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Your two webmistresses--Julie and Monica--both find our plates overfloweth this season! So we're going to take a little break from posting, and will resume later this year or early next.
Above is one of my favorite autumn pictures. It's from when I used to live in Chapel Hill, and walked to work. I passed this bush every day and then, one autumn morning, found it had caught fire. A burning bush, on my morning walk! God speaks all the time....
Enjoy, and in the meantime, much love to all. --MCB
Mary sent pix from her and Mark's trip on Labor Day weekend to lay hands on...their godson! You can see them here, plus more that Lakaisha Nicole had sent from her camera, of the godparents' visit and Naming Ceremony. Mary wrote: You can see how much Niko grew in a week! Mark and I had a wonderful time. Niko is adorable--so are his parents! He is sweet, fun, funny, and very wide-eyed-observant, with beautiful brown eyes. He graciously let us hold him a lot even though we didn't know the right moves. We're very proud godparents of this dear one. Our thanks go to the busy grownups and generous hosts--Dad, Pam, Nicole, Donald. I've had to make do with grocery-store produce since we left. Am missing the yellow melons, green beans, cucumbers, and s'mores. Thank you and congratulations, Mary & Mark!--and godspeed for your holy charge and marvelous adventure with Niko Sage. He is surely blessed in turn.--JEB
All along, many family and friends contributed ideas for what to call the child. On the day of the Naming Ceremony in late August, Donald listed them all on a bulletin board, so everyone could continue to speculate and sway fate. But until the moment it was spoken into the world, the name was a secret! Upon that moment, such a surprise! (Yet there was one in the midst, not mother or father but divining friend, who indeed had prophesied the name whole.) And so the gathered assembly called a child: Niko Sage. The name is homage to mother Nicole, plus a bit of Kazantzakis and a bit of Greece; also some Aunt Mary, sage-girl, and some Owl, the baby's birth symbol. It is perfect. The new master among us was also blessed and baptized. Great-aunts, grandparents, ministers and storytellers contributed energies and gifts. There were games and music and feastfoods, played and cooked by many hands. There is too much to tell. See for yourself (and a big thank you to Aunt Frances for photos). Meanwhile, Niko Sage, welcome, welcome, welcome to this human life!--JEB