And a Happy New Year

What a year 2008 was for our family. We have walked through some of our most difficult trials and enjoyed some of the most stunning demonstrations of God's goodness. We brought in 2008 with Reid and Vicky's health spiraling downward and seemingly out of control. We were planning on moving Reid to a nursing home and were giving Vicky sobering explanations that she may have to face a life incapacitated by fatigue and pain. We end 2008 with Reid home, healthy, comfortable, and happy and we have our Vicky back as her health dramatically improves with controversial chronic lyme treatments. It is our first New Year with Erin living in her own place and no renters filling our home with activity. Home is rather quiet, but we've had enough excitment over the years to last a long time. We'll take some quiet.

Merry Christmas

Mmmmm

Diane has posted a mouth watering description of Christmas Dinner from her side of the family - Definitely worth the read, but make sure you aren't hungry:

http://www.fivemilesfromhome.com/diane.htm

A Birth

NAR: The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...

CHOIR (BIRTH)

And on that day and in a birth,
A way is made, a way is made,
For faithless man to turn from death
And have again the kiss of life.
Sin's wall removed, light wakens sight.
God's face, unrecognized,
Man stares confused and wondering.

Mystery! Who understands it?
God, the righteous Judge,
Standing up to greet with pure forgiveness.
Man, who turned his lips,
Upon the face of death.
Returning, a sweet embrace,
Bewildered and unworthy.
Man looks into love-filled eyes,
And wonders at God's mercy,
And wonders at God's mercy.

CHILDREN
Look, the light! His face so bright!
He sleeps upon his mommy.
Why should this gentle child,
Be a sacrifice for me?




Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann

Mary

NAR: ...God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

...and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

MARY

As a little girl,
I looked up at the clouds,
Catching gentle raindrops on my face,
Wondering if the breeze,
that seized my hair
and tossed it all about like mist,
Was a tender kiss from God.

Standing with my dad,
I looked up at the night,
Counting stars that streaked across the sky.
Wondering if the light,
that brightly lit the moon
and etched the dark with white,
Was his face of light shining through.

Then looking up at Gabriel,
Standing there in terrible
splendor.
All my childhood fantasies,
Humbled by reality,
As God's Holy presence filled my room.

As I caught my breath,
I looked in Joseph's face,
His eye's were filled with terror at my pain.
Wondering what if I,
might die before this child
of mine could find its way,
into the daylight of this world.

As that little boy,
Was handed down to me,
I gently held his cheek in my hand.
Wondering at that child,
embraced within my arms,
I searched his face that I,
might see in him the face of God.

Then looking up at Simeon,
Prophecy has once again
frightened.
All his words are mystery,
Talk of swords and piercing me,
I hold this in my heart, cautiously.

As he bled and died,
I looked up at that cross,
Letting bitter tears run down my face.
Wondering at his pain,
who would explain
why his life was sacrificed,
What a costly price he paid.

As he raised my head,
I looked up in his face,
Wounded, scarred, but smiling down at me.
Wondering, I could see,
For me, my sin, is why his life was sacrificed.
For my costly price he paid.




Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Abby Cannon w/ Dave Campbell on Guitar (Not Martha: Sorry Tracey - too fast with the cut and paste)

Simeon

Simeon is a briefly mentioned, but very compelling character. His patient faithfulness is rewarded by God in such an intimate way - by allowing him to hold his Messiah in his arms.

NAR: Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation...

SIMEON

I held him.
At the time it didn't seem so impossible.
Fleeting moments In that too familiar court,
How could it be
That this child I held was the Son of God.
With these horrid hands, these horrid, sin-stained hands
In a flash of judgment, I should have died.
As I held the Holy Christ.

By his mercy,
I held him in my arms
He was still and helpless in my hands.
And I wondered at it all.
Oh, who am I
that I could hold God's only son.

