Postcard #11

Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many. ~Author Unknown

On Easter Saturday, at the Easter Vigil Mass, my husband received three sacraments; Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Holy Confirmation. And because of his baptism, our marriage became a sacrament as well. It was a most humbling experience. It has taken us 4 years to get to this point (many trials and tribulations worth a separate postcard.) We couldn’t have done it without the prayers and support by our church community.
To celebrate this joyous event, we had our parish priest and my husband’s sponsor/Godparent and his wife to our home for dinner. John and Megan Crawford are in their late 70’s so they are physically very frail but very intellectual still. John had received the Order of Canada for his work in gerontology. It was my first time meeting them in person. I was so very fascinated with their stories of their life.
I have a great sense of respect and appreciation to older people. Many of my friends are older in their 50’s and 60’s. I belong to a book club whose average age is 60 excluding myself (the ladies are all retired). I love old music especially from the 30’s, 40’s and the 50’s. I’ve been trying to figure out why this is for a while. I don’t have a good answer yet.
I do not wish my life away of course, but I do look forward to my golden years. I also look forward to possibly living in a senior home. Being in a community of people and having meals cooked for you, I think I would enjoy it very much. Being old is a privilege. You were given the opportunity to live your life, gain wisdom, and learn about things, and really enjoy them.
I’ve often heard when I was younger that I was very mature for my age. I felt this was true. I’ve always related well with “older” people. My husband is 13 years older than me. I guess it is who I am. I am an older soul. I worry about these people who are going to leave me sooner or later. Or course this is the way of life, but what will I do without my old friends. I ponder this probable loneliness. However, when I am old, I shall look forward to being found by a younger person like me.
Here is a picture of Mother Teresa. This picture of her symbolizes old age, charity and Catholicism.

Postcard #10

People have taken time out of their day and spent their money to come sit down at a concert. And it's jazz music-it's not easy for them to get to it. I don't want them ever to feel that I'm taking their presence lightly. –Wynton Marsalis

This thought came to me when my husband, Chris, and I were having a discussion on music over lunch the other day. We were listening to some beautiful but not-so-familiar classical music on CBC Radio 2, and Chris commented on how many styles and genres of music there are, many of which we know little of. As the discussion went on, I commented on how jazz music is not so “user-friendly.” There can be many instruments semi-improvising simultaneously throughout a piece. This sound can be confusing to some. When the listener understands and appreciates some of the concepts of how the music is created and put together, it is easier to relate to and enjoy the music.
When you are playing a classical piece, you are expected to play every note the way it is written. The musician is allowed some liberty and room for interpretation, but the music is played as written; there is no altering notes or chords. When playing classical music, the musician is using their talent and skills to reproduce the music that is written by the composer. In jazz music, it is expected that the jazz musician play a rendition of the song; even the melody is interpreted and sometimes the harmony. The songs that jazz musicians play are generally well-written pieces on their own. On the great canvases that the composers such as Gershwin, Berlin and Porter created, jazz musicians are given the opportunity to create their own music. Musicians bring their own interpretation of the song with the melody and create their own voice by spontaneous improvising.
Here is a picture of a phenomenal musician both in Jazz and Classical music, Wynton Marsalis. I wonder what he thinks about this idea.
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

Postcard #9

Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame! -William Butler Yeats

As I was driving Rebecca and myself up to SFU for our class and presentation, a car came and hit us from behind. Being rear-ended is like a forceful push/encouragement to move ahead in a moment of stillness. However, it is the opposite that happens; you don’t go ahead you stop. Because of the force we were stopped on the road for a good half hour.
My last postcard reflection was on being vigilant about taking the time to enjoy the moments. Naturally, I didn’t enjoy the moment of being hit by another car, or the moments shortly after. However, because of it, with some soreness in my neck and back, I was able to take a few days off from work and rest at home, be with my family, and enjoy these moments. It’s interesting what unfortunate things can bring.
Our Performative Inquiry on oppression went very well. There were many things that we didn’t plan, but turned out beautifully. I was very pleased with the outcome, and also very grateful for Rebecca and the other classmates for their participation. Both Rebecca and I had to stay attentive to what was going on in terms of peoples’ reaction and where the story is leading us. And with that, we tried to be aware of how we were reacting to the story development as well. It was difficult at times to follow and be sensitive to everything that was going on, but I take that as part of the inquiry as well. Sometimes things happen around you that you are not aware of but it has an impact on your life. The two fairies really did take us to another world where we were provided an opportunity to explore ourselves and our thoughts.
Despite the physical and emotional distress that we had to face earlier in the day, we charged through with much success. Maybe an invisible fairy took us away to a place where we could focus on our presentation, and was helping us get through the night.