Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Noah

Now Noah was called by God to build an ark.Seems God had viewed the world and saw it to be evil and decided the time had come to basically start over again.
When the ark was finished God told Noah to gather his family and all the animals of the world,both male and female,in pairs of each species and go into the ark.
It rained for forty days and nights with no dry land in sight.As the days and months went by Noah tried three times to send out birds,to search for dry ground and on his last attempt it indeed was found.
Noah,his family and all the animals came out of the ark and to thank God for being saved from the flood,he built an alter for scarifice.
He,his family and all the animals went out into the world to be fruitful and multiply as God had commanded.
After spending many days dealing with rain and flooding I can only imagine how poor Noah and his family held up all those forty days and nights with the great rains falling around them.
We here in New England have been pretty soggy to say the least.With small rivers of water running down the sides of the road and over flowing our small Quinebaug River banks.
Today is a new day the rains have stopped and the birds are singing in the trees, calling to each other to enjoy the glory of the dry sky and soft but filtered sun light.
Great is the power of water and mighty can be its roar.It can be both a blessing and a curse.
Boaters always say you must respect the oceans and the seas because your power is so small and its so great.Frightening like the hand of God.
Back in the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans they held two gods whom they felt ruled the oceans and the seas Poseidon and Neptune.This was their way of explaining the powers of so calm a thing at one moment and so raging a thing at the other.They felt they needed to appease the gods to save them selves. If the gods were not happy you definitely were not going to have a good day either.
Now days we understand about water currents,rains storms and the effects of the moon on the rhythm of the tides.
We know that God does not go out of his way to make life miserable for us but we also understand that these things which God created have powers beyond our own trivial abilities to stop them.
I think when they talk about fearing God it is not so much him we need to be afraid of but his awesome greatness.The things he has created which hold so many powers we human beings can not even begin to understand or master.
Water is one masterpiece that can be both lovely in its calmness and frightening in its vast turmoil.
We realize when things like this happen how small and insignificant we really are around the forces of nature.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Easter Greetings

Today was my day to grocery shop and after spending three days at work it was a chore I wished I could just forget about.
At 11 am I Finlay convinced my self the deed needed to be done so off to the bank then to the grocery store I did go.
The crowd there was small and much to my delight,the shopping done quickly.
As I stood in line the cashier pushed my articles through her scanner.While watching her ring up my goods,an old term,I noticed she did not get my turkey price to come up.I mentioned to her that this price did not show up and to her surprise she said "your right,thank you".Now don't get me wrong I'm all for saving $13.00 but not at the expense of this woman who seemed like it had been a long morning for her.
As we finished she told me to "have a good day" to which I answered "you not only have a good day but a nice Easter as well".
She said in a soft voice "I never know if I should say that,some people get offended." I laughed and said "well you have to offend somebody at some point in your life".She looked at me seriously and said "not at work,I can't."
Last November I decided to wish the clerks and sales people Merry Christmas.I would no longer wait for them to say it to me.If I was to be pro active in this minority non christian country it would require me to step up to the plate and say it first.
Now that Easter is upon us my topic of greeting needs to be to wish those I encounter a Happy Easter,if I offend you...Sorry...
Part of being a Christian is understanding you are different from the world.If you want people to respect your faith then you also need to respect it and not hide it under a bushel basket.
Back in the early days of the Christian movement people used the sign of the cross to greet and acknowledge they were brothers and sisters of the faith.These people understood if they were caught by the pagan world around them they could be jailed,tortured and executed.
But they did it anyways.
Today we have the right to be a practicing follower of Jesus Christ and to not want the people around us to know this is an embarrassment to our faith.
Most of us would not choose to die for our faith but in the same respect we should not feel afraid to acknowledge our faith.
Don't be afraid to tell people Happy Easter and be proud of the fact that Christ over came death for your sins.
