Neddy's Palaver

“And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave [him] leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.” (John 19:38-42 KJV)

Mural of Jesus from the Crypt at Washington National Cathedral

The chapel that contains this mural is located on the crypt level of the cathedral. It contains New Testament imagery that show the promise of eternal life: Jesus’ birth, his death and entombment, and his resurrection. This somber mural tells the story of Jesus’s entombment following the crucifixion. I snapped the photograph at the CHAPEL OF SAINT JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. Joseph was the wealthy man who gave his tomb for the burial of Christ’s body after the crucifixion.

The image, Mural of Jesus, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

Today, January 5th is the Eve of the Epiphany.

For our ancestors, who celebrated “Old Christmas,” the night preceding January 6th is the Eve of Epiphany. It was on this night, over 2000 years ago, that the Magi came to Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus.

Today, the Day of Epiphany is still known as “Old Christmas,” which was the day that Christmas was celebrated before the calendar changed in the 18th century. One of the old beliefs concerning the Day of Epiphany was that a person should never lend anything to anybody on Old Christmas Day, because the lender would never get it back again. Also, the Eve of Epiphany is the night when the Holy Spirit manifests Itself upon the earth in many subtle ways. Upon that night, no matter how hard the ground was frozen, elder bushes would sprout from the ground. Even more mysterious is our ancestors’ belief that at midnight on Old Christmas Eve, if they crept silently into a barn or field, they could hear the cattle and sheep praying. At the exact stroke of midnight on Old Christmas Eve, animals would start moo-ing and baa-ing and bellowing as though they were crying, in remembrance of their own ancestors who had been present in the stable at Bethlehem to witness the birth of the Christ Child and His revelation to the Magi.

A wonderful book that I am reading about celebrating Christmas in England of long ago is “Old Christmas” by Washington Irving.

• “On The Twelth Day of Christmas”
• Old Christmas in Rodanthe, North Carolina.
• Epiphany 2007

The image, The Epiphany, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

I made this Christmas card using Picnik. My 2008 Christmas Card, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin’s FLICKR account.

My Christmas Gifts For You

Twas The Night Before Christmas read to you by Librivox.org.
• Saint Francis and the Creche
• Old Christmas Eve
• An American Christmas Carol
• Christmas Archives
• The Christmas Story
• Annie’s Wiseman Page
• A White House Christmas
  See the Barney Cam!
• A Swedish Merry Christmas
• A Victorian Christmas Scrapbook
• Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
• “Old Christmas” by Washington Irving
• A Neddy Christmas

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

The Choral Group from Carl Sandburg Middle School, directed by Jeanne Crowley, concluded their presentation for Nelly Custis DAR chapter with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," performed on the main staircase of the Woodlawn Mansion, Woodlawn, Virginia. Regent Pamela wanted her chapter to experience a brief moment from a long ago Virginia holiday. It was as though we had been transported back to those early American days of Nelly Custis Lewis and her family when they celebrated Christmas at Woodlawn Plantation, with no radios, televisions, cds and computers.

The talented young women sang a musical round also that I have not the title. The video is posted here: My Flickr Album.

In the Bible a story is told, About a traveler at the end of life’s road …
I Love This, a gospel ballad written by Iris DeMent, telling Bible stories about the Good Samaritan and more. She is singing her song in her incredible voice while playing the piano. Read the words that I have posted below the video. You can watch the video in full screen as it is quite good quality.

“He Reached Down” by Iris Dement

(Verse 1)
A certain man one day did go, down to Jericho,
Falling among thieves along the way.
Well they stripped him then they fled,
Leaving him for dead,
Lying on the side of the road.

And then the priest came passing by,
He crossed over to the other side,
Then the Levite came and he did just the same.

When the Samaritan heard his cry,
He just could not pass on by;
He dressed his wounds and he carried him to the nearest inn.

(Chorus)
He reached down, he reached down;
He got right there on the ground;
He reached down, he reached down,
And he touched the pain.

He paid the keeper the amount that was due.
“If you need more he said I’m good for that too.”
He reached down, he reached down,
And he touched the pain.

(Verse 2)
Then the Scribes and the Phrases,
Brought the adulteress in for Jesus to see.
“Lord, she’s sinned, now the law says she must be stoned.”
“If there’s a one of you that’s without sin,”
Said “you can cast the first stone in.”
One by one they left, leaving Jesus and that woman alone.

