Troop Support

Last week during our drive to Harpers Ferry, WVA, Jamie, Kelly and I started talking about the prolific presence of the yellow (camouflage, etc.) ribbon magnets on people’s cars that read: “Support Our Troops.” Kelly remarked, “Hope you are willing to keep those ribbons on your cars for the rest of your lives.” This war represents tragedy not only in the form of an ever increasing body count but in the multitude of soldiers who come home wounded, sometimes so badly that they will never be able to work or provide for a family. If people really wanted to ‘support the troops’ then they would realize what types of support are needed and find mechanisms for helping them either recover or transition from war to home. The soldiers and their families often need long-term support and hopefully as the war progresses and more soldiers are wounded we can realize the fullness of this dilemma. I am sorry when I hear of soldiers so wounded and maimed that their lives will never be normal again but what of the soldiers whose wounds are invisible, in the form of posttraumatic stress disorder? Surely these emotionally wounded soldiers struggle to switch from soldier mode to husband, father, friend, and son mode. Most of the soldiers are young and I wonder how deep, emotionally and physically, the ramifications of this war will be. In meantime, I support the troops and the wounded without a yellow ribbon on my car.

Carroll Valley Snowboarding

I went snowboarding on Saturday, my first time snowboarding with Jamie and my first time snowboarding in the East. I had snowboarded once previously, seven years ago with Ashley. We had friends working at Deer Valley in Park City, UT so we got the rental and lift tickets for free but we had no formal training and we spent most of our time tumbling down the mountain failing relentlessly to discover the tricks to starting and stopping successfully. I remember being terribly sore. Jamie and I went to Liberty Resort in Carroll Valley, PA where one could get a lift ticket, gear rental and lesson for $19. The weather was bright and cheery and the man-made snow was soft and fluffy, perfect for learning to snowboard. I was lucky and had an instructor all to myself for two hours. He patiently and encouragingly taught me how to glide, jump on and off the lift, start and stop. After two hours I was confidently combining toe turns with heel turns to become an official snowboarder. Nevertheless, I was enormously sore and tired. My knees were disfigured and bruised so I was only able to go on one run with Jamie but it was a fantastic run and gliding down the mountain with a growing sense of control was wonderful. Afterwards Jamie went on a last run down the more advanced slope and I proudly watched him cruise swiftly and even land a menacing jump. He is a terrific snowboarder. We went home tired, happy and excited to snowboard in Utah next week. Surprisingly, December has been a very active month for us. Last weekend we joined a Census outdoor group for a hike in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The hike was roughly five miles and the ascent nearly killed me but the view from the top made the struggle worthwhile. We had a 360 degree view of lusciously green valleys and most impressive, an aerial view of antique Harpers Ferry. Walking through downtown were men and women in period clothing and the shops were all decorated with fresh garlands, wreaths and fruit making a very festive atmosphere. The active theme will continue when we arrive in Utah later this week. Fun!

Handel and the National Gallery of Art

Tonight Jamie and I are going to the National Cathedral to hear Handel’s Messiah. The last time I went to a Handel’s Messiah concert was five years ago when I was in London. The performers at the London concert were dressed in period costumes, which that added a nice historical context to the music. Handel’s Messiah is powerful celebration of Christ and my favorite chorus is, “Surely He Hath Born Our Griefs.” I would love to make a tradition out of going to the Cathedral for the Messiah concert. Jamie has never been to the Cathedral so tonight’s concert is doubly meaningful for him. I love this holiday season so much for the emphasis on family, traditions and thanksgiving.

Well, I failed to post the above paragraph last week. Jamie and I did attend the Messiah concert and it was a magnificent experience, one that I am still processing. Prior to the concert we met friends at a wood fired pizza restaurant a few blocks north of the Cathedral called 2Amys. I walked to the restaurant from the Tenley Town metro stop and the mile walk downhill in the dark of early evening was wonderfully refreshing because the lights and colors of the street all seemed to celebrate the holiday season. The cathedral came into view after a few hundred yards and the spires loomed large and wonderfully. 2Amy’s pizza was delicious. We all tried official Neopolitan pizza and the thin, chewy crust was perfectly satisfying. Baked olives marked the entire meal a success.

I loved walking into the National Cathedral with Jamie, watching him observe and soak in the scope and scale of such a brilliant structure. We quickly found our seats and had a few minutes to contemplate the sacred space before the concert started. The orchestra, choir and soloists performed the entire concert, which was a luxury for me since I had only ever heard the Messiah choruses. The instruments were Baroque, so we were graced with the sounds that Handel would have heard and expected. Most impressive of all, was the counter tenor soloist. When he first stood to sing I wasn’t sure if he was a man or woman because he looked like a man but the sound he was creating was what I would have ignorantly assigned to a woman. Welcome to the breadth of counter tenors. This man’s voice and artistic capability were so impressive that I greatly anticipated every solo he performed. His voice was celestial and seemed to celebrate the life of Christ better than the other voices. The chorus parts were dramatic and beautiful and so was the music. It was as if I were hearing the music and lyrics for the first time and when it all came together resulting in a tribute to Christ, I was humbled and grateful to have been a witness to something so powerful.

Earlier this week I went to the National Gallery with a three fold purpose: to view the Dutch collection, to see the Gerard ter Borch exhibit, and to celebrate Christmas with a myriad of paintings depicting Mary and the baby Jesus. I went on a beautifully clear and warm day, which proved to set the tone for an experience so wonderful I hope to repeat every year. The rotunda of the National Gallery was punctuated by bright red and white poinsettias and blooming amaryllis flowers. Visitors were greeted with grapefruit and orange trees heavy with fruit. The museum was tastefully festive.

The Dutch paintings were stunning in their rich color, pastoral settings and their remembrance of a simpler life. The landscape scenes were particularly tranquil and I wanted to step into any of the scenes with slow travelers on dusty roads shaded by thick, warm trees. Gerard ter Borch’s paintings were wonderful and his talent was in making the mundane transmundane by capturing facial expressions and posturing. He was famous for fantastically replicating satin and I must admit that his fabrics looked incredibly real and rich.

I found many Mary and the baby Jesus paintings that were sweet and celebratory. There were also many adoration of the magi paintings that I appreciated. It just made sense to view Christian art to conduct a ceremonious tribute to the season. The painting that I loved most of all (sorry…forgot the painter) was titled, “The Flight to Egypt” and showed Mary sitting on a rock wall holding the baby Jesus, who was playing with a bunch of grapes. Joseph was in the background hitting chestnuts out of a tree. Everything about the painting connoted peace and shared love in a precarious journey. I hope to return sometime this month with Jamie, who returned last night from a five day trip to New Mexico. It’s wonderful having him back, I can actually sleep again.