Dear friends,
Greetings from Tuscany. I’ll say a little bit more about that in a minute, but first I want to tell you what I know about Margaret Michaelides’ death, which came as a surprise to most of you. Those of you who are newer to the congregation probably don’t know Margaret and her husband, Kyriakos. They are long time parishioners, who for decades lived part of the year in Atlanta and part in Cyprus. Usually the bulk of their time was here, but after Kyriakos retired they spent most of their time in Cyprus. They were last here in 2024. While Margaret was here she was diagnosed with lung cancer. They decided they would return to Cyprus for treatment. Lee Morris gave me a heads up a few days ago that he had heard from Kyriakos that Margaret was in the hospital fighting for her llfe. I am not exactly sure when she died, but it was sometime Saturday or Sunday. Margaret was very active at her Anglican Church in Cyprus, but her funeral will be tomorrow at the Greek Orthodox Church where Kyriakos is a member.
I have contacted Kyriakos and their sons who live in Atlanta, Michael and Matthew (who are both in Cyprus now). I told them that her Atlanta church friends and wider community were devastated, and offered to have a service for her at St. Dunstan’s. I heard back this morning from Michael, who said they would like to do that. Kyriakos is planning to come to Atlanta in the spring, so the service will probably not be until then. Of course, I will let you know as things develop.
As Margaret is commended into God’s loving care tomorrow, we join with those gathered in Cyprus with this prayer:
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Margaret. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.
After spending several days in Florence I am now in the Tuscany photo workshop. The trip got off to a rocky start with flight delays in Atlanta, which meant a missed connection in Amsterdam, which meant a six-hour layover followed by a three-hour delay, and culminating in lost luggage. But all is well now, and this week so far couldn’t be better. We’re staying in a fabulous villa, the group has gelled, the food is amazing (we have a chef providing breakfast and dinner), and the scenery is breathtaking. It is a much slower pace than other photography trips I’ve been on, but that’s okay.
The photos below were taken from my bedroom today as dusk approached after a rainstorm. The light was magical. As I took these I remembered that sundown today is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. As we wish our Jewish friends a happy new year, we do so knowing that happiness is in short supply in much of this country and the world. But I pray that we all can find happiness in the ordinary moments in life that we all too often take for granted. And I hope that this new year will see the fight against fascism in this country and others prevail, and justice and peace bring us closer to the kingdom that God wishes for all creation.
With love,
Tricia
