Ho Ho Ho! Mother Nature gave me some spectacular gifts this holiday season. You, too?
When I stepped onto my front porch, for instance, I realized that a hummingbird’s been ferrying fresh fluff-and-stuff to the fuchsia plant along our walkway. Using her beak as a needle, and spider silk as thread, she stitches the cushiony material to a sturdy branch. A quick whirl of her tail feathers, and voilà! Her walnut-sized home’s beginning to take shape. #RoomAtTheInn
Just yesterday, I spied a pair of perky ears, lurking behind the low-lying wall in our backyard. Could it be…? Yes! Wile E. Coyote loped along our fence, and then posed for the camera before trotting up the neighboring hillside.
Oh, and hey, did you notice the tender green shoots, poking their heads through the damp soil at his feet? We’ve had lots more rainstorms of late, and the thirsty soil is gulping it right down! Here’s hoping El Niño showers us with bountiful rains this winter, so we’ll have wildflowers aplenty, come springtime.
“Walking in a Winter Wonderland” might suggest snow flurries and hot chocolate to some, but it sings to me of blue skies and sandy beaches.
When sunlight slants through the water just so, the waves sparkle and shimmer like jewels. Nudged by strong currents, they’re capped these days with frothy meringue peaks. You can’t buy holiday treats like this, anywhere! But at Aliso Creek Beach, they’re free for the taking.
Here, the simple joys of the holiday season, accompanied by the ocean’s magnum opus.
The sun sinks below the horizon, and a pair of surfers wash ashore.
Behold! They stand at the water’s edge, in soggy board shorts and dreads. We witness together the grandeur of this moment.
In this season of giving, we’re encouraged also to receive…
Unspeakable joys, for those who watch and listen. Timeless gifts, no proof of purchase required and no expiration date.
The tea house is filled with the homey smells of fresh-baked scones, cut flowers, and holiday goodies. Ornaments hang like jewels from the ceiling, intertwined with plaid ribbons and twinkling lights. Sara’s wearing her Winter Princess gown, and why not? It’s our very first holiday tea, and we’re celebrating in style.
Sara chooses the TreeHouse luncheon, strawberry tea, and a heart-shaped scone. I opt for the quiche and vanilla tea.
Our server places two teapots and strainers on our table, suggests we might want to read our tea leaves when we’re done.
Sara spoons a generous amount of sugar into her teacup, adds liberal swirls of cream. She tells me she’s tasted sugar cubes, once or twice. So yummy! “At my grandma’s house,” she adds.
“My Nana used to plop them into her English Breakfast tea,” I say; and though I’m flooded with nostalgia, I’m smiling at the effervescence of this day.
Our server returns to the table, refreshes our water glasses. “Those flowers are 100% edible,” she reminds us. Sara takes a nibble, promptly steals repositions my camellia.
We eat our fill, and then visit the adobe houses and shops along Los Rios, the oldest neighborhood street in California. I follow Sara’s lead…
Turns out, Santa’s elves have an affinity for gardening. Seems they also love birds, same as us.
Such a coincidence, too, that this watering can looks very much like a teapot.
Ho! Ho! Ho! The Grinch nailed a wreath to his front gate–because, you know, Santa’s watching.
Sara’s transfixed by the “love dove” on this merchant’s porch, but I’m drawn to the rusted birdcage that stands empty. Save for its rusted patina, it looks identical to the one in which my Nana kept Curly, her pet canary.
We admire a local artisan’s wares: kitchen utensils, bracelets, and jewelry, exquisitely carved and then polished to a high sheen.
A caboose rumbles down the railroad tracks, chasing its engine, and Christmas tunes blare from hidden speakers. Sara’s humming to herself, and so am I. There’s an easy harmony between us.
We savor our special outing, capture its magic in a gazing ball….
And as quick as you can say “Cinderella,” Sara’s traded her princess gown for play clothes!
“Now,” says my little elf on the shelf, “it’s time to bake Christmas cookies!”
Strange as it might seem to say, my brother’s hospice stay helped crystalize my thoughts about Father Junípero Serra’s canonization ceremony. Though I was personally conflicted, I was glad for the opportunity to witness this historic event firsthand. But it was during Roger’s illness, and his eventual passing, that I eventually found the words I needed for this follow-up blog entry. To wade into troubled waters, unafraid.
My moment of clarity came at Roger’s bedside when, plastic water pitcher in hand, I harkened back to an author’s chat with Anne Lamott. She spoke to us about a good many things, including Grace, which she described as “a glass of cool water from the flow of the Beloved.” I nodded, then as now. We tap into Grace when we ferry endless cups of water to the parched and suffering. We catch glimpses of Grace in a spoonful of ice chips, skimmed across the fevered lips of a cherished other. Crystal clear, Light-reflecting water. And the tears that flow, theirs and ours? Rivulets of Grace, flowing to and from the Source.
