate the fact that I'm still here and able to celebrate. My AZ family did that for me this year, and it was really great. My brother and his wife came out, brought the pizza, and added their son, his wife, and their three kids to the mix. It was GREAT! Only thing that would have made it better would have been if our other family members could have been here too. The pizza was teriffic, the company was even better. The little ones were wonderful. Seeing everyone around the dining room table that we had used at our parents' home back in Illinois was bittersweet--glad it's getting used for family gatherings, but sad all the family isn't still with us. Guess that's the real purpose of birthdays--gatherings and memories. Just be glad you are still around to create them!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Saying Goodbye
When I started this blog with the Russia pics, my intention was to only put happy things here. But then I thought about it more and decided that if I did that, I wouldn't be able to share other parts of life. That generates today's post.
Among other things today, I go to say goodbye to a friend and neighbor, Mike. When I moved to AZ, Mike was one of the early visitors and really cool people who helped me get acclimated to AZ and to our community. Mike and his wife have lived here for several years, knew lots of people, and were always ready with advice and suggestions in answer to my questions. Plus, Mike and I got to know each other well when we both worked on the village newsletter. I knew I could always count on him for good writing and good ideas along with a great sense of humor. In the last few years, his wife would call me the "bread lady" because I would occasionally bake a loaf of bread and take it down for them to enjoy. I liked the baking process and they liked the eating process, so it worked out well. Mike died early this week after battling cancer for a little over three years. At least he died in his sleep and with little pain, so that's a blessing. My life has been enriched by knowing him, and I will miss him.
One of the things about living in a retirement community is that you have to do a lot of this saying goodbye thing. In the 4+ years I've lived here, there have been 5 deaths on my street alone. And last night I talked to another good friend who is starting chemo next week after having had a major surgery just this summer. Another gal that I played Mah Jong with died early this summer with cancer, and the husband of a friend on the library committee was diagnosed with liver cancer this summer.
Death is part of life, but being reminded of my own mortality this frequently, and this closely, is tough.
Among other things today, I go to say goodbye to a friend and neighbor, Mike. When I moved to AZ, Mike was one of the early visitors and really cool people who helped me get acclimated to AZ and to our community. Mike and his wife have lived here for several years, knew lots of people, and were always ready with advice and suggestions in answer to my questions. Plus, Mike and I got to know each other well when we both worked on the village newsletter. I knew I could always count on him for good writing and good ideas along with a great sense of humor. In the last few years, his wife would call me the "bread lady" because I would occasionally bake a loaf of bread and take it down for them to enjoy. I liked the baking process and they liked the eating process, so it worked out well. Mike died early this week after battling cancer for a little over three years. At least he died in his sleep and with little pain, so that's a blessing. My life has been enriched by knowing him, and I will miss him.
One of the things about living in a retirement community is that you have to do a lot of this saying goodbye thing. In the 4+ years I've lived here, there have been 5 deaths on my street alone. And last night I talked to another good friend who is starting chemo next week after having had a major surgery just this summer. Another gal that I played Mah Jong with died early this summer with cancer, and the husband of a friend on the library committee was diagnosed with liver cancer this summer.
Death is part of life, but being reminded of my own mortality this frequently, and this closely, is tough.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Family
This Labor Day was a great one for me. I got to spend it with some of my favorite people--family. My nephew Greg, wife Andrea, son Mark, son Aedyn, and daughter Lois came out for a good visit combined with food, golf cart ride, kitty chasing, and good time all around. It was so very special of them to make the trip out, which I'm sure seems like a long drive with three kids in the vehicle! Porters even came out and allowed some gentle petting from the boys. Twinkle showed her whiskered face once when the boys and Dad were out for that golf cart ride.
Mark and Aedyn were so excited when they got back from the ride--had seen a coyote on their journey! There have been several small packs seen in the neighborhood the past weeks. Then Tuesday morning I had a bobcat cross my back yard to the neighbor's tree where he/she got a bird. Later that day, had an email from another neighbor that they had seen a lone bobcat when they were out for their early morning walk; while eating breakfast saw five coyotes run through their side yard from the wash to the street; then just at dinner time they had two mule deer looking over their fence drinking the birds' water--all on the same day!
