On Sunday Nov. 23rd at 2pm, Mary Copeley will present an organ recital celebrating the restoration of our Casavant pipe organ. Mary hails from Concord, NH and is an organ scholar for Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Weare, NH. She has won numerous piano competitions and has attended many pipe organ workshops. She has worked with artists such has Paul Jacobs and Gerre Hancock. Mary will also be making her statewide concert debut for this event. She will be performing organ works by Bach, Frankc, Mendelssohn and others. Admission is free and is open to the general public. A CD recording of this concert will be available for purchase at a cost of $12.00 dollars each. Please come out to this historical concert event. See you there!
Dear Friends,
Autumn is my favorite time of year. Although the days get shorter and the sun moves further to the south, I am active outside as much as possible and enjoy the colors of the trees, the birds as they travel south and sitting in the woods in the smell of fallen leaves. I’ve mentioned before that my birthday is in October, Halloween comes on the 31 st , Thanksgiving at the end of November and just into winter is Christmas. I’m still a child at heart and I have many memories of the holidays with family members who have now died but live in memories rich in love and life. I am the family photographer and looking through the old books makes me realize how important those gatherings were.
My family dressed for Halloween. My mother used to braid her long gray hair and on Halloween she would let her hair down, sit in a rocker on the porch and treat the children from a basket on her lap while dressed in black. She made a realistic natural witch. In my family when the children became teenagers we let them stay home to help treat. I greeted at the door on the porch as a pirate with a toy parrot sewed to my shoulder, a patch over one eye and a plastic hook in my left hand, sword on my belt, black top coat and a pirate’s hat and a full beard. Inside Sandy was dressed as a cannibal with a turkey leg bone tied in her hair and painted makeup. She stirred a pot of candy from which the children had to retrieve their candy. Aaron was in a large box covered with black crepe paper and had applied make up to appear dead. He had a large plastic ax hidden in his box and after viewing him when their backs were turned he would rise up with his ax and our guests would run from the room. On the front porch we treated the small children with a talking pumpkin. My daughter talked into a sump pump hose and the sound came out right behind the pumpkin. I asked the children if they had a question and then I would repeat it nearer to my daughter who was hidden around the corner of the L shaped porch. Sometimes she could hear them and carried on long conversations. Sarah was always the one who stayed positive in her costume and acted as a tour guide. Our aim was FUN, laughter, smiles, and candy treats for the children and youth who crossed our threshold. Maybe a little fright on the side.
On Thanksgiving I took a picture of my brother, Ed’s, father-in-law with a pipe in his teeth and one with it in his hand. They were the last pictures anyone took of him and they are cherished by all of his family. We ate the turkey with all the trimmings at Mom and Dad’s house. Watched football, played cards (hearts) and enjoyed each other’s company. It was so much work for the women.
Christmas began on the first day of December and ended on New Years Day. We baked in my boyhood home. Cookies that were frozen for later. We cracked hickory nuts, black walnuts, and butternuts to put in those cookies and Mom’s fruit cake. The house
smelled different than at any other time of the year. My Dad cut a spruce tree in the woods. It was never quite right. That was OK because Mom would set it up in a corner on a short table with her lighted village of little houses and the barn and manger and Baby Jesus. We never missed church or Sunday School. We went to all of the special services. God blessed us as we shared our bounty with our neighbors and friends.
After Christmas we visited other people to "see their tree" and the stuff they got for Christmas. We always brought cookies and a large piece of fruit cake.
My memories are of American Holidays with Religious Holidays all mixed up together. All were great fun. All helped to connect us with the goodness of God. May the celebration of the Holidays of Fall and early Winter bless your families and bring you closer to God.
Yours in Christ,
Ken Bitler, pastor