I thought about how, in fast-tracking Father Serra’s path to sainthood, Pope Francis must’ve known that decision would ignite the burning embers of controversy. Opinions were–are–sharply divided. While acknowledging Serra’s mixed legacy, some believe he should be judged in the context of the era in which he lived and worked. Such is the case with my new friends, pictured below. However–and without judging the source of his missionary zeal–historians agree that Serra (along with his fellow Franciscan friars) committed crimes against humanity. In elevating this colonial padre to sainthood, would the pontiff also call him (and the Church) to account for his actions?
Happy, Wick, and Baby are elders of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation. Their direct-line ancestors were conscripted to build and inhabit the San Juan Capistrano Mission.
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. The pope might view this historic occasion as an opportunity to personally address tribal leaders who circulated petitions to oppose the canonization. In his homily, he could respond directly their myriad letters of protest, as-yet-unanswered by the Vatican. In a Catholic mass, live-streamed around the world, he could weigh the practices of conversion against the larger issues of human rights. How better to heal any open wounds, than to administer a measure of Grace?
It would be surprising move, perhaps; but then again, this pontiff has a penchant for the unexpected. He expresses tolerant and compassionate views. He pushes the boundaries on social issues, more so than some of his predecessors. In my heart of hearts, that’s what I hoped for. Naïve or no, it was the prayer on my lips when the ceremony opened with the traditional ringing of the bells.
But as my Nana used to say, “If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.” Meaning: That’s not the way things unfolded. In his homily—broadcast from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception—Pope Francis characterized Father Junípero Serra as a kind-hearted padre who protected Native Americans from colonizers—a trailblazer who relished the opportunity to spread the Gospel throughout California, while also preserving local customs and cultures.
Monument of Junípero Serra and a Native American boy. At Mission San Juan Capistrano, the 7th of 9 missions Serra founded.
In this uncharacteristically passive excerpt, Pope Francis attributed the known atrocities to a nameless enemy:
Junípero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people.
Pope Francis spoke at length about the importance of missionary work, related the joys it brings and spreads, and described Father Junípero Serra as a humble servant who fulfilled Jesus’ commandment to His disciples:
Jesus said: Go out and tell the good news to everyone. Go out and in my name embrace life as it is, and not as you think it should be. Go out to the highways and byways, go out to tell the good news fearlessly, without prejudice, without superiority, without condescension, to all those who have lost the joy of living. Go out to proclaim the merciful embrace of the Father. Go out to those who are burdened by pain and failure, who feel that their lives are empty, and proclaim the folly of a loving Father who wants to anoint them with the oil of hope, the oil of salvation. Go out to proclaim the good news that error, deceitful illusions and falsehoods do not have the last word in a person’s life. Go out with the ointment which soothes wounds and heals hearts.
He then declared that, in meeting that commandment with an open heart and willing hands, Father Serra proved himself worthy of sainthood.
The moment of canonization, as seen from within the vaulted walls of the Great Stone Church Ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano.
In pivoting to this final note, the Pontiff completely sidestepped the more difficult truths of Serra’s legacy:
Father Serra had a motto which inspired his life and work, a saying he lived his life by: siempre adelante! Keep moving forward! … Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let’s keep moving forward!
Here, a liminal moment in which Pope Francis might have delivered Grace to those who’d “hungered and thirsted after righteousness” for more than 200 years. But he walked right past that wellspring, and assumed his traditional place at the altar where a trio of ornate chalices rested.
I’m excited to share the small but personally meaningful role I played in Pacific Symphany’s eagerly anticipated Beyond Land and Ocean.
In creating this musical homage to Orange County, Composer-in-Residence Narong Prangcharoen drew inspiration from personal encounters with our region’s landscapes and people. He also invited local residents to submit artistic responses to two key questions: What makes Orange County home, and what unites its people?
Image courtesy of Pacific Symphony Orchestra
As the project moved from creative vision to musical composition (a process chronicled here), Prangcharoen harmonized his personal impressions with community members’ input, including mine. The resulting piece makes its world premiere at Orange County’s Segerstrom Concert Hall on Sunday, October 4th.
If you guessed that I wrote a piece about hummingbirds, you’d be right. My submission is featured on the OC in Unison project website, alongside a photograph of Hope. Want to see an excerpt? Click and scroll to the second story from the top.)
Hope, that thing with feathers, is carrying music on her wings.
Want to know more about Hope and ‘my’ backyard hummingbird brood? Click here.
I’m headed to Mission San Juan Capistrano today, to bear witness to an historic, if highly controversial, event. Pope Francis is officially declaring Father Junipera Serra a saint, and the canonization ceremony will be live-streamed in the Great Stone Church Ruins (pictured here).
I find sanctuary in these beautiful gardens, which is maybe hypocritical, given the gruesome events that once took place on the Mission grounds. True stories, oftentimes buried, in which Father Serra plays a key role.
At the heart of my own restlessness about today’s event is the mythology that surrounds Father Serra. The Catholic Church depicts him as a man of his time–a protector of Indians who displayed concern for the Juaneños’ physical and spiritual well-being. A father figure.
