The Contributor: Dec. 8, 2021

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Volu m e 1 5

| Number 25 | December 8 - 22, 2021

G N I P !

P E A U R S W S I R E P A P

ART WORK BY DANIEL H . ('CONTRIBUTOR ' VENDOR) Illustration by Contributor Vendor Wendell J.

IN THE ISSUE 4

6

11

Contributor Board

Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland, Kerry Graham, Peter Macdonald, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Annette McDermott, Drew Morris

13

Vendor Submissions

Feature Story

Moving Pictures

Wrapping Paper!

In this issue, vendors discuss Rascal Flats, cold weather planning, and a former vendor shares his 'Lessons Learned from Wisdom's Words'!

People experiencing homelessness can face many barriers when it comes to end of life care.

Alive Hospice is trying to bridge that gap.

A Netflix documentary takes viewers to the tops of the world’s highest peaks as it follows Nepali mountaineer Nimsdai Purja.

Inserted in this issue you'll find three sheets of custom wrapping paper designed by vendors and friends of The Contributor!

Buy multiple copies!

Contributors This Issue

Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Hannah Herner • Chris Scott Fieselman • Gail. D • Vicky B. • Mr. Mysterio • Joe Nolan • Wendell J. • Daniel H. • Matthew • Pedro • Lamont • Jami • and Brian W. • Lindsey Turner • Johnathan Lewis • Stacey F. • Maurice B. • Contributor Volunteers Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • John Jennings • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christine Doeg • Laura Birdsall • Richard Aberdeen • Marissa Young • Ezra LaFleur • Rachel Stanley

Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations Hannah Herner Staff Writer Carli Tharp Social Services Intake Specialist

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Dymin R Cannon Section 8 and E&T Specialist Ree Cheers SOAR Manager Rachel Ternes Housing Navigator Catherine Hardy Housing Navigator Jesse Call Operations Consultant Raven Nye Director of Housing Initiatives Barbara Womack Advertising Manager Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom Wills Contributor Co-Founders

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Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed.

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PAGE 2 | December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

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Seeking a Medical Secretary in the Clarksville area at The Compassion Care Clinic.

Applicants must have Athena Net Certification and/or experience.

Interested applicants may submit CV's to: compassioncareclinic01 @gmail.com

December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3

VENDOR SUBMISSIONS

Chris Scott Fieselman is a former Contributor Vendor whose poetry appeared on its pages for years.

He has recently turned his poetry and songwriting into a book, which is available for purchase through Amazon as well as other online book retailers. The poem below appears on the back cover and details his life journey.

A SONGWRITER’S JOURNEY

BY CHRIS SCOTT FIESELMAN, "THE CAPTAIN"

“Lessons Learned from

I started to write for,

Wisdom’s Words”

“The Contributor”

Are songs that were penned,

A monthly, homeless sold,

That have yet to be heard.

Street paper.

Written while living in Poverty,

That’s where my song lyrics,

In Nashville, Music City,

First appeared,

Tennessee.

Month after month,

It was April 23rd 2009,

For seven years.

When I decided, my life,

A lot has happened,

Was a waste of my time.

To me since then.

I’d really not like,

There’s a movie about,

To try to explain,

My experience.

My life of addiction,

The ‘Rascal Flatts Man’ Returns

BY GAIL D., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR *Let this article serve as a warning to all my valued customers: If your visit with me is particularly memorable or unusual in some way, and you don’t tell me your name, you may find yourself on the pages of The Contributor with a ‘nickname.’

Such is the case with this story, as is indicated by the title of this piece.

A while back, I wrote an article about a young man who stopped and asked me to sing the Rascal Flatts song, “Why.” I struggled to get through it because of the sensitive nature of the lyrics. It was SO bad I offered a do over and wondered if he’d come back at all. As I noted in the previous article, some do and some don’t.

The suspense is over. I’m happy to report he did return.

This encounter had a totally different feel to it. How? Well, we listened to several songs — all by Rascal Flatts — going back and forth choosing. We started with, “Why” (hence the nickname). He asked if I remembered him. I answered, “Of course, how could I ever forget you?”

He said it was nice to have met someone who could really understand what he was going through and played, “Bless the Broken Road.”

I told him I was glad he came back because it gave me a chance to do what I wish I’d done the first time we met. What’s that? I usually try to leave things on a positive

note, but that song took SO much out of me, and I was SO emotional, I had nothing left to give at the time.