Also was able to convince Greg & Andrea to take home a painting--the one of the Superstitions that Andrea has always liked. My motto is that I don't give them away unless someone specifically asks for one. That way I assume they really do want it. There are two up at my brother's place in Linden. (See, the more I can give away, the more room I have for the new ones I will do this fall.)
Mark and Aedyn were so excited when they got back from the ride--had seen a coyote on their journey! There have been several small packs seen in the neighborhood the past weeks. Then Tuesday morning I had a bobcat cross my back yard to the neighbor's tree where he/she got a bird. Later that day, had an email from another neighbor that they had seen a lone bobcat when they were out for their early morning walk; while eating breakfast saw five coyotes run through their side yard from the wash to the street; then just at dinner time they had two mule deer looking over their fence drinking the birds' water--all on the same day!
Also was able to convince Greg & Andrea to take home a painting--the one of the Superstitions that Andrea has always liked. My motto is that I don't give them away unless someone specifically asks for one. That way I assume they really do want it. There are two up at my brother's place in Linden. (See, the more I can give away, the more room I have for the new ones I will do this fall.)
More Russia (online resources were used for this)
Don't miss the pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/Linda.Davidson
Russia--History:
Tradition says the Viking Rurik came to Russia in 862 and founded the first Russian dynasty in Novgorod. Kiev was a stronghold throughout the 11th and 12th centuries until invasion by the Mongols in the 1230's shifted the balance of power. The Mongols of the Golden Horde, commonly called Tatars, were finally expelled from Russia by Daniil Aleksandrovich, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, who had founded the principality of Moscow (known as Muscovy).
In the ensuing years, the grand princes of the various sectors went on gathering Russian lands to increase the population and wealth under their rule. The most successful practitioner of this process was Ivan III with his accumulation of territory for the principality of Moscow. By the 16th century, the rulers of Moscow considered the entire Russian territory their collective property. Ivan III forced the lesser princes to acknowledge the grand prince of Moscow and his descendants as unquestioned rulers with control over military, judicial, and foreign affairs. Gradually, the Russian ruler emerged as a powerful, autocratic ruler, a tsar.
The first Russian ruler to officially crown himself "Tsar" was Ivan IV. In February, 1613, a national assembly, composed of representatives from fifty cities and even some peasants, elected Michael Romanov, the young son of Patriarch Filaret, to the throne. The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia until 1917.
With the rise to power of Lenin in 1918 and the subsequent revolution, the history of Russia between 1922 and 1991 is essentially the history of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia embarked on a totally new journey--capitalism.
Russia--Geography:
Russia is, in area, by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area. With 142 million people, it is the ninth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 11 time zones, and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower. It has the world's largest forest reserves, and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
Russia--Government:
According to the Constitution, which was adopted in 1993, Russia is a federation and formally a semi-presidential republic, wherein the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Russian Federation is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the Federal Assembly.
The president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term but constitutionally barred for a third consecutive term); elections were last held 2 March 2008.
Russia--Religion:
The ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world and second only to the Roman Catholic Church among Christian churches, numbering over 135 million members world wide and growing numerically since late 1980s. Up to 65% of ethnic Russians and a significant number of Belarusians and Ukrainians identify themselves as "Orthodox".
The ROC should not be confused with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, or ROCOR), headquartered in New York. The ROCOR was instituted in the 1920s by Russian communities outside then-Communist Russia who refused to recognize the authority of the Moscow Patriarchy headed by Metropolitan Sergiy Stragorodsky. The two Churches reconciled on May 17, 2007; the ROCOR is now a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Most Russian Orthodox churches have an iconostasis, which separates the nave from the holy altar, and signifies the Heavenly Kingdom. Covered with icons, the iconostasis is intended to stop physical sight, and allow the worshipers to achieve spiritual sight.
There are no pews. Worshippers stand for services. No instrumental music is used, vocal music is by choir (male), and women must cover their head and shoulders along with skirts or slacks. Most churches are lit with candles rather than electric light. Virtually all churches have multiple votive candle stands in front of the icons. It is customary for worshippers to purchase candles in church stores, light them, and place them on the stands. This ritual signifies a person's prayer to God, the Holy Mother, or to the saints or angels asking for help on the difficult path to salvation and to freedom from sin.
