Posted on November 20, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

St. Ninian’s Cathedral Choir . Nov. 13, 2017 – Funeral Mass for James MacPherson

( Bernice MacDonald Photography )

 

One week ago, our friend, James MacPherson was laid to rest. Much has been written and said about this humble man who was the organist and choir director at St. Ninian’s Cathedral for almost a half a century. He treasured friendships. And he had two families: his immediate family of brothers and sisters and the Senior Choir at St. Ninian’s … his “ unofficial family.”

The picture above was taken moments after his funeral mass. The choir formed an honor guard in front of the cathedral to bid their friend adieu and then scurried inside to grab this iconic picture. Several people in the picture came out of “ retirement” to sing for their friend and leader. And we were blessed with not one but two organists to perform at the funeral mass. Dennis MacDonald and Al Fougere did a masterful job on short notice. The choir is deeply appreciative for Bernice MacDonald coming with but an hour’s notice to take the picture. It is safe to say that this particular configuration of the group will never perform together again.

Everyone in the choir had deep respect for James. A number of the women in the choir were his “ surrogate “mothers.  “ We had so many great times over the decades performing at Sunday mass, the Baccalaureate Mass for St.F.X., the Highland Games masses ( opening and closing ) and ordinations. Christmas and Easter were always special with midnight mass the crowning event. And every year in December, the choir assembled at the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home to perform a few Christmas pieces for the “ Lights of Love” campaign. It will be tough going there this year without James to guide and inspire us.

Bernice posted the choir picture on Facebook several days ago and the response was huge, not just from choir members but from the general public. Would you be interested in having a copy of the picture for posterity? Just private message me or send me an e-mail at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com and I’ll add your name to the list. The cost is $15.

Where are the three busiest gathering places in the community… excluding the NSLC?!

My picks would be People’s Place Library, the Farmer’s Market and St. James United Church. The first two need no explanation. If you haven’t been to the library or Farmer’s market, you likely live on the dark side of the moon. But why St. James as my third choice?

St. James has become a hub for a wide variety of reasons. First and foremost, it is a place of worship and the congregation is led by its affable and articulate pastor, Rev. Peter Smith. But oh, it is much, much more than a place to sing and pray. It is the home of the twice weekly Hot Lunch program which provides a hot meal to anyone who needs it. It also is a popular place to hold meetings, Book Fairs, concerts, potluck dinners and tea and craft sales.

I had an opportunity last week to spend some time with their Senior’s Fellowship Group telling them about my adventures in India. There’s a warmth about these people that’s not hard to detect.

Anyone who enters St. James, feels a sense of welcoming.

And in a spirit of ecumenism, men from different Christian churches gathered on the weekend for the annual Men’s Prayer Breakfast at St. Ninian’s  Place. Yes, there are a few prayers spoken but it’s really about fellowship, a drum that I continue to beat within these lines. Brian Macleod was the guest speaker and he gave a compelling talk about his journey in life thus far.

Let us start off a new week with a sense of gratitude.

Have a great week.

 

Posted on November 13, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 5 comments

Irreplaceable

 

Today, family and friends of James MacPherson will come together one last time to say farewell. Many of us hoped that James would be around to sing us into the afterlife. It will be difficult for our choir to sing for James and not with him.

It is often said that no one is irreplaceable. I agree with this 99% of the time. But not in the case of James. Who can possibly replace his rich baritone voice, play the pipe organ with mastery and direct a choir… simultaneously? But let’s celebrate the fact that we had him in in our midst all these years.

There will only be one James MacPherson.

What are the determinants of a long, healthy and happy life? I have put this question to many people in their 90’s. The answers are predictable and you know them all. The one that deserves a lot of attention and isn’t mentioned as often as others, is fellowship.

The flip side of fellowship is loneliness. There can’t possibly be anything worse than growing old without being surrounded by family and friends. Years ago, I visited a lady at the RK on a regular basis. She was adopted from an orphanage as an infant and never knew her parents. She remembers the day her foster parents came to the orphanage. “ Oh, please pick me, please pick me,” she implored. Most of us haven’t had to deal with that emotion.

I took my daughter Betsy on many of these visits and we would often sing for M. Invariably, M. would be in tears when we left, telling us of her unyielding loneliness.

