My dear Friends
Just to wish you all a very happy and blessed New year full of good things. May it also bring you good health and a fulfillment of all your dreams.
Apart from the concert in Starbucks, soon to be upon us, I am looking forward to a little gathering of some friends to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the founding of The Little Sisters of Joy, which started around this time in 1998 in Provence. Hard to believe that 11 years have gone by! the greatest thing to happen is that the foundation is becoming a registered charity, still in the pipeline, bur hopefully to be concluded in 2010.
I really value the contact with you all. If Andres is out there (he left a comment on the blog), I have Maryvonne's email address for you as she would like to be in touch.Maryvonne le Goanvic is the person who started The Little Sisters of Joy officially with me all those years ago in the upper room of Benigna's house at 22 Newton Road, Cambridge. The date was 7th March 1999. This date some years before, was apparently when some new Torah scrolls were delivered to the Synagogue in Cambridge, so an auspicious date.
I will be bringing the new year in at the Red Lion public house in Grantchester, a village on the outskirts of Cambridge, with a beautiful stretch of the river Cam and swans and ducks. So it will be a case of The Moving Swan! (title of my first book of memoirs). I have nearly finished the second edition of my life story to be called 'Under the silver trees,' a reference to the silver birch that is the emblem of the foundation, for its beauty and grace.
And so a Happy New Year once more!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Christmas greetings
My dear Friends
Christmas is now upon us and so I wish you all every blessing at this special time. I wonder what you are all doing on Christmas day-I am spending it with my professional dog walking friend in the south of Cambridge where she has a lovely house. For sure there will be dogs to walk and cats to feed and this is part of the fun. One year we 'babysat' the local gallery in King Street in Cambridge and we had four dogs over lunch.
Caroline was living in with the doggies and we had the run of the place. The sitting room in the gallery overlooks Jesus Green and it is a beautiful view. We took photos of the doggies in paper hats and I supplied the crackers as I always do. We gave them a long walk and around 5pm I cycled home in a deserted Cambridge-not white that year though!
I am sure that those of you in Canada will already have had some snow and anticipating an even whiter Christmas. Britain has been covered with snow in the last week but, as usual, we can't cope and there have been many accidents. I myself fell in the snow when carrying my shopping home late at night and damaged the index finger of my right hand, meaning that practice on my guitar was not possible for a f ew days. but its getting better now.
Whatever you do, and wherever you are, be well and warm!
The Christ child is almost here bringing you love, peace and joy.
May 2010 be a year of peace and good things
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Christmas is now upon us and so I wish you all every blessing at this special time. I wonder what you are all doing on Christmas day-I am spending it with my professional dog walking friend in the south of Cambridge where she has a lovely house. For sure there will be dogs to walk and cats to feed and this is part of the fun. One year we 'babysat' the local gallery in King Street in Cambridge and we had four dogs over lunch.
Caroline was living in with the doggies and we had the run of the place. The sitting room in the gallery overlooks Jesus Green and it is a beautiful view. We took photos of the doggies in paper hats and I supplied the crackers as I always do. We gave them a long walk and around 5pm I cycled home in a deserted Cambridge-not white that year though!
I am sure that those of you in Canada will already have had some snow and anticipating an even whiter Christmas. Britain has been covered with snow in the last week but, as usual, we can't cope and there have been many accidents. I myself fell in the snow when carrying my shopping home late at night and damaged the index finger of my right hand, meaning that practice on my guitar was not possible for a f ew days. but its getting better now.
Whatever you do, and wherever you are, be well and warm!
The Christ child is almost here bringing you love, peace and joy.
May 2010 be a year of peace and good things
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Monday, 14 December 2009
Concert at Starbucks
My dear Friends
As a New Year rolls out, another one rolls in. And so it is with life. The first event that I am planning for 2010 is a little concert in Starbucks, this time in the market square. And the lovely thing is that my friend, Cate Williams, wlll also be singing. Cate is a regular busker on the Cambridge scene and sings some beautiful melodies, to which she accompanies herself on the guitar.
