Well, to begin, our household had one of the best holiday seasons we have enjoyed in many years, and it has been great. I have spent the past week watching four seasons of Billy the Exterminator on DVD that Barb got me for Christmas. If you have not watched this guy, you should - he is something else! The "Billy" in question is Billy Bretherton, who with his family operates a company called Vex-Con in northern Louisiana. Vex-Con's specialty is removing pesky critters and bugs from people's houses, and they do a pretty effective job of it. Billy is not your typical bug man though - he actually looks kinda freaky, as he is dressed in black leather, has one hell of a wacky hairdo, and he looks more like a rock star or an outlaw biker than he does a pest-control specialist. But, don't let looks be deceiving - Billy is also a veteran of the Air Force, and he has extensive training in etymology, so he knows his stuff. And, despite how weird he looks, I would not hesitate to call the guy if I had a problem with pests - and, as an added bonus, the DVD's have additional features that give some good tips about getting bugs out of your house (who would have thought, for instance, that Alka-Seltzer in water would be a flea deterrent? Fascinating!). I got into watching this show a few years ago as a couple of co-workers were raving about it, and have been a fan of Billy ever since. It was also a good diversion after the busy holiday season we had, and also prior to getting back to the routine of life as we have done this week too.
Moving on, there are other things happening too. As I had mentioned earlier last year, I have sort of re-connected with my interest in the Armenian people, especially after finding out I had some Armenian heritage of my own, which was perhaps one of the most exciting things I have uncovered in my family tree. Related to that, over the Christmas holiday I discovered something really neat in regard to Armenian music, and it is an orchestra based out of the Republic of Armenia called the Kohar Symphony Orchestra. Named after the mother of its main benefactor, the Kohar Orchestra is one of the most phenomenal music groups I have come across, and I fell in love with them immediately. Kohar tours worldwide, under the baton of both its previous maestro, Sebouh Abcarian, an Armenian/Cypriot who unfortunately passed on a few years back, as well as the current maestra Natalie Galstyan, a native of Yerevan in Armenia itself. The concerts are riveting too - the sophisticated graphics as well as the stellar musical arrangements make for a remarkable concert experience. One aspect of the concerts is audience participation - one of the major emphases of the Kohar organization is to encourage Armenian national consciousness, and it does so by emphasizing all aspects of the Armenian legacy. If one studies history, there were actually two Armenian kingdoms - the one was Armenia proper, which is also reputed to be the first Christian nation on earth (although that is an object of debate between both my Armenian and Assyrian friends, as both groups claim that distinction), which was ruled by the Bagratid Dynasty (of which I am descended as well) for many centuries until at least the first waves of Muslim conquest in the 7th century. The second kingdom, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, came later and was established on the Meditteranean coast in what is today southeastern Asia Minor. This kingdom existed between the 10th and 12th centuries, and represented a sort of fusion of cultures - it was both ethnically Armenian but also was part of the Crusader States of the time. That kingdom had a standard flag too which looked like this:
In Kohar's concerts, one of the most amazing things to see is the waving of thousands of these ancient banners of the Kingdom of Cilicia by the audience, especially when the orchestra plays songs like Sardarabad (which commemorates a very important victory the Armenians had in 1918 over an Ottoman Turkish force, a victory which may well have saved the Armenians as a people). Seeing that has impacted me deeply, and it has also done a couple of things for me personally. For one, it has made me even more appreciative of my own heritage, as possessing Armenian blood now means something very significant for me. Secondly, it has sort of compelled me to explore Armenian history more too, and I have learned a lot in the past week in particular about the Cilician Kingdom - as a monarchist as well, this fascinates me. In the coming year, I look forward to becoming more involved with both my own Armenian interests as well as obtaining some of Kohar's concerts on DVD (I got the 2010 Lebanon concert already, which was one of their best). If you wish to check out Kohar's website, it is at www.koharconcert.com.
The Kohar Orchestra and Chorus in Beirut, 2010
In addition to my renewed interest in Armenians, there are many other things to discuss, including some reflections again on recent events. It seems as if anymore whenever the news comes on, someone is making sex allegations against someone else, and to be honest it is starting to get old. I have addressed all this before, so no need to get into it again in detail, but I did want to say something about it. Whether the allegations are legitimate (as with Harvey Weinstein or Al Franken) or bogus (as I believe they are with Roy Moore and Bill Cosby) seems to mean less these days - sex accusations are becoming both an effective weapon to use against people one doesn't like as well as a lucrative financial opportunity, as many are jumping on the bandwagon for other reasons than trauma. This is not a good thing, mainly because what it means is that in time the public is going to begin to be desensitized to the whole thing, and when that happens it will make justice and vindication for actual victims very difficult. I also see this as a ploy by some on the political left to gain some sort of ground in the culture wars - radical feminists, the "gay lobby," and the numerous celebrities, academic elites, and politicians pushing those agendas have one thing in mind: they are out to destroy traditional definitions of morality, family, and faith. By using tactics like this to crush their opponents, leftists are gaining a grounding in those areas they should not have, and it is starting to look extremely bad for those of us who hold to more traditional views on such issues. One sex scandal has opened a floodgate of accusations, allegations, and outright character assassinations against prominent people, and if we had brains as a society we would actually start to maybe question the volume and frequency of these incidents, as it may turn out that many of them are wrong or intentionally deceptive. Most won't though, as we tend to as a society be gullible, and it will be to our detriment. Sex and race have become effective and lethal weapons of the establishment, and it has gotten to the point that even a mere allegation presupposes guilt, which should not be the case. Those accused are entitled to due process, and before the rest of us weigh in on any of it, we would do well to keep our mouths shut and learn the facts first. Enough said on that, as I feel that is the bottom line to the whole issue. However, this meme pretty much sums up the feeling many are starting to have about this flood of allegations that we are bombarded with daily now:
Anyway, moving on to more positive stuff here, winter is now officially here. As we have come to our first full year at our new home in Hagerstown, MD, we do so with some chilly temps outside - it has been in the low teens outside over the past week, and we got a dusting of snow a couple of days ago too. After living 27 years in Florida, that is definitely an adjustment, as over those past years the lowest it had gotten down there was maybe in the low 40's. And, despite how crazy some people have thought us to be for moving back here, I don't regret the decision one bit - I still love being back home! The cold is a minor thing, and it's to be expected. But, on the other hand, it also made the holidays feel more like the holidays this year - I cannot fathom how, for instance, some of our friends in Florida could put Christmas tree lights on palm trees. To be honest, it makes the palm tree look like a malnourished Baywatch extra! Do you recall those old cartoons from the 1930's? If so, when I think of Christmas lights on a palm tree, this is the image that gets stuck in my head:
Any rate, last year was a good year, and we expect a lot for 2018 as well.
The main challenges of last year were getting established, as well as dealing with a few pesky in-laws who don't know how to mind their own business, which is what I want to talk about now. For the most part, my in-laws are not bad people, and many of them are fantastic. But, you always have one or two that want to be a pain in the butt, and those can get the best of you at times. That is why I am doing a little lesson here for you all now that will help some of you who are facing similar problems. I have two sisters-in-law who, for lack of a better term, are pains in the butt. They are stuck-up, nosey, contentious, and they have caused a lot of problems for many of their other family members. At one time, I honestly despised them, but of course you cannot maintain your Christianity if you entertain such sentiments or act upon them. So, last year I made a commitment to start praying for them, as they really need it. One thing you learn about forgiveness is that you don't necessarily have to run out and scream to the world "I forgive you!" as forgiveness has to be received as well as given. So, what I believe the Gospels teach us, as well as our Church's teaching, is this - it is our responsibility to cultivate an attitude of forgiveness, and be ready to dispense it when the person who offended you is ready to receive it. Reason for this is actually quite practical - the person who offends you may either be unaware they did so, or they may think they were doing a good thing by doing so, although they would be wrong. By praying for these offending people, you do two things. First, it helps you to develop an attitude of forgiveness for them. Secondly, it also encourages the offender to maybe start to feel a conviction about the fact they wronged you, and in doing so eventually someone is going to have to talk about it and resolve it one way or the other. That means then like everything else true forgiveness requires preparation, and it is that preparation that we ourselves must be open to, and we do so by trusting God to help us deal with the offense in the proper way. In time, for instance, it is hoped that my two wayward sisters-in-law will come to their senses and make right what they have wronged, but in the meantime I just have to pray for them until that time is ready. I hope that encourages some of you who may be dealing with hurts or offenses people have committed against you, and hopefully by taking this to heart you can begin a healing process in yourselves as well. We all deal with this to some degree - human nature pretty much guarantees that! - but it is our willingness to move forward and seek constructive reparation that makes the difference.
On that note, I will wrap up for now, but we will have the chance to visit and I will have other opportunities to share throughout the year as well. May all of you reading this have a good and prosperous 2018 ahead, and will see you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment
No solicitations will be tolerated and will be deleted
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.