Last week I received a call to fill in as a spare for a game of bridge. I haven’t played much since Lou Brosha died. I often joke that the only thing I learned at University during my undergraduate years, was how to play bridge. As the years pile up, I realize that it may have been the most important thing I learned. Bridge has kept me in touch with people, not in the way that Facebook keeps me in touch with old friends. There’s something wholesome and nourishing being at a table in close proximity, playing cards, seeing smiling faces and sharing a few laughs. Now THAT is good for the soul. They say it’s also good for the mind.

It didn’t take me long to say yes. My playing partners were veterans. I was the rookie. Their ages… 95, 93,  and 79. For two and a half hours we played the cards we were dealt. In the background, we listened to Elvis sing Amazing Grace and several other gospel tunes. Lots of Irish and Scottish music as well,  including my new favorite “ Fields of Athenry. “ There were two dishes of candy strategically placed so that they were in easy reach!

I made several rookie mistakes and as a result won the boobie prize: four shiny quarters. But truly, I won the grand prize having the opportunity to spend time with warm, witty, and wonderful people. They are living examples of growing old well.

It’s not enough to just grow old.

Have a great week.

P.S. Coldest Remembrance Day ever? Several people seem to think so. A new term was coined on Saturday to explain how cold is cold for we seniors: It’s called “ age adjusted wind chill factor.” !

Posted on November 6, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Buffy St. Marie

 

I have often said that if a person is smart, he or she should retire in a university town. Smart is one thing. Lucky is quite another. We live in a university town and enjoy all the benefits without having to uproot ourselves in retirement to come here, as some people have chosen to do.

Besides the obvious economic advantages of having St.F.X. plunked right in the middle of town, there are many social advantages as well. We can attend world class concerts and plays, go to a myriad of sporting events and even take a class or two if so inclined. And did I mention free lectures?

This past week was an example of having the opportunity to go and listen and learn from two people of very different backgrounds and walks of life.

Some of you might remember John Hatch, an affable young man who strolled onto our campus in the early 80’s and left as the all time leading scorer in basketball for the “ Blue and White.” John is now a senior executive with Apple Inc. in the United Kingdom and Sweden. He came ostensibly to speak with students about business and leadership. He attended some private classes with students but also gave a public lecture. John played for Canada’s Olympic team and also played professionally in Europe before settling into business life.

I think many young people were surprised to hear that the most important lesson he learned during his time at St.F.X. was humility. He stressed this  throughout his talk and urged students to park their egos at the door in all of life’s endeavours and to be a team player and good listener…. words of wisdom for all of us.

A few nights later, I once again sat in the audience at the Schwartz Auditorium which was filled to overflowing to listen to the remarkable singer/songwriter, artist, educator and activist, Buffy St. Marie. I had forgotten that amongst the hundreds of songs she penned, “ Up Where We Belong” won her an Academy Award in 1983. We watched a documentary movie about her life and then she spoke for an hour. She held the audience in her hands.

Her voice and message were powerful. Although she feels progress has been made, she still believes that it will take a long time for people to understand what happened to First Nations people over the centuries and how we should be treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Downton Abbey is no more.

I watched the final episode on Netflix on the weekend. Who was your favorite character? Lord or Lady Grantham? Mr. Bates? Anna? Mr. Mosely? Mr. Barrow? Lady Mary or Lady Edith? Mrs. Hughes? Carson, the butler? Daisy? Every character was extremely well cast. I’m torn. The two characters that fascinated and entertained me the most were the cook, Mrs. Patmore and the Dowager Countess played by the brilliant Maggie Smith. At Downton, these two characters represented the extreme ends of the pecking order. Both women were wise and witty. The best one liners always came from their mouths. The Dowager Countess of Grantham was acerbic and sarcastic but had a soft side under her gruff exterior. Mrs. Patmore was generous to a fault and her quips on any topics were to be savoured…like her cooking.

The writing and character development of this show is brilliant. With a long winter ahead, start watching. I guarantee that you will be well rewarded.

There’s always time for a first and this past week I had a colonoscopy. Regular readers know that I never shy away from any topic even those deemed “ indelicate.” A few years ago, I decided to tackle menopause. (https://www.week45.com/heat-wave/ )

On Thursday, I will attempt to demystify this procedure. The story is called “ Bottoms Up.”

Have a great week.