WALKING MY WAYS
WALKING MY WAYS. Because of an impending storm, and the possible loss of power, this blog will come out EARLY! Soon it will be Christmas. Which is hard to believe, as this year has gone by so rapidly. So let me wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS, A HAPPY HANUKKAH, and much good will, cheer and happiness in whatever spiritual or religious path you follow. And Happy New Year. To one and to all.
December always brings back memories. I can remember 30 or 40 years ago, when All Saints Episcopal Church in Carmel went caroling, on Christmas Eve. At that time, we had an assistant minister, Chuck Stacy, who still is a very close friend. And he managed to borrow “Pancho,” Carmel’s only donkey. From Maggie Hays. On Atherton Drive. And with donkey in tow, he gathered a bunch of carolers and they all did their thing. But the highlight was the Christmas Eve Service. When “Pancho” walked down the middle aisle of the packed church. With numerous aghast and concerns on all sides. But the donkey was well behaved and had no mishap. Fortunately.
And I can remember, when I was six or seven years old and lived in Tirana, Albania. And on Christmas Eve, my brother, Klaus, and I were sent away for a few hours. And when we returned, we were ushered into the living room, to the sounds of Silent Night, on the gramophone. And saw a darkened room with a live tree and live candles. And many bridge tables all around. Each one with a different person’s name. One table for every house hold member. And on these tables were our gifts. Unwrapped. And it was beautiful. And solemn. And breathtaking. And I still get tears, thinking of it.
And so with these memories, this year will soon come to an end. May all of you have A HAPPY Holiday and a very HAPPY AND HEALTHY New Year. PEACE and LOVE to one and all! Much Love, Hans. Finis.
What fabulous memories! Tirana, Albania was always on my bucket list and we actually got to visit in 2013. What a beautiful, sadly underrated ountry. Dajti National Park overlooking Tirana is a must. The beaches are comparable to the Riviera, and in reminds me of Turkey when I lived there from 1968-1970. Hans's tales are invariably filled with love, warmth, and a wonderful spirit of joie de vivre - what a fantastic life he is still living. He's even outlived Pancho! And, yes, we had power outrages alll of Christmas Day, but the warmth of Hans's Walking My Way kept us cozy throughout the storm. Bravo, bravissimo, Hans!
Those are beautiful memories, Hans, ones I share. And last night at All Saints was another lovely Christmas Eve service, all by candlelight because of the power outage. A very different congregation from the ones we remember, smaller, but no less significant, and very gentle and joyous in its own way. We are lucky to have such memories and still be here to make new ones.