But descendants of those indigenous people suggest otherwise. They argue that Father Serra was, in fact, an anti-hero of sorts. These perspectives were whitewashed when I was a 4th grader, but the official California school curriculum now says: “The historical record of this era remains incomplete due to the relative absence of native testimony, but it is clear that while missionaries brought agriculture, the Spanish language and culture, and Christianity to the native population, American Indians suffered in many California missions.
“The death rate was extremely high. Contributing factors included the hardships of forced labor and, primarily, the introduction of diseases for which the native population did not have immunity. Moreover, the imposition of forced labor and highly structured living arrangements degraded individuals, constrained families, circumscribed native culture, and negatively impacted scores of communities.”
Given Pope Francis’s expressed desire to place a “New Evangelization” at the forefront of his papacy, I’m wondering how he’ll unite an otherwise friendly audience, who nevertheless view Father Serra’s canonization with no small degree of skepticism. Unambiguous anger, too, expressed on behalf of the indigenous peoples who suffered greatly during this period of colonialism.
In a written protest to the Vatican, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band chairman Lopez says: “The Catholic Church will someday realize that canonization of Serra has seriously damaged their right to claim moral authority on issue of poverty, social justice, and indigenous rights. The Church’s treatment of California Indians clearly sends the message that they believe that evangelizing is saintly behavior even if it means the destruction, domination and the stealing of land of indigenous people.”
Perhaps Pope Francis will begin with a confession. He might admit, on behalf of the Catholic Church, the atrocities Father Serra and his missionaries committed during the establishment of the California Missions. Maybe, too, he’ll issue a formal apology, similar to his plea for forgiveness of the church’s “many grave sins” against South America’s indigenous people. How else to bridge the gap between mythology and fact, and to enjoin members of the Church to lead by example?
I’m just one member of a vast audience, mind you, but I’ll report what I see and hear.
Update: I’m working on my follow-up entry & plan to post it soon. But my brother is very, very ill, so I trust you’ll understand & forgive the delay. –M
As the drought deepens and the mercury soars, SoCal residents are increasingly worried about wildfires. Not that I wanted to photograph a conflagration, mind you, but I was thinking along those lines when I found my inspiration for today’s photography prompt.
Asian Bear, from the Mission Viejo, CA “Bear Project” collection
Look! A fire-breathing dragon! I stumbled upon discovered this bear at the Kaleidoscope Shopping Center, in nearby Mission Viejo. The bear’s mask is an eclectic mix of traditional Asian Masks, and the dragon is formed of rock, stone, and glass. So beautiful…capable as it is, there’s no way my iPhone could do it full justice.
Asian Bear also celebrates 2012–aka the “The Year of the Dragon,” in which the project came to be.
Beautiful, isn’t it? Asian Bear was among the first completed entries in “The Bear Project,’ which pays tribute to the beautiful brown bears that once roamed this area. (Mission Viejo’s Oso “Bear” Creek Trail was among the last places they were sighted.)
Each of the nine bears in the collection pays homage to a specific culture. When viewed together, they reflect the community’s ethnic heritage and diversity.
European Bear’s mask includes the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
I never knew about this project before yesterday. But…serendipity! The gallery was open, and Co-Designer Joy Aldrich was on site, affixing mosaic tiles to the bear that signifies the contributions of early European immigrants. We chatted for quite a while, and she graciously allowed me to add three, jade green tiles to the Statue of Liberty’s robes.
I’m planning to revisit the studio in a week or so, to learn more about the project. I’ll take my SLR camera with me, so that I can photograph the entire family of bears, alongside their designer team.
Day 16 of the #AugustBreak2015 Photography Challenge. The prompt for today is fire.
We live at the edge of the miraculous. — Henry Miller
These cottages are nestled into Crescent Bay, at the western edge of the North American continent. When the sun sinks into the Pacific Ocean, they are bathed in its afterglow. I couldn’t quite capture that effect with my camera, but I’ll work on it. Until then, it’s a fixed image in my mind’s eye.
I love that this photography challenge is encouraging me to reach past my current limitations. and to venture into the realm of possibilities. “The edge of the miraculous,” as Henry Miller says–where magic lives, and light.
#AugustBreak2015 photography challenge, Day 11. The word for today is edge.
1. I never dreamed I’d live so close to the ocean, but I’ve always felt its pull.
2. If Nature is a magician, I’ve fallen under her spell.
3. I can’t explain this #NanaLove any more than I can count the stars.
4. Happy is my default setting.
5. “Your home should rise up to greet you,” says Nate Berkus, “And at the end of the day, it should ground you in a sense of peace.” I’m not an interior decorator by any means, but I think my home is comfortable and welcoming.
Day 6 of Susannah Conway’s #AugustBreak2015 photography challenge. The phrase of the day is 5 Facts about Me. Ask me again tomorrow, and I’d probably create a wholly different collage. Maybe I’d adjust the zoom lens, crop the pictures a little tighter. But this is pretty decent selfie, for a first attempt.
