The call from the church administrator came about 6 pm on Thursday night. As soon as the caller ID showed up, I knew I was going to be asked to play the organ: Kathy, I know it’s late, but can you play for a Tongan funeral tomorrow at 1 pm? In case you don’t know,… Read More A Tongan funeral
Visiting Korean organist… that was the title of an email message I received in early November last year. It was from the Rev. Brian Grieves, an Episcopal priest I had worked with at the Church of the Holy Nativity some forty years ago! An organist friend from Korea, Byong-Suk Moon, will be visiting Hawaii in… Read More Visiting Korean organist
You may have heard that last Saturday, the state of Hawaii was thrown into a panic when a missile alert threat was sent to mobile phones, with this ominous message: Weeks ago, residents were warned that if a missile came from North Korea, people in Hawaii would have approximately 12-13 minutes notice before nuclear destruction. In… Read More Blissfully unaware
I have been home from Mexico for four days now, and sorry to say, I’ve been sick. I don’t know if it was the change in weather, or the fact that several of my family members were sick, but I got it too. Shortly after arriving in Mexico, I started sneezing—many times a day, a… Read More Music for The Crown
In an earlier post, I took a photo of a family posing with the Three Kings instead of Santa Claus (because the Three Kings bring gifts), just another example of the Catholic Church’s influence upon life in Mexico. Well, here is my family taking its turn for this holiday tradition. We were at one of… Read More The Three Kings
It was about six minutes to midnight, and fifteen of us stood around the dinner table. Every single person picked up his or her phone (because there was no clock in the dining room!) and waited for the countdown. Outside was quiet in this Mexican neighborhood, with only an occasional pop from fireworks far away.… Read More Eating grapes etc.
I tried to find out why baptisms are such a big deal in Mexico and found out that it is all because of tradition! It is not only the child’s entrance into the faith community but is also an opportunity to celebrate the family—in other words, it is an excuse for a fiesta! (party!) Because… Read More A Mexican baptism and fiesta
In yesterday’s one day visit to Guanajuato, here are the numbers: 5. The types of vehicles I rode in: private car, taxi, 15-passenger van, city bus, and private luxury bus. 10. Number of places I visited. This included 5 churches, 4 organs, a state theatre, a mountain top statue, a horror museum, an abandoned gold… Read More One LONG day in Guanajuato
Of all people I am the last person who should write a restaurant review. Oh, it is true that I have eaten the most delicious and diverse food in some of the world’s top restaurants—most notably Wagyu beef in Tokyo, croissants in Paris, Belgian waffles in Brussels, paella in Barcelona and goulash in Budapest. And… Read More Sushi … in Mexico?
I’m spending Christmas and New Year’s in Querétaro, Mexico and many people have asked me, where is Querétaro, anyway?— so I thought I’d show you a map. You can see in the map that it is not far from Mexico City, about 115 miles. It is home to my daughter-in-law’s parents. What I have discovered is… Read More Mexican family traditions