Month: May 2020

Surely every Christian knows who we welcomed today! I watched Mass on TV. Isolating myself still from church, I watched EWTN Mass and then Solemn Mass of Pentecost from the National Cathedral in Washington DC. The cathedral was empty. 4 choir persons, one priest, several servers. Isolation and lockdown is not the way we imagined celebrating Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, ancient Jewish feasts and newer Christian feasts… It is not what we decided to do, how we would celebrate Easter and Pentecost, but here we are, isolated, 70 days after many of us began isolation in the middle of Lent. Today marks the end of the Easter season which many of us church-goers missed. Today we celebrate when Christians celebrate the receipt of the Fire of the Holy Spirit! 2000 years ago a group of frightened men and several women huddled in a room, told to pray, left by Jesus… "Just Pray," he said, "just pray, I’ll come." OK… he said to pray. now what? Think of the emptiness of the first verse of the Bible…. Into the chaos and emptiness, the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the earth and breathed… He blew in life! Go read chapter 37 of Ezekiel when God told Ezekiel he could restore life to a valley full of dry bones!!! As i sat and watched TV today I wrote: "how is our world today?" Can we ever possibly imagine the chaos of our world? Human anger and greed. Think of Babel building up a tower to get more more more…. but what we have done is let anger and greed reign. And today, Pentecost Sunday, we are deep in disease and riots that only burn every section of our world. Hovering in my quiet home, with country music playing on "Xfinity Music Choice", I call upon the Holy Spirit, "could you please try to get in here?" How many times are we going to beg God to save us? How many times is he going to respond? He promised he loves us. He promised he would come, but we have to be open… That’s a big "have to" and bigger is what we "should do" that Americans right now aren’t willing to listen to… We are so used to our freedoms that when I say, "we should pray…. we should obey the Law (Love)" that people tell me I’m being preachy.

A few days ago, a man of the Law went to work and he killed another man. Recorded on cell phones. That night he was in jail for murder. Oh he did it OK. We all saw it on TV. There isn’t any excuse. It looks like the officer (now, ex-officer) put the offender in a car and the offender crawled out the other side. (It looks like that). So on the other side, a few ugly words probably were exchanged and a knee when to a neck. For 8 minutes. It’s a classic hold that police officers are warned not to use… my husband quotes the rule to me… if you use the choke hold or draw your gun be prepared to kill. Youch. But think about it. That’s policing. And that’s what the officers hear in their training. So what does this have to do with Pentecost. Because it’s happening right now on our TV sets, and in our cities, I talk about it, because it is horrible and in our faces. So how do we reconcile this? I hope you are isolated. I have that vision of the empty church in Washington and my own church here in Lake Placid with many many empty seats. Let us keep the vision of the frightened men and some women in the upper room. "He said to wait and pray. He said he would send a new power." And well, he did. He sent the Fire of his Holy Spirit! Not the fire that incites riots, but the fire that incites love. I can’t go out into the streets, and I shouldn’t! But I can pray and be kind in my neighborhood. In my Publix I can be kind, and in my Winn Dixie I can be kind. I can be kind with "oh my goodness" the IRS and the police officers of my town. I can say, "thank you for your service and I pray for you." God bless us. Angels with us.

News is something Trump encourages nobody to trust. He calls it Fake. So what am I to believe? I really do believe that we need something to rely on other than volatile rhetoric that raises our anxiety level and tempers. What good does it do to throw angry words at crisis when calm, kind words might settle us down? Yelling at students was sometimes my only option, but I knew it wouldn’t work. When I yelled, they knew they got me! They knew I was out of control. I didn’t know how to do otherwise. I could not calm down the mob of 9th and 11th graders I got that last year I taught, and realizing that, I got out. I didn’t teach them much, I never was "in control," and in my mind, the year was a waste. I was not trained to handle a mob and I got myself out. My friend Charlie said, "Sue you are not a policeman, you are a teacher, and THAT calls for police." So I left teaching. I look at what is happening today, our infrastructure is seriously threatened by flooding and storms, and our cities are in flames from rioting. Our hospital ICUs are full; our bars are full too! An Assumption student sent photos of flooding around her town in Minnesota that destroyed roads and bridges. I wondered who is going to help and rebuild? Who is in charge? I voted 8 years ago to improve the infrastructure and again 4 years ago to do the same. Fix America. We seem to be in worse shape. Get up and encourage voting. Don’t tear people down. Be kind. God bless us. Angels with us.

