A truly successful evening at the Stephanie Weill Center for the Unity Concert. Several people that I knew stopped me to tell me they liked my song, Beacon of Hope. AND I must tell you that the only standing ovation of the evening, and there were many really talented and wonderful performers was when our combined choirs sang the song You Raise Me Up.

I don't think that I posted the words to the song that I wrote for the Unity Concert. So here they are. If I did. Well - you have them twice.

BEACON OF HOPE


I.

We are all but a shadow in life.
We are cast by the light of the Lord
Made tall by the strength of His love.
As we go out as Jesus commands.
May we reach out our hands to the poor
To the lonely, the sick, the afraid.
To the families and neighbors we know
And to those who are lost in despair.


CHORUS

I'm the kiss of the breeze on your cheek
I'm the choir of avian songs
You can find me in flowering fields
And the gentle soft fingers of dawn

II.

When thunder and lightning surround
I’m beside you to calm all your fears
If the world is a frightening place
I'm the lighthouse that shines through the storm
Jesus taught you that Love is the Way
And by sharing the journey you grow
Heaven is coming safely home
With your hand in the hand of the Lord



A well planned event with local talent that was beautiful. We will probably be a part of it next year.

I also took a Doll Making Class from 10:30 to 2:00 which was fun. I have to finish the doll but have a good start and feel that she is rather nice. I made her a drindl skirt and a vest. She needs hair and finishing.

Enjoy your Sunday. I will. I can stay home except for Mass and I intend to be a bear and hibernate in my cave.

Love


Mary

What a day. It is almost 10:00PM and I just got home from Rhine. It was the last day of league shooting and all the teams had to finish up. They were done by 9:00 but people were having a good time and REALLY hanging around enjoying the company AND the beer. We were kept quite busy restocking the cooler, I tell you.

I did finish my last two pistol targets tonight before the crowds came. It wasn't a very good league for me, my shoulder is very sore and it is really affecting my shooting. I will keep doing the exercises that Dr. Casey told me to do and when I see him next week, perhaps he will have some other suggestions.

I had lunch with the gals in Plymouth today. We missed last week so it was nice to catch up. My new glasses were ready too. Boy do they make a difference. There was a rather big change in my vision since last year.

I also picked up a couple of pair of sox at K Mart, some seasoning for bratwurst at Fleet (I want to try some with venison and pork. Crazy Vic who rabbit hunts with us said that it is very good.) AND stopped at Sun Graphics to ask Mary Kay to give me an estimate on what it would cost to self publish a book of my poems. WHEW.

On the way home I stopped and joined Mother and the others for the opening prayer and rosary at the First Friday Exposition of the Sacrament at Blessed Trinity.

Now, I am tired.

It will be cold tonight but is supposed to warm up by the end of next week.

Have a GREAT weekend.

Love

Mary

Cadfael today said. "All Welsh are kin, even if they slit one another's throats now and then, an manure their sparse and stony fields with fratricidal dead in tribal wars."

Actually applies to all mankind, even if they don't want to admit to it.

It was slippery this morning. There was a sleety rain followed by snow on Wednesday night. Which left some ice. By the time we went grocery shopping, the plows had done the streets and spread ice so it wasn't too bad driving.

Tonight I went to choir. We are practicing for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter and Beth will be on vacation for two weeks so we have a lot in the next two weeks. I will probably have to practice on my own a bit. Saturday we sing at the big Unity Concert at the Stephanie Weill Center. Dick has decided not to come because it is just too hard for him with open seating and all. He would have to come early and the concert is rather long also. Should be very good. All the talent is local. I understand that they will probably have a sold out theatre.

I remember Bret's 8th Grade Graduation. They had worked for several weeks on a song to sing together about moving on and wonderful things etc. etc. However, the kids did not like it. When it came time for their song, the pianist began her introduction and she played and played and played. Then, underneath the piano, I heard a little murmuring going on. There were at least 30 kids in that class, all "singing" and their total noise was not any louder than the buzz of a bee. I elbowed my ex husband and whispered. "They're singing!" He answered, "They are?" They sang a whole song without the audience hearing one single word.

Afterwards I told their teacher "Great Song" and laughed. He just shook his head and said that next year they would be sure the kids liked the music before scheduling.

Have a nice Friday. Mine is busy.

Mary

Ash Wednesday today. I fasted and did not eat meat. The only difficult thing about fasting is remembering not to snack between meals. I really don't eat much between meals but do like an orange at late morning and often enjoy a few peanuts or a cracker and cheese in late afternoon.

I joined Mary Bainbridge at the sewing basket to choose the fabric for the group quilt that we are going to make for Celtic Fair again. We picked out a really nice batik looking fabric in golds and greens and plumbs and a green for the sashing. I bought a nice plum fat quarter to add to my block.

