Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad’s 50th birthday! I can’t celebrate with him in person, but instead am sharing some birthday greetings, art, and dedications for him from friends around the world.

“Kosta” by Toni Popov, painter.

When I asked Toni why he chose this specific representation of Kosta, he replied that it was because he wanted to reflect the deep thinker in him. We all know him to be, as Pearse would say, ‘a Man of Authority. Gentle as a lamb, he never raises his voice. Nor ever needs to. People of all ages and both sexes are simply inclined to defer to whatever he asks. (Except Gabi. Obviously)’, but apart from his cheerful and calm demeanour, we also know him as a contemplative and wise thinker, which is the side of him this painting honours.

“Transfusion” by Mark Meynell (For Kosta, Happy Birthday)

This poem was written by Mark for Kosta back in 2016. However, today he revisited and recorded it in honour of Kosta’s 50th! Thank you Mark, and what a wonderful poem.

A Message from Michael Jensen, Australia.

At The Mitre in Oxford, where Michael and Kosta met during their DPhil.

“Kosta is one of my dearest and most precious friends in the world. He is a model of Christlikeness to me.
He survived a terrible accident in Oxford with his joy intact.
A particularly precious memory is travelling to Aberdeen with him to go to a conference and sharing a room. I think we both snore terribly, but he is WORSE than me!!
We shared a love of strong coffee and theological discussion.

I long to be with Kosta and Nada once more. It's the longing for heaven which we share.”

“A Portent of Doom” by Meic Pearse, for Kosta.

*Yes, that “portent of doom” is yours truly (Gabi) … Meic met my parents way back during their university years! When I first met Meic as a baby, I am reported to have burst into tears, I now know why…

A Portent of Doom (Meic Pearse, for Kosta)

It was just the day before yesterday. My Macedonian friend was telling me about all the trouble he and his wife were having with their three-year-old daughter.

She was far too used to getting her own way and, just the day before, things had come to a head. After breakfast, she was making a fuss about going to kindergarten — crying, shouting, pouting, and generally carrying on. In a desperate ploy to co-ordinate strategies with his wife, the parents had started talking to each other in English about how to manoeuvre the ghastly little monster outside and to the car.

As he related to me what happened next, he explained: "I got her outside the front door at last, at the top of the stairs going down to the street." That was when she had shouted up defiantly at the figure towering over her: "And I understood exactly what you and Mummy were saying!" — followed by a Macedonian summary of what had, indeed, been said.

"I mean — what do you do with a child like that?" my friend asked me.

I cast my mind rapidly over the full repertoire of dastardly tricks from my own parental experience — making 'cakes' out of ever-increasing proportions of vegetables (rather than sugar and flour) to ensure some semblance of a proper diet; leaping out suddenly from cupboards at my daughters to make them shriek; gulling my son to pass under a particular window, as he chased his sisters with a water pistol, enabling me to pour a bucket of water on him from upstairs; rolling my eyes and making Frankenstein noises when going to 'settle the girls down' to sleep ("Stop it, Daddy! Stop! Eeeeeeeehhhhhhh!!!"). All of them were directed at a proper education in life lessons: Trust no one! (Especially not your father.) But none of them seemed to be of much guidance here.

"Well", I said, rather lamely, "you've got a right one there. Good luck with bringing up that one, Kosta...."

(Happy Birthday, my friend.)

Greetings from Ukraine! Happy Birthday Kosta!

Kosta often goes to teach at the university in Kiev, and is much beloved by students and staff alike, as you can see!

Art from our Godchildren (all four of them!)

Our dearest godchildren sent over their art dedicated to Kosta, their godfather; drawn and sent straight from Austria and England! We love you so much. What precious drawings!