1 December 2024

It’s been a good week, filled with art, love and community.

Last Sunday, I went to Les Arts, the opera house for a recital with world renowned baritone Simon Keenlyside. He sang a variety of art songs. That was a delight.

And then I went back on Tuesday for a concert with Sondra Radvonovsky (soprano) and her husband Piotr Beczała (tenor). They sang key arias from Puccini and Dvořák. Their voices were thrilling! For an encore, she sang O mio bambino caro…and I got misty-eyed. I’m such a sap!

All of these are stars from the Met Opera and la Scala. That I live so close to this amazing venue and can see such world class performances, is a gift I don’t take lightly.

On Monday, I got all my paperwork delivered to my attorney to renew my student visa. I ran into her on the street on Wednesday and she said that she had submitted everything. So, now I wait.

On Wednesday, Rafa and I went to see Wicked again, this time in Spanish. It was interesting to see everything dubbed. The singers were good. But they weren’t Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Rafa agreed, the original English version was better. If you haven’t seen it, I loved it…twice, in two languages!

Thursday was Thanksgiving and I hope you were surrounded by people you love and had lots of good food.

School hosted a Thanksgiving party and I met some lovely people. But it was mostly snacks and finger foods.

But that made Friday night’s Thanksgiving dinner with the church group I recently visited really special.

Amy is from Hagerstown, Maryland and leads this home church fellowship. She and her husband Oscar have been in Spain for more than a dozen years.

Every year they host a big, traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole and more.

I found a bakery that made traditional American pies…not something you’d easily find here. So I ordered a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie. They were smaller than normal, but delicious. And I finally found a glass pie pan on Amazon. So I’m preparing to start baking again!

Also this week, I had been texting my friend Isabel who lost everything in the recent floods. She expressed a need for an electric heater and a dehumidifier and I was able to buy them for her. My friend Arl also donated a kitchen hot plate. On Friday, Rafa was kind enough to deliver them between his work appointments. She was thrilled!

This weekend was quiet. I haven’t felt much like Christmas yet. The decorations are up around the city and maybe I’ll get in the mood and take some pics for you this week or next. It really is lovely.

I hope you have a blessed Advent and Christmas season. The message is as relevant as ever…. God’s love came at Christmas to deliver us from fear…something I keep telling myself. In this time of political turmoil, I cling to love, not fear. May you do the same.