Tonight I went to services. The choir sang. I remember that when I was a kid, while I was still in public school before St. Mary School was built, we used to get ashes in the morning and proudly wear them to school being very careful not to wash them off all day. The Catholics really stood out. Probably today we would be kicked out of school for "forcing our religion" on everyone.

I walked Mother over to church and back tonight as she doesn't like to walk in the dark AND it was starting to rain. It may freeze by morning. They are predicting freezing rain and snow. Mom's legs are getting a bit weak anyway. I guess after 90 years they have a right.

Now we have 6 weeks until Easter. I always liked Easter. It was fun dying the eggs and just fixing the baskets for the boys. I am glad that I still get to do a bit of it for Dick andJim. Now that I get eggs from the egg farm, I will just dy a few white ones. I found out that if you boil them in tumeric they come out the most beautiful yellow. Yellow, brown and if I save them the green aracana eggs will make a pretty basket.

Tomorrow we shop. Hope the roads aren't too slippery.

Be safe

Remember the Jesus never promised that it would be easy, he only said that it would be worth it.



Mary

The only place that I had to go today was to pick up the Market Day order. Oh and Chelsea and I DID take a walk this morning. It was a good day for a walk. Clear and bright and we were able to go at the best time of day to avoid traffic. I heard a cardinal and a mourning dove today. I have been hearing the cardinal off and on for a week or two. But this is the first mourning dove that I have heard for a couple of months. Do they migrate south in the winter? I never thought about it.

I roasted some veggies for supper tonight. Cauliflower, red onions and red pepper marinated in oil and vinegar. Sure tasted good with chicken and cole slaw. Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, I will be fasting and eating NO meat. Good thing Dick and Jim don't mind fish or vegetable meals, because in Lent they get them once or twice a week. Tomorrow, fish.

Dick and I bottled 25 bottles of White Zinfindal today. Good thing, the ready to drink wines in our cellar are dwindling fast. It is ready to drink too, which will help. Tomorrow, we will rack the 2 year currant again. I need to get some of the scratch wines bottled so I can finish using the fruit that I froze in Autumn. But as they say, no wine before its time.

Til tomorrow.

Mary

It was a usual Monday. Had Bible Study this morning. We had a nice full table again. We read the passage from Genesis about God's promise to Noah that He would never again flood the entire world. (Katrina did NOT flood the whole world) AND the part about the rainbow being the sign of His covenant to His people. The sign of the promise.

I had heard that story somewhere but some of our people had not. It does give a person a whole new feeling about the beauty of the rainbow.

Tonight the environment committee decorated the church for Lent. That doesn't take too much. We just take all the plants off the altar, change the colors to purple and put some pottery and cactus around here and there. We had a nice crew so the work went well and quickly.

I wrote a poem about the tree and the snow and the night. Here it is to share with you.

Wonderland in White



Crystal white against an obsidian sky
The tree stands - outlined in ivory dignity.
Snow gives the tree short lived beauty.
Cool against an ebony canvas.

Like a jeweled tree in Aladdin's cave
The tree stands - regal
Encased in a silky cocoon of fresh fallen snow
That gently outlines each dormant twig.

Breath softly as the picture imprints on your soul.



I still want spring

Mary

It was a quiet Sunday. Started out very cold. It was 9 degrees on the thermometer. It did warm up to the mid 20s by the time Chelsea and I walked.

I went to the 8AM Mass then visited with Mother until it was time to walk her over to church. She always has someone offer to walk her home but walking over is another story and there is just enough ice out there to make us nervous. People are SO good though to keep an eye on her. She went to the U W Theatre with her friend Helen Murphy to see Frankenstein this afternoon. That lady has a busy schedule, now you know that I come by it honestly.

Since Bobbie felt that spending time with Bill was more important than shooting and THEN to top it off Jim felt that going to meet a lady in Waukesha was more important than shooting, I decided to take a Sunday off also. I only have two more targets to shoot to complete league anyway and will be working next Friday so can finish up then.

This meant that I had an afternoon to more or less goof off. I sorted things on the desk and did some sewing. Tonight I watched the Dancing With the Stars Finale and was pleased with the winner. The last time, I felt that John O Hurley should have gotten it. I do enjoy that show which is odd because I don't much care for the reality shows and such. I hope they do it again next year but not before. It is especially good because it is not overdone.

I can't believe that Ash Wednesday is here this week. We will be decorating for Lent
tomorrow night. Should have a pretty good crew and there is less to do than with most of the decorating because simplicity is the name of the game.

Have a special week. Spring gets closer every day.

Love

Mary