Now I was ready. I had thought about our initial encounter many times and actually tried to prepare for this moment if it ever came.

The first song I shared with him was, “I Won’t Let Go,” which reminds us that even when we feel broken, lost, and feel alone, we ARE NOT alone. We have someone who will ALWAYS stand by us, help us, and fight for us that will NEVER let go. I followed up with, “Stand” that tells us no matter what we go through, “we’ll be alright” if we just “keep holding on.”

Another difference? This time, I didn’t sing along to every song.

Most of the time I just listened. (To be honest, I didn’t even know some of the songs he mentioned.)

One such example was when he asked if there was ever a time when I just wanted to “Rewind” and relive events from the past. I said sure, I think everyone’s had moments like that (but I had no idea that was a Rascal Flatts song).

He went on to say, “What Hurts The Most” were the things left unsaid. With that thought in mind, I played, “Unstoppable” which says in part that, “life is full of mistakes and regrets, that can pull us down. It happens to us all. It can [leave] your faith lost and shaken, [but] you can do what you think is impossible-you

[just gotta] keep on believing, don’t give in, it’ll make you whole again.”

He described what life was like, “These Days” saying he often felt like he was just going through the motions day-to-day-wondering, “what [he should] do now that [she’s] gone...no back-up plan, no second chance, and no one else to blame (lyrics from, “Words I Couldn’t Say”).

He said that even though some time had passed it still felt like a dream and he keeps waiting for someone to “Come Wake Me Up.” In the end he said what was most important is, “How They Remember You.” I agreed (but again, I had no idea this was a Rascal Flatts song).

He concluded his montage with, “I’m Movin’ On,” though it is unclear to me whether he meant he was moving on from this painful event in his life, or if perhaps he was “movin on” from the area-he didn’t say.

I wondered if I should play “Here Comes Goodbye,” only time will tell. Instead I went with “My Wish,” which says in part, “my wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to.” Actually, that is “my wish” for everyone I meet.

For me, it was an hour and a half or so well spent, rather than being overly emotional and exhausted as I was from our initial meeting, I felt more uplifted and encouraged. I can only hope he felt the same way in the end.

To crack cocaine.

A Documentary,

But let me make one thing,

Called “Saint Cloud Hill”

Perfectly clear.

I think it’s worth watching.

The End of the Line,

I hope that you will.

Was what got me here.

I came here to Nashville,

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A LOT OF THAT

I arrived alive,

With nine songs produced,

BY VICK Y B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

On a Greyhound Bus,

But getting them heard,

And from that moment on,

Was a hard thing to do.

In God, I Trust.

Since then, I’ve added,

For my every need,

A few more to boot,

My Destiny,

And after this book, I’ll be sharing them too.

And my Dream,

My words put to music,

That he promised,

Will change people’s lives.

He’d help me achieve.

A movie, a book,

I knew that I had,

And “Famililary Lullabies”

Something to say,

So now, with so much,

And only through Music,

I still have to do.

Would I find a way.

I’ll end this by saying,

That was how,

Good Night,

You got this book,

Sweet Dreams,

Of songs that were penned,

And God Bless You.

By the hand of a friend,

It’s long been debated, at what temperature should we open the cold weather shelter? News Channel 5 weather people mention to cover your plants when the temps are at 32 and NOAA issues a frost warning but says nothing with regards to the homeless, the unhoused, or those experiencing vehicular homelessness or the evil hotel homelessness.

When I was homeles, we were blessed to be in some sort of make shift shelter whether it was a car, a youth room at a local church, a sleaze bag hotel or, yes, even an RV. What temperature would you be seeking different shelter? Maybe 34? Would you have the funds to pay for a hotel room? Could you live outdoors in a tent? Would you leave all your worldly goods in an unsecured tent while trying to get warm? Try this: stay outside for just one day all day long in the cold and

then tell me it’s not that bad.

In Nashville, the winter shelter doesn't open until it's predicted to be 28 degrees. This past Sunday the predicted temps would only be 28 for one hour, so MHID decided, “there was no need to open the cold weather shelter.”

Recently, Vice Mayor Jim Shulman hosted a public meeting where people mentioned raising the temperature threshold for opening the winter shelter.

