Those Who Know, Know

 Today, I brought my 94-year-old friend to her doctor.  Afterwards, we went to lunch.  I have to laugh at our conversation.  I was telling her about my interaction with a mutual acquaintance of ours.  We knew who we were talking about without knowing her name.  It went something like this.

You know what's her name, the one who's always talking about living in England.

Who?

I can't think of her name.  But she's tall, maybe the tallest woman in the Senior Center.

Oh yeah.  I think I know whom you mean.

Yes, she has naturally curly hair, white.

Oh yes, yes.  I can't think of her name, either.  She sometimes works the register, in the cafeteria.

You got it.  Yes her.

Well, what about her?  

She's the one who told me that if you eat 12 grapes at midnight--one for each of the 12 months, you'll have good luck.

Well, what's her name should know.  She always wins our raffle.

Friends of God

Friends of God Homilies by Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, is a book I used for meditation.  I read something every day.  

This is a book of 18 homilies written during the 1940's. They are simple, something even I could understand.  Yet, they contain doctrine and a theologian's clarity of explanations. 

They are perfect for discussions with friends and God.

 

The Deacon's Homily

 Today, Deacon Ron Gerwatowski, gave the homily to Luke 2: 41-52.  He talked about losing his daughter, on a Fourth of July. This tied in nicely with the Gospel about finding Jesus in the temple.  

A parent losing a child is a nightmare.  Fortunately, I have never had the experience.  My children were always hanging on me.  But I can relate to the feeling of a child losing their mother.

Back in the 1950's, my family didn't have a car. We walked to a corner store and shopped.  It was a small store, like 7-Eleven, Cumberland Farms, etc.  The aisles were small compared to Big Y, Stop & Shop, etc.  

I was around five years old and still remember that feeling of looking up and not seeing my mother.  She was only around the corner--less than 10 steps away.  

Now back to the Deacon's homily.  He spoke of how parents take care of their children and then twenty plus years, those same children are taking care of their parents.  

It struck me that no priest could have given a better homily.  They don't know that feeling of fear, of losing a child, nor will they ever experience their child taking care of them.  Priests aren't parents.

Growing Up Too Fast

 Since the author, Chris Whitaker wrote All the Colors of the Dark, which I loved and still think about, I picked up another Chris Whitaker book, We Begin at the End.

This is another, mystery, thriller, and riveting story.  Again, the story is about a teenager.  There is another handicapped teen in the story.  In All the Colors of the Dark, Thomas Nobles has symbrachydactyly. Thomas Nobles had an undeveloped hand. Again, another mother is unable to care properly for her children and the child takes care of her.  There's a good cop in both stories.  Both take place in the USA.

The cop, Walk, befriended our hero, Duchess.  The plot involves Duchess and her little brother, Robin.  When their mother is murdered, the kids go to live with their grandfather.  Duchess is a tough nut.  She swears and takes no sh*t.  Her comebacks, although course and rude, will make you laugh.  They are quick and unexpected and usually make her opponent back off.  She makes everyone back off.  

Unfortunately, Duchess keys one of her mother boyfriends' car.  Worse, she burned down the bar where her mother worked.  The bar's owner is after Duchess because before she burned the bar down, she took the bar's camera tape, that would have her on it, torching the place.

Her grandfather is murdered by the bar's owner.  Duchess knows he's looking for her.  Social services is looking for a home for Duchess and Robin.  The problem is Duchess.  Robin would be easy to place, but not Duchess.

She takes off for Robin's sake.  She hides at Thomas Nobles, and other places and comes back a year later.

Meanwhile, the man who went to trial for killing Duchess' and Robin's mother is proved not guilty, thanks to the sheriff, Walk, who always knew him as a good guy.  Everything is tied together by finding out who the father of Duchess and Robin is.  Then it all makes sense.

The book is a page turner.  You root for the kids.  You laugh at Duchess' descriptions and antics and hope she doesn't end up bad.  There is so much to say.  It's a good story.  The character descriptions are exquisite.  The descriptions of the landscape make you want to live there.  Chris Whitaker writes very well.

Live and Learn

 I am old. I can positively state that wisdom doesn't grow with age.  Times change and old people can't keep up with the changes.  I was given a pair of snow boots for Christmas. This picture shows you exactly what they are.  Note the laces.  Thinking the boot was "hands free slip on," I almost twisted my back trying not to fall.  

I could not figure out how to get my foot down into the shoe.  The elasticized laces didn't expand to allow me to perform that maneuver.  

Just before I resigned myself to returning the gift, I picked up the boot and examined the laces.  I put my finger under the first crisscross to stretch it and much to my surprise, I unlaced it!

!!!!!!!

Lo and behold, the lace wasn't elasticized.  It was a real shoe lace, or in this case, a real boot lace.  Undoing the lace allowed the boot to open wide, to receive my foot.

Live and learn.

Mary Jane

You know what's weird.  The noun Mary Jane.  My Walking Group was at breakfast, the other day.  I was telling them a story about my friend, Mary Jane.

We were at a long table, so not everybody could hear everything.

The person on the end thought we were talking about marijuana, since Mary Jane is a nick name for it.

Another thought we were talking about the shoes, named Mary Janes.

Others, thought we were talking about the little candies, Mary Janes.

I forget what the story was, about Mary Jane, because we were laughing so hard.

Do Not Lose Heart

Looking around the violence in today's world, is enough for anyone to lose their mind.

Never mind, countries who are at war.  We have people shooting children, in our own country.  But try to remember that we're not made for this world, with all its trouble.  Someday, it will all be behind us, when we are in heaven with God.

Keep the faith.  This is not really our home.  We are made for more.