After I posted the Icon Christmas Card for you (to download, print, fold, and send to someone special) the last thing I thought about was having some competition in the Christmas card business from my friend Darrel. But here it was, a beautiful Christmas Card (image at left), that captures the true meaning of Christmas in words and artwork. The original watercolor, by Darrel's friend Peter Deming, would be enough to make this a special keepsake. But there's also Darrel's poetry: ...
It's always good to hear from you, and I'm delighted that I can share some of my correspondence on these pages. Crèche Enthusiast Michelle Martin asked me about church music in San Francisco, where's she's going to be visiting. And her question brought to my mind a beautiful service I once attended at a Russian Orthodox church that bordered Golden Gate Park. I can still remember how moving it was to be hearing those angelic hymns, and what ...
It's past midnight and I can hear the wind blowing outside, announcing yet another snow storm. But the fire is burning, Christmas carols are playing, and I'm working with our programmer wiz, Bernie, to find a bug that, suddenly, is telling you that your comments are not posting, when they really are. (So please do bear with us while we're working out the bugs.) It's so heartening to hear from so many of you, many, many more than clicked our "Post Comments" button. I thank you for ...
The snow lay on the ground, The stars shone bright, When Christ our Lord was born On Christmas night. The words of this lovely carol echo in my mind this Christmas morning. A soft, white blanket covers the Midwest, making the trees look like rock candy. It's a time to light the fireplace and fill the house with mouth-watering aromas from the kitchen, with family, friends, and music. With our friend, composer Dan Goeller, at the piano, ...