Author: Susie

How many times do we ask for "all the way," "the works," the most, the best? Do we then flaunt, make happy noises, grunts of enjoyment, patting our over stuffed tummies, and smile as we drive around in pretty boats and cars, and finally fall into our freshly made beds of soft linens and sweet smelling blankets (mmmmmmm)? This week in daily Mass we have been reading about the Pharisees who get rich things and lord their power over their "subjects." They get the best seats at table and the best seats in church. Everyone greets them! … and today, the reading was about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19). The message was getting what is good and comfortable now; but not in the next lifetime. The rich man who ignored the beggar at his door, got fire in "the next lifetime", and Lazarus, the poor man, got comforted in the bosom of Abraham. Hugs and cool water. (Luke 16:19) We get what we deserve. … I know we are all doing the best we can, but I wonder if I really am? We are offered a choice… Life or death in the next world: "stand in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth…" or be "like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream." We are rewarded according to our ways. I would like to be the tree by the waters! (see the Prophet Jeremiah 17: 5-10). Well dears. Be healthy and pray because sometimes, prayer is all we have. God bless you

For about a week we "bundled up" to walk outside. Long sleeved tee shirt, for me another jacket on top of that, extra (dry) shirt to change into when leaving the gym to walk home. Chuck and I have both been working out, him for the month of February and me January and February. It’s the first time I ever worked with weights! and I can see improvement in strength and stamina! We’re talking girlie weights… I do exercises with 5 and 8 pound dumb bells and I lifted a 20 pound bar bell today!!! Today… I didn’t need the jacket to walk home. I guess winter is over. It wasn’t a good winter for tomatoes; very wet; rained a lot so leaves on all herbs and tomatoes look like they’ve been severely beaten. I think tomato crop is 4 and not counting any more. The big iguana has been leaving my 2 hibiscus bushes outside the art room alone so we have some spectacular blooms there We are working on the beaches, clearing all grass off in preparation for building up the sea wall and then pouring sand in for little kids who come to play. Big kids might enjoy sitting by the sandy beach and sipping a cocktail while little kids play! I have gotten involved at St Timothy and St Augustine and have meetings at least once a week in the evenings. I also volunteered to read at 7am Mass on Sunday and 6pm Mass on Wednesday evenings so I’m kept busy and out of the house. We watch the weather and politics and can’t figure out which is worse… Hope all family and friends continue healthy and staying warm. Me? I’m glistening in the South Florida heat! God bless you.

No we’re not! It’s in the single digits for a great deal of the north and Chuck and I are chilly here in Miami. It was 53 degrees this morning but warmed up nicely to be able to take a boat ride at sunset. I’ve been praying a lot lately for Syria and the refugees especially in Aleppo. Can you imagine our home towns reduced to rubble? How awful. God bless the people. I have also been watching the candidates in the snow… All bundled up and arguing. I guess there isn’t much of a chance issues will be discussed instead of innuendos; and what about anyone discussing the issues and ideas? I am a little concerned about anything getting done and so I just pray a lot. Our morning Mass priest gave a very short homily this morning: "Scripture tells us how to walk in God’s way and what the truth is. Just do it." I had to look back at what we just read: From Isaiah 58: 9-14: If I may paraphrase: Do not oppress, do not falsely accuse, no malicious speech. "Bestow bread on the hungry, satisfy the afflicted… Then light shall rise for you in the darkness and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty….you shall be like a watered garden." So if you are feeling dry and angry, gloomy and broken, … then try saying nice things even when you feel evil and angry. Be silent and know that God is present; sometimes we are yelling so loud and moving so fast we can’t sense his presence. God bless you. Happy Valentines day!

A few days ago, as the Super Bowl began, as I prepared to watch the Denver Broncos play against the Carolina Panthers, I wrote about the Payton Manning vs Cam Newton quarterback challenge as the old guy vs the young guy. A 39 year old quarterback doesn’t have the agility, flexibility, or healing power that a 26 year old quarterback has. As we age, we lose the ability to jump high and land hard without breaking a hip! Great orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists can help us cover the great distance to health after an injury, but… I was worried about the match up. As it turns out… defense won the game and the quarterbacks were not great scorers on either side.