(Sing Chorus)

“No accusers are left that I see,
Woman, neither do I condemn thee.”
He reached down, He reached down,
And He touched the pain.

(Verse 3)
In the Book a little story got told,
About the traveler at the end of life’s road.
He’s at the gates of the Kingdom and the Master says “Come on in,
For I was hungry and you gave Me meat;
I was cold you put shoes on My feet;
When I was in prison there was you who come to see about Me.”

(Chorus – Modified)
Well you reached down, you reached down.
You got right there on the ground.
You reached down, you reached down,
And you touched my pain.

“When you did it to the least of these,
He said you were doin’ it unto Me.
You reached down, you reached down,
And ye touched my pain.”

He reached down, He reached down,
And He touched the pain.
He said “reach down, all reach down,
And touch the pain.”

In the mid 1600s, the Catholic BRENT family sailed across the Potomac from Maryland to Aquia, Virginia and settled at the Colony of Brenton. This was the first Catholic settlement in English Virginia. When the BRENTS were colonizing Maryland, Giles BRENT had done just as John ROLFE, who had married an Indian princess at Jamestown. BRENT’s bride was a 12-year-old student or ward of his spinster sister Margaret BRENT, who was operating a school for the Piscataway children. When GILES claimed almost all the land of the Maryland Colony due to his marriage to the Piscataway chief’s daughter, he got himself, and his BRENT sisters, into a dangerous situation with the Lord Baltimore government. The BRENTS were forced to cross the river and live in Virginia.

Margaret BRENT was America’s first suffragette, but few have ever heard of her. She was an outstanding, accomplished women. She acted as Lord Baltimore’s attorney, and in fact was probably running the government of the colony. She was able to own property, because she never married, and she even demanded the right to vote. It was denied of course, but the Marylanders did bestow upon her the title of “Gentleman” Margaret BRENT. After the move to Virginia, she seemed never quite so powerful, probably because of her “out of favor” Catholic religion.

This plaque is at the Crucifix Monument on the east side of Jefferson Davis Highway, at Telegraph Road, in Aquia, Virginia.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

What is “The Golden Rule” ? The phrase “do under others as you would have them do unto you“, is the most common expression of “The Golden Rule” .

“The Golden Rule” is the clearest expression of God’s moral law for his children to follow. It is the underlying rule for knowing what is good to do, and what is bad. “The Golden Rule” can be applied even by those who profess no belief in a supreme being, as it guarantees more happiness in one’s life. In bygone days of yore, every pupil in American public schools would be taught the Golden Rule. In these more modern times, it is probably against Supreme Court rulings for it to be taught. It has to do with something known as “separation of church and state“, recently discovered in the U.S. Constitution. Of course, the country has been governed by the same Constitution since its founding, but in these more erudite eras, the ACLU has brought to the attention of the justices of the Supreme Court, various penumbras, visible only to those anointed at exclusive schools of higher learning.

“The Golden Rule” establishes no particular religion. It leads to harmony amongst people. It is the foundation of Democracy.

Where did “The Golden Rule” come from? Who taught it first? It is from the spoken words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew and Luke in the Holy Bible.

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. ” (Matthew 7:12 KJV)

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31 KJV)

(Updated from 12 September 2005)

"Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me" by Augustus Montague Toplady, 1740-1778
(The MP3)

1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood
From Thy riven side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

2. Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfil Thy Law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helplees, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly,–
Wash me, Savior, or I die!

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment-throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee!

From My Picasa Albums - "Alexandria, Virginia Cemeteries"
The image, To Thy Cross I Cling, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from

He died on a Friday, but He danced on the following Sabbath.
He was “The Lord of the Dance.” ~ VOCAL mp3 sample

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame,
The holy people said it was a shame,
So they whipped, and they stripped, and they hung Me high,
And they left Me there on the cross to die

I danced on a Friday, when the sky turned black,
It’s hard to dance with the Devil on your back,
Oh they buried My body, and they thought I’d gone,
But I am the dance and the dance goes on.

They cut Me down, but I lept on high,
I am the light that will never, never die,
But I’ll live in you if you’ll live in Me,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He.

~~from “Lord of the Dance” by Sydney Carter