Barbara Curtis's Blog, page 30

Les Miserables is coming soon!

Our favorite family musical has always "Les Miserables." It has also been Barbara's and my favorite book next to the Bible. Many of you enjoyed going through her book study on "Les Miz" (see archives) a few years back and know how much value she placed on it as classic literature....Just read the author's preface to this work when it first came out in 1862.

 "SO long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine, with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age--the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night--are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless." Victor Hugo

 It will be very interesting to see if this movie really captures the spirit of the author's words as did the musical in such a pure fashion. Barbara and I discussed this in September and agreed that all previous treatments through film with the exception of the 1934 silent 4.5 hour French version directed by Raymond Bernard have been lacking.
But because they are basing the film on the musical score inspired and then created through the combined genius of both the writer and composer of the musical, I believe this film will ignite the fire of liberty and desire for true freedom in the hearts of people worldwide in a way the musical couldn't because it could only be seen onstage or heard by people who became acquainted with it. Film is a vehicle that exponentially reaches a much larger audience because of its availability.
Enjoy these two Les Miz flash mob vids and join us as we look forward to seeing Les Miserables this Christmas season.



And this next one....HT to Sue from Buffalo :)




In His grip,
Papa Tripp

Substitution of propaganda for great literature in our schools....

Barbara felt very passionately as do I about politics and
governance. As followers of Christ it is our responsibility to be involved in
politics.  It is through our political
system that justice is implemented. 
Godly justice or the lack thereof is determined by majority political
influence within a political system of governance.  Many fellow Christians have argued with me
that we are, "not to be of this world," or "we should just be
concerned about God's kingdom," etc. Scripture tells us that "the
righteous care about justice, the wicked have no such concern." With that
exhortation how can we not be concerned about politics.  I know many of you were wondering in the
aftermath of the disappointing and discouraging results of our 2012 election
cycle what Barbara would have been saying. Since she isn't here, I will try to
pick up the mantle where she left off. 

A common phrase I've heard throughout the years is,
"elections have consequences." Well of course they do....but how do
we fight the secular post modern establishment that has produced the current
electorate that gave us the consequences of the most recent election? I contend
that we have lost a large portion of the electorate through the continuing
erosion of the family, parents (especially fathers) not modelling and passing the "baton" of faith,  our public education system, and a large percentage of
our centers for higher learning. This will involve a number of future posts with input from all of you.  For now, please read and act on the following article exposing the Obama administration's continuing tactics to indoctrinate our youth for political advantage and dismantle our nation's heritage and collective intelligence.

 Courtesy of POWERLINE:

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Paul Mirengoff in Education, Obama administration

Obamacore: The substitution of propaganda for great literature in our schools

Controversy is brewing over new Common Core State Standards in
English that call on public schools to emphasize the reading of
"information text" instead of fictional literature. According to the Washington Post,
English teachers across the country are upset by what they consider the
government's effort "to drive literature out of the classroom."

English teachers are right to be upset, but they shouldn't take it
personally. The government has nothing much against literature, per se.
Rather, this initiative is driven in large part by the desire to promote
political propaganda in the classroom. The study of literature is being
downgraded in the process, but for a good cause.

Consider that one of the "informational texts" recommended as a replacement for, say, Great Expectations
is "Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy,
and Transportation Management." Students would thus study government
propaganda in English class (this Executive Order was issued under
President Bush, but it is still propaganda -- a political sop to the
environmental left, as Stanley Kurtz shows).

Another Common Core's non-fiction exemplar is an excerpt from a 2009 New Yorker essay by Atul Gawande on health care. This too is propaganda - an effort to show that Obamacare is wise policy.

Proponents of downgrading the teaching of literature claim that their
goal is to make sure U.S. students can read and understand complicated
texts. But there are plenty of complicated texts that don't amount to
political propaganda, much less propaganda relating to current
hot-button policy issues in which the Obama administration is heavily
invested. If teaching students how to read such texts were the only goal
here, the list of exemplar tests wouldn't include one-sided political
tracts about health care and the environment.

Consider also where the Common Core comes from? The Washington Post
tries to make it appear that the new curriculum percolated up from the
states. But at the back end of its story we find that "the Obama
administration kicked the notion into high gear when it required
states to adopt the common standards -- or an equivalent -- in order to
compete for Race to the Top grant funds." (emphasis added).