I had waited countless years
for Messiah to appear
God had promised I would see him in my time
I envisioned it before,
how adoring crowds would roar
at the splendor of our King Most High.
He would sit upon his throne,
calling us to be his own
As the rulers of the earth bowed low
But, I never would have dreamed
he would come so frail and weak
And I didn't have a warning on that morning
When they laid him in my arms

By his mercy,
He held me in his arms
I was still and helpless in his hands.
And I wondered at it all.
Who am I
that I beheld God's only son.




Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Fred Cunningham

The Shepherds

I am afraid we gave in to the common temptation to use the Shepherds for comic relief in Stories of Christmas.

NAR: And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

SHEPHERDS

Shepherd1:
It was windy, cold and damp,
I had just set up our camp,
We were sitting down to eat our evening stew.
He was nodding off to sleep.
Through the bleating of the sheep,
'Cause there wasn't really much for us to do.

I had finished my last bite,
Was about to kill the light,
When I heard the faintest rumbling in the air.
It just couldn't be ignored,
So I shook him, he just snored,
In an instant there were angels everywhere.

Shepherd2:
It was stagnant, hot and dry,
And I can't imagine why,
You insist that you're the one who set the camp.
He ate every drop of stew
And had nothing else to do
I had even put the oil in the lamp

Shepherd1:
I've a story to relate
so if you would kindly wait
To discuss alleged inconsistencies

Shepherd2: Go on.
Shepherd1: Thank You...as I was saying
Shepherd1: It was windy, cold and damp
Shepherd2: Dry!
Shepherd1: ...dry
Shepherd1: And I looked into the sky
Shepherd2: And We looked into the sky!
Shepherd1:
and WE looked into the sky
what WE saw completely took our breath away.
Shepherd2:
It was filled with wondrous sights,
There were brilliant, blinding lights,
Shepherd1: I would like to tell this story, if I may.
Shepherd2:
There were thousands of them there
All just floating in the air
In a moment he was running for his life
Shepherd1: You don't know, you were asleep,
I ran off to guard the sheep,
Shepherd2: You went running...
Shepherd1: Yes, but just to grab a knife.

Shepherd1: Then they told us do not fear
Shepherd2: Little late for this one here
Shepherd1: Then they all began to sing the wondrous news

Shepherd1: Shepherd2:
The messiah came today, Stand before the Lord most high,
In a town not far away, Sing his praise and glorify,
To declare deliverance, The Anointed one brings peace,
for all the Jews. upon the Jews.

Shepherd1: What was that?
Shepherd2: What was what? Where did you get that song?
Shepherd1: That's what the angles sang?
Shepherd2: That didn't bear any resemblance to what they sang!
Shepherd1: A lot more than what you say they sang!
Shepherd2: Did not!
Shepherd1: Did so!
Shepherd2: Did not!
Shepherd1: Did so!

CHOIR (DECLARATION TO SHEPHERDS)

Wonder! Wonder!
God has come, now God incarnate,
Glorify, proclaim his praise.
Mercy freely pours upon,
Mankind's defiant face.
The King takes on the form of man,
And comes to save from blindness.
His enemies see now displayed,
The glory of God's kindness.
Wonder!

Shepherd2: Yeah...it was sort of like that.

Shepherd1: Sort of.



Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Kelly Craig and David Porter

Zechariah's Neighbors

Zechariah's Neighbors have always intrigued me. Although this show had little staging, this one scene had Zechariah trying to speak and his neighbors jumping in to give their explanation of what he was trying to say. I particularly like the part in the story where they make signs to him to ask him about naming John. He was mute, he wasn't deaf. I think of it like the same phenomenon of people raising their voices when speaking to someone who is blind or doesn't speak the same language.

NAR: When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."...

...Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

ZECHARIAH AND HIS NEIGHBORS

Zechariah wants to tell you,
that his voice is not so well,
'Cause something happened just the other day.
He was servin' in the temple,
Though his work was really simple,
He delayed within the holy place.

We were worried so we hurried,
Looked for help with such a flurry,
Then he came out with those blurry eyes.
He was gropin mouth was open,
Tried to speak as we were hopin',
He would tell us what went on inside.

