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We have an old tall case clock in our living room. It’s really old, as in two centuries old, and it’s really tall, as in eight feet tall. This weight-driven pendulum clock has two outstanding characteristics. First, its loud chime. Actually, chime i…
It has been such a delight and honor to read about the various ways members of this congregation have experienced joy, and I do mean various! From kids to cars, opportunities to communities, pets to places – even from smiles to tears – joy is everywh…
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I didn’t grow up in a happy family. Joy was not something I naturally searched for. I was searching for peace and calm in the chaos. I think the first time I experienced true, uncomplicated joy was the day our son Leo was born. After three and a half…
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll mention it again in this setting—I’ve never liked the song The 12 Days of Christmas. In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing redeeming about this song. No matter how many different versions have been created, they’re a…
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The journey to identity and family can take a circuitous route. I was born in California in 1946. Esther Powell is listed as mother on my birth certificate. She was a mix of English, French, German, and Irish, born and raised in Pennsylvania. Mariano…
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. But the sunshine never really goes away, does it? It may appear that way but sometimes it’…
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Since 2007, this time of year always holds memories of B. I don’t mean the letter “B” but the person whose nickname it came from – Bianca Laura Vocke. Bianca was a 17-year-old girl in 2007, who passed away from a tragic car accident. For a devotion o…
On Sunday morning, we were blessed here at St. Paul with a wonderful performance of the nativity story by some of our dear kids. They sang, told, and showed us about what (or, rather, who) we celebrate at Christmas time: Jesus! Before the show, we go…
The New Year’s song, “Shchedryk,” written by Ukranian composer Mykola Leontovych, has a haunting, driving motif in F minor that is graced with cascading scales of melody. It was performed at Carnegie Hall just 100 years ago by the Ukranian National C…
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Christmas brings a range of emotions to us all…but no one word captures the birth of Jesus more appropriately than the word joy! As I reflect on Christmas’s past, I recall many filled with joy and a few more challenging to find joy. As a young child…
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My grandmother Maxine passed away in November at the age of 95 after a long struggle with dementia. She left behind my 98-year-old grandfather Bob, bringing to a close their marriage of more than 70 years. For both of them, the past decade has been m…
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I inherited a beautiful metal Advent wreath from my grandparents. Inscribed in colorful block letters around the candles are the words: “a Light shines in the night.” Every night, as our family sits down for dinner, we light a candle for each week of…