In a previous message I wrote that I sprinkled bird seed on the deck so the small birds could get it. Guess who came? Squirrels. OK so that didn’t work. Today, three birdies fought a big crew of black birds for the bird seed feeder. The little birdies showed the fierceness of hungry fighters and managed to win the hill several times! It was interesting to watch. As we watched the bird feeder we noticed animals lining up. Two squirrels, two mallard ducks, the limpkin and his partner, just hanging out and watching the pontoon boat. Then it began to rain and it has rained hard for about 6 hours. Chuck, noticing the animals hanging out in twos, suggested we should pack a few things in case we too have to retreat to the pontoon boat! I wonder what Noah felt as he built the Ark and the animals began to come in 2s. The east coast has gotten beaten with rain and the State of Florida has been inundated for days. I wish it could wash away Covid. Speaking of washing away Covid, we haven’t seen the otters since Covid the alligator started hanging around. A little prayer for the 2 little cute otters…. Hope they took a trip to another canal.

We must be careful as we emerge from isolation People are taking this differently and what other people do isn’t cause for criticism or bullying. I have not returned to Mass although daily Mass is being offered. In fact I have been walking with a church friend in the church parking lot. She lives across the street from the church and with the frequent rain showers, we just circle the lot and she can run home and I can run to my car if it rains. Well, 9am daily Mass let out as we made our circle of the parking lot and we said hello to our friends who went to Mass. I was questioned and my not being in Mass was queried. "Did I have no faith that Christ will save me? Need to go to Communion, … It’s really OK as Lots of distance is being observed etc etc." All I said was, "No, I’m staying outside in parking lots and sidewalks as much as possible for a while yet." (I’m waiting to see if we get an infection spike here in Lake Placid… ) I hear that air conditioning can just recycle virus as opposed to fresh air which blows germs away. The same with wearing a mask. I went to the Ace Hardware twice today to get bags of cement for Chuck. I had to return as he needed more. So 2 trips and no one but me was wearing a mask. Who is fool hardy? Who is a frightened ninny? This is not my call. Do what you have to do and keep your thoughts about it to yourself! This is a tough time and we are all affected. Be Kind! God bless us. Angels with us.

Good rainy morning! When I got up, Chuck told me the bird feeder is empty and some small birdies tried to eat, but there was no feed. So I zipped out to the dock, disturbing the limpkin feeding on our snails, and refilled the feeder. Now I’m counting 6 small birdies on the dock looking up at the full feeder, and one, no two, big black birds munching away. Those black birds attack each other for the feeder and sometimes a third will come and everybody’s feathers will be ruffled, but the little ones, and now a dove joins them, remain steady under the feeder on the dock. Why don’t they join forces and "take the feeder."? Because they can’t. They are gentle birds. Walking on the ground and eating the leftovers is their way. It’s their life. I often see doves walking around the yard, and I tell them, "get off the ground you silly birds; there might be a cat!" Silly birds. That’s a little the way I feel right now. A silly bird, hunkered down at home, avoiding the public places so as not to get infected. And young people, strong and confident take the world for themselves.

Chuck had an idea: put seed on the ground too. So I sprinkled a string of bird seed on the dock… All birds are now gone. It’s really quiet. Even the limpkin who "owns the sea wall on each side of the canal" is gone. Go figure, I meddled and everybody took off. Probably the gator has come back! Yikes. What a way to begin the day! I better get to praying! Actually Mass is about to begin, then the Rosary, they I will walk with lady friends for an hour. Today is a day to write cards. I have a few birthdays and anniversaries to honor. Also one of our priests at St James will celebrate 70 years in the priesthood on June 4. He is a wonderful, prayerful, positive man who served in Africa among other places taking care of souls. You my dears, have a wonderful day. Stay dry and stay safe! Stand in awe of the glory of God as it rains and cleans the earth and waters the spring buds. God bless us. Angels with us.

ps: The small birdies are on the feeder and the limpkin is back. Now all I need is a little sunshine for my laundry!!!

As we walked along Placid Lakes Boulevard today I saw that our neighbors are flying the American flag, some at half staff. The Federal Government suggested we fly at half staff until Monday for the dead heroes of the Covid 19. And then on Monday continue for the fallen soldier heroes. In thought and in heart, our heroes are close to us. Let us say a quiet "God speed you to heaven…. and Thank You for your life – lived in service."