Only air came gushing out,
That's the moment we found out,
Zechariah's voice was gone, Oh.

So we tried to get the story,
Or at least an allegory,
But you see there's nothing he can say.
When we couldn't get the picture,
We surmised we must conjecture,
At the reason he came out this way.

And it didn't take us long,
To see why his voice is gone,
He's done something awfully wrong, Uh.

More, much more to tell you.
There's more, much more to tell you!

We felt pity for his wife,
Waiting her entire life,
Hoping that a child was on the way.
You can see she's no spring chicken,
And it seemed that they were stricken,
To be childless in their final days.

You can see he's not a talker,
But he'd never want to shock her,
Like he did when he came home that day, yeah.

Now we won't go into details,
But the basic story entails,
What the two old birds were heard to say.
It was time to build a nest,
to get ready to be blessed,
For a little one was on the way.

Now it gets a little odder,
When this coming baby's father,
Tried to tell us what the name would be.
But he left us so confused,
That we didn't have a clue,
So we thought that we would offer a few.

Zechariah as a name was fine,
But it was not what he had in mind.
So we tried Zach, Zeke, Zuk,
But then it seemed we were in a rut.
We threw out Moses, Alfonso and Gonzo.
We thought of Filbert and Grover, Alonzo.
How bout the noble name of Augustus,
But as we spoke Zech got more disgusted.
There was Izzy and Adam and Alastair.
By this time Zech was near despair.

Tempers started then to fly,
When 'Lizebeth came by,
So we asked her bout the babies name.
But before our recitation,
And without a hesitation,
She announced the baby's name was John.

Was John? What John?
Yes John? Why John? Not John?

So we turned around to Zech,
Just to see where he as at...

Hey Zechariah whatcha going to name your boy

Wait a minute are we out of our minds?
He hears just fine

And we gave something to him to write on,
It was much to our surprise,
When he wrote before our eyes,
That the baby would be named...

ZECH: John!




Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Corby Megorden, Joni Powell, Vikki Cook, Drew Jones

Elizabeth

There is nothing obscure about Elizabeth's character. She is a major player in the Christmas story. In Elizabeth we emphasized the perfect timing of God to bring salvation to mankind.

By the way, in case you are wondering why I am posting videos of the songs with nothing more than a title for the graphic, it is because I can't find a way for blogger to post MP3 files.


NAR: ...there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well on in years. Once when Zechariah...
...was serving as priest before God...
...an angel of the Lord appeared to him...
...When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son...

ELIZABETH

In time, I had stopped all hoping.
In time, my waiting was resigned.
In time, I made no demands,
for I knew new my time was past.

In time, life had settled slowly.
In time, I gave up all complaints.
In time, My wants fell in peace,
I could bear his choice with joy.

In time, Worship came with meaning,
In time, Praise was more than will.
In time, I found gratitude,
in the childless life I owned.

And then, God abandoned silence.
And He turned his face on me.
And then, Our quiet lives were reeling,
as he reached his hand toward us.

And then, My husband saw a vision.
And then, his voice was locked away.
And then, my empty womb was filled,
with the child that could not be.

And then, Mary stood before me.
And then, I knew the child she bore.
And then, I was engulfed in mercy,
as I saw God's gracious plan.

In time, His life was offered freely.
And I understood my need.
In time, I was freed from judgment,
for his sacrifice,
was in time.





Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Martha Patton

A Soldier

Stories of Christmas attempts to view the coming of Jesus from the perspective of characters with a wide variety of prominence in the story. The perspective of one of the soldiers who had to carry out the brutal killing of children may seem an odd one to include, but even that action touched eternity. It also takes "Why" through the spectrum of interpretations.

NAR:...And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. ...When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

SOLDIER:
Justus of Lydda, Second guard,
command of Pious, Under Herod!

Yes Sir,
The engagement was carried out,
Precisely and efficiently
Our actions all were limited,
To Bethlehem's vicinity.

Despite reluctance in the ranks,
A weakness one could understand,
The orders all were carried out,
As per instructions, as was planned.

