If you are more into listening than reading, Words Twice a Week is available, along with other good stuff, as a podcast from St Paul’s Episcopal Church. Click here.
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Feb 7
+ it’s the birthday in 1867 of Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote Little House on the Prairie, and numerous other books, which have led to all kinds of stories, movies, tv series, including a Japanese anime series Laura, The Prairie Girl. Scroll down and note she died on Feb 10th, 1957, just 3 days after her 90th birthday!
Now, some days from the church calendar -
Feb 10 Scholastica – born in 480, she was sister, perhaps twin, of Benedict. She was the founder of the Benedictine nuns. The most commonly told story about her is that Scholastica would, once a year, go and visit her brother at a place near his abbey, and they would spend the day worshiping together and discussing sacred texts and issues. One day they had supper and continued their conversation. When Benedict indicated it was time for him to leave, Scholastica, perhaps sensing that the time of her death was drawing near, asked him to stay with her for the evening so they could continue their discussions. Not wishing to break his own Rule, Benedict refused, insisting that he needed to return to his cell. At that point, Scholastica closed her hands in prayer, and after a moment, a wild storm started outside of the guest house in which they were staying. Benedict asked, "What have you done?", to which she replied, "I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can; leave me and return to your monastery." Benedict was unable to return to his monastery, and they spent the night in discussion.
Feb 12 Frances Jane van Allstine (nee Crosby) – Fanny Crosby. She was born March 24, 1820, and was blind either from the age of three weeks as a result of eye inflammation, or modern medical people think probably from birth. She wrote 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, including "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour", "Blessed Assurance", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", “Rescue the Perishing", and "To God Be the Glory". Some publishers hesitated to have too many hymns by a single author, so she wrote under several pseudonyms. Ira Sankey attributed much of the success of the Moody and Sankey revivals to her hymns. Oh yeah – she was a Methodist!
Feb 13 Absalom Jones He was born enslaved in 1746. A “charming plantation slave”, he was allowed to keep tips and used them to buy books with which he taught himself to read. When his mother and siblings were sold away, and he was moved to Philadelphia, he focused his grief in continuing to read, write, and learn. He married an enslaved woman owned by a neighbor, and purchased her freedom so their children would be free. Jones became a lay minister of the interracial congregation of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, the oldest Methodist church in continuous use in the United States (hey, I’ve been there!). The Methodist church admitted persons of all races and allowed African Americans to preach. Together with Richard Allen, Jones was one of the first African Americans licensed to preach by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Unfortunately, the congregation did practice segregation, and after one Sunday when the ushers tried to drag Jones to a different pew, the African Americans walked out. Jones established the Free African Society, but wanted to establish a black congregation independent of white control, while remaining part of the Episcopal Church. After a successful petition, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, the first black church in Philadelphia, opened its doors on July 17, 1794. Jones was ordained as a deacon in 1795 and as a priest in 1802, becoming the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church.
Then some days from the earth/world calendar -
Feb 8
+ 1960 - the first eight stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Actually (I looked this up)
On August 15, 1958, the Chamber and City unveiled eight stars on Hollywood Blvd. at Highland Avenue to create excitement and to demonstrate what the Walk would look like. The eight honorees included: Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward. The first star was actually laid on March 28, 1960. They now do about 2 a month – including such diverse folks as Judge Judy and Dr Phil.
+ it’s the birthday in 1828 of Jules Verne. Under the sea, around the world – where do you want to go today?
Feb 9
+ Fyodor Dostoevsky died in 1881. He wrote Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The idiot, and The Gambler. (That last was a novella – not the “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…” wisdom of the ages!) He wrote numerous short stories – including Another Man's Wife and a Husband Under the Bed and A Christmas Tree and a Wedding - that might be the best way to get started on him.
+ the Boeing 747 flew for the first time on this day 1969. Anybody flying yet?
Feb 10
+ two satellites collided in space, one belonging to the US, one to the USSR.
+ in 1996, the computer Deep Blue won a chess game against world champion Gary Kasparov. Kasparov went on to win the match 4-2. Here’s a piece from A Small Fiction -
“Hi. I’m calling about your ad. Is that old robot still for sale?”
“For sale?”
“Is this Tom?”
“No. This is Unit-2N”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.”
+ in 1964 Bob Dylan’s album The Times They Are A Changing came out. And they are, aren’t they?
+ in 1962 U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged for Rudolf Ivanovich Able. We just watched Bridge of Spies – the story of this event – which was really good. Stars Tom Hanks, whose character keeps saying that yes, we do have a rule book – it’s the Constitution. That’s what makes us American, keeps us free. He also says that each life is important. The CIA types simply wanted to exchange Powers for Able, the Tom Hanks character holds out for a student the East German’s had seized as well. I think we got it on Netflix DVD. It was good.
+ it’s the birthday in 1890 of Boris Pasternak – he wrote a bunch of stuff, most notably, perhaps, Dr Zhivago - Omar Sharif, Julie Christie (Wah! She was in Far From the Madding crowd, McCabe and Mrs Miller, Fahrenheit 451, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! And she does not even have a Hollywood star!), Lara’s Theme. (His funeral was apparently quite dramatic – you can read about it at the link above.) Come to think of it, you look out the window today and it could be a scene from Dr Zhivago, at least here in Mqt!
+ Alexander Pushkin died on February 10, 1837, fatally wounded in a duel with his brother-in-law, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès, also known as Dantes-Gekkern, a French officer serving with the Chevalier Guard Regiment, who attempted to seduce the poet's wife, Natalia Pushkina.. He was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era and is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. Ok, challenge for this week find a poem or two by Pushkin and read them.
+ and as above, Laura Ingalls Wilder died on this day in 1957
Feb 11
+ on this day in 1858 a fourteen year old girl named Bernadette saw a vision of the virgin Mary who revealed a healing spring to her – near Lourdes. She endured official disdain but it became a world famous location for healing. After much sickness, Bernadette died quietly at age 35.
+ Nelson Mandela was set free on this day in 1990.
+ and the Hollywood Walk of Fame folks are dedicating stars to Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neil observing Valentine’s Day and the 50 anniversary of the movie Love Story
Feb 12
+ W Paul Jones lists Marina on this day. “When her father felt the call to become a monk, he dressed her as a boy and took her with him. After his death she continued to live as a monk. Exiled for five years when accused of fathering an illegitimate child, she was finally reinstated. Her gender (and thus her innocence) was discovered only after her death.”
+ George Gershwin‘s Rhapsody in Blue premiered in 1924. A cartoon version as part of Disney’s Fantasia 2000 here.
+ Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were both born on this day in 1809.
Feb 13
+ Jesse James held up his first bank, the robbery of the Clay County Savings Association in the town of Liberty, Missouri, the first daylight armed bank robbery in the United States during peacetime, although there is some uncertainty if the James brothers were actually there. And sadly, despite the song, there is apparently no real evidence of the James Gang sharing loot with people beyond their family network.
+ Richard Wagner died on this day in 1883
Feb 14
+ Valentines Day – you can still send an e-card, but that’s kind of lame.
+ The telephone was patented in 1876. Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray both submitted plans – Bell’s was accepted. And that’s why we have “Ma Bell” instead of “Ma Gray”!
+ Abolitionist Frederick Douglass was born on this day (or sometime close to it) in 1818. When radical abolitionists, under the motto "No Union with Slaveholders," criticized Douglass' willingness to engage in dialogue with slave owners, he replied: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." Sounds kind of like Paul saying he is “not anyone’s slave but a slave to everyone”.
A prayer for this week -
Creator God,
Give us eyes to see all people as you see them -
not a mirror to see only ourselves
but a loving vision that truly sees others and knows their worth -
that all your people may see themselves represented
in the work, play, mission and ministry of your Church;
we pray this in the name of Christ Jesus, who lived and died for all. Amen.
- Rev. Linda Cheek
That’s what I got for now -
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