Walking today was hard. Chuck walks fast… Good grief; he doesn’t sweat either. This little measly walk along the Boulevard doesn’t even make him breathe hard, let alone sweat. Today I just couldn’t keep up! After a few, "slow ups" I let him go. It was like letting a grey hound go! When I walk hard and fast I breathe hard! and sometimes I can’t get air fast enough. I found this on the mountain walks with Karla and her dogs, I felt funny breathing hard and my partner wasn’t. I always wondered about that. I have never smoked but CT revealed I have emphysematous changes in the apices of my lungs. What does this mean? My parents were heavy smokers. The car was often filled with smoke. The living room was filled with smoke and full ashtrays and I used to curl up in my father’s lap and eat cheese off his plate (and sip his beer). When I got out on the streets, I hung out in smoky bars. You know what we smelled like when we came home from bars. It was "get into the shower with your clothes on and wash your hair too" and I could still smell the smoke in my nose afterwards. So listen! Today I’m preaching (again!)… If you smoke… Stop It! If you go into a smoky place. Get Out!

I will not have the news on today so I say a little prayer for all "my people" and hope all are healing. Friend Mary is recovering from breast cancer surgery. God bless Mary and bring her to health. God bless you who are suffering financial and health woes. Angels with us. Fear not. God bless us.

In the lake in Miami we used to have a giant snail that laid eggs in giant pink slimy strings. icky messes of pink strings hung from our sea walls. Then along came the Limpkins. It’s funny how the birds "know" where the snails are and come and eat. Soon the pink slimy eggs dried up and no more appeared. Limpkins solved our slimy problem by eating the big snails who laid the eggs. Right now, here in Lake Placid, on our canal, there are 2 limpkins hunting in the yard across the canal from us. One is a regular. He "fishes" during sunrise and sunset hours. He walks along the seawall and then jumps in! he disappears for a moment and comes up with a snail in his mouth. Then, he jumps up on shore, wrangles the snail out of its shell, eats it, drops the shell on the neighbor’s lawn, and dives back in! We too have a pile of empty shells on our dock where he "fishes." He’s always been solitary, but this morning another limpkin came running toward him in another yard, but skidded to a stop up against the neighbor’s fence. Is it a mate? a friend? We don’t know. The two of them are studiously ignoring each other right now. I left Chuck watching them so I could watch daily Mass.

I also had to remove the bird feeder yesterday as a heavy rain got the bottom layer of seed all wet. It’s dry now, and birds are posted at judicious limits from each other on the fence, waiting for me to bring the feeder back out. While we sat watching the canal at sunset two nights ago, a beautiful shiny black bird with shiny blue highlights let us know the feeder was empty by serenading us with a raucous calling as he waited on the fence! Good grief! As I hang the full feeder, I tell those big birds, let the little guys get in here too!!!!

So I am concerned about the little guys! My sister said she is concerned about my anguish; my angst …. I turn on the news to see how "people… my people" are doing. I’m a people too so I want to know what improvements have been made in medicine to conquer the virus. The other day I was quickly overwhelmed by destructive, even pernicious, what I consider mean-spirited talk… I chewed off a thumb nail as I listened to accusing, arguing, name calling talk about political figures by a political figure… I had to turn the TV off without finding any constructive solutions. People are sickening and dying. I’ve shared stories and prayed for people in ICUs on respirators. We hear about families losing loved ones and now children are affected by a virus we all should be arm in arm fighting. Instead, we are slinging threats and vicious rhetoric. Yesterday I said I pray we come out of this isolation time a different people, concerned about the poor and concerned about life. "End abortion. End hate," I wrote. This isn’t political. This is life. Everyone, every human being is in this. Our world is a little like those two limpkins facing each other from different sides of the fence. They are of the same species, I looked them up and discovered "It is the only extant species in the genus Aramus and the family Aramidae. " Now I’m not sure what that means exactly, but I think it means they are the only ones like themselves. So, like us, they need to jump up on that fence and fight this thing together. Or …. one of them jump over that fence and make friends with the other one. There aren’t any others. Time to get outside and exercise. At a socially acceptable distance! God bless us. Angels with us.

In the Gospel of John chapter 16, Jesus says, "In a little while you won’t see me, and then you will see me again" and the Apostles ask among themselves, for who dares to ask the Master? "What does he mean…. in a little while… where is he going?" In daily Mass on EWTN, as the priest talked, as he spoke, I added to his beautiful homily. I wrote…. ….

In a little while your grief will become joy. It has been 40 days since Easter. This was an unforgettable Easter. We couldn’t celebrate Holy Thursday, the Last Supper, Good Friday. I missed half of Lent. Easter was a day meant to bring Joy and Hope. "He is Risen." Not joyful for many who couldn’t be with loved ones in sickness, it was a time of heavy grief. We have not been able to hold hands and comfort each other in sickness and death. Bodies still lie in freezers, unburied. Funerals cannot occur in many places yet. Grief, sadness, and loneliness have stalked us and wrapped around us. St Therese of the Child Jesus promised she would shower us with roses and the patrons of EWTN have surrounded the altar in the small chapel where daily Mass is said with roses. A rose for each Rosary said for healing. Jesus asks us to look at the flowers of the field. Look at the flowers of Spring. They grow for the glory of God! They grow for us for whom this earth was created. God gave us a gift of hope in the beauty of nature. We must let God’s creation: stars, great oceans of daffodils and tulips, iris and orchid, small animals fill us with Joy! Sorrow walks with us, but beauty surrounds us. Look up. A bird lands on my bird feeder. Yesterday 3 birds hit the feeder at the same time! They swayed there, pecking at the seed reminding me, "gotta buy more seed." An orchid sways in the warm breeze. Ripples in the water of the canal behind the house indicate to me a mysterious life I can’t see, reminding me that I hope to follow to a mysterious life I can’t see, but I must hope for. Today in celebrating Ascension, 40 days after Easter, we learn that Jesus has gone to Heaven, to the Father Creator to prepare a place for us. Because I can’t see or understand what heaven is, I must believe in and listen to the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ to whisper to me that Christ is with us and he waits for us (another mystery!). As Communion is given in a small chapel on television with only a few celebrants, I am reminded to graft on to Jesus in Spirit and heart. I’m reminded, "have faith. Be joyful." "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." (Leon Bloy) In all the unbelievable meanness of our world, of politics and illness, I must be joyful.

Today is Ascension Thursday. 40 days ago, we celebrated Easter, at home, on our couches. Not in church. We celebrated the Resurrection and defeat of death. Easter reminds us to have joy over the defeat of death in the midst of sadness. Have Hope. Trust our Father has made us a heavenly home in the most perfect and beautiful place where tears and anger do not reside. When we come out of isolation we must use what we have learned in this time. Not the harsh political accusations, but the value of love and the value of life that must be honored. End hunger, end the poverty and wretched living conditions of our people (think of the poverty of the Navajo Nation). End abortion. End hate. "Behold I am with you always until the end of the age." Never permit me Lord to be separated from you. I know that my Redeemer lives." God bless us. Angels with us.

There we all were, dancing around the yard, laughing at the little otters poking their heads up and looking at us; as curious about us silly humans as we were about them. That was yesterday. Today the neighbors were all gathered out at the edge watching a 4 foot alligator slowly, brazenly, swimming up the center of the canal. "Boooooo! Get away from here! We have otters. … We hope." Isn’t life like that? One day all is well; we are playing and planning and the next day an alligator raises his ugly head. This alligator called Covid 19 has taken livlihoods and lives. He has sapped Joy and Hope. My sweet great nephew Nathan is Valedictorian of his high school class. He played both offence and defense on the highschool football team. He lifts weights to bulk up as…. he’s always trying to overcome his "short genes". My sister, his mother and father all barely reach five and a half feet!!! Nathan, you are fine. Just hold your head up and you will be 6 feet tall!!!! Nathan’s grandmother, my sister, said he has to give a speech. I wrote some healthy Bible quotes and some words about Joy and Hope in Christ in his graduation card. It’s all about looking out at what’s happening, even looking at people being miserable…. and holding on to faith. Jesus said, unequivocably, LOVE. FORGIVE. Period. Not the end of the story of course, but, we must not let the atmosphere of our nation and the world that carries a lot of animosity (we hear the word, "hate", a lot too)… we must not let it get to us. Acts of the Apostles recounts that Paul and Silas were scorned, arrested, stripped (naked?), beaten with rods, and thrown into chains in prison. Guess what they did? "praying and singing hymns to God… all the prisoners listened… a severe earthquake shook the foundations of the jail and the doors sprung open." Out they came and the jailer was converted. The jailer bathed their wounds (said, "I’m sorry"?) and fed them… He came to Faith in God. What did the jailer do? He gave up his job probably and took on the yoke of Christ. Love and service. That, Nathan, is what we must do, no matter what is happening on the surface of the waters. No matter that storms rage. We must be praying and at peace in our hearts. I learned something this week about our heart. It’s a muscle protected by the breast plate, and behind it, behind all that protection, resides the amazing blood vessel the aorta. What an amazing structure. Our vital organs are physically protected, down deep. So, Nathan, let the down deep things open up and accept the Peace of the Lord. Don’t be infected by "what other people do." "In the presence of angels, sing the Lord’s praise and have faith." (Acts 16 and Psalm 138.) You are beautifully and wonderfully made dear nephew….. grab hold of faith and move forward. Do not let these (bad) things get to you. Shine and find others who shine. Be an otter, not an alligator! God bless us. Angels with us!