Half way through the game I realized I had used the word “old” for Manning and what I should have said was “experience and maturity.” In muscle power and flexibility, the young guy wins, but in wisdom and maturity it’s hands down “the old guy.” I realized that while looking at Cam Newton who lost his bravado and pride in the middle of the game. He didn’t have the maturity to “get over it.” He didn’t know how to fight to come back that we get as we age. He couldn’t ignore the mistakes that "first timers" make and he couldn’t get over the missed and dropped passes. It wasn’t his angst that passed along into his team so the penalties started mounting up, or was it? What’s with us these days? Bravado, a big mouth, taunting, name calling has become the norm. I listened to Donald Trump yesterday, and I thought the mothers of America must be shivering in their shoes, years of teaching against name calling and taunting lost in a single speech by a political candidate. No, Donald, it isn’t OK. Grow up! Talk to the issues. And it isn’t only Donald, folks, we all need to look to our tempers and our tongues. God bless us.

I have been paying a lot of attention to politics, debates, town halls, interviews, and now, today I have settled in to watch the last football game until September. I’m for the "old guy" who could be my son! The other QB, Cam, could be a grand son! Good grief on getting old and thinking 39 year old Payton Manning is old!!! I don’t want anyone hurt. I want a good game and … we even ordered pizza delivery from Papa John’s. We’re suckers for commercials and are looking forward to 3 hours of bliss and good football. God bless the players and all of us.

Good day after two days that started out stormy and ended up beautiful. Yesterday began so foggy we couldn’t see the lake and I couldn’t see the traffic light at 48th street as I drove to 8am Saturday daily Mass. The day that dawned foggy and chilly became gorgeous, sunny and warm. Go figure. After squalling rains and street flooding, Mother Nature tried to "make up" and we enjoyed a warm sunny afternoon and were able to get some outside cleanup done and drive to Fort Lauderdale for a submarine veterans meeting. This morning started the same. Heavy winds and rain all done by 830 am and warm enough to hang laundry at noon.

When making New Years resolutions, this year, inspired by the witness of our brother-friend Charlie Paparelli, I pledged not to make any "plans" like "I will serve here, I will do this for others," rather I will wait for God to put the needy in front of me. And when we make a pledge like that… we better be ready! Like not being worried that horrible weather will ruin our day… Just go on with being kind and joyful. God will arrange. In the last few days in church readings, we have read about two tax collectors whom Jesus called. Zacchaeus who was a tax collector was so short that he got up into a tree to see Jesus. I think he might have said he wanted to "see this guy who is going to restore the Kingdom of David and set things right. Anyway, he heals the sick and gives sight to the blind." But what does Jesus do? Jesus called Zacchaeus and said, "I must stay at your house." Yikes! can you imagine a call like that? And we haven’t planned for that! And the only thing Jesus did was sit and eat and BE a Presence in the tax collector’s house with a Presence both compelling and beautiful and full of love. No swords, no pension plans. Just, "Come." The other call, to Levi, was pretty much the same. Tax collectors earned a lot of money and Levi just got a finger pointed his way, "Come." Gulp. In the Saturday morning homily, our priest started with a question, "What if I asked you to give up your day job. Give up high salary and come serve here at the church. As you know, we can’t pay too much as we have debt and have to take care of the poor". "Come". Another Big Gulp. Well, I thought, I don’t have a job, but this applies to me too for when he calls he means, come now, give up all the old sin (now a days we don’t like to talk about sin….) OK give up the uncharitable ways. Give up the meanness. Give up the gossip. Open your heart to goodness, kind thoughts, to calling the Name of Jesus and believing he is the Son of God. Another unpopular thing to do today. Humble ourselves in a very material and "politically proper" world. A worldly world. The open heart of Jesus calls hearts. Once we follow, and it is often at great cost because we might get ridiculed and lose some worldly esteem, we can’t go back. Enjoy God’s beauty this amazing day. God bless you.

