"The King of Love"

We were joined in church today by three dear friends from our old church. One of the hymns today was this one. I love the melody, an ancient Irish tune. (I seem to be a sucker for anything from the Emerald Isle.)

Thank you, Lord, for the little foretaste of heaven, where we will sing praises to you with our brothers and sisters in the faith.


"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.

"What Is That To You?"

Sunday's Gospel reading was from John 21; where Jesus appears to His disciples while they are fishing and later reinstates Simon Peter. Simon Peter, seeing John, asks, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus answers, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me."

These words of Jesus became very real to me many years ago when we struggled with infertility. I saw friends and family all around us getting pregnant, while we weren't. I often asked God why we couldn't we get pregnant, too. When I read these words in John 21, I could picture Him saying, "If I want her to have 10 children, what is that to you? You must follow Me."

I often forget that the same sentiment applies to me today. Sometimes I wish I had more stylish clothes, a newer car, a nicer house, vacations, fewer bills, family members who were believers, etc.

It doesn't matter what things I wish I had or what trials I am experiencing.

It all boils down to this: I am to follow my Lord, Jesus Christ.

Alleluia, Sing to Jesus

This was our recessional hymn today. It has deep spiritual truths which are found in so many of the old hymns. Probably most remembered for writing the words to "What Child Is This?" William C. Dix penned the words to this hymn in 1867.








"Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!"
Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the scepter, His the throne.
Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone.
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion thunder like a mighty flood.
Jesus out of every nation has redeemed us by His blood.

Alleluia! not as orphans are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us, faith believes, nor questions how;
Though the cloud from sight received Him when the forty days were o’er
Shall our hearts forget His promise, “I am with you evermore”?

Alleluia! bread of angels, Thou on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia! here the sinful flee to Thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners, Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal sea.

Alleluia! King eternal, Thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia! born of Mary, Earth Thy footstool, Heav’n Thy throne:
Thou within the veil hast entered, robed in flesh our great High Priest;
Thou on earth both priest and victim in the Eucharistic feast.

A Small Victory in the Fight for Life

Thank you to U.S. Supreme Court Justices Kennedy, Roberts, Alito, Thomas, and Scalia who voted with the majority to uphold the current ban on partial birth abortions. Praise God!

Shame on Eve Gartner of Planned Parenthood who said, "This ruling flies in the face of 30 years of Supreme Court precedent and the best interest of women's health and safety." Of course, she fails to admit that the best interest and safety of females doesn't count if they're still in the womb.

Ruby Red Glass

At the risk of sounding like I'm promoting the famous expensive coffee shop you find all over America...

I hadn't been in one for about a year, but I found myself there on Sunday afternoon while waiting for my son to finish a Scout activity. I perchanced to read this very interesting quote on my tea cup:

"I don't know if something can be too colorful. Color is one of the great properties of glass and is more intense in glass than any other material. Imagine entering Chartres Cathedral and looking up at the rose window: you can see a one-inch square of ruby red glass from 300 feet away."

Dale Chihuly
Artist and glassblower

When you are inside a church, the intensity of the sun illumines those small pieces of colored glass in the windows, just as the Son illumines the Father for us.

Conversely, when it is dark outside and you are looking INTO a church that is lit up, you can see the colorful stained glass windows from your vantage point. We need to be like that beautiful window. Lit from within by our Lord, and laying open the truth to those in darkness.

(photo of the rose window at Chartres Cathedral, France)

1 + 1 + 1 = ???

A family member stopped by today and handed me three articles from the newspaper. Judging from past conversations, I think I know the not so subtle implications.

It wasn't quite what I had in mind during my prayers this week for some encouragement.


#1 Protective Parents Not Preparing Kids

#2 To Prof, Saxon Math Doesn't Add Up to Much
[We use Saxon Math.]

#3 Virtual Debate: Online Education, Funding in Lawmakers' Spotlight
[We don't use any public school based online education.]

"Come Ye Faithful"

My husband and I played in a small chamber group at this church this morning. Having never been to an Orthodox church before, it was an interesting place to spend Easter.

We were there to play the Mozart Sparrow Mass and other music, but I enjoyed being able to join in with singing this wonderful hymn.

Below are the first two verses of the hymn. Go here for all five verses. [Note: The melody we sang today was the first of the alternate melodies listed, the Ave Virgo Virginum (1544) which is much better than the Sullivan (1872) melody the website uses.]



"Come Ye Faithful"

Come, ye faithful, raise the strain of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought forth Israel into joy from sadness;
Loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke Jacob’s sons and daughters,
Led them with unmoistened foot through the Red Sea waters.

’Tis the spring of souls today; Christ has burst His prison,
And from three days’ sleep in death as a sun hath risen;
All the winter of our sins, long and dark, is flying
From His light, to Whom we give laud and praise undying.

Good Friday

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, "Woman, behold thy son!" Then saith He to the disciple, "Behold thy mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, "I thirst."

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
John 19: 25-30 (KJV)

He Fills the Void

I am drained.



This evening I held my daughter, rocking her in my lap, while she cried, "I want my mommy."



She didn't mean me.



She meant her birth mother. Lately, she feels abandoned by her birth mother. Confused over why this young woman would place her for adoption.

I opened my Bible to show my daughter all the verses I've highlighted that apply to adoption. They are all over the place. God constantly tells us, when He adopts us into His family, we are full heirs. He fills the void in our hearts.

Dear Lord, help my daughter see the truth that we love her totally. That You love her totally. Heal her hurts. Fill the void in her soul. Give me strength. Give me patience. Show her your presence.

