Honoring Saint Joseph

The husband of Mary and the guardian of Jesus was a quiet man even mysterious. But he was nevertheless a “silent witness” during the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Joseph lived his life as a carpenter. Betrothed to Mary until he learned she was with child. Wanting to quietly divorce himself from her he was convinced in a dream to trust in God and go forward with marriage plans. He then cared for Mary as a loving husband and supported her and the child Jesus. At the age of twelve when Jesus was temporarily 'lost' in the Temple one can only imagine the anxiety and fear Joseph must have felt.

There is so little known about the life of this man of faith. During the three years of Jesus’s public life we hear nothing of Joseph. Was he deceased? If not then why wasn’t he at the foot of the cross with his wife Mary, Mary of Magdala and the apostle John? Maybe he was and it just wasn’t recorded. I find myself wondering about some of these things today.

Joseph did live his life in the background. From what we know he was a simple, humble and faithful man. There is an order of nuns in Boston named for St. Joseph. I was fortunate enough to be taught by them for most of my academic life and then to actually teach as one of them for several years. Today, March 19th, is the feast day of Saint Joseph and so I honor him and ponder how remarkable his life must have been. Peace…

Image of the Holy Family is by Raphael (1406).

Fleetwood Mac Rocks Boston - March 11, 2009

All right so I’m somewhat of a ‘fanatic’ when it comes to Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks. But the Fleetwood Mac Unleashed concert last night in Boston was something special. It ranked right up there with other unforgettable Mac Moments. Namely, the first time I saw and heard the Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham incarnation of the band on stage. That was when LB, after a ten year hiatus, returned to the band for The Dance Tour in 1997. Also, the concerts I saw at London’s Earl's Court in November of 2003 were another dream come true for me. To actually see the partly British band on their home turf during the Say You Will Tour - does it get any better!?!

The band has not toured in five years and without a new album, yet, decided to just hit the road and have some fun. Well the fans are the ones having the fun squared. Mick, John, Lindsey and Stevie have never sounded better doing their many hits as well as some other gems. Stevie’s song “Storms “ from the Tusk album had not been performed in concert before and was a real treat. “But never have I been a blue, calm sea; I have always been a storm.” – perfection! It was beyond wonderful to hear my two favorite Stevie songs “Sara” and Gold Dust Woman”. Then there was my favorite Lindsey song “I’m So Afraid” which brought the house down. I could go on and on…

The closing song of the encore was Stevie’s classic “Silver Springs” and with the amazing energy between Stevie and Lindsey it was both a real highlight and a dramatic ending to a concert for the ages. Thank you Fleetwood Mac for the joy that is your music!

PS I took the accompanying photo on November 30, 2003 in London at Earl's Court as Stevie and Lindsey performed "Landslide".