Joe Kennedy III visits Primary Election polls in Newton, Massachusetts

Joseph Kennedy III, Democrat, Candidate in Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District, chats with a Newton voter in Newton Highlands at the polls yesterday.

Newton, Massachusetts'  Mayor Setti Warren chats with a Newton Highlands resident at the polls on Thursday.

Sheila Rauch (left), mother of Joe Kennedy III and Newton's Mayor Setti Warren with Newton resident at the polls in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, on Thursday, stand in front of a sign supporting the candidacy of
Joe Kennedy for Congress.  Photo Credit - Aaron Goldman

Sheila Rauch mother of Joe Kennedy III with Mayor Setti Warren standing in front of sign which reads "Joe Kennedy for Congress" at the Hyde Community Center polling booths in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. Photo Credit - Aaron Goldman

Victorian house and gardens, typical of the architecture of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts.

 To think that people die for the right to vote, yet only 17% of Newton voters went to the polls yesterday!

Farewell Picnic at Camp Hayastan - 79TH AYF-YOARF OLYMPICS - BOSTON, (& NEWTON), MASSACHUSETTS, Part Four

What would you like us to play for you?  Soude, Soude, Soude, Soude, amen pan soude?

Contemporary Dumbeg with inner Tambourine!

The young 'uns admire the musicians, especially the oud player!

Barkev Khaligian leads the group in the Armenian dance, the "bar" (with a rolled r).

Girls playing a friendly game of  backgammon, a reminder of the old guys who always played competitive backgammon at the picnics of old!

Famous Armenian Singer: Onnik Dinkjian with friend

Shish Kebab on the grill!

11:00 am Labor Day - Farewell Picnic at Camp Haiastan.  Shish kebab. Dancing.  Music by  Mal Barsamian, Leo Derderian, Jay Baronian, Bruce Gigarjian

CHRIS BOHJALIAN AT THE ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION - 79TH AYF-YOARF OLYMPICS - BOSTON, (& NEWTON), MASSACHUSETTS, Part Three

Opening Ceremonies: His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan speaks to the gathered AYFers with  featured speaker Chris Bohjalian, the New York Times Best-Selling author of The Sandcastle Girls, standing under the tent, directly behind the Armenian flag.

Prof. Dikran Khaligian, past chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Eastern United States, spoke to the gathered crowd:  "Today we are all AYF.  Today we are all Mejdeh.  .  . "  And he ended his talk with, "Getse Hayasdan!"  His mother, Seta Khaligian, former President of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) and long time good friend of Marash Girl, proudly commented, "I taught him that many years ago . . . Getse Hayasdan!"  

Featured speaker, Chris Bohjalian, well-known author of many best-selling novels, his latest novel SANDCASTLE GIRLS (2012),  (add it to your reading list!),   began by commenting that he was spectacularly unqualified to speak at the AYF Olympics, as he had no athletic prowess whatsoever. . . [Whether or not he had athletic prowess, he certainly has speaking and writing prowess, notes Marash Girl!]  Humble man that he is, he told the gathering that he received 250 rejection slips before he sold one word!  At 25, he decided that his plan was not working . . . and began trying a new approach . . . Now, 15 published novels later, he has written the "most important novel of his life", THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS, written in honor of his grandparents and his ancestors who were among the 1.5 Armenians slaughtered during the Armenian Genocide  which began in 1915 in the Ottoman Empire.  "My success," he said, "is a study in persistence; in falling down, and getting up and trying again. . . " He ended his talk with a heart felt,  "I can't thank you enough for having invited me." [See Marash Girl's earlier blog posts on Chris Bohjalian.]]

Barkev Khaligian (right) watches the opening ceremonies.

Prof. Dikran Khaligian, after delivering the welcoming remarks, sits in the stands with his father, Barkev Khaligian.

Leon Janigian chats with a friend the morning after he played until 1 AM at the Alumni Night Dance, at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center, 47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown.  Indeed, we did dance the night away, as the brochures promised, with John Berberian (oud), Mal Barsamian (saxophone), Leon Janikian (clarinet), Stepan Megerdichian (bass guitar), Bruce Gigarjian (guitar), Jay Baronian (dumbeg and vocals), and Paul Mooradian (daf).

After his welcoming talk, Chris Bohjalian, (left) author of THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS,  chats with (l.tor.) Khachig Mouradian, Editor of the Armenian Weekly,  Garo Adanalian and his wife Anoush with their son Areg.

ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION - 79TH AYF-YOARF OLYMPICS - BOSTON, (& NEWTON), MASSACHUSETTS, Part Two

Dikran (left) and Zohrab (right) Khaligian pose with their friends before the Opening Ceremonies  at NNHS

Mgo Kassabian (left) of North Andover exposes his tattoo for the camera.

Nevart Kouyoumjian, President of the Union of Marash Armenians, Watertown Chapter, joins in the festivities.

Newton High School Classmate of Marash Girl, Claire (Tevekelian) Kushigian  awaits the opening ceremonies with her husband.

Chapters from the Eastern United States parade around the track before the meet:

AYF Chicago Ararat Chapter

AYF Granite City Antranig Chapter

AYF Hartford Zeitoun Chapter

AYF Montreal Levon Shant Chapter

AYF New Jersey Arsen Chapter

AYF New York Hyortik Chapter

AYF North Andover Sassoun Chapter

AYF Philadelphia Sebouh Chapter

AYF Providence Varantians "Hey John" Kids

AYF Racine (Wisconsin) Armen Garo Chapter

AYF Toronto Simon Zavarian Chapter

AYF Washington, DC Chapter  ("Celebrate the AYF's 80th Anniversary With Us 2013")

AYF Worcester Aram Chapter

AYF Greater Boston Nejdeh Chapter

AYF Youth carry balloons in the colors of the Armenian flag

AYF Youth release balloons with messages attached for all to read of the Armenian people.

79TH AYF-YOARF OLYMPICS - BOSTON, (& NEWTON), MASSACHUSETTS, Part One

Hey!  Did you know that the AYF Olympics are going to be held at Newton North High School this weekend? You have to write a blog post about it!  Thus was Marash Girl alerted by her son, that the Armenian Youth Federation would be holding its yearly Olympics -- in this case the swimming and track meet -- at her old alma mater -- actually, no longer hers, but the new mega-million complex of Newton North High School.  And so it was!  A swim meet in the brand new swimming pool/viewing arena, (she parked on Hull Street -- plenty of parking), and the track and field events in the huge open fields bordering Lowell Avenue (the street she used to walk every day, the street on which her childhood home still stands, the street on which stands her cousin Charlie Bilezikian's once family home, Charlie now known as Chuck Bilezikian of Christmas Tree Shop fame, Charlie Bilezikian who was Vice-President of his senior class at Newton High!)  She knew where she was, but where was she?  The last time she was at this site as a student, there were three beautiful old buildings, today only one megabuilding; then there were very few, if any, Armenian faces in the crowd, yesterday there were ONLY Armenian faces in the crowd,  (is that true?), faces from as nearby as Newtonville, from as far away as Armenia, happy faces greeting each other and cheering their compatriots on to victory.  So taken was Marash Girl by the event, ("I know that they're me, but then, who am I?"), that she's decided to take the next few days to share her photos of joy, photos of the joy of being with old friends, if only for three days!

Friends forever!

Friends forever!

Happy Sticks, Happy Yard Saling

Juggling Sticks? Devil Sticks?  Happy Sticks?  Whatever they were, Jahn (pronounced Yahn) knew how to make those three sticks happy, and to make everyone else at the yard sale happy.  The young folks at the  sale said that they never could figure out how to work those sticks, to make those sticks jump, but Jahn knew how.  He spent a good 10 minutes juggling those sticks, and when the yard sale sponsors tried to sell him the sticks for $2, he said, no, no, he didn't need them.  As Marash Girl watched him perform for another five minutes, she knew what she had to do.  "If you sell those sticks to me for $1, I'll buy them for him!" "Okay," they said, as she paid them the $1.  "Now they're yours, Jahn.  The sticks are yours.  They belonged to you before I even paid for them!"  Jahn, trying to refuse Marash Girl, began to grin  as he continued to juggle those sticks, the sticks that he could now call his own,  the sticks that enchanted the folks standing by, applauding!

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock."

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in . . .  Revelations 3:20 (King James Version) Image courtesy of Google and Marash Girl's Memory

How often do we hear that still voice within us?  How often do we ignore that still voice within us?  

Recently, chatting with a friend about the old days, Marash Girl remembered the picture of Jesus knocking at an ancient wooden door, the picture which hung on the wall of a room in her house when she was growing up.   Her friend said, "Why, I have that very image hanging on my bedroom wall!  I'll send you the image." But when she sent the image to Marash Girl, it was not the image Marash Girl remembered.  Quite desperate to find the image she remembered, Marash Girl went to Google and there she found it, (see above), the painting by American artist Warner Sallman (1892-1968).