How fast it all winds down! I felt the end coming as early as the day after Christmas. The day after Christmas, everything suddenly comes to a grinding halt and even the parties on the lake seemed to quiet down. Of course those parties got noisy again for New Years Eve. But there is a slowing down now… We are undecorating. We decorated and puts up tons of lights to celebrate the season of Christmas and we had a pre Christmas dinner party, house guest cousin Carol from Ohio, New Years Eve Party, and last night friends Peter and Karen who couldn’t come to any Christmas events as they were travelling to be with their kids. We did lots of pontooning at night as even the pontoon boat is decorated with Christmas lights that we might leave on the boat… NOW is the awful undecorating with me whining and complaining and the many empty bins being slowly filled with Santas, candles, trees, deer, toys, and many Nativities and lots of angels and animals. Carol is decorating boxes that they put things in as "memory boxes" for the ill and those who lost babies at the hospital. Chuck and I are packing away Christmas. He just realized he has to take down the lights. I know why old people get caregivers…. I could use a caregiver about now. Friend Charlie Paparelli asked what resolutions we are making? Are we changing focus? Are we in transition? Absent quiet time, I have tried to write answers to this perplexing year beginning planning… What is God’s will for me? Am I doing what God wants? Do I really know God? Who do I think Jesus is? I wrote that I am his servant, and like a child Eli, I say, "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will." But what is that? How does one serve? Saint John wrote in his first letter: "We receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: We should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us." (3:22) Jesus said, "Love God and Love one another." That is paraphrasing I know… Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, American Saint, said, "Do what we are supposed to do, do it where we are; do the will of God, in the manner God wills, because he wills it." WOW. how easy this all is isn’t it? No? That’s because we’re not listening. Do not limit God’s desire for us and his mercy for us! In these days when the light shining from that star is still brightest, listen and sit still. Know you are doing God’s will when you sit still and listen…. that is what he desires. Doing God’s will gives peace. Peace be with you. God bless you.

Good morning! Christmas was wonderful! Christmas started with Mass in the early morning where I read as a lector (Christmas Mass was 8am, better than normal 7am Sunday Mass! THAT is an eye opener and the only day I set an alarm is Sunday for 7am Mass!) It seems like we opened presents from Santa all day yesterday. And I had a few Hallmark movies to watch! and we went to a wonderful family dinner with friends Patty and Andy in the evening. Today I hope to get back to diet and exercise… It is unrelentingly hot in Miami and wintertime seems far off… I would like to turn off Air Conditioning and get fresh lake air as it IS wintertime, but it is over 80 degrees… so air stays on. Chuck and I walk daily; I try to walk for an hour… Chuck likes to have a destination so sometimes it is only to the Home Depot, Winn Dixie, or post office and back… If we need food, Chuck often has to haul bags of groceries home. So he gets weight lifting along with his walk back home from Winn Dixie! Santa Claus got me a You Fit gym membership that allows me one free guest when I visit. Chuck pledged to go daily with me as guest! It is a medium sizsed YouFit with no floor exercises, but one with Yoga and other classes is near by. I am going 3 times a week to rehab for my aching elbow that started aching last April… and still hasn’t stopped despite the ministrations of a very handsome physical therapist named Carlos…. My elbow and arm loves his massages, but still the aching. Might need to go back for an MRI… We lead a very quiet life of walking, dieting, prayer time (or Suduku/solitaire for Chuck) generally to bed by 9:30! Celebrating Christmas can be a let down on the day after when we have to clean up the clutter of ripped paper, wash the dishes used at the sumptuous banquets of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day… and put away the gifts… Don’t let that get to you! Instead I continue going to daily Mass, but today we celebrated the first martyr for Christ, St Stephen which reminds us… we aren’t loved for our faith. In our world as in St Stephen’s world, there is great gnashing of teeth against Christianity and against Love and Mercy (see Acts chapter 6 for St Stephen’s story) … Keep on keeping on dear friends. God bless you in this Christmas season and into the New Year.

I send to you today’s blessing in a book I received from my beloved Chuck:
"Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. That is enough." John Adams….
May the peace of the Risen and Present Christ be with you in your heart, in your spirit, every day. God bless you.

A friend titled her Christmas letter simply "Blessings"… We say we will pray for others and we pray for blessings on others. Some say "positive vibrations" and "light and love." What would Jesus say and do? I think he started teaching us at creation: be kind to one another, look at creation and see the good that God loves, and praise God, grasp your neighbor’s right hand, "I am the Lord who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’" (Isaiah 41:13) What can I do today to help another? Be kind. Be silent. Listen. How am I preparing for that quiet midnight hour when we celebrate and remember when heaven touched earth? May the God who has been with us since our birth, bless us abundantly and keep our hearts in peace. (Genesis 48:15-16). God bless you.