The meeting made me feel like people care about homeless people. The cries of a frustrating system were loud and clear. Now it’s time for action. No longer will we accept the “we’ve tried that before and it didn’t work” thinking.

It’s also clear that the greatest need is more affordable housing.

MDHA is the largest supplier of affordable housing. More is need-

PAGE 4 | December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

ed and this was heard clearly in the recent meeting. The sad part is you have to wait for someone to die for a spot to open up. We keep moving in these 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. We have to be aggressive with housing. Try every possibility so we know what we have and what we’re working with and continue with what works.

A task force should be put together to do this not just wait for more data and fancy charts.

The public meeting was productive on the first night. Small groups in a round table sharing ideas and thoughts. The second night was a very passionate night filled with frustration at a broken system. Another meeting is in being planned and I really feel some great things will come out of it. Action has come late but, at least it’s moving forward now.

December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5

FEATURE

What happens at the end?

BY HANNAH HERNER The end of a year is a time to reflect on those lost. For those experiencing homelessness and poverty, end of life care can be fraught.

Death comes up more often than average for those experiencing homelessness. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the life expectancy for those experiencing homelessness is as low as 50 years old.

In an informal count by Open Table Nashville, the city lost 166 people who had experienced homelessness in 2021.

For people experiencing homelessness, who often don’t get the medical care they need, they end up in the emergency room and into hospice for just a few days at the very end of life. Hospice is something that’s for people who have six months or less to live, not just mere days or weeks, says Alive Hospice social worker Shannon Ripani. When someone is in hospice care, they have their medical needs taken care of, so they have more opportunity to have quality time with family members, she adds.

“I feel like when people elect hospice, they sometimes struggle with — families or the patient —feeling like they've given up but it's really not about that,” Ripani says. “It's not failure to die. We're all gonna do it. And it can be very peaceful. There's a lot of joy and laughter, way more laughter and hospice than I ever expected. Like every visit, people are laughing about something, so that's a good thing.”

Jim Powers, head of Vanderbilt Geriatrics, says compared to other states, Tennessee ranks low in many areas around senior care, including 49th out of 50 in support for caregivers, but Ten-

nessee’s Medicaid program, Tenncare, does provide for end of life care, which isn’t required.

Alive Hospice, the only nonprofit hospice in Middle Tennessee, and the only one with its own residential units, raises money to cover the gaps. The issue is, TennCare will cover hospice care, but often not room and board — which comes into play a lot with those who don’t have their own home.

Nationally, about 80 percent of hospice care takes place in the person’s home. Powers says when people experiencing homelessness need somewhere to receive such care, it can be a challenge to find a place to admit them.

Nursing homes are even less likely to take in a person if they aren’t on government insurance. It tends to fall on private, faith-based organizations to take those who are homeless at the end of life, Powers says. He also works with the Veterans Affairs hospital in Murfreesboro, and says out of its 24-bed unit, at any given time about 10 percent of those staying there are homeless.

“Medicare generally thinks that those people are going to go home cared for by their family. That's why the homeless are particularly affected because they don't have a home to go to where they can get that care,” Powers says.

Social workers like Ripani help apply for insurance, and if there’s a family member involved, they can even complete that application posthumously.

When no direction is given or there’s no money to pay for burial and services, the social worker will then apply for indigent burial, which is covered by

state funds and takes place at The Hills of Calvary Memorial Park.

Even if there isn’t a lot of money involved, there are still ways to get affairs in order. Powers says when families get together for the holidays, it’s a good time to talk to loved ones about making such a plan. It’s a hard conversation to start, but an important one, Powers says. It's a reality that we’ll have to face eventually, and getting some directives on file can help ensure your wishes are honored.

There are three main documents to fill out. A living will, also known as an advance healthcare directive, indicates care preferences. He also recommends appointing a healthcare agent who is trusted to make medical decisions when the patient is no longer able to. And the third form is a portable directive or medical order which provides information to medical personnel regarding the patient’s wishes around resuscitation and intubation.

These are the kinds of documents that would be wise to keep on you at all times, Ripani says. But those documents can also be given to a doctor, or stored in an online cloud via mydirectives.com.

The pandemic has exacerbated the shortage of people taking care of our aging and dying populations. The job does not pay well and is hoping for its first raise in 14 years through the American Rescue Plan, Powers says. But a shortage has been real since the 1980s, and the Department of Health and Human Services has invested in workforce development programs since then. Vanderbilt is the site of one of them.