Just for fun..My New Title

Thanks to Lanier at laniersbooks, I now have a new title, and I'll be expecting you to use it from now on!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Exalted Highness Duchess Deborah the Wholesome of Peevish St Victor Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

The honorable wife of:

Venerable Lord Steven the Charitable of Chalmondley St Peasoup

The much adored mother of:

Very Sir Lord Brendan the Ceaseless of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Milady the Most Honourable Anna the Paragon of Bampton Underhoop

Sir Edward Elgar, My Dad, and Me

Last Saturday evening I got to perform Edward Elgar's symphonic work, Enigma Variations, for only the second time in my life. It's a lovely piece introduced by a short theme, followed by 14 musical variations, all based upon family members or close friends of Elgar's. Each variation, save one, has initials or a name to identify its human inspiration. My favorite variation has to be the one entitled "Nimrod," and Saturday I played it with tears trickling down my face.

When I was in 6th grade, my elementary school music teacher had me start working on the slow movement of Mozart's Third Horn Concerto. My father, also a music teacher, believed that I couldn't properly play such a piece because I was too young to understand its deep meaning, and requested that I not play it yet.

I don't know what my dad thought about me playing the Elgar piece when I was only fifteen, but I fell in love with it then, and I love it still. Perhaps I was too young to give the very emotional "Nimrod" variation its full due. But I think back to what I had experienced in my life at that time. Even at the tender age of fifteen, I had experienced several significant events of both sadness and joy. Thirty-six years later, I have certainly lived many more joys and disappointments, enabling me to play the variation with more pathos, but the music is so beautiful and universal, I think it can be appreciated by people of all ages.

Why was I crying? I cried because the last time I played the piece, my dad sat in on both the rehearsals and the final performance. This time, my dad is gone and I don't know where he's spending eternity. I cried because I didn't get to call him and tell him how good the concert was. I cried because this time I played the Elgar, my daughter was in the concert hall, and I want so very much to be a good mother to her and our son. I cried because the piece was so beautiful. The fact that good composers can dream up such beauty and commit it to paper for others to play for years after they are gone is truly a miracle.

Thank you, Lord, for imperfect parents, for great composers, and for ears and hearts to experience beautiful music.

Mrs. Edward Elgar

I am playing a concert tomorrow evening which includes a favorite piece of mine by British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934). Although he's not a household name, most every adult can hum one of his most famous pieces, Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. Otherwise known as the music that gets played over and over at graduations.



In reading about his life, I ran across this little bit about his wife in this article. Oh, that I could be such a blessing to MY husband!

In 1920, Lady Elgar died and with her died much of Elgar's inspiration and will to compose. She had organised his household and ministered to his comforts. For a long time she saved him hours of drudgery, for instance by ruling bar lines on score paper. She walked miles in all weathers to post precious parcels of manuscript and proofs. In the early days of their marriage she had collaborated with him to produce such works as Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands (1896) - Elgar's settings of his wife's poems inspired by holidays spent in Germany. At times when success seemed forever to be eluding him, she never lost faith. In short, she had been the driving force behind his genius encouraging him and proclaiming his talents at every opportunity.

Interestingly, her family had discouraged her from marrying the man who was beneath her. Elgar, the son of a tradesman and a lowly music teacher "without prospects," wasn't good enough for their girl. He eventually became one of Britain's most loved composers and was knighted for his accomplishments.

Thank you, Lord, for Caroline Alice Roberts Elgar, who provides us with an example of a woman who had faith in her husband and played a vital role in his life and career.

Public Schools

Jim Mullen, author of the book in my previous post, rode the NYC subway and spied this ad:







We're Hiring!
New York Public Schools Want Bilingual College Grads
Qualified as
School Psychologists
Social Workers
Teachers of Special Education
Teachers of Speech Improvement
Guidance Counselors

Then he commented:
New York City public school students are reading two years below grade level. Am I the only one to notice they want everything but regular classroom teachers?

As a teacher (16 years in the government schools), I often wondered about this myself! How thankful I am that we've been able to home school our children.

"It Takes a Village Idiot"

I just finished enjoying the book "It Takes a Village Idiot" by Jim Mullen. The author and his wife lived in Greenwich Village and enjoyed all the perks that urban life had to offer. When Mullen's wife bought a country house in the Catskills, a three hour drive from Manhattan, Mullen initially looked down his nose at the people and their way of life. The book chronicles Mullen's metamorphosis from die-hard New Yorker to a full-time resident of the Catskills. Mullen, with his self-deprecating humor, deftly makes life in the Big Apple look quite futile, while showing the beauty and meaning of living and working hard in the "Boonies."

This is no how-to book for persons hoping to make the move from the city to the country. Nor is it the journal of someone who deliberately left the city for an agrarian lifestyle. The author doesn't appear to be a Christian and some of the language is "colorful," but it's a funny and entertaining read, nonetheless. The longer Mullen spends on their Catskills property, the more poetic he becomes, but he never loses his sense of humor. I was ready for something light-hearted to read, and this fit the bill with just enough food for thought.

In a brief note at the end of the book, Mullen states, "There were six hundred working dairy farms in our...county when we started coming to the Catskills in 1987. There are fewer than two hundred today (2001)." After reading the book, you know that he thinks this is a shame. As do I.

"I Bind Unto Myself Today"

The words to this hymn come from St. Patrick's (c. 372- c. 466) Breastplate. Several different translations from the original Gaelic were used to put the words into stanzas by an Irish woman, Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) in 1888. They were set to a traditional Irish melody adapted by Charles Stanford (1852-1924). Go here to hear the melody and read the full text. (Note: This website doesn't have the correct change in melody for the sixth stanza. In addition, the hymn is difficult to follow if you don't have the words and printed music together.)

"I Bind Unto Myself Today"

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
(verse 5)