Merry Christmas from Sagrada Familia

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

 Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us  16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God…….     

Matthew 2: 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.                                                                                                         

Matthew 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:                         Matthew 2:16 ¶Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.                                        

 Luke 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

 

Gaudi is a Genius #3 - His Masterpiece

 "Antoni Gaudi had one main objective: to convert the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia into the perfect temple.  To accomplish this, he dedicated the last 43 years of his life to building what would become one of the masterpieces of art and architecture of all time."

When we moved to Barcelona in 1995, Sagrada Familia was just a beautiful shell of a building.  The passion facade and the nativity facade were a sight worth seeing but the inside was essentially a construction zone and home to lots of stray cats!  Nothing much had changed by the time we moved back to the USA in 2000.  What a difference 13 years can make!  

Now Gaudi's dream to create a link between heaven and earth has become a reality!  And it is stunning!

His goal was to establish a close relationship between heaven and earth by means of height and light.  To do this the windows had to be so large that the outside walls could not be load bearing.  To overcome this problem, Gaudi came up with a 'tree like' system where loads could be transferred down to the ground by means of the branching out of columns.  Efficient and so beautiful!  Reminiscent of the forest he had envisioned, it is easy in this beauty for you thoughts to go heavenward!  I'm sure that is exactly the goal he had in mind.

  

The words inscribed on the outside are reminders of what a Christian life should be.

Sacrifice

Prayer

Charity

Antoni Gaudi was not only a genius but a spiritual giant whose dedication to and love for God is perfectly illustrated by the beauty and spirituality so easily found in La Sagrada Familia.  Generations will be blessed to worship here.

Gaudi is a Genius # 2 - Casa Batlló

Of all the houses designed by Antoni Gaudi, Casa Battló has always been my favorite!  Something about the dragon roof and the mask balconies just makes me smile. Like Parc Guell, this architecture is pure fun! When we lived in Barcelona it was not open to the public but that has changed and on our recent visit we got to go on a tour of the inside.  Because I had pre-purchased tickets on line, we bypassed the LONG line, showed our tickets and went right in.  Now George says that skipping that line was one of the best parts of the whole trip!  My value as a trip planner went way up in his book!

Gaudi designed this home for a wealthy Catalan industrialist and his family between 1904 and 1906.  Actually he took a relatively ordinary looking building and transformed it into this fantastical, imaginative masterpiece.  The Batlló family lived in this house until the 1950s.

A few favorite photos from Casa Batlló….

Mushroom shaped fireplace with courting benches, a double seat on one side for the courting couple and a small seat on the other for the chaperone.  This actually reminds me of something that should be in Hobbit house!

Tile flower pots built into the wall on the patio

Interesting columns in the dining room and doors leading out to the patio 

Gaudi enlarged the light wells and added tiles which vary in shades of blue from the lightest on the bottom to almost navy blue on the top so that the distribution of light is even.  Also the windows are larger on the bottom where more light is needed.  Gaudi was not only an architectural genius, but an engineering marvel as well!

No ordinary chimneys for this building!

Look at that blue Mediterranean sky!

Street lights along Passeig de Gràcia
These were designed by a contemporary of Gaudi.

Gaudi is a Genius #1 Parc Guell

 I'm not sure how many trips I have taken to Gaudi's amazing Parc Guell. Since it is mandatory to take any 1st time Barcelona guests I am sure I have been many times. A stroll through Parc Guell gives one a real taste of the playful genius of Antoni Gaudi.  On our recent visit I tried to take a few photos other than the normal 'lizard' shot to try and capture some of the tile fun!

But we couldn't resist one 'lizard' shot!

I am sure my house needs more tile.

                                   

 What could be more beautiful than tile undulating benches?

 I also am sure that a window like this would add a lot to our house.

 And maybe a tile wall in the garden….

And lets top the house off with a roof like this!   Do you think the architectural control committee for our neighborhood would agree to a turret and a cross?

  

BFIS

During our 5 years in Barcelona, Benjamin Franklin International School played a major part in all our lives.  Mary and Matt are both graduates of BFIS.  Johnny and Scott spent 5 of their school years there.  George and I were involved in various committees and parent groups.  We attended numerous Christmas concerts, Halloween Carnivals, International Food Fairs, St. Jordi Festivities….plus field trips, class parties, and volunteering in the class rooms!

                                            

George and I were really excited to go and visit our old 'home away from home'!  Wow! Were we ever surprised at the changes!  During the years we were there (1995-2000) the average number of students was around 300.  Today that number has doubled to 600.  Most surprising of all, the campus has more than doubled.  The campus in our day was only buildings 1, 3, and 8.  Building #6 was where the custodian and his wife, the head cook lived.

 

Today buildings 2, 4, 5 and 7 are all new!  The old 'villa' building #1 is now all offices plus the Elementary library.  Building #3 which was the High School is now the Early Childhood Center.  #6 is a music room!  Building #8 where Scott went to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades is used only for after school activities.  Building #2 is the elementary school and building #5 is the Middle and High School.  And most amazing of all they have a separate auditorium, building #7!  