Yesterday I was late for my walk because we had a party of otters in the canal! Chuck, John, Steve and Connie were all out on their docks as I was leaving to go walk. I love the neighborliness of our new home, as it is just like in Miami when someone would see a manatee, Mike, George, Kathie, Tammy, all of us walking up and down the beach, pointing, "there! there!" as the manatees rolled and spouted. But this was little smooth-headed sea creatures who roll and play and seemed as curious about us as we were about them! Up and down the canal they swam and dived as if to give us a little synchronized swimming show. Then they would come up and look at us! Sleek wet heads and little hairy noses poking up and just, looking at us! After I walked, I planted spider lilies a friend from church gave me. It is the first real gardening I have done since we moved in, but I am excited about gardening this year and growing yellow squash and other southern delights like our cousins Laura and Dennis a few miles to the west near the coast of Florida. They have weathered the sequestration by gardening and getting 2 new rescue pups bringing their family to 4 dogs and a cat! We must continue to live and to help serve the planet. Finally to complete the "sea-show" we have here on our canal… Chuck and I were dock-sitting at sunset and an anhinga flew in…. they swim under water and then come out and dry their wings, and then dive back in. Too funny. You get your hair all dry after a swim, only to dive back in. Up he finally came with a fat fish that looked like an angel fish. Way bigger than the anhinga’s throat. So he floated in the water in front of us, juggling that fat fish, got it into position (scales closed and head down), and he gave several giant swallows. Chuck and I were, as usual, astounded that he could do that…. With several "glump" movements of his head, he swallowed that wriggling fish – Whole and Alive. How’s that for an image!!!! We said goodnight to neighbors across the canal, and next door, and went in to finish the steak leftovers we brought from Renee’s, to finish the MacGyver shows for the season, to read, and to put to bed another day on canal # 5, Good night from Lake Placid!!!!! God bless us. Love and Angels with you.

I have to run to find my Magnificat (daily Mass prayers) to see what day it is because everyday I watch Mass on TV and move the book mark….. But if you catch me out on the back porch, I won’t know what day it is and, as for what time it is, ALL of Chuck’s clocks on the porch read 5 o’clock. You know what THAT means don’t you? So I tend to go through sequestered life in a haze: Wake up, "angel show", Rosary, Mass, all while drinking coffee. Then jump into sneakers and go walk with the girls. Wait until I get plenty sweaty walking and … then it’s time to come home. Shower. Then… it’s puzzle time. When tummy rumbles it’s probably lunch time, but watch the Mass again to get another homily from the wonderful EWTN priest of the day. Then it’s lunch time and watch a show on TV. If it’s not nap time, it’s watch TV time, or oh my goodness…. paperwork time (banking on the computer). Then! Puzzle time until the sun starts casting shadows and it’s cocktail time on the dock with a bottle of wine. Sunset? Bottle done? It’s dinner time, TV time, reading time, sleep time. Is this retirement in isolation or what? In "the old days" my calendar was full every day with ladies meetings or Church duties: Sacristan, lector at Mass, Emmaus, Catholic Women meetings, Crafts group, Bible study….. Now…. well… what day is it is my most important question. and well. what difference does it make?

When I got results of CT scan from Lake Placid doctor and he advised I see a surgeon, I wondered if he read the length of the aneurysm and not it’s width… but Orlando surgeon said I have a twisty aorta and it’s hard to measure, but surgeon says, do not worry about it… get echo cardio gram in 6 months measuring the aneurysm that way…. and…. then wait 6 months and another 6 months, etc. The bottom line is, live and enjoy life. Thank God for life and gifts like a husband like Chuck and friends and family all over who love me!!!!! Until tomorrow…. love you dear friends. God bless us. Angels with us.