This week was marked by the debate as to whether or not we should have November 13 as a holiday since “all the other schools do.” This request finds its way into my office and I stop to understand the background. Delegations of staff and students arrive asking the same question - this year pronounced by the fact that we have not had any holidays since the beginning of the school year. In a twist of fate, the days which should have been holidays - October 1 and 28 - were both on weekends. So you can understand the pressure exerted and rationale outlined for helping make a decision.
On Wednesday in assembly I did announce that I had decided on Monday being a holiday and the place erupted in applause! You would have thought I had made a really important decision!
The reason for this holiday is because the past Archbishop was named Chyrsostomos and it turns out that November 13 is the name day for that name. Now if you have been reading Marian’s letters, you are aware that a new Archbishop was in the process of being elected - so, would the name date for the archbishop be a different one? The suspense continued as the week advanced. Then, to find that the new one who was just finally elected after two months of wrangling, had the same name! You sometimes just cannot win!
Anyway, I will enjoy the day off as I begin preparations for teaching in Haiti in early December - an assignment carried over from last February due to the election unsettledness at that time. So, as plans sit right now we return to Canada on November 28 and I leave for Haiti on December 1, while leaving Grandma to catch up on her negligent grandmothering responsibilities.
Yesterday we risked taking the car out of the city once more and ventured out into the mountains again. The weather was beautiful with sunshine and mid teen temperatures. We went into a different valley this time and the terrain was significantly different - much more rugged and yet with a certain aura which was attractive. There was little traffic and so we stopped to take some pictures.
The second time we stopped I saw some people picking olives and so wanted to watch the process. After asking permission I entered the property since the owners were some distance from the road. There I (since Marian had stayed in the car) met a couple who spoke excellent English and invited me to see the persimmons on their trees and help myself if I would like. Although this fruit is not overly popular in Canada it is a treat in the Middle East due to the fact that it has a short shelf life and can only be eaten when very soft. I took some pictures and asked some questions (surprise on that!) and then the man said I should follow his wife since she was taking her mother home and I was being invited to come and see the olives which they had in their kitchen.
A few minutes later we turned off the road at a sign which said Rose Cottage which was the name of their country retreat. Back about 1 kilometre from the road and up on the mountain side was this beautiful newer stone house. As we stepped from the car we introduced ourselves and told them we were from Canada. It was almost eerie since it was so quiet - the kind which is so unusual that it is noticeable. Invited into the home we saw a pile of olives, some large, some small, some green and some black with others trying to decide which way they were going to go.
The small green ones are destined for a local pressing mill where they will become the year’s supply of oil for salads and cooking. The others are going to go under the decades old experience of the mother who processes them into the delectable condiment that we have come to enjoy with meals.
As we were invited to look around their property we saw roses, hence the name of the cottage, various herbs whose fragrance makes them an eternal attraction, citrus fruit in the last stages before being fully ripened and vistas which only cause one to be silent and note that God is good, faithful and true.
After a cup of Nescafe (instant coffee) and some pleasant conversation we said goodbye to some new friends and were on our way.
Come to think of it, isn’t there another day soon that we take as a holiday because of Someone’s name! Let us never forget whose name we bear! I was reminded in some of my reading this week that when we become believers, we are the representation of Christ and God to others. When others see us, they see Christ. When they reject us, they are rejecting Him as well. Be encouraged – He is with us! Let us realize whose name we carry and the incarnation which we espouse.
David
posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 4:28 AM
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