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 16, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with 6 comments

Tickling the ivories at age one

 

Vitamin S.

Never heard of it before?

In my Monday post ( Read by hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. “ Would you believe 420?” Thanks, Maxwell Smart ), I talked about the importance of fellowship as a determinant of good health later in life. A friend of mine in the health care field told me that they now have a name for this. Vitamin S is “ Socialization.” Technology has created a new isolation. While we are connected in seconds with friends near and far, it’s not the same thing as a good old fashioned face to face encounter.

Along the same lines, I noticed that in Cape Breton, they are experimenting with something called a time bank. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cape-breton-north-shore-time-bank-1.4397035) . This is something that would work in Antigonish. But it’s kind of sad that it’s come to this because in the “ good old days,” neighbors always helped neighbors. They didn’t need an app for it.

I was in the kitchen yesterday morning merrily doing the dishes. For some bizarre reason, once the cool ( cold ) weather comes, my hands are freezing all the time and warm dish water is just the tonic. I heard fire truck sirens and was shocked to see them pull up in front of our apartment building. Somehow, our neighbor’s washing machine caught fire. Seems counter intuitive, doesn’t it?

That would not have happened in the days of the old wringer washer. Not only was it the way to wash clothes but it also made a great plaything when one of your siblings would push you around the living room while you sat in the tub! I tried to find a picture of the old ringer washer in one of the family photo albums but no such luck. I did , however find a picture of yours truly at the age of one trying out the ivories.

Of course, in many places in rural India ( including the convent where I lived ), we washed our clothes the old way… by hand, and then rinsed them by smashing them on a concrete platform.

We try our best not to be wasteful, especially when it comes to food. So, when I was making a few plates of sandwiches for the funeral reception on Monday, I saved the crusts in a bowl. Now here’s the million dollar question: How many crusts from egg salad sandwiches does it take to make a “ crust sandwich?” I sat down yesterday and ate the entire bowl. I chuckled to myself how insane this would look to most people. That is, until I thought about many of the places in the world where my lunch would have been a veritable feast.

I am having problems securing my Indian visa and won’t be leaving for India until after Christmas, if at all. I received two calls on Tuesday asking me to sing Christmas carols at seniors’ homes. How come my fan base is people over the age of 90?! I am hardly what one would call a “ teen idol.”

TAKE THE TEST. What if you could perform a short medical procedure in the privacy of your own home ( the bathroom to be precise ) and possibly save your life? I mentioned last week and wrote about colonoscopies. https://www.week45.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-it/  I have been a regular participant in Cancer Care Nova Scotia’s screening program for bowel cancer. When I received an abnormal result, I went and had the colonoscopy where they removed a small polyp. The biopsy was negative. I guess I can just continue to be a regular arsehole!!!

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.” !