“We find that those who did accept that challenge, who do work with older

PAGE 6 | December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

adults find that it is one of the most gratifying areas of medical care, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, physicians as well. All across the board.

And when you survey these trainees, they say ‘I just never knew I would like to so much,’” Powers says. “The gratefulness, the appreciation, the life stories you can hear the personalities are just incredible. And if you like people, you will like working with older adults.”

For those who don’t have anyone to sit with them as their life comes to a close — a volunteer will likely be filling that role. Alive has a roster of 400 volunteers.

“I've gotten to meet hundreds of patients that either don't have insurance or are low income, or have no income or lost their income when they got sick.” Ripani says. “It's been really eye opening. I just learned a lot in all those encounters. And it just makes me kind of sad, really, that those are the financial things that they have to focus on at the end of life… It's just a sad, sad thing. So I'm glad and honored to be able to help.”

The goal is to not let anyone die alone.

— Open Table Nashville will hold a memorial for those we lost this year who had experienced homelessness on Dec. 11, at 8:30 a.m. at Riverfront Park.

Find advance directive forms at www. alivehospice.org/resources/advancecare-plan/ or www.givingdocs.com/ alive-hospice/.

Tennessee’s

gift to you.

Free Admission. This, and Every Season.

Free Parking, Too.

Rosa L. Parks Blvd (at Jefferson St.) 615.741.2692 | TNMuseum.org

December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 7

*Paid for by Friends to ReElect Lynda Jones, Cathy Werthan, treasurer

PAGE 8 | December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

SAGITTA R IUS

I’ve got this string of lights that are supposed to flash green, red and white, but when I plugged them in nothing happened. Sometimes it’s just one bulb that’s burned out that breaks the circuit in the whole string. You may be feeling the same, Sagittarius, like something is keeping you from shining and you’re not sure what it is. Give yourself some time and attention. Check every bulb.

CAPRICORN

We all have that one coworker, Capricorn. You know, the one whose face mysteriously appears in the door-knocker on Christmas Eve, even though they died seven years ago. And they drag chains into your living room and say you’ve misused your time on earth and now you’ll be visited by three ghosts. You know who I’m talking about, Capricorn. Value those people who come back to tell you the truth.

AQUA RIUS

The pilgrims who established the Plymouth colony never celebrated Christmas. In fact, they passed a law in 1659 that made celebrating Christmas in Massachusetts illegal. They were Puritans who believed high-church holidays were sinful excuses for drinking and decadence. This time of year has lots of layers. It gets too commercial. It gets too political. It always has. However you celebrate, Aquarius, or if you don’t, you’re doing it right.

HOBOSCOPES PISCES

Whiskers on roses and raindrops on kittens. Or…wait a minute, Pisces, something’s not right. First, get those kittens inside, it’s raining for goodness sake. Next, we’re gonna need to dust off these roses. It’s hard to hang on to all your favorite things. Hard to keep them where you want them once you’ve got them. But nothing lasts, Pisces. Roses wilt and kittens cat. You’re lucky to catch a glimpse.

ARIES

It happens to me every year, Aries. I start getting visits from those ghosts of Christmases past. Some long-past. All my past. I think of the people who used to be closer.

I remember the ones who used to be alive. And it can feel like a lot of loss, Aries. You’ve seen so much and loved so many and now you’re here.

Making memories. Hold on tight.

TAURUS

Tonight I watched a movie about a successful crypto-currency saleswoman who goes back to her small town home for the holidays only to discover that the local hotdog repairman who washes her mom’s car is the same kid she used to beat up at canoe camp.

Anyway, they fall in love and open a free eye clinic for cats. Just a reminder that anything can happen this month, Taurus. Anything.

GEMINI

Every year my Aunt Mavarine sends a giant tin of popcorn. It’s divided into three chambers. One caramel.

One cheese. And one plain. The caramel always goes first, followed quickly by the cheese.

Now it’s just the plain. It’s not so different than the packing peanuts the tin arrived in, but my hand goes back in. How are you feeding yourself, Gemini? If the best is gone, don’t settle.

CANCER

After you’ve checked your work email and your personal email and your work chat and your social media feed and your texts and your queue, Cancer, I know a ghost that would like a word with you. It can be difficult to look right in the face of Christmas Present. It’s easier to distract and rush ahead or look behind.