The founders of BFIS dreamed of a facility like this.  Best of all they have had this tremendous growth while staying close to the ideal distribution of students.  The founders' goal was to have about 1/3 American, 1/3 Spanish and 1/3 International students.  Right now BFIS has 25% American, 35% Spanish and 40% International.  With the tough American economy in the last years I think those are pretty good numbers.  

The new Elementary School Building

Lunch room door and back of the villa

They covered the old patio and padded the goal posts.

Old High School - Current Early Childhood Building

How many times have we walked up these stairs to the office?

This is the view as you open the door into what was the office.  Looks completely different.

This looks like we remember!

Standing by the new elementary building and looking at the back of the old High School building.

Some things never change!

New Middle/HIgh School Building

We love BFIS!  Thanks for the memories!

I LOVE FC Barcelona

During the last few years I have become a true fan of Football Club Barcelona.  I rejoice when they win and feel depressed when they lose.  On big game days I wake up with a knot in my stomach even though I try and convince myself that 'it is just a game' and 'it really doesn't matter to my life'!

So this year when I turned 60 I only asked for one thing (OK I admit it was  one big thing) - I wanted to go to Barcelona and see a game from the front row.  George made it happen!  As soon as tickets became available we got on-line to make a purchase.  Imagine our frustration when every time we got the perfect seats an error message occurred.  Finally George got the brilliant idea to stop trying on the English language site and try on the site in Catalan.  Guess what? It worked first time and we had two tickets….one on the front row for the birthday girl and one a few rows back for George!

Unfortunately the best player in the world, Leo Messi was injured and didn't play but before the game he came out on the pitch to present his "Golden Boot" award to the fans.  The Golden Boot is given to the highest scorer in any league in Europe!  The last five years the award has gone to a player in the Spanish League.  And three of those years it has been Leo Messi!  He is totally amazing!  34 goals, 50 goals and 46 goals!  

Barça's biggest signing this year was the young Brazilian Neymar Jr.  Only 21 years old, he is an rising star and a phenomenal player.  The defense has their work cut out trying to keep him from scoring or assisting a team mate to score. 

                                     

Here are a few of my favorite players celebrating a goal.  Andres Iniesta, Marc Bartra, Cesc Fabregas, and Neymar!  Can't believe I got to see them!

Barça players are pretty short except for another of my favorites Gerard Pique #3!  Look at him heading that ball out of danger!

Matt, Johnny and Scott saw me on TV and took a picture of the screen.  In Scott's words "It's not everyday you see your Mom on TV!" 

My dream came true! What a night!!!!  I wish I could go to a game every year!  I do have a birthday every year!  Maybe we can make this a tradition!

 The motto of the club is 'Mes que un Club'….more than a club!

Heavenly To Do List

This is a post from the blog of one of the most spiritual women I know.  Cindy Hamilton attended the Presbyterian Church that I attended during all my growing up years.  She is definitely a spiritual giant.  This post was written today after one of her friends passed away from cancer.  I just love it so much that I wanted to share it.  I love lists and the idea of a 'to-do in Heaven' list is just so exciting to contemplate.

Full and total credit to Cindy Hamilton of Lonoke, Arkansas.

This morning, as I mourn yet another friend, I think about the popular epitaph, "RIP" that people often share in consolation. Something just doesn't seem right about that when I think about heaven.  I can't see my friend "resting".  She was always busy doing something, teaching the children in her sweet, quiet way or traveling with her husband.  She loved to travel!  So, I can see her having the time of her life right now, traveling wherever she so desires to go, catching up with long ago relatives, and telling them all about the four loves of her life, her husband, two beloved sons and her new daughter-in-law.  

My friend, Jennifer at http://jenniferdukeslee.com/what-your-heart-is-really-longing-for/ wrote about Heaven this week.  

"You will put your hand to the heart of Jesus and feel it thrumming. Feel His breath on your shoulder. Find yourself a hammock. Run barefoot in snow. Spin through fields of Queen Anne’s lace. Wear a feather boa to supper. Put together a 1,000-piece puzzle with the guy who hung next to your Savior. Ride on the back of a lion. Visit your great-great-great-great grandma. Feed a giraffe. Paint your house purple. Never lock the front door. Tell Thomas how you totally “got” all his questions. Walk on water, then through sand, and no one will get mad when you put your dirty feet on the throne room floor."

That just struck a chord in me this week.  What do I want to do in Heaven?

• Look into the eyes of Jesus and ask those questions that have been rolling around in my mind all my life.
• Stand on the top of the highest mountain and then bask in the warm sun rays of the Caribbean. 
• Paint a picture
• Take a photo of the Aurora Borealis 
• Sing the Hallelujah Chorus with the celestial choir
• Hug my mother and daddy and grandparents 
• Catch up with my two best college friends
• Walk through a mountain meadow and pick the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, knowing that they will always stay that way.
• Continue to do the Lord's work, because I know He has the most fulfilling job waiting for me in Heaven.

As Christians, we know that after our lives are complete here on earth, we will continue to live even more vibrant lives with the Lord.  Eternity is what Christianity is all about.  

Have the time of your life, my friend.  We look forward to having all eternity with you!  I know you'll have many trips planned for us when we get there.