I will be singing my usual mix of folk songs, songs of the 60's and Jewish music, both folk songs and liturgical. They seem to go down well. To prepare myself for the event I thought I would take my guitar and go busking in Cambridge-I don't know how lucrative it will be, but there will be all the Christmas shoppers.But I am not doing it for the money, more for the experience.
I first started busking in the 60's with a friend.We busked in London and Glasgow and even busked in Paris, in the metro. One day we were sitting there and 2 men approached us. 'We would like you to do a demo disc in the hope of possibly offering you a recording contract with Polydor,' they said. We did the demo disc, but I was young (only 16) and frightened and in the end it didn't come to anything. I sometimes wonder if I missed my big chance...
But no, I am happy with my life and the way I do my music now. Its a far cry from the professional classical singing I did when I first came to Cambridge, but in a funny kind of way I feel it reaches more people. And I do so enjoy it.
So if you are around in Cambridge on the 16th of January, from about 6.30 pm, do drop in to Starbucks in the market square and join in the singing. I look forward to seeing you!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
As a New Year rolls out, another one rolls in. And so it is with life. The first event that I am planning for 2010 is a little concert in Starbucks, this time in the market square. And the lovely thing is that my friend, Cate Williams, wlll also be singing. Cate is a regular busker on the Cambridge scene and sings some beautiful melodies, to which she accompanies herself on the guitar.
I will be singing my usual mix of folk songs, songs of the 60's and Jewish music, both folk songs and liturgical. They seem to go down well. To prepare myself for the event I thought I would take my guitar and go busking in Cambridge-I don't know how lucrative it will be, but there will be all the Christmas shoppers.But I am not doing it for the money, more for the experience.
I first started busking in the 60's with a friend.We busked in London and Glasgow and even busked in Paris, in the metro. One day we were sitting there and 2 men approached us. 'We would like you to do a demo disc in the hope of possibly offering you a recording contract with Polydor,' they said. We did the demo disc, but I was young (only 16) and frightened and in the end it didn't come to anything. I sometimes wonder if I missed my big chance...
But no, I am happy with my life and the way I do my music now. Its a far cry from the professional classical singing I did when I first came to Cambridge, but in a funny kind of way I feel it reaches more people. And I do so enjoy it.
So if you are around in Cambridge on the 16th of January, from about 6.30 pm, do drop in to Starbucks in the market square and join in the singing. I look forward to seeing you!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Advent and Chanukah greetings
My dear Friends
In some ways Advent is more interesting than Christmas because we have the JOY of waiting, in expectation for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ child. And we are waiting for something else too-the end of our present age and the advent of the next one. These reflections are called eschatological in the Church.
'What we are waiting for is what He has promised, a place where righteousness may be at home.'
How much we long for that! No wonder Advent is one of the penitential seasons with Lent, as we prepare ourselves carefully for this event. The readings at Mass are all about end time and looking forward to the perfect age when there really wil be a kingdom of justice and peace on earth.
'The Virgin will bear a child and you call His name Emanuel, which means God with us.'
This prophecy is taken from the book of Isaiah which, if examined carefully, contains a lot of hidden references to the coming of Christ. It was the scroll of Isaiah that Jesus read in the Synagogue at Nazareth, telling the congregation that the prophecy was being fulfilled befroe their very eyes, i.e in His person.
Christmas is very special but let us not forget this 'waiting' time in which we must hold ourselves ready and alert for the coming of the Kingdom. Time takes on a special meaning at the moment and is charged with the expectancy of the birth of Jesus, in the end so humbly.
The Light coming into the world is also reflected in a Jewish Feast -Chanukah, the 8 day Feast of lights. It too is a time of miracles: the Romans sacked the Temple and Judas Macabeus and his followers went to see if they could restore it. They found that the ner tamid, the everlasting lamp above the ark had gone out and there was only enough oil to last one day. Then God made a miracle and it lasted for 8 days until they could get replenishments. So the light was preserved.
I wish you a time of grace and light
Shalom from
Sister Gila
In some ways Advent is more interesting than Christmas because we have the JOY of waiting, in expectation for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ child. And we are waiting for something else too-the end of our present age and the advent of the next one. These reflections are called eschatological in the Church.