Sometimes the bottoms of crosses found in Russian Orthodox churches will be adorned with a crescent. The common misconception attributes these to the fact that in 1552, Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the city of Kazan which had been under the rule of Muslim Tatars, and in remembrance of this, he decreed that from henceforth the Islamic crescent be placed at the bottom of the crosses to signify the victory of the cross (Christianity) over the crescent (Islam). In fact, crescents on crosses were widespread during the pre-Mongolian period of Russian history and have no relation to the Islamic symbol. The crescent symbol actually is meant to resemble an anchor, which symbolizes the hope for salvation.
Russia--History:
Tradition says the Viking Rurik came to Russia in 862 and founded the first Russian dynasty in Novgorod. Kiev was a stronghold throughout the 11th and 12th centuries until invasion by the Mongols in the 1230's shifted the balance of power. The Mongols of the Golden Horde, commonly called Tatars, were finally expelled from Russia by Daniil Aleksandrovich, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, who had founded the principality of Moscow (known as Muscovy).
In the ensuing years, the grand princes of the various sectors went on gathering Russian lands to increase the population and wealth under their rule. The most successful practitioner of this process was Ivan III with his accumulation of territory for the principality of Moscow. By the 16th century, the rulers of Moscow considered the entire Russian territory their collective property. Ivan III forced the lesser princes to acknowledge the grand prince of Moscow and his descendants as unquestioned rulers with control over military, judicial, and foreign affairs. Gradually, the Russian ruler emerged as a powerful, autocratic ruler, a tsar.
The first Russian ruler to officially crown himself "Tsar" was Ivan IV. In February, 1613, a national assembly, composed of representatives from fifty cities and even some peasants, elected Michael Romanov, the young son of Patriarch Filaret, to the throne. The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia until 1917.
With the rise to power of Lenin in 1918 and the subsequent revolution, the history of Russia between 1922 and 1991 is essentially the history of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia embarked on a totally new journey--capitalism.
Russia--Geography:
Russia is, in area, by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area. With 142 million people, it is the ninth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 11 time zones, and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower. It has the world's largest forest reserves, and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
Russia--Government:
According to the Constitution, which was adopted in 1993, Russia is a federation and formally a semi-presidential republic, wherein the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Russian Federation is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the Federal Assembly.
The president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term but constitutionally barred for a third consecutive term); elections were last held 2 March 2008.
Russia--Religion:
The ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world and second only to the Roman Catholic Church among Christian churches, numbering over 135 million members world wide and growing numerically since late 1980s. Up to 65% of ethnic Russians and a significant number of Belarusians and Ukrainians identify themselves as "Orthodox".
The ROC should not be confused with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, or ROCOR), headquartered in New York. The ROCOR was instituted in the 1920s by Russian communities outside then-Communist Russia who refused to recognize the authority of the Moscow Patriarchy headed by Metropolitan Sergiy Stragorodsky. The two Churches reconciled on May 17, 2007; the ROCOR is now a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Most Russian Orthodox churches have an iconostasis, which separates the nave from the holy altar, and signifies the Heavenly Kingdom. Covered with icons, the iconostasis is intended to stop physical sight, and allow the worshipers to achieve spiritual sight.
There are no pews. Worshippers stand for services. No instrumental music is used, vocal music is by choir (male), and women must cover their head and shoulders along with skirts or slacks. Most churches are lit with candles rather than electric light. Virtually all churches have multiple votive candle stands in front of the icons. It is customary for worshippers to purchase candles in church stores, light them, and place them on the stands. This ritual signifies a person's prayer to God, the Holy Mother, or to the saints or angels asking for help on the difficult path to salvation and to freedom from sin.
Sometimes the bottoms of crosses found in Russian Orthodox churches will be adorned with a crescent. The common misconception attributes these to the fact that in 1552, Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the city of Kazan which had been under the rule of Muslim Tatars, and in remembrance of this, he decreed that from henceforth the Islamic crescent be placed at the bottom of the crosses to signify the victory of the cross (Christianity) over the crescent (Islam). In fact, crescents on crosses were widespread during the pre-Mongolian period of Russian history and have no relation to the Islamic symbol. The crescent symbol actually is meant to resemble an anchor, which symbolizes the hope for salvation.
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