My father-in-law is such a rascal. During Mass at the part when we shake hands and tell everyone near us, “Peace be with you,” he’d grin like a kid and say, “Peace on you.”
I wish I’d thought of it first.
So. For Christmas everyone decided they wanted gumbo but we couldn’t agree on whether it would be seafood or chicken and sausage gumbo. I made both. If you know me and know where I live, drop in, there’s enough for everybody.
Now, I want to give everyone a present. Or two.
The first present is a photograph I took in a museum, the Aya Sophia, this past summer in Istanbul, Turkey. This is a mosaic of the Madonna and Child.
Before it was a museum, it was a mosque. Yes, with Baby Jesus mosaics. And Allah things hanging in there. The Christian things were left as they were when they converted it about 500 years ago. Before that, it was a Cathedral, and it was the greatest church in Christiandom for about 900 years. If Allah and Baby Jesus can get along for 500 years under the same roof…
The biggest thing I’ve learned while travelling is something from the very first trip. Pack light. Everything you bring has to be carried around by you from place to place. Think hard on whether you really need all that stuff because it gets heavy, really heavy.
That was the second gift, that advice, to pack light. You don’t have to go anywhere to appreciate this. Life is a journey that is better travelled with a lighter load on your back. You’ll live longer and better.
Peace out.
The Show Must Go On 
Merry Christmas, what a lovely picture and nice to share in your traveling experiences.
I like the Allah things and the Baby Jesus things all getting along too……
I am sorry, but we have on Will Ferrel as Ricky Bobby…… ” I like the baby Jesus best”
Peace on you!
Nice picture. Amazing what they did with mosaics. Even though my wife and I write about ancient Constantinople we’ve never been to Istanbul, and likely won’t be going, but it is always interesting to something from the place.
Beautiful picture, Kitty. I always wanted to go to Istanbul.
I am with you on the packing light. But just can’t seem to ever do it – heck we went to NY for 10 days and carried 5 bags! And I wore the same 2 pairs of jeans for the whole trip. Go figure.
Peace on you!
I went to France once for a couple of months and all I brought was one little handbag. The main reason though was my girls were little and I had to help carry their stuff. What I needed, I could get there. That was part of the fun, getting the stuff I needed. Talk about learn a language really fast.
Le premier fois que j’ettais a Paris, ma mere as eu une accident, et il faut que j’ailes chez pharmecien pour acheter les medicaments! C’ettais une aventure!
(excuse the spelling, too lazy to run French spellcheck!)
Joyeax noel, cher ami!
Yeah, a lot of pharmacists in France don’t speak English, strangely. But so much of medicine is in Latin which I learned a little of in nursing school. Same goes for German, Italian, Spanish. All the meds have Latin terms.
So I am reading along and see “pack light” and think, Well sure, I always have a little flashlight in my bag but why would you need one in a well lit mosque or museum? And sure you have to carry it around with you but what does that have to do with anythin —
Oh.
Yeah, that too, Max, bring a lighter.
Oh, that thing with Aya Sophia hurts. It still hurts, no matter how many years have already passed since the day our cathedral became their amusement park. And it will always hurt, dammit.
Hope you had a very very merry Chistmas time, Kit. All my best, warmest wishes.
Hey, Sophia, you’re back. You too, hope you had a great Christmas.