Friday mornings #7

A Memorial Day weekend full of remembrance and baseball

Fredericksburg National Cemetery, May 24, 2025

1. Every year on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, there is an event at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery in which 15,300 luminaria are placed along the gravestones, one for each buried soldier. The cemetery is on the grounds of the Fredericksburg battlefield park. It holds the remains of 15,243 soldiers, most of whom died during the Civil War and most of whom are unidentified. It was a hauntingly beautiful event and, I was pleased to see, very well attended.

2. Those who have been reading along here for a few weeks may recall my mentions of the song “Ashokan Farewell,” which did not originate in Ken Burns’s Civil War but which was popularized by it. This song has been following me around. At the luminaria event, a fiddler played it while the crowd trickled through the cemetery. It was the most haunting rendition I’ve heard.

3. The weather was perfect over the weekend, so we enjoyed our first baseball game of the season, at the Fredericksburg Nationals minor league stadium. I’m a Yankees fan and haven’t lived in Fredericksburg long enough to bring myself to cheer for the home team. But it’s a wonderful, family friendly ballpark.

4. Continuing our documentary kick, this week we watched “Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy.” There were a couple years in my youth when I was very into Star Wars. (Don’t ask me how the prequel trilogy holds up as an adult.) The creativity behind this universe is amazing, as is the immense faith that George Lucas had in his vision for the movies. I especially enjoyed learning about how Lucas studied Joseph Campbell’s theory of myth while writing the story. It’s amazing how he managed to create something so totally unique while also explicitly intending to make a story that followed the very same archetypes as stories told throughout all of human history.

5. Ever seen a spider weaving its web? In real life, I mean, not in a video. An enormous spider has been posted up in an enormous web outside one of our bedroom windows for a couple weeks now. He disappears during the day—to where, I simply don’t know. (Trust me, I’ve looked.) He reappears each night around sunset. Last night, I caught him in the act of repairing his web. We’ve also seen him eating. Fascinating stuff, but also a bit horrifying, you know?

6. I appreciated a recent address from Pope Leo, especially this part:

   It is wonderful to think that, when we consider our individual calling, the situations we encounter and the people entrusted to our care, our commitments and responsibilities, and our service in the Church, each of us can say with confidence: “Despite my weakness, the Lord is not ashamed of my humanity. Instead, he comes to dwell within me. He accompanies me with his Spirit; he enlightens me and makes me an instrument of his love for others, for society and for the world.” Dear friends, on the basis of that promise, let us walk in the joy born of faith, in order to become a holy temple of the Lord.

7. I made chili for a crowd this week, wisely toning down my recipe’s usual spiciness to the appease the lowest-common-denominator palate. Thank goodness I did. My guests, who claimed to be pleased with the meal, were quick to remark on how some of the spices I wisely excluded make for their least favorite kind of chili. I also made some cornbread and was gratified to have some leftover to share with a friend who stopped by unexpectedly the next day—it made me feel far more prepared and organized than I actually am.

8. I planted the beginnings of my herb garden over the weekend. Already, the basil leaves are full of tiny holes; I blame slugs. The parsley is slumped into the dirt, and the thyme has certainly seen better days (namely, before it was planted). I’d welcome any and all advice from the experienced gardeners out there.

Thanks for reading this week’s “Friday mornings.” Enjoy your weekend! Please take a moment to leave a comment if you have grand (or minor) thoughts to share about Star Wars, baseball, spiders, etc.