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Dinner Theater at Yorkshire Hall in Pembroke

By George Walker

Dinner Theater comes to Yorkshire Hall in Pembroke!  Usually performed only for groups, this date (July 14th at 6:30 p.m.) is open to the general public and includes a delicious dinner and Yorkshire Hall's raved-about comedy/mystery/farce:  "13 Memento Mori Lane."  Get a sneak preview, with video and photos, and see the mouth-watering menu at www.HolidayHollow.com.  (Click on the Dinner Theater link for video photos, prices, and information.)  Advance reservations only.  Call 585-762-8160 or 716-474-4300 for details and reservations.

Event Date and Time
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Conversations with Calliope- The Mystery of Suffering

By Joseph Langen


 

 


(Cognac Still)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's on your mind today?
JOE: Suffering?
CALLIOPE: Please elaborate.
JOE: I'd be glad to. As I attended Laney's wake and funeral, I kept thinking of all the suffering he endured over the last few months in particular.
CALLIOPE: Did you have any particular questions?
JOE: I wondered about the point of all his suffering. Was it for any particular purpose?
CALLIOPE: You're not the first person who has puzzled about this issue?
JOE: I know. I have heard quite a bit about it over the years but nothing which adequately explains it.
CALLIOPE: You know that pain signals that something is wrong and needs corrective action.
JOE: I do. Where I get stuck is if nothing can be done.
CALLIOPE: Maybe the answers are just not evident yet and pain is an invitation to the medical community to keep searching.
JOE: That makes some sense. But it doesn't seem to be much benefit to the person suffering.
CALLIOPE: I can't argue there. Somethings are beyond our understanding.
JOE: I realize that. I guess it's just one of life's mysteries at least for now. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

Conversations with Calliope- Nature and God's Mystery

By Joseph Langen

(Central Park Lake)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. It sounds like you had a busy week.
JOE: I did. I finally sent in the final draft of Meeting God in Nature yesterday for publication in Christian Schaal's book, Meeting the God of America.
CALLIOPE: How was it received?
JOE: Enthusiastically. He posted it as a sample from the forthcoming book.
CALLIOPE: Can I read it?
JOE: Sure. It's posted at http://www.meetingthegodofamerica.com/finding_god_in_nature.pdf .
CALLIOPE: Thanks. I'll take a look. What else are you up to.
JOE: I planned to organize my desk last Saturday but didn't get to it. Today it's time for another go at it.
CALLIOPE: Sounds ambitious. How's the floor coming?
JOE: Just about finished. Other laborers were called to the vineyard so I didn't have to work on it last night. I'm on call today if needed.
CALLIOPE: Anything else on the agenda?
JOE: Church in the morning and then a graduation party in the afternoon.
CALLIOPE: I hope you have some time to relax.
JOE: I do and have some reading planned. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Nature's Mysteries

By Joseph Langen
(Lagoon in San Juan)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Just barely.
JOE: Now, now. It's Saturday and I'm taking my time getting going today.
CALLIOPE: Okay. What's this about nature's mysteries?
JOE: Another part of the topic from yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Explain please.
JOE: I told you that I eventually learned to connect with God through nature. Specifically the mysteries I found in nature led me to God.
CALLIOPE: I see. How did that happen?
JOE: After wrestling with thoughts for years, I finally let myself go in the magnificence of nature. For a while I just enjoyed communing with it and finally realized it was a manifestation of the glory of God. Then I appreciated it even more.
CALLIOPE: Very interesting. So now whenever you need to connect with God all you have to do is be alone with nature and its glory.
JOE: Correct. But it took me a long time to find such a simple approach.
CALLIOPE: Sometimes the most obvious things lie right in front of us.
JOE: No question.
CALLIOPE: Thanks for the explanation.
JOE: My pleasure. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Life's Mysteries

By Joseph Langen

 

(Pillar Fragment- Santianna, Spain)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: In a reflective mood.
CALLIOPE: About what?
JOE: I was just speculating to myself about what makes the world so interesting and worth writing about.
CALLIOPE: Did you come to any conclusions?
JOE: I'm not sure I can speak for everyone, but the mystery I find in nature and in people fascinates me.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: I have been working on a piece about what God means to me. After writing about it for a while, I reached the conclusion that I find God in the mysteries which surround me at every turn waiting to fascinate me if I just stop to pay attention to them.
CALLIOPE: Are you able to unravel the mysteries?
JOE: Not usually.
CALLIOPE: Isn't that frustrating?
JOE: Not really. I can sit with a mystery and enjoy its intricacy, realizing I am in the presence of something more profound than I am. It's my way of being close to God.
CALLIOPE: I see. Sounds like a good realization.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Spring Awakening

By Joseph Langen

 (Magen's Bay Beach- St. Thomas)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not bad. I'm enjoying the return of spring weather and not having to bundle up before going outside.
CALLIOPE: It is a nice time of year, one of rebirth and beginnings.
JOE: Well said. My mind is filled with new ideas.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: I think I might have mentioned my idea about a virtual beach where ideas could lounge and meet each other.
CALLIOPE: You did. Is it on your mind?
JOE: Yes. I awoke early this morning imagining it.
CALLIOPE: What ideas are up and about?
JOE: One is the mystery of abuse.
CALLIOPE: Oh?
JOE: I've wondered what prompts people to leave their senses and abuse others with no thought of their welfare. Another is the mystery of addiction.
CALLIOPE: Do you think they are connected?
JOE: Perhaps, but I'm not sure. I have read a few explanations of both issues but they both remain mysterious to me. Maybe I will let them play on the beach and see what happens. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Goodbye to Yvonne

By Joseph Langen

 

(Tangled Roots)
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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Saturday was rough.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Carol and I went to a wake and funeral service for her cousin Yvonne.
CALLIOPE: What happened?
JOE: She had struggled for years with alcoholism and finally succumbed apparently to an overdose of pain medication.
CALLIOPE: Sorry to hear it.
JOE: It was a tragedy waiting to happen. She had a great zest for life but not much control over her attraction to chemicals.
CALLIOPE: Did her death surprise you?
JOE: Not really but it did sadden me to see her life lost to addiction which remains one of the mysteries I have not been able to crack in all of my years as a psychologist and a writer.
CALLIOPE: Are you still working on it?
JOE: I'm not working on it so much as wondering about it?
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to write any more about it?
JOE: I wrote a novel about sexual addiction which just engendered more questions. I suppose I will work on it some more. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Mysterious Deaths

By Joseph Langen

 

(New Orleans Cemetery)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: I've been thinking about death this morning.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: Two people I know recently died under suspicious circumstances.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Chemical abuse seems to be involved in both deaths.
CALLIOPE: Do you know that for sure?
JOE: No, but I know that both people have struggled for years with substance abuse.
CALLIOPE: What are you thoughts about this?
JOE: I wonder why people would risk their lives to get high.
CALLIOPE: Maybe they are trying to get our of a hole rather than high.
JOE: Entirely possible. I hadn't thought of it that way.
CALLIOPE: I notice you have never written about drugs or alcohol.
JOE: True. I haven't understood it well enough to express any opinions.
CALLIOPE: What about writing about the mystery of drug use?
JOE: It's something to consider. Talk with you tomorrow.
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