It was moonless, cool and dark on that quiet night,
We entered every residence without a fight,
Adults were quickly moved to a secluded room,
They were separated it was safe to resume.
Our intentions were unknown 'til the task was done,
The parent's weren't released until we had their sons.
In every case the child was removed from bed,
The family didn't know until the boy was dead.

Justus of Lydda, Second guard,
command of Pious, Under Herod!

Yes Sir
I have been trained not to debate,
Or scrutinize what I am told.
If kings unmask a threat so grave,
That I must kill a two year old,
It is my duty not to question why.

They showed no fear, just childlike wonder in their eyes.
Kids trusted us, they'd march with us when we'd go by.
Ask for our spears and want to help us with our packs,
Then fall asleep and be brought home upon our backs.
Why only boys, why two years old, such helpless things,
What kind of child could be a threat to reigning kings.
Why did I have to see their face and hear their cry
Why did I choose obedience, I don't know why!

Justus of Lydda, Second guard,
Why did I obey! I don't know why!

CHOIR

Why...

CHILDREN:

Why....
look, the light!
His face so bright!
His hands are soft, he holds me.
I love his gentle eyes
He's God and he's my daddy




Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Dave Campbell

The Story of a Magi

Our approach with the wisemen was to consider the possibility of how out of character this journey might have been. The image of a circumspect, careful man throwing everything to the wind to accomplish God's will for his life, is compelling. I don't remember the author of this quote, but it has always gripped me, "Find out what the will of God is for your generation, and fling yourself into it."

NAR: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him... the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ...On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

MAGI:

Making choices cautiously
In all respects, circumspect.
Weighing each activity,
I move with care, everywhere.
Knowing that behind each choice,
Consequences lie.
Every option analyzed,
with a prudent eye.

Vague impressions don't suffice.
Without some facts, I don't act.
Chasing stars is imprecise.
Which way to go, when there's snow.
We have brains so we should use,
our intelligence.
When God leads he leads our mind,
So it all make sense.

When I first received the notion
To pursue an Eastern Star
Somehow finding the Messiah
Seemed absurd, it seemed bizarre
"Always walk as led by reason"
Was my motto and my guide
And reason said this urge was wrong
And on that reason I relied.

Yet, this urge would not abate.
I sought advice, more than twice.
Hoping friends would set me straight
But with each nod, might be God.
Was I mad, or this a joke?
My doubt made me ill.
If I shun it I may find
It had been God's will.

There are times you've gotta leap,
In the dark, through the wind,
With no idea where you'll land.
Reputation tossed aside,
Be a fool, risk it all,
Cutting every safety line.
When rules of reason don't apply,
It seems pointless, ill-advised,
But there are times the wisest choice,
is to choose to be a fool.

Now looking back, with hindsight,
I made a stance, took a chance.
And that risk turned out all right,
Low outlay rate, payback great.
Had I safely stayed at home
as one might have done
I'd have missed God's plan for me
to wisely greet his son.



Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Vocal Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by Kevin Hartnett

Joseph

The character of Joseph is not described much in scripture. In the Stories of Christmas, we took a few liberties with him and extrapolated how he might be reacting to all the scary things that were happening to him and his family. Given the angelic introduction, it seems likely he thought that things were going to go well. When things did not go well, he may have been like most of us and felt disoriented, baffled and even angry.

NAR: This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." ...When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

JOSEPH:

What happened!
It was going so well,
The dreams that I carried
fell neatly into place.
And knowing,
That God gives as reward,
A life stable and calm,
toward all those who obey.
But, Who can say,
What happened.

I can't help but wonder,
Was it all that it seemed,
On the night of that vision,
On the night that I dreamed.
How could God be leading,
How can you explain,
All the suffering, confusion,
The turmoil and pain.

What possible purpose,
could God have in place,
for gossip, and slander,
for Mary's disgrace.
All she did was obey,
and her name became smeared,
as her relatives whispered,
and the townspeople leered.

