Soccer, Dishwasher & Christmas

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Last Saturday we went to Fredericksburg, Virginia to watch our granddaughter Ekaterina play soccer. Her team played well but were unable to capitalize on any of their shots on goal. Her parents, Todd and Lauren then took us to lunch at Fahrenheit 132 in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg. We enjoyed an excellent lunch while sitting outside. 

Afterward we walked down Caroline Street looking at all the different shops. 

Outside of R&R Antiques we met Elzie Kelley. He had some 1/72 scale historical dioramas on display there. Rorke’s Drift and the Battle of the Bulge were two that stood out to me. He does an excellent job on the miniature recreations. Elzie was also handing out some information on himself and why he created the dioramas.

"War in Miniature"

by Elzie Kelley

"I was born in 1967 in southwest Virginia. I love the outdoors, adventure, and horses. The dioramas I make take about one to two years to complete. After extensive historic research, the scene is planned and laid out to accurately capture a moment in time.

Each figure is hand painted. I want to take that moment and recreate it like a picture. I mainly do this to show my gratitude and honor in the past and the present. These figures represent the real heroes. In a time of dire need, they took on a great evil.

Remember how we became what we are today and that our freedom is not free. For what we enjoy now, some paid the ultimate price and others would bare the mental and physical scars of conflict forever.

Take just a moment, and if you see one these men or women of the military, just say thanks.

Keep history live!"

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Miniatures of Onondaga warriors on my blog.

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“The Church is like a great tree whose roots must be energetically anchored in the earth while its leaves are serenely exposed to the bright sunlight. In this way, she sums up a whole gamut of beats in a single living and all-embracing act, each one of which corresponds to a particular degree or a possible form of spiritualization.” 

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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We had a local service company come out to look at our dishwasher. The dishwasher, a Bosch, is fine. What happened is that there was an error in the installation of the power cord box. Failure to tighten the wires correctly, caused a short in the power box. It has been replaced and everything is working fine. Hopefully the company that did the installation will assist in the payment of the repair.

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The second meeting of the Irish Lads against the “Hokies,” was an interesting game. The first half had both teams playing well. Notre Dame 17 and Virginia Tech 16. Either one of them looked like could win.

However, in the second half things changed, and the game ended with the Irish Lads winning 45-23. Watch the highlights here.

The Spiders continue to struggle, but there are still games to be played. They face the Albany Great Danes next.

Go Spiders!

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This is an article from NBC12 News, dated 10-10-18. It is written by Karina Bolster.

“MIDLOTHIAN, VA (WWBT) - A Chesterfield parent is concerned after he was told students would not be singing any Christmas songs with the word “Jesus” in them at upcoming concerts.

David Allen said he found out about the situation last week from his child who attends Robious Middle School.

"It just seems like... everywhere you look everyone's afraid of stepping on someone's toes or everything is being so sensitive," Allen said.

This is not the first time his child has taken part in the winter concert; but it’s the first time something like this has happened.

"They were unable to [sing this song] because the word Jesus was in there and apparently someone assumed it was of a sacred nature," Allen said. Following his conversation with his child, Allen emailed the chorus teacher

He provided NBC12 with a copy of the email exchange where the teacher responded to Allen’s concerns writing in part, “We had a few students who weren't comfortable singing a piece I have done many times in the past, but it is of a sacred nature and does mention Jesus."

"At the same time that I had gotten this information I had got a diversity notice from Robious Middle School regarding a club they have or a meeting," Allen said.

According to the teacher's email, after speaking with school administrators it was decided they would avoid singing anything of a direct sacred nature in order to be more sensitive to the increasing diverse population at the school.

However Allen said that statement confuses him.

"I'm trying to rationalize how you can encourage diversity and yet be exclusionary in one specific area," he said.

Allen admits he doesn’t know which Christmas song referencing Jesus was excluded, given the number of songs that mention him.

The Robious Middle parent adds he has nothing against the teacher or the school, but is hoping to have more of a conversation with them about opening the student's minds.

"They all can get a feel of each individual religion, ethnicity and nationality have to offer,” Allen said. “It's a school, it's a learning educational experience… I wouldn’t object to my children singing a Hindu songs during their celebratory period of time."

Tuesday afternoon Chesterfield County Schools spokesman Shawn Smith said he reached out to administrators at Robious Middle School for more information about this concern, but has yet to hear back.

Copyright 2018 WWBT. All rights reserved."

My Questions:

If one is celebrating "Christmas," how is it possible to refrain from using, singing or even mentioning the word "Jesus?'

"Christmas" is the celebration of "Christ's" birth. How does one eliminate "His" name of one is celebrating "His" birth?

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Kenny Rogers - Lucille

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.