Jan '09 | Feb '09 | Mar '09 | Apr '09 | May '09 | June '09 | July '09 | Aug '09 | Sep '09 | Oct '09 | Nov '09 | Dec '09
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “The word May is a perfumed word …It means youth, love, song, and all that is
beautiful in life.” So on the first of May, we tasted wine at the New Canaan Nature Center – at a fundraiser for the Norwalk/Nagarote Sister City Project in Nicaragua. There was a silent auction and a wonderful exhibit of photos taken by children in Nagarote.
One sunny Saturday afternoon, we served barbequed burgers, chicken and chips at Manna House of Hospitality in South Norwalk – and every Thursday, John, who has been named “The Bread Dude”, picked up bags of bread at Trader Joe’s and delivered them to Manna House. When John went into New York City for our visas, Mrs. Dude (Marilyn) did the bread run.
This was a month of birthdays. We celebrated John’s birthday on the 2nd - and then the grandsons, Andrew’s
on the 5th and Matthew’s on the 13th. Our small group of 14 members of Noroton Presbyterian Church met one Sunday evening at Marion’s new home, literally right above the Five Mile River and just beyond the old stone bridge that marks the entrance to Rowayton.
We presented our “God’s Children in Kenya” slide show to a PEO group of wonderful women who raise funds to help young women further their education.
We said farewell to Fr. Chris as he will leave St. John Church in Darien in June to be the chaplain at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull.
Marilyn’s “Home to a Pastoralist” photo won first prize in Rowayton Arts Center Community Sponsored Exhibit.
It and others of hers are for sale here. This photo was
taken last August near Isiolo when staff of Ripples International delivered USAID maize to guardians of 400
children who otherwise would be close to starving. Please pray that there is enough rain for the maize crops
around Meru this year.
Memorial weekend was special for us and John’s daughters and granddaughter and great granddaughter, and it was
also very special for our new Kenyan friend Cecilia. John played his tuba in the New Canaan Band at a concert
at The Methodist Church – then we rushed back to Rowayton to hear the speeches and Judy Livingston’s “America,
The Beautiful” - and then Monday morning, John marched in the parade in New Cannan and we attended the Memorial
Day ceremony in the cemetery. Marilyn’s sister-in-law in Alberta, Elaine, is doing her MS Bike Ride again –
you can help her here.
Lord, make us instruments
of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that
we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we
are born to Eternal Life.
~St. Francis/Maryknoll
Centerpieces by Pat
Emily, Matt and Andrew
Rowayton Art Center Reception
After the Parade