The Common Core, then, should be viewed, at least in part, as an
attempt by the Obama administration to gain control of what is taught in
public schools for the purpose of indoctrination. As Stanley Kurtz puts
it, "Obama has managed to press direct support for his most cherished
and controversial policy initiative onto your local school district."

Kurtz warned about this move in Spreading The Wealth: How Obama Is Robbing The Suburbs To Pay For the Cites. And he documented the central role in the development of the Common Core being played by Linda Darling-Hammond.

A long-time proponent of a politicized
curriculum, Darling-Hammod was Obama's education adviser during the 2008
campaign. She was on track to be nominated Secretary of Education until
her leftism alienated many Democrats. Bill Ayers -- domestic terrorist
and former Obama associate on educational matters -- expressed
disappointment that Darling-Hammond was not nominated, adding that he
would also have picked Noam Chomsky for Secretary of State, fellow
terrorist Bernadine Dohrn for Attorney General, and Paul Krugman for
Secretary of Treasury.

But, as Kurtz explains, Darling-Hammond may be
more useful in her role as the leading presence at the Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium, one of the two private groups involved in
designing the Common Core. And Darling-Hammond isn't just a prime force
behind the common curriculum; she's also working on standardized
testing. Kurtz shows that Darling-Hammond is actually opposed to such
testing and that her mission is to dumb testing down.

The shrewdest aspect of Obama's education power
play is the relative absence of his fingerprints. As noted, Common Core
is being presented as having been adopted in 46 states and the District
of Columbia. In reality, though, most of them hadn't even seen the new
standards. They were induced to agree to adopt whatever curriculum
leftists like Darling-Hammond came up with as a condition of receiving
federal funds.

As I said in my review of Kurtz's book the modern left is cleverer than the rest of us.

The rest of us can fight back, though. Indiana
and Utah already have popular rebellions in progress against the Common
Core. If you want help with this fight in your area, contact the American Principles Project.

In His grip,
Papa Tripp

Advent....Our blessed Hope

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign...Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and His name shall be called Immanuel.....God with us.  Isaiah 7:14

For our family, Advent has always been a time of anticipation beginning with a certain sorrow as we realize our need for mercy and a Savior.  We look forward to celebrating His birth, and acknowledge we need the Messiah for without Him we will not see the fullness of Our Father's mercy and power to save us from our sins, diseases, guilt, trials, and adverse circumstances.... in short,from ourselves.
This year is different....first of all because Barbara is not here. Emotions are raw and fresh.Secondly, and more importantly God is doing something within each of us as a family because she is gone.  Life for us here is more precious. With that realization, so is how and with whom we spend our time....are we doing and living God's will for our lives. We're not walking through our "traditional" Advent and Christmas...I have often told Barbara through the years that God reveals our hearts through circumstances....He has revealed our hearts, and we are realizing more than ever as a family how much we need Him.   Perhaps this is a time for us all to to reflect on our need for His mercy and salvation as we go through this season.
Was out at Barbara's grave above the Shenandoah River  this week, musing on John the Baptist calling us down to the river....could almost hear him saying, "Prepare ye the Way of the Lord!"  I could feel my hesitancy....Father I don't want to go..I won't go....this is too hard.
Looked up and saw just one eagle flying...Every time before I'd seen two...then some words came to me... ."you're not flying solo...I AM with you."
(interesting note...the beginning background music to this video is Hatikvah, the Hope, National Anthem of Israel...pray for them to embrace their Messiah for whom they don't need to wait for anymore for He is here.)

In His grip,
Papa Tripp

The Met Live HD....Un Ballo in Maschera coming tomorrow

Once again the Met is offering people throughout the world to come and see a live Metropolitan Opera performance at a theater near you.

Accompanied by a thrilling score, Verdi's vivid characters grapple with life
and love, betrayal and death. Director David Alden's dreamlike setting provides
a compelling backdrop for this dramatic story of jealousy and vengeance. Marcelo
Álvarez stars as the conflicted king; Sondra Radvanovsky is Amelia, the object
of his secret passion; and Dmitri Hvorostovsky is her suspicious husband.
Kathleen Kim is the page Oscar, and mezzosoprano powerhouses Dolora Zajick and
Stephanie Blythe take turns singing the fortuneteller Ulrica. Fabio Luisi
conducts.

For those who live near us in Loudoun County it will be playing at the Cobb Theatre in Leesburg, VA. Hope to see you there.