But this moment is the one you’ve got. Be in it.

LEO

In the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, elves are an ancient and immortal race of noble warriors, healers and creators. They’re mighty in battle and deft with song and poetry. In the works of Rankin and Bass, elves are tiny, brightly clad, single-minded, North-Pole dwelling toymakers. I’m more of a Rankin/ Bass elf, but I aspire to Tolkeinian greatness.

Which one are you?

VIRGO

Every year at this time we hear the old story where the family of a long awaited messiah finds a brief respite before being forced to flee into the desert. Dune really is my favorite Christmas movie. There are Fremen who wait tending f locks of sandworms and Bene Gesserit wise-witches who come bearing strange gifts. Don’t forget, Virgo, fear is the mindkiller, so joy to the world.

LIBRA

Maybe I should stop checking the news, Libra. There’s plagues and wars. There’s guns and storms. And my mind conjures up the Ghost of Christmas yet to come. I lie in bed and worry that it will be too much of the bad and not enough of the good and the future will be impossible. We’re not there yet, Libra. And the only time we can change is now.

SCORPIO

The f irst of t he Mag i was Melchior, he brought a gift of gold. Caspar gave frankincense. Balthazar brought myrrh. Most people think there were only three, but I remember a fourth wise man. His name was Tony and he brought hand sanitizer. Honestly, mangers are prett y filthy. If you can’t think of a gift that’s grand, Scorpio, go with practical.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a registered electrician, or a trained mentat. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster!

Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

Housing Saves Lives.

LIFNAV Does Housing.

Learn more at SalvationArmyNashville.org Visit SalvationArmyNashville.org to learn more about the hope shared and lives changed in our community.

December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 9

The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams (1941)

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden.

Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

2nd Wednesday in Advent

3rd Monday in Advent

FAITH, therefore, is never identical with 'piety', however pure and however delicate. In so far as 'piety' is a sign of the occurrence of faith, it is so as the dissolution of all other concrete things and supremely as the dissolution of itself. Faith lives of its own, because it lives of God. Barth: The Epistle to the Romans.

OUR relation to God is unrighteous. Secretly we are ourselves masters in this relationship. We are not concerned with God but with our own requirements, to which God must adjust Himself. Our arrogance demands that, in addition to everything else, some super-world should also be known and accessible to us. Our conduct calls for some deeper sanction, some approbation and remuneration from another world. Our well-regulated, pleasurable life longs for some hours of devotion, some prolongation into infinity. And so, when we set God upon the throne of the world, we mean by God ourselves. In 'believing' on Him, we justify, enjoy and adore ourselves.

Barth: The Epistle to the Romans.

ALL faith consists in Jesus Christ and in Adam, and all morality in lust and in grace.

Pascal: Pensées.

2nd Thursday in Advent . . . WHEN a soul is truly troubled about the mighty burden of his stony heart interposed, hindering him from coming to Christ; I say, when he is seriously and sincerely solicitious about that impediment, such desiring is a doing, such wishing is a working. Do thou but take care it may be removed, and God will take order it shall be removed.

Thomas Fuller: A Wounded Conscience.

THOU, O God, dost sell us all good things at the price of labour.

Leonardo da Vinci: Notebooks.

2nd Friday in Advent WE are further required by this consideration of Christ crucified to work out our own salvation; for God himself, so exalted (and so far removed and strange unto us), did use such diligence in obtaining our redemption and salvation that it is our bounden duty to take heed for ourselves and our salvation and to further the will of God, showing penitence for out sins.

Angela of Foligno: The Book of Divine Consolations.

COME and come strong, To our conspiracy of spacious song.

Crashaw: Hymn to the Name of Jesus.

2nd Saturday in Advent THIS therefore is a certain truth that hell and death, curse and misery can never cease or be removed from the creation till the will of the creature is again as it came from God and is only a Spirit of Love that wills nothing but goodness. All the whole fallen creation, stand it never so long, must groan and travail in pain, this must be its purgatory till every contrariety to the divine will is entirely taken from every creature. Which is only saying, that all the powers and properties of nature are a misery to themselves, can only work in disquiet and wrath till the birth of the Son of God brings them under the dominion and power of the Spirit of Love.

William Law: The Spirit of Love.