We were forced to leave home,
when the baby was due,
Such a difficult journey
to put Mary through
The constant contractions
the bleeding and pain
and the heat, and the smell
and the crowds and the rain

Why wasn't God leading
When we needed a bed
Giving birth in the filth,
Was it judgement instead?
One moment new parents,
and then we were faced,
with escapes in the night,
being hunted and chased.

Then horrible stories,
of slaughter and death,
And the guilt when we learned,
it began when we left.
Where were all the visions,
and angles and dreams,
When the yelling of soldiers,
drown young mothers screams.

Can someone explain,
why God judged us this way.
I tried to be faithful,
I tried to obey.
Yet each time that I trusted,
it all went awry,
What happened What happened,
What Happened and Why!



Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann
Performed by John Spiro

Stories of Christmas

In 1994 I was involved the production of a Christmas Oratorio called Stories of Christmas. As we approach the celebration of the incarnation, I'm going to be posting lyrics and mp3 files of the event. The quality of the mp3 files is not exceptional since the best recording of it came from a VHS tape, but it should be okay for all but the most trained ears.

The opening of the show was a choir number. Unfortunately, the placement of the choir mics were such that a couple of well meaning, but somewhat out-of-tune singers in the choir were disproportionately highlighted. As a result, I don't want to post the MP3 of the choir sections. Here is the opening narration and the opening lyrics:

NAR: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

CHOIR:

And on that day and with a word,
A world was made, a world was made.
And in that world the Word made man,
And on his lips a kiss was laid,
And in that kiss, creation sang,
For life as pure as light,
Was breathed in clay, was breathed in clay.

And when that man, now filled with life,
Chose to profane, chose to profane.
Extinguish light, make black of white,
Break peace with fear, strike joy with pain,
He led a world, into the night.
A gasp, as breath, once new,
Withdrew, from man and death began.

Man joined sin in shameless union,
As one flesh, entwined, caressed.
Lips once touched by life's Creator,
Freely turned and pressed,
Upon the face of death.
And in that kiss, in that embrace,
Entangled with seduction,
Man wrenched himself away from God,
And leapt toward his destruction.

And on this day, and in a birth
A way is made...


Music Copyright 1994 by Steve Cook
Words Copyright 1994 by Drew Jones
Arrangements Copyright 1994 by Cliff Blendermann

Huh?

I discovered today how much the publisher is charging for shipping when the book is directly ordered from them. Although I have no control over their prices, I find it ridiculous. I hope it will be better with Amazon. Oddly enough, the shipping price doesn't change much when you order multiple books. Despite the risk of appearing to suggest you buy lots of books, I will suggest that if you go in with others on an order, you will save a lot on shipping.

If I can find a way around the publishers exorbitant shipping, I'll let you know.

Lift-Off

Five Miles from Home ...and other exotic travel destinations is now available at LuLu.com. It should be available at Amazon some time around February. The FiveMilesFromHome.com website has also been updated and includes some nice goodies including a regular essay from Diane, photos, links to various local exploration resources, and a sampling of outing itineraries that have done over the years. My ambition is to expand the information available - but the moderating effect of a limited amount of time may have other ideas.

Here are the links:

• To Buy Five Miles From Home from LuLu: http://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=4555947

• To Visit the Five Miles From Home Website: http://www.fivemilesfromhome.com/

Vermont

The horror stories about Thanksgiving travel did not materialize as we drove up to Vermont on Wednesday and back home on Saturday. We left in the wee hours of Wednesday and drove through Pennsylvania instead of the typical Jersey Turnpike route. We probably have driven through NJ for the last time - at least at Thanksgiving.

While getting there wasn't too bad, getting from the hotel, up the ice covered mountain to Grandma and Grandpa's house was hair raising and, at times, unsuccessful. Snow can usually be overcome, ice is always the victor.

The highlight of the trip was spending time with family members whom we haven't seen in a long time. The cousins all hit it off, as well as the various aunts, uncles, and grandparents, which is a testimony to the power of family. The extremely diverse mix would never be thrown together in any other context except maybe a Church.

Here are a few pictures from the trip: