Pilates

Tonight I started a class in Standing Pilates. It's hard. Very Hard! I'm sore already. I have absolutely no balance. I must hold all my stress in my shoulders because they ache. We were just standing there and gently moving, but I was sweating. What gives?

Lost and Found

The Suitcase Man has been found. He's been home sick for a week. Although, his landlady said she went into his apartment and he wasn't there. He says that he must have been asleep.
I still don't trust the Housing Authority. This is not the end. Watch. Somehow this will be used as an excuse to evict Jim.
He always did need prayers, now and forever.

Retreat

It was great, but a casual observer would probably raise his eyebrows over my descriptions. Everyone except Louise and I knew each other. They all come from the same region: PA, NY, NJ and Conn. They hadn't seen each other since last year, so they had a lot of catching up to do. Louise and I were new, so we had a lot of getting acquainted to do. IOW, forget the "silent" in this silent retreat. Each day ended with a social, which meant a lot of wine drinking. I couldn't believe the bottles of wine they polished off!
Praying was intense. I guess you could say they played hard and prayed hard. Saturday we prayed all four mysteries of the Rosary, by the end of the day. LOH was prayed, and of course Mass. There was time for Adoration, and Confession, too.
The retreat Master was Fr. Lawrence Donohoo, O.P. His theme was "Knowing and Loving" God. He is in the process of writing a book on his 21 ways of loving God -- or something like that. I could relate to his theme because as my eye is healing, I am seeing more and more, which I likened to knowing God's creation more and more, leading me to loving Him more and more.
Coming home, Louise and I were assessing our feelings about the retreat. We concluded that never mind the spiritual aspect, the community aspect gave us such a shot in the arm that our spirituality was deepened, our vocation was rejuvenated, and our faith was deepened. What more do you want?

Villa of Our Lady Retreat House

I'm waiting for Lousie to pick me up. Having just had eye surgery, I'm not that crazy to drive over five hours to the retreat house. I'm very anxious to meet my fellow Lay Dominicans, there, especially Helen. We've emailed and chatted on the telephone for almost two years.
And I'm looking forward to relaxing with Jesus. We haven't had concentrated time together since vacation. Chilling with Jesus, that's what retreat is all about.

Anticipation

My eye is doing very well. The doctor took the patch off today.
I'm starting to pack for retreat. It's a weekend retreat at Mount Pocono, PA. I just looked up the local weather and it said 46 degrees. Brrrrrr! I'll make sure I pack warm pajamas.
The "Suitcase Man" is still missing. I found out that he used his "food stamp" charge card on Sept. 25th. But that doesn't mean that he was the one who used it.
My Love, I lift Jim up to You. I trust You to do what's best. Amen

The Suit Case Man is Missing

Jim, a/k/a the "Suitcase Man" has been reported missing. He's a "poor soul." I don't know how to describe him. Let's say that his cognitive ability is not normal. He walks all over carrying a suitcase. It's like his pocketbook. Inside is "stuff" he might need. Jerks sometime push him around, insult him, and he's even been "rolled".
I met him when I use to work for Human Services. He was one of our clients. When the department was eliminated, I still helped him. I'd help him fill out forms: fuel assistance, medicare, disability, transportation, etc. I'd bring him to the welfare office, St. Vicent de Paul's store, to pay his rent. He lived in subsidized housing. I helped him as much as I could until I got very sick a couple of years ago. That was a sign to me to slow down. I just couldn't help him anymore when I was coping with trying to help myself. All I can do now is pray for him.
His land lady from the Housing Authority telephoned me to tell me that she reported him missing. No one has seen him lately. Everyone keeps an eye out for him. The police haven't seen him around, nor the bus drivers, or train conductors. The land lady went inside him apartment and it didn't look like he'd been there for days.
I'm fearful that he might be ill, or worse. I also don't trust the Housing Authority. Poor Jim also has compulsive hoarding disorder. The authorities have been trying to get him out for years. I admit he is a fire hazard. But they don't find him any place else for him to live. He'd be homeless. He was homeless before, but he's in his 70's, now. He refuses to go into a nursing home. He just doesn't understand. Part of me thinks, that he isn't missing; the Housing is just looking for an excuse to take his apartment.
Sigh...............all I can do is pray.
I wrote a poem about Jim.

Sometimes I see him in the Common,
Sometimes he appears on the "T,"

It's Jim, the Suitcase man,
My friend who calls me an angel.

He's walked the day; God knows where!
Traveling for hope, looking for love.

He's talking to invisible people.
But they're nicer than most.

Head down, one foot in front of the other.
Plod, plod, plod along..........my friend.


"You are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope." Judith 9:

Cataract Surgery

I'm back from my second cataract surgery. It went well. I'm very pleased. I was worried that the doctor wouldn't do it because my blood pressure was too high. When they took my blood pressure 144/78 the nurse just recorded it, not saying anything. So I didn't say anything. After the surgery, I was getting dressed and chatting with the nurse. I mentioned that I was worried about my blood pressure. She told me that during surgery something is fed through my IV to keep my blood pressure down.
Hrmph! I worried for nothing.