Ciao,

Papa Tripp

Looking back while moving forward....Advent

It was just a month ago that she left us.....but my sense of time and space is greatly changed.  At times it seems like an eternity while in the next moment I am reliving her death as though it just happened.  We were two high hearts forever wanting to bring out the endurance runner in each other. Now I am a widower, single with twelve children, (five with spouses) 13 grandchildren with two more due in Spring and four special needs Boyz to see through the tumult ahead. There are times now, sailing over these dark waters that I understand how easy it is to slip into the Enemy's trap and go over the edge of the world...  Thanks to her, my family, the Church, your prayers, and our merciful Father I can assure you
that angels have ministered to me in my dreams and in my daylight hours
which have prevented me from going into those dark places....but I need to share some thoughts..

Barbara was faithful to all of you by being completely authentic. That can be messy and uncomfortable for some of us.  In order to be faithful to you and to her memory I believe she would share with you all that she would be going through if it were me who was gone. So,in my limited way I will do my best to chart with you the waters I am navigating.  Please forgive me if you don't feel I am tracking through this quickly enough.  Many folks have told me how happy they are for Barbara being promoted.....that she is in a better place, etc. which of course I agree with theologically and complete faith.....however it doesn't change the fact that she isn't here anymore....we shared everything and now she is not here. Knowing that Barbara is in Heaven does not change how I feel. I'm in process.... Scripture tells us to, "mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice." Perhaps through my sharing with you what I am going through, we will all have a better understanding of how to minister to each other.

I know my Father well enough that He often teaches me through suffering and the process of time.  Sometimes we think that we should show the world how together we are in handlng the death of a loved one and miss what God is teaching us through the process. He has allowed this in my life...in my children's, grand children's, treasured friend's, and your lives for a purpose. I don't want to miss what it is that He wants me to experience and learn.

Barbara gave me a pocket watch in 1987 which she had engraved from Ecclesiastes the words of Solomon...." For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under
heaven."  Sophia took it for her "something old" and had it sewn into her wedding dress this last May.  The rest of the wisdom reads...

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is
planted;
 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build
up;
 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
 a time to
throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from
embracing;
 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
 a time to
tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep
silence, and a time to speak;
 a time to love, and a time to
hate;
a time for war, and a time for
peace......

Our Father knows what we need when we don't know.  He wants us to grow up.  In my sorrow, breaking, and mourning I see in some small way again what our Father saw when we hung His Son on the cross. The first time I felt this was when Jonny almost died for the third time in his first year and I was holding him in my arms at the hospital while he was suffocating from pneumonia. I realized on a heartlevel, (different from head level) that our God feels emotion.  His heart was breaking while we were killing His Son....knowing full well that He would be raising Him for our sake.  

This time in my life for mourning as we begin Advent and the Birth of our Savior brings an unexpected realization.... Barbara's life was a seed...which fell to the ground and died.....and will in turn bear much fruit....

In His grip,

Papa Tripp

The Met Live HD series...La Clemenza di Tito coming tomorrow

As most of you know, our family has long studied the arts and have realized how much we can glean from culture, art, music, etc. both past and present. A wise man can learn wisdom from observing others experiences in this life. How often have we seen art imitating life and say to ourselves or our children, "look at the consequences of that action or behavior." The problem of course comes when a culture becomes deviant and life starts imitating art as ours has.
The Met through this HD series has given us the opportunity to look back through the the window of time and experience cultures that the various composers wanted their audience to see and hear.  La Clemenza di Tito is an opera by Mozart. It is a complicated tale of politics, love, and betrayal that takes place in Rome 79 AD. The composer wants to teach us the value of true repentance in light of judgement over others fidelity.
If you have not been or have and enjoy opera, I urge you to check for local theatre listings and see what you might learn as you watch and listen to what Mozart wants to share about the human condition. Maddy and I will be going....another first without Mama Bear.
Here is a link to the website so you can check out the upcoming events.
www.FathomEvents.com

In His grip,
Papa Tripp

Jesus wept...and so do I....

