Christmas Time brings Random Thoughts, Memories and a Christmas Show n' Tell of Sorts

A most sweet Sunday.  Janie, myself and Jem at one of our favorite Mediterranean restaurant delis in midtown...Live Christmas jazz was playing.  Don't hold it against us but Jem and I have our mouths full. We do say Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

One of my favorite old churches ever for various reasons.  Sometimes we treat ourselves to a visit there.

Jem, Janie and I sat up in the balcony...Lea took our pic.  Do you see the door behind us?  Where I sat I could see the stained glass window of Jesus holding his little lambs through it.  You see.  ...Many of us have things going on, we are in odd seasons of life for different reasons and the stained glass is just a beautiful, sweet and most poignant reminder of Jesus holding us.  I am reminded that I am His lamb.  Jem tried hard to get a shot of the beautiful window with Jesus holding and taking care of His lambs but it just didn't turn out this time. 

Following:   The view from here.  The original church was started around 1830.  There were Germans, American Indians, African Americans and you name it who attended here.  Did you know I am half German and half Italian?  Don't hold that against me either. ; )  There are days in which I'm not sure which side in the families I'm more disenchanted or enchanted with.  It's a bit like... Are you a good witch or a bad witch...said like Dorothy.  But it's more like...  Are you a good Italian or a bad Italian?  Or you a good German or a bad German?  I have to expound though, my Italian grandparents, the Oddos were the salt of the earth.  We were from the waterfront, not the city. My parents would go to the city to shop for clothing or go to the bookstore, or sometimes bring me to the museum or zoo to visit for a treat.  Down-to-earth were the waterfront Oddos and I am so very thankful for that. There was never talk of a brand name car or what type of a diamond one would wear. Life was about good eats and laughter in my humble Italian grandparents home. The nasa aeronautical crowd I went to school with thought more of education etc. The scientists drove small economy cars, the fishermen drove trucks and now I really do appreciate that part of life there. My family drove cars til they fell apart and paid cash for another brand new car or truck. A vehicle was a practical thing, not show for us.  I guess I've always been out of the box growing up in an older neighborhood instead of suburbs and it took me a while to realize the value of that. ...And I think being out of the box is pretty good. The German side?  My German grandfather was the black sheep and was never in contact with his family.  So, to make a long story short, there are and were some German docs around who were my great uncles (and down the line) and I never knew them.  I was recently blessed to run across a pharmacy owner who is a cousin and that meeting was a bit of an epiphany for me. Jem and I stopped by the pharmacy after noticing my unusual maiden name on the sign.  His very tall stature came walking out to meet me, and I saw my Uncle Wesley's stature.  The pharmacist's father was one of those doctors. Life is strange like that.  It's a mystery many a day.  Always an adventure, sometimes a quiet one and that particular way is fine with me.  Contentment is a missing ingredient in many I think.  I see the great value of contentment and try very hard to keep a healthy grasp on it.

I've been listening to a Bing Crosby Christmas cd, his voice is so soothing to me.  And to me, many times, it's more wholesome and wafts a sweeter spirit than the contemporary Christian music many times that is played.

The boys choir has that special sound in the following clip.  There is just something about it...

Enjoy:






A really nice, heartwarming movie?  One of my favorites. It also has Bing Crosby in it as Father O'Malley in 'Going My Way'... Bing Crosby in the part of Father O'Malley reminds me of a special priest who was very kind to me when I was a little girl, Father Connally.  He left our church back then and it left an empty place in this shy little girl with the long brunette hair. I found him and wrote him a letter in the 90s and he sweetly replied and yes, he remembered me. 

Going My Way (1944


(Edit 12.23.16)  You may also be interested in 'The Bells of St. Mary", the sister movie that goes with 'Going My Way'.  Both are wonderful movies.



I heard this one today on Joycie's jazz station.  I've always loved this music, Holiday for Strings (1955) David Rose and His Orchestra.  My mother used to have an exercise record, ...

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...that she would exercise to that featured Holiday for Strings.  I loved it so much that when the girls were little we made a recording for our answering machine that featured this music.






LAST BUT NOT LEAST I WILL END ON THE FOLLOWING BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING VIDEO FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON: 
  
I love the end. 



Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, may God be with you,      Amelia