Friends, Hope you are all together with families and enjoying the warm hearth of the Christmas spirit. I find myself off in Edinborough, where I've been graciously invited by Jim & Marureen Macgregor - as a guest in their family as my own is many thousands of miles away. Yesterday we went on a tour of Edinborough Castle & then went to a wonderful concert at historic Usher Theater - a combination of Mozart (period costume chamber-orchestra) and elegantly arranged Christmas carols by a 15-member chorus. A day I'll never forget! Despite my attitude toward religious institutions, which I see as being both oppressive and mind-controlling, I cannot help but be inspired and emotionally uplifted by the gospels and by the old carols that I know from childhood. In the concert last night they did some numbers from Handel's Messiah (first peformed in Dublin, by the way), and I noticed something I hadn't before. There doesn't seem to be anything about forgiveness of sins(and other human-deprecating stuff)in Handel's selected material. In the famous #44 (the Halleluia Chorus)we hear about "wonderful counsellor", "prince of peace", "king of kings", and "he shall reign for ever and ever" - all very worldly and positive. For those of you who read my most recent chapter draft (the new Ch 1) you may have noticed some references to the gospels. I think this Christmas 2004 is a time for reconsideration of many things. Hope to hear from all of you in the new year. I'll write again when I get home, just before New Years Eve. Love to all, Richard (btw> aliencamel is my travelling identity)
