Author Archive

It is hard work

  Inspiration is one thing ~ standing before a canvas with a paint brush in hand, a  palette of vivid colors at her side, is even better, but framing and wiring paintings is not what Jessie considers the fun part.   Here she is preparing for another art show to benefit Bishop Stanway Primary School and Msalato Theological College (MTC).  Many of her stunnning and glorious paintings will hang at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh, N.C., (1520 Canterbury Road)  from June 3 through the 17th.    Generously, a percentage of the sales will go to St. Michael’s outreach program as well as to our Tanzanian schools and friends.   Jessie’s paintings hang in galleries and homes across the world.  She has lived and traveled to the far reachs of the earth, and a New York Times art critic wrote:  “Jessie Mackay is recognized in the art world as an artist who can go to the most desirable tourist destinations in Europe ~ to the impoverished heart of Africa ~ and the ability and desire to capture the colors of both places, as well as the people, with a great deal of sympathy,  is a welcome, valuable resource.” Seven of her paintings hang in my house and I can tell you that every time I pass one I think how fortunate I am ~ how rich I am to see such beauty each and every day.  Often, I just stop dead in my tracks and look at them.  If  you live too far away to come to her show, please go to her website:  www.jessiemackay.com.  In today’s world of technology you can view her paintings and purchase one (or two or three!) on-line.  She will frame it and ship it to you.  Even if you have long filled your wall-space, a painting makes a wonderful wedding gift ~ birthday and Christmas gifts to grandchildren.  It’s really a chance of a life time. We live in a troubled world and it is easy to despair about the way in which we seem to be going, but I have a theory:  Great art, poetry, music, drama and literature just might save civilization.  God has done His part in creating the world in which we live.  It is up to us to preserve it. That great American soprano, Beverly Sills said that “we all need a little beauty in our lives.”  Here is a chance to enrich your life and help those who are in dire need of just a little of what we all have.   Blessings to you all.  tally

Remember that song from Oliver?  “Oh food, marvelous food, wonderful food, magical food, fabulous food, beautiful food, GLORIOUS FOOD.”  Now little Oliver was thinking of “a great big steak fried, roasted or stewed.”  I am writing of food for the students at Msalato Theological College.  We received word today that St. Luke’s Foundation in Salisbury, NC has honored our grant request with $25,000.  Halleluiah, Praise the Lord, and grateful thanks to St. Luke’s Foundation.  Sandy just wrote that this is HUGE.  It means the students at the college will have at least 2 meals a day with meat on Saturday.  Now the school can begin buying maize and beans while the prices are somewhat lower than they will be later.  Fresh fruit and vegetables will also be available.   (Tomatoes, onions and spinach).  We nearly danced a jig when we got the word today.  It is later in coming this year and we were holding our breath.  The foundation has awarded over $72,000 to keep the college students fed.  The school had cut food three years ago from their budget and the students were going to have to provide their own food ~ ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE and one cannot learn on an empty stomach.

Sandy and 25 others left at 5 a.m. last weekend on a bus headed for Kondoa for the consecration of a bishop.  They did not stay for dinner after a 6 hour service, but the bus stopped at a hole-in-the wall diner (her words) that had chips outside and beans and ugali inside.  She said 5 stayed on the bus (4 students and one local pastor).  She and Magi Griffin didn’t get off either.  She said none said a word but she knew they did not have a shilling for food, so she gave them a bag of cookies and some cashews ~ all that she had.  It was the first thing they had eaten all day.  The thought of the students at Msalato going hungry was more than she could bear.   We can almost hear her sigh of relief all the way across the ocean and that huge continent. 

I rarely believe those e-mails that we receive asking us to forward something and within so many days we will get good news.    The other day I sent one on because it was a pretty good story and I thought, what the heck.  Well, great news came today.  Oh yes, Food Glorious Food.

If you have looked at the pictures of Tom that Jessie has posted you may get the feeling that he was larger than life, and he was that!  To see him in his cowboy regalia, Stetson hat, boots, dress jeans and a fancy western belt would put John Wayne to shame.   It is fitting that someone larger than life should have, not one, but three memorial services.

