THE REMAINS OF THE DAY?

You are worth more than the Remains of the Day

For You are the DAY

You are the LIGHT that powers the sun

The BRIGHTNESS of the morning

You are the BREATH of the soul

The HOPE of all that is to be

You are the LIFE

...some new thing...

Acts 17

11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

12Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

13But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

14And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

15And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

18Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

19And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

21(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

33So Paul departed from among them.

34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed

MY DATE WITH MY MOM

As a Christmas present, I took my mom to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Benedum, opening night last Wednesday. It was a fantastic time, and she really enjoyed herself.

I picked Mom up at 3:30 because we had a 4:30 reservation at the Grand Concourse at Station Square. Mom looked beautiful in her black top and gold necklace. I gave her an orchid corsage with a gold "setting" to wear and off we went. Mom had never seen the new South Side, so we drive down E. Ohio St first. Then to dinner.

Dinner was excellent. I hadn't been to the Grand Concourse since the early 80's, so it was a real treat to be there again. Its lost none of its elegance or its charm. They have an early dinner menu that offers light menu choices and that's exactly what Mom and I went for. Mom had a broiled cod dinner and I went for some salmon. Each came with some rice and an usual salad with a rasberry and maple vinaigrette dressing. The maple took awhile to get used to, but it was pretty good. The early dinners come with a dessert so Mom ordered some sherbert and I got some Chocolate Mousse to go. (I had enough food and I didn't want to be spazzy while the Phantom sang.) It was a delicious meal and a neat experience. The service is fantastic there. Very personal and friendly.

We left the Grand Concourse around 6, so we had time to cross the bridge and see the Christmas display at PPG. PPG Place is my favorite archictecture in Pittsburgh so I always love being there. They had the usual Santas from around the world display, and Mom really loved it. I remembered being there a few years ago to see Judy and The Village Singers put on a Christmas show.

7:15 - time to head to the Benedum. I dropped Mom off and parked the car. The traffic was crazy for a Wed night, and I could only find a space on the 7th floor! Poor Mom having to wait all that time.

People were piled all the way to the curb waiting to get into the theatre. Everyone loked great and anxious to get in. I was surprised at how fast everyone was able to be seated. The theatre is beautiful, but didn't really have a chance to see it at first cuz we had to use the elevator for Mom.

We were six rows from the top, so Mom had a hard time seeing because of her Macular Degeneration, buut there's nothing wrong with her ears and soon the music filled the theatre. The vocal talents of the cast was simply wonderful, especially the actor playing the Phantom. I have never heard such singing in person in my life. His voice is so powerful and so controlled, it enters your soul. This actor puts so much emotion into his performance that you feel everything that he feels.

It was alternatingly hot and comfortable sitting where we were and the seats are pretty close together so its good that everyone in the upper seats had showered and were friendly. And there was just enough room for your feet. In fact, I accidently kicked the chair in front of me about 5 times, so I had to apologize to the poor guy at intermission. Two beautiful girls in their late teens in gorgeous dresses sat to my right. Only one had any knowledge of the play, so it was my pleasure to explain some of the particulars before it began. They turned out to be nice neighbors.

The play let out about 10:30 and so since Mom has a hard time standing for a long time, we let most of the crowd leave before we took our turn on the steps. Mom wanted to see the staircase and it is a wonder to behold. Its a stunning theatre and they have poured millions into its restoration and beautification. It opened in 87 and looks old world but very clean.

Because we were the actual last to leave we had a chance to talk to a few of the cast members. A nice treat.

Back through the tunnel and back to Hopewell. Even though it was near midnight, we didn't want our Phantom evening to end, so we headed to the Sheffield Cafe. On the way we talked and laughed about the scene in "Moonstruck" where Ronnie and Loretta go the neighborhod bar after seeing "La Boheme". We were the only ones in the place and they were cleaning up but they served Mom had her favorite IC Light and I had some Diet Pepsi. The kitchen was closed but the nice waitress gave us some corn chips to snack on.

It was such a great day, and Mom and I had a wonderful time together. I'll never forget it. Mom has always been my favorite date.