Deep Beauty

The Cathedral was beautiful last night. A beauty that sang, spoke and confirmed things deep within me that are coming to the surface.

The Compline Choir

St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, has beauty all over it. I am new to the Seattle area and I have much to still see and explore. I have been hearing about this event on Sunday nights at St. Mark’s. Well, I finally went on the adventure, last Sunday night and it was well worth it.

There is a group of monks who sing the compline service at the end of the day every Sunday night from 9:30 to 10:00pm. Apparently, it is a Seattle tradition for many people of all faiths to go and observe this service.

There are about 15 men who chant the liturgy and sing the songs. It was such an amazing and worshipful time of solace. I was fully captured by the purity of the music and the silence of the cathedral. It is also a beautiful thing to see the droves of people who turn out to listen… All kinds of people. They sit on blankets, huddled in corners, in the pews, lay down on the floor by the altar, there are no rules as to where you “need” to be. It is a beautiful thing to see so many people connecting in some way with God. The music is worshipful in an ancient sense.

There was also an exibit right now of Artist, Betty LaDuke’s paintings of her impressions from trips with Heifer International. They are well worth the visit to see and experience a bit of Betty’s view of the amazing work that Heifer is about.

Lastly, there is an amazing Altarpiece on display right now for only a short time. It was supposed to be gone this Sunday, but it will be around for a few more Sundays they said. If you have not seen it, it is worth the trip! It is called the Keiskamma Altarpiece …  Quoted on the site:  “The Altarpiece was created by 130 women and a few men who reside in the coastal town of Hamburg, South Africa. The Massive (13 feet by 22 feet) Altarpiece is constructed of intricate embroidery, applique, beadwork, and photograpy, and took more than six months to complete. The altarpiece opens like a cupboard to reveal inner panels providing three separate views of the people and their environment moving from a somber outer panel to bursts of color, photographs, and intricate beadwork. The Altarpiece conveys a vibrant message of hope for people who are contending with the devastation that AIDS has wrought in their lives. The message also resonates with all people dealing with the adversity with hope for a brighter future.“

They will be having another talk about the Altarpiece this Sunday night after the Compline Service. It was a beauty to behold!!!

Seattle is a great place, I am beginning to see…

David Crowder Band

 

Sweeeet!! I just went to the David Crowder Band Concert the other night, at the Moore Theater. It was great. I had never seen them in concert and I’m glad I went. The two bands that opened for them definitely held their own as well: The Myriad, and Phil Wickham. Phil has this voice that sounds like 5 people singing. It had a fullness about it that was captivating!! Nice.

Charlie Chaplin and Trader Joes, two of my favorite things

So I was in Trader Joes the other day, one of my favorite places. And I saw a cutout of Charlie Chaplin, one of my favorite actors. Then I saw a hat to put in your info for a drawing. Apparently Trader Joes is doing a silent movie triple play series of Charlie Chaplin’s films at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. That sounded fun to me, so I entered the drawing. I had this super feeling that I was going to win, and even told myself so! I even wrote on the paper… “Pick me, pick me.”

When I got home, I told my sister the story and that I was going to win. Well, we were driving to some friend’s for dinner, last night, and my phone rings. I didn’t recognize the number,  but I answered it anyway. “Hello, this is so-n-so from Trader Joes,” she said. With a huge smile on my face I greeted her and pleasantly received her super news that I won two tickets to see Charlie Chaplin at the Paramount Theater!! “Woo Hoo”, I told her!! “I just knew I was going to win.” She laughed, congratulated me and told me the scoop.

It’s tomorrow night at 7pm! I invited a friend and it should be a hoot!!

Back to Dave Matthews

It took me a while to get back to this…. How was the concert?? Well, musically it was amazing! I can see now why this band is so popular. They are so talented with improvisation. It’s like being at a jam session in their studio, but better because of all the lights, people, environment, etc.

One thing that drew me originally to this band is their world-music flavor. You can tell they have been all over the place and their music expresses that. The creativity in sound, story, rhythm, beat and climax of emotion is truly a rush.

People-watching is an adventure for me as well. I love people. My mom always says, “People are crazier than anyone” and I agree. We are an interesting breed to say the least . There were so many people at this concert. All varieties, all very calm and Seattle-ish. We were kind of taken aback at the calmness of everyone. When we all got up to leave in a sea of moving bodies, it was simply a constant lazy-river flow. No one pushed or rushed to our surprise… a pleasant surprise. We all just quietly flowed our way to each one’s respective car or camping site. Pretty amazing, actually for that many people.

There were so many restrictions on what could enter this venue, it kind of made us laugh. Since we were out on the lawn… I brought a small umbrella for the sun, which they said was forbidden to enter… Yet once we got in, there was a man and his wife and daughter sitting on the lawn in front of us and he proceeded to poor all his “hooch” out of clear plastic baggies into his water bottle. I guess they let that in because it was in clear plastic baggies!! Interesting.

Also, there was a bit of cloudiness in the air as a variety of smoke wafted here and there. My friend was allergic… she found out. I wonder how all that got in, when my umbrella was so forbidden?? As I said, we are a strange breed.

So, all in all… it was an adventure. A little of this, a bit of that… I’m glad I went. And… I suppose my concert trend is continuing because I just got invited to another one… I have never heard of this guy either. They tell me I will love his music, however…. I’m a nut for acoustic, folky, funky-beat, creative… story-telling music. This guy’s name is John Mayer. I’m sure YOU’ve heard of him!!

I’m catching up… give me a chance!

Dave Matthews, music