'What we are waiting for is what He has promised, a place where righteousness may be at home.'
How much we long for that! No wonder Advent is one of the penitential seasons with Lent, as we prepare ourselves carefully for this event. The readings at Mass are all about end time and looking forward to the perfect age when there really wil be a kingdom of justice and peace on earth.
'The Virgin will bear a child and you call His name Emanuel, which means God with us.'
This prophecy is taken from the book of Isaiah which, if examined carefully, contains a lot of hidden references to the coming of Christ. It was the scroll of Isaiah that Jesus read in the Synagogue at Nazareth, telling the congregation that the prophecy was being fulfilled befroe their very eyes, i.e in His person.
Christmas is very special but let us not forget this 'waiting' time in which we must hold ourselves ready and alert for the coming of the Kingdom. Time takes on a special meaning at the moment and is charged with the expectancy of the birth of Jesus, in the end so humbly.
The Light coming into the world is also reflected in a Jewish Feast -Chanukah, the 8 day Feast of lights. It too is a time of miracles: the Romans sacked the Temple and Judas Macabeus and his followers went to see if they could restore it. They found that the ner tamid, the everlasting lamp above the ark had gone out and there was only enough oil to last one day. Then God made a miracle and it lasted for 8 days until they could get replenishments. So the light was preserved.
I wish you a time of grace and light
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Back to work
My dear Friends
After my little nervous breakdown its back to work. I have started checking the manuscript that I have done so far on the second part of my memoirs, 'With open shirt and tinkling guitar.' I am about to give the 25,000 or so words I have written to a close friend to read and make comments. I am not as confident with this manuscript as the last one, 'The Moving Swan,' as I don't think it flows as well, as I have interspersed the narrative with descriptions of the mission and so on. But I intend to make a proper book out of it in the end.
As for normal daily life, well Cambridge is very cold and it s back to scarves, gloves and woolly hats. But its a beautiful town and sometimes looks its best in the frost. Yesterday I went to the university to the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies to watch a film in Hebrew. With subtitles in English of course! It was a documentary centred round a language class in basic Hebrew for 'Olem Chadashim,' New Immigrants and followed closely the lives of about five people in the class.
They were from all different backgrounds: Chinese, Russian, Peruvian and elsewhere. The stories were very poignant as was the story of the teacher herself who was separated from her husband with a small child and was having problems. We followed the class in their highs and lows, their struggles and their successes; there were even clips of them dancing for joy!
Tonight I am going to Cambourne to the little group of Christians I spoke to about the Jewish festivals in October. Thery are having three meditations for Advent, which I wil speak about on the next Blog. In the meantime
Happy Advent
Shalom from
Sister Gila
After my little nervous breakdown its back to work. I have started checking the manuscript that I have done so far on the second part of my memoirs, 'With open shirt and tinkling guitar.' I am about to give the 25,000 or so words I have written to a close friend to read and make comments. I am not as confident with this manuscript as the last one, 'The Moving Swan,' as I don't think it flows as well, as I have interspersed the narrative with descriptions of the mission and so on. But I intend to make a proper book out of it in the end.
As for normal daily life, well Cambridge is very cold and it s back to scarves, gloves and woolly hats. But its a beautiful town and sometimes looks its best in the frost. Yesterday I went to the university to the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies to watch a film in Hebrew. With subtitles in English of course! It was a documentary centred round a language class in basic Hebrew for 'Olem Chadashim,' New Immigrants and followed closely the lives of about five people in the class.
They were from all different backgrounds: Chinese, Russian, Peruvian and elsewhere. The stories were very poignant as was the story of the teacher herself who was separated from her husband with a small child and was having problems. We followed the class in their highs and lows, their struggles and their successes; there were even clips of them dancing for joy!
Tonight I am going to Cambourne to the little group of Christians I spoke to about the Jewish festivals in October. Thery are having three meditations for Advent, which I wil speak about on the next Blog. In the meantime
Happy Advent
Shalom from
Sister Gila
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