Walking the line between despair and hope....Knowing she is gone from here and now in a place beyond compare and our imagination....a place we only know by faith....
Life is difficult and so is the truth......the first is predictable, though I'm sorry to say I'm always surprised... and the second constant...leaving me faint of heart and at a loss for words. I can't say it any other way....I hear her voice calling me in the night....when I awake she's not there....But her legacy and the lives she touched are everywhere...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFCudS3QwGw

In His grip,
Papa Tripp

Barbara's shrine

We have received hundreds and hundreds of cards, letters, memorial masses, facebook messages, flowers, plants, blog comments, and emails from so many people who were touched by her life. The outpouring of loving kindness, prayers, and gifts has surpassed all of our understanding. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you.
The picture above is the shrine that Jonny set up in our kitchen. I put out the punch bowl to hold all the cards. Below is a closer view of St. Joan of Arc, (Barbara's patron saint.) This stature was always at her right hand on her desk next to a beautiful painting of Mother Teresa. I put Barbara's necklace that had all of her children on it that she wore every day and her favorite rosary around St. Joan's neck and our wedding rings on the hilt of her sword. Below that picture is the note she left for us before her last trip.

Today is a tough day.  Sophia and Josh left yesterday to head back to Florida, Ben and Anna for NY, and I take Maddy back to CUA this afternoon. So many farewells......so many tears...
Into your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our sister Barbara...In this life you embraced her with your tender love; deliver her from every evil and bid her enter eternal rest. The old order has passed away; welcome her then into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but the fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit for ever and  ever. Amen.....
In His grip,
Papa Tripp

Our Thanksgiving....2012

Our favorite family holiday has always been Thanksgiving.  Many of you know that it was definitely Barbara's favorite and this was our first without her.  This was also the first time in many years that the whole family was together. 
Sophia and Maddy stepped right into their Mommy's shoes and helped me with everything. Everyone else brought various parts of the meal. The house rang with shouts and screams of joy and laughter as cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, brothers, and sisters enjoyed each others company.  I could feel Barbara's joy.....
One of our traditions during Thanksgiving meal is to share with each other the things we are grateful for. Each person is given five kernels of corn, (symbolic of what the Pilgrims were rationed to during their second winter in the New World when so many of them died of starvation.) In the past, we'd go around the table five times sharing which we streamlined this year to once per person putting all their kernels into the Thanksgiving cup and sharing their five thoughts of gratitude,(given that we were 31 now would have meant 155 spoken thoughts!)  I was not looking forward to this as I was already an emotional basket case.  I was missing Barbara desperately...However, as I was about to start Jonny got up to make a toast to his Mommy. I think the reality really hit him that Mommy wasn't ever coming back.  He wept as he spoke about how, " Mommy and Daddy no more ring," (his depiction of our marriage) and how much he missed her. It was an emotional hurricane that we were all feeling. I then started the sharing and each of the family took their turns and as you can imagine, we went through a couple of boxes of tissue.
After supper, we cleaned up with Maddy doing the Herculean task of washing everything. Josh, Sophia, and Joshua led us in singing our Thanksgiving hymns and then we prayed together before tackling the pies and rum cake.
All in all it was a bittersweet day as so many of our days are with Barbara gone to her Savior. But I know she was smiling down as all her children and grandchildren gathered this year to give thanks.
I will be posting more pictures in the days ahead. Thank you all for your kindnesses, thoughts, and prayers.  Truly we have much thankful for.
In His grip,
Papa Tripp

A First without Mama Bear....

As all of you know Barbara was always devoted to seeing our children perform....she had never missed any of Maddy's performances.  So yesterday was another first of so many firsts where Mama Bear would not be there. Maddy was playing in the opera, "The Merry Widow."  We were there in force to support her and were joined by her "adopted grandparents," Jack and Jean Burden who have been so supportive.



                                                         Big Sis & Lil Sis

Sophia and Josh are up from Florida for the week and will help me to get everything together for Thanksgiving. This will be our first Thanksgiving in a number of years where we will all be together and our first without Mama Bear. With Jazz and her family coming we will be  31. I know Barbara will be smiling from heaven with all of her children and grandchildren together wearing green (her choice for this year's family pics.)
I always do the turkey and will be soaking it in the kosher salt brine overnight before cooking it on Thanksgiving.  It has always been our favorite family holiday and as Barbara shared with you in the past(see all her Thanksgiving archives) we have many rich traditions that we have implemented over the years.  It will no doubt be a very emotional day for us longing for her to still be with us.....Thank you all for your continuing prayers and support.. Truly we are blessed by the Body of Christ....
In His grip,
Papa Tripp