Third Sunday in Advent HERE is opened to us the true reason of the whole process of our Saviour's incarnation, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. It was because fallen man was to go through all these stages as necessary parts of his return to God; and therefore, if man was to go out of his fallen state there must be a son of this fallen man, who, as head and fountain of this whole race, could do all this, could go back through all these gates and so make it possible for all the individuals of human nature, as being born of Him, to inherit His conquering nature and follow Him though all these passages to eternal life.

And thus we see, in the strongest and clearest light, both why and how the holy Jesus is become our great Redeemer.

William Law: An Appeal.

3rd Tuesday in Advent HE enters by the door, who enters by Christ, who imitates the suffering of Christ, who is acquainted with the humility of Christ, so as to feel and know, that if God became man for us, man should not think himself God, but man. He who being man wishes to appear God, does not imitate Him, who being God, became man. Thou art bid to think less of thyself than thou art, but to know what thou art.

St Augustine: On the Word.

YOU have no questions to ask of any body, no new way that you need inquire after; no oracle that you need to consult; for whilst you shut up yourself in patience, meekness, humility, and resignation to God, you are in the very arms of Christ, your whole heart is His dwelling-place and he lives and works in you as certainly as He lived in and governed that body and soul which He took from the Virgin Mary.

William Law: The Spirit of Love.

Fourth Sunday in Advent THEY do greatly err who acknowledge that the flesh of man was taken on Himself by Christ, but deny that the affections of man were taken; and they contravene the purpose of the Lord Jesus Himself, since thus they take away from man what constitutes man, for man cannot be man without human affections.

Whence could I to-day recognize the Lord Jesus as man, who's flesh I see not, but whose affections I read of—whence, I say, could I recognize Him as man, if he had not hungered, thirst, wept? But He is known by these things to be man, who by His Divine works is accounted to be more than man. He assumed the affections of man from His mother, that He might take on Himself our weaknesses.

St Ambrose: On Psalm 61.

3rd Wednesday in Advent

GOD hath nothing in him that is best, but he is altogether one entire best.

Donne: Sermons.

GOD promises union, and this union is himself.

St Ignatius: Epistle to the Trallians.

4th Monday in Advent

3rd Thursday in Advent

THE positive relation between God and man, which is the absolute paradox, veritably exists. This is the theme of the Gospel, proclaimed in fear and trembling, but under pressure of a necessity from which there is no escape. It proclaims eternity as an event.

Barth: The Epistle to the Romans.

IN moral actions divine law helpeth exceedingly the law of r eason to guide a man's life, but in supernatural it alone guideth.

Hooker: Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity.

THERE are only two kinds of men: the righteous who believe themselves sinners; the rest, sinners who believe themselves righteous.

Pascal: Pensées.

IT seldom happens that Zion's travelers are qualified to salute each other, even in a thorny difficult way, but the immortal birth in some degree leaps for joy.

Sarah Grubb: Journal.

The Feast of St Thomas

LOVE does not make you weak because it is the source of all true strength, but it makes you see the nothingness of the illusory strength on which you depended before you knew it.

Léon Bloy: Letters to his Fiancée.

3rd Friday in Advent FROM this temple, which is the body of Christ, everything that is irrational and savors of merchandise must be driven away, that it may no longer be a house of merchandise . . . And everyone who is of this nature, Jesus purifying him (John xv, 3), puts away things that are irrational, and things that savour of selling, to be destroyed, on account of the zeal of he Logos that is in him.

Origen: Commentary of John.

IT is to be feared, lest our long quarrels about the manner of his presence cause the matter of his absence, for our want of charity to receive him.

Thomas Fuller: Good Thoughts in Bad Times.

3rd Saturday in Advent THOU that art among many bodily, thou mayest be solitary and alone ghostly if thou will not and love not these worldly things that the comunalte loveth and also if thou despise and forsake the things that all men commonly desire and take. Also, if thou flee strifes and debates, and if thou feel not with sorrow thine own harms and have not in mind wrongs done to thee for to be avenged.

The Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, tr. by Nicholas Love.

WHATSOEVER is spoken of God or things appertaining to God otherwise than as the truth is, though it seem an honor it is an injury.

Hooker: Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity.

WE know that when one of us falls he falls alone, but no man is saved alone. He who is saved is saved within the Church, as a member of the Church, in union with the other members . . .

