Today marks the fourth and final matchup of the Elate Eight as Anna Alexander takes on Eglantyne Jebb. To make it this far, Anna made it past Peter Claver and Edith Cavell while Eglantyne cruised past both Seraphim of Sarov and Catherine Winkworth.
Yesterday Maria Skobtsova swept away Martin de Porres and will face Esther in the next round. So the Faithful Four is nearly set: Maria, Esther, Richard Hooker and...today it's your job to complete this sentence!
Then take a deep cleansing breath and get ready for the last three battles of Lent Madness 2018. On Monday and Tuesday it's the Faithful Four. And then on Spy Wednesday the scene will be set as we collectively crown the Golden Halo winner. The end is near!
Anna Alexander
As we have learned, Deaconess Alexander exemplifies the pursuit of brotherly love no matter your circumstances in life.
Let’s step back in time as we walk through the Georgia Kudzu to find the church where Deaconess Anna Alexander is buried and where she spent much of her ministry:
Good Shepherd Church and School is such an awesome vacation destination that our own Presiding Bishop Michael Curry took time out of his busy schedule to visit the place of Deaconess Alexander’s ministry. He gives it a Bishop’s “thumbs up” and now all Episcopalians across the globe will be flocking to this new “must-do” locale:
Although he gave the school his enthusiastic bishop approval, Bishop Curry is probably thankful he didn’t have to sit in these desks as a student. You can almost hear the voice of Deaconess Alexander telling her class to “pipe down.”
Deaconess Alexander’s former students can attest that her love for them was tempered by an indomitable will that brooked no argument. These students were here to learn to read, write, and love the Lord.
If you find yourself on a pilgrimage to George, make sure you take some mosquito repellent. You’ll thank me later. Not only does it repel mosquitos, but chiggers too!
While in town, make sure you try some sweet Georgia peaches:
…Nothing could be finer.
And stop at the corner to grab some Hot Boiled Peanuts. We are sure they were Deaconess Alexander’s favorite.
Finally, when the heat gets so hot you want to slap a brother, grab yourself some sweet ice tea, a rocking chair, and a fan; set yourself down and say a little prayer for people like Deaconess Alexander who has taught us how to be better people, just by her example. Vote #TeamAnna
Eglantyne Jebb
"The world is not ungenerous, but unimaginative and very busy," Eglantyne Jebb famously said.
So Jebb became the first to take out full-page newspaper advertisements to promote the work of a charitable organization for Save the Children, which she founded in 1919 in England. She also became the first to enlist celebrities to promote a cause.
Save the Children and its supporters continue that imaginative tradition with their own saintly kitsch.
You can celebrate Jebb’s life’s work and Christmas at the same time every December 15 on Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day. That’s British for “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day,” and it’s celebrated by wearing your kitchiest knits — and donating £2 to the organization. Also for the occasion, Save the Children sells “Jumper for Joy” buttons, tote bags emblazoned with cats and dogs in their own festive apparel and — of course — tea towels.
In the meantime, you can don fan-created “Keep Calm and Save the Children” T shirts, hoodies, baby onesies and aprons sold on The Keep Calm-O-Matic, which marries the ability to sell your own customizable products with the British motivational poster popularized by a million Pinterest knock-offs. You can even get it printed on a teddy bear or a smartphone case.
Or you can give yourself a pedicure featuring some Save the Children nail art.
There is, sadly, a dearth of kitsch featuring Jebb herself, but you can take in a one-woman show about her life. The play, simply titled “Eglantyne,” was written and performed by Anne Chamberlain. It premiered in New Zealand in 2014 and since has toured the United Kingdom, including a stop at Jebb’s childhood home.
The gardeners among us also can grow their own Eglantyne roses, something to keep in mind should Jebb go on to face Phocas the Gardener in the Faithful 4.
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119 comments on “Anna Alexander vs. Eglantyne Jebb”
I love the Eglantyne Rose. I am a gardner. I was a foundling child. I have children. I voted for Eglantyne.
This was a hard choice, but I voted for Anna, who simply touches my heart.
Chiggers! I would endure chiggars to have met Anna Alexander.
I misspelled chiggers the second time I wrote it. Sorry. Best remedy for chiggers I know is a baking soda bath; second best, clear nail polish on each one. Have a blessed Holy Week, y'all.
It would be great! to have a Georgia girl win the crown.
Anna appears to be very humble in her work. I am always suspicious of the trend of getting "famous people" to flog one's work.
Is it because of the new gaiety? A Deaconess showing brotherly love doesn't push any buttons for me.
new gaiety?
Eh?
I voted for Eglantyne but, right now, Anna is in the lead and I don't feel bad about it. It's a tough matchup!
If Bishop Curry gives her the thumbs up, how can I vote against her?
I vote again for Anna.
“The world is not ungenerous, but unimaginative and very busy.” A profound subject for a Lenten meditation. I went AWOL from Team Anna to vote for Eglantyne.
I see my autocorrect feature has learned to suggest “Eglantyne” after only three key-strokes.
Deeply swayed by my love of peaches (Episcopalian James Fenimore Cooper of "Last of the Mohicans" fame wrote that the peach was so superior in taste to every other fruit it must have been the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden), I was tempted Anna. However, with Save the Children so embroiled in controversy I was compelled to go with Eglantine. In any case, both saints aa
And I believe Mark Twain said the forbidden fruit had to have been a watermelon.
I lived for many years on St. Simons Island. Brunswick, Darian, and Pembroke were all a part of my stomping grounds. Yet, I never heard of Anna Alexander until Lent Madness introduced her. Thanks to those who provided videos and articles. On my next visit to St. Simons, I hope to visit Anna's school and grave. She was truly a remarkable woman who now resides with the saints in Paradise. She has my respect and my vote.
Loved the Eglantyne rose and would love to have that tea towel but Anna has my vote for her strength, courage and the ability to see Christ in every young person at a time when few did.
Another tough contest today...
I voted for Anna Alexander because I admire her grit and determination in fulfilling her mission. When anger and indignation would have been my default, her response was always to show kindness and love; and to dig in a a little deeper to achieve her goals. Her social status in the deep South, given the times she lived there and the circumstances she faced, make the success of her ministry seem nothing short of miraculous! Besides, I have a real affinity ti the Good Shepherd. That's the name of my church, too!
I voted for Anna. But I want one of those tote bags with the bulldog in an ugly Christmas sweater. 🙂