One was held in the chapel at Msalato Theological College this past Friday.  Sandy wrote that it was lovely and dignified.  The Rev. Charles Mwihambi, Academic Dean of the college, preached on the Markan passage of Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane, and our inability to understand suffering, but also of the need for acceptance of God’s will as Jesus accepted when God did not remove the cup from him.  Charles spoke of how Tom knew each person’s name and their face even before he came last September and how he prayed for each of them.  He spoke of the fun they had had a Makumi Village ~ the laughter and jokes.    At the end of the service Moses said that Tom had written him after his diagnosis that he wished he had more time on earth so he could continue to work for the college.  It was lovely and appropriate that his family requested that in lieu of flowers people could donate to Msalato Theological College.   That would make Tom so happy.  When Sandy wrote of the hymns they sang (“How Great Thou Art,” and “Trust and Obey”) I could “hear” their mellifluous voices singing softly in harmony with no accompaniment ~ no organ or piano.  As Jessie and I walked the dirt path to chapel each morning for service we could hear the students already singing.   Their voices are lilting and beautiful.  Sandy used two prayers from our prayer book, one asking God to comfort those who mourn, especially his sons and grandchildren.  Poor little Amelia wept bitterly (she is 6 or 7) saying she didn’t want to not have a grandfather.  Her maternal grandfather had died the week before.  There are limits on what can be understood. 

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Pinedale, Wyoming will have a service for Tom on the 5th of April and there will be yet another in Atlanta later this month.  So this larger than life man is being sent off to the land of joy and light with tenderness and love.  One of his rancher neighbors said of Tom:  “He was a good, kind and Christ-like man.”  One could hardly ask for a better epitaph for Tom.  May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.  Tally

Dear Tom,

I once told you that I write better than I speak and so I am turning to the lost art of letter writing  to try to express my thoughts and feelings, so that others might understand.  This should be sent to heaven but there is no address and anyway, I expect you would say that Cora, Wyoming was heaven and your many friends are “heavenly folk.”  Maybe they are practicing up for angel-hood.  Can’t you just see Kip with his cherubic face with wings and a halo?   What a sweet man.  I hope that boy angels do not have to wear white dresses ~ that would not be fitting for Kip nor for you.  Tom, you can say as did William Butler Yeats said:  “Think where man’s great glory begins and ends and say my glory was I had such friends. ”

Thanks to Jessie, Claude and I met you.  We liked you from the get-go and over the years we two Librans had some good times understanding each other’s idiosyncrasies.  Idiosyncrasies?  What?  We were just normal and balanced, whereas the rest of the world was wanting.  Actually, I thougtht I was a T-crosser and an I-dotter but I could not hold a candle to you.  I’ll tell  you Tom, your books and records for Karibu were models of perfection.  This Libran could take a lesson from you. 

Death is always with us so why should it be so difficult to accept and why should I feel so sad?  We never want to give  up those whom we love ~ a hole is left within us which is never filled.  It becomes a part of the fabric of our lives.  You added a lovely color to my tapestry. 

Thank you for wanting to see us one more time ~ thank you for raising the bar for servanthood (you are a deacon) ~ thank you for encouraging me when I could not pull a sermon together.  You would say:  “Put those books and papers down and preach your heart.”  Old friend, I have not attained that level yet.

It was pure joy to watch you with the people of Tanzania, especially the children that hung around you like bees to honey.  Tell me, have you ever met a stranger?   Language was no barrier.  There was real heart-swaping going on there.  Old and young ~ you were loved.  When someone asked me how the trip had gone for  you I said that you cried a lot.  You won’t mind that I shared your tenderness of spirit with others.  I’ll miss you, Tom ~ miss your checking in with Claude and me and James at least once a week. 

Ask God if gmail is his address.  If so, check your inbox.

As ever, your friend, Tally

Odd how the mind works.  It’s a cloudy rainy day; there is deep sadness within my heart and for some crazy reason, I thought of the old Jerome Kern song:  “Look for the silver lining when e’er a cloud appears in the blue.  Remember somewhere the sun is shining and so the right thing to do is make it shine for you.”  Are any of you old enough to even remember Judy Garland singing that song?  

Sandy sent such tragic news day before yesterday.   The young wife of a former student who is now ordained, died suddenly with malaria.  It was complicated by diabetes, but it was unknown that she was a diabetic.    She and Daudi (David) had only been married 3 years.  She suffered 2 miscarriages and one still birth near term.  Sandy went many miles to the funeral in another diocese and the first thing Daudi said to her was : “We have to accept it, Mama.  We have to accept it.”    Even though he said to family members, “no crying” he fell apart several times.  He said that he asked God, why, why after only 3 years, and the word came to him:  “You would not have accepted it at 20 years either.”  It is not a surprise that Sandy, a devout priest, and an M.D. said the quality of medicine there makes her want to scream.  How do the people take it?    

Jessie is going to put a picture of Daudi on the blog ~ I can’t seem to do it.  Silver lining for Daudi? Certainly not today or tomorrow or who knows if ever?  He is a lovely, gentle man and always has a smile.  I am going to a wedding in a few minutes and even on a rainy day perhaps there will be a silver lining of hope and joy.  Surely the sun is shining somewhere.   There is more to tell you about this later.   Tally