If you are a member of the Church, your prayers are required for all the members of the Church . . . You are necessary to the Church so long as you are of the Church . . . The blood of the Church is prayer one for the other and her breath is praise of the Lord.

Alexei Chomiakov: Collected Works.

4th Tuesday in Advent WITH the baggage of this present world was I as sweetly overladen, as a man uses to be in a dream: and those thoughts with which I meditated upon thee, were like the struggles of such as would get up; who being yet overcome with a deep sleep, fall into it . . . Nor had I anything now to answer thee calling to me: Arise, thou that sleepest, and stand up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light: and whereas thou on all sides showedst me, that what thou saidst was true; I had nothing at all to answer for myself, being convinced by that truth; but certain lither [sluggish] and drowsy words only: Anon, see I come by and by: let me sleep a little while. But my now and anon had no measure with them, and my little while drove out into a mighty length.

St Augustine: Confessions.

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PAGE 10 | December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

MOVING PICTURES

Nepali mountaineer Nimsdai Purja NEW NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY TAKES VIEWERS TO THE TOPS OF THE WORLD’S HIGHEST PEAKS B Y J O E N O L A N , Film Critic There are many sub-genres in the sports documentary category: boxing films, running films, films about specific athletic events, films about specific sports and sports media personalities. One of my favorite sub-genres of jock cinema is mountain climbing movies. Free Solo was one of my favorite films of 2018. It’s a quintessential mountain climbing movie that delivered a surplus of the kind of vertigo-inducing scenes that make these peak-seeking films so unique. And movies like Valley Uprising (2014) and Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckley (2017) introduce viewers to the kinds of off-beat and overthe-top (pun intended) personalities that are drawn to the death-defying thrills of questing for ever-higher summits.

There are only 14 mountains in the world that rise over the 8000 meter mark.

Climbers pass into a space known as the “death zone” as they trudge and pull and crawl their way past it. Above 8000 meters frigid temperatures, slicing winds, crushing avalanches and suffocating oxygen deficits all conspire, ensuring that

only the strongest, most determined, luckiest or craziest humans ever see the world from their summits. And sometimes these mountains still kill these people, stealing back their glory before they can return to the safety of sea level. In the new Netflix mountain climbing documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible Nepali mountaineer Nimsdai Purja attempts to summit all 14 mountains in only seven months, breaking the previous world record for this feat: seven years.

In addition to harrowing scenes rife with nail-biting tension, and extreme personalities, mountain climbing documentaries also promise breathtaking imagery, and 14 Peaks doesn’t disappoint when it comes to pretty pictures. There isn’t a formal cinematographer named on the film’s credits. Instead, Purja did much of the filming himself and his crew of Sherpas also helped to lens the gorgeous snow peaks as the team traveled around the world. A few professional cameramen captured scenes as the film was able to secure more funding, and a pair of vloggers

who were inspired by Purja’s determination shot much of the first trip to the first base camp of the first climb. This hodgepodge approach to photographing these climbs yields intensely intimate scenes and gorgeous drone-captured footage shot from the sky at the top of the world. Director Torquil Jones and editor Ian Grech lash their original images together with thrilling — for fans of this genre/sport — historical footage and new interviews with climbing legends that help to tell the story of the past century of mountain climbing, putting Purja’s epic quest in context.

Purja’s story also connects to the stories of poverty and veterans issues we feature in The Contributor. Purja was born into a desperately poor family in Nepal.

Growing up facing a lack of opportunities, he joined the storied military forces of the Gurkha Reserve Unit – a special guard and elite shock-troop force in the Sultanate of Brunei. 14 Peaks includes harrowing footage of Purja jumping from a military plane only to have his parachute misfire.

Purja calmly announces that he has to cut

December 8 - 22, 2021 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 11

the chute away and then he’s free-falling again. He pulls the ripcord on his extra chute and it snaps open perfectly above his head. In another sequence he recalls how he fell off the roof of a building after being shot at by an enemy sniper. The bullet was aimed at Purja’s neck, but it hit the butt of his rifle. His gun saved his life, but the shock was still great enough to blast him a few stories down to the street below. Purja’s military experiences clearly prepared his mind and body for the challenges of his global mountaineering trek, but I wonder if it also contributed to his appetite for extremes. As he says during a sequence documenting his team climbing their sixth summit, “In the death zone, I come alive.”

14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible is now streaming on Netflix

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/ songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.