Here’s a wonderful post by the good Michele Catanese, a long-time reader, on the “O antiphons”–traditionally used before the Gospel reading and (in slightly different form) for the Magnificat in Evening Prayer, from December 17 through December 23rd. But Michele lays it all out. A post like that is a TON of work–so thank you, Michele.
Here’s the obit for one Renay Mandel Corren who died December 15. It begins: “A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday.” I hope I get such a full-bodied tribute when I keel over.
And my dear friend Judy sent along this essay by and video about the retirement after 40 years of Glen Creason, map librarian at the downtown LA Central Library.
Keep me in your heart for a while…that’s a pretty good anthem as we head into the winter solstice, Christmas, and the end of another hard and glorious year…
The article by Michele Catanese was lovely, especially the part about Mary LONGING for Jesus. The icon pictured in that paragraph really gets me. Mary has a King in her womb.
The obituary link does not work for me, but I’d love to read it.
And the tribute to the librarian was great, especially after you suggested the book The Library Book recently. I love my library, bur for a little while I wished that Los Angeles Central Library was where I went.
Thank you so much, Betsy–yes, funny I had just posted about The Library Book.
I am batting about .750 for wrong links, having at first also posted the wrong one for the great Michele C piece–I too was struck by that line about Mary longing for Jesus, and she put so much work and love into that post so I’m thrilled to have shared it.
I fixed the one for the obit and HERE IT IS again.SUPER FUNNY.
Blessed Christmas to you–
Thanks, Heather, for the piece by Glen Creason and the video tribute on his retirement. I, too, was a reference librarian, retired two years ago. I nodded, laughed, and shook my head at his account of what reference work used to be, and of the changes that have come to his downtown library. I am grateful to have had that job.
Oh thanks, Brett, how wonderful that you, too, were a reference librarian until a couple of years ago. So poignant all the things we human beings want to know–I’m sure you handled thousands of such requests. I remember when being able to google stuff was still in its infancy, excitedly putting in all kinds of info requests and then one night I finally realized the question I really wanted answered, and typed in “Am I loved?”…Still haven’t rec’d the answer to that one–at least not from google.
So glad you liked the essay and the video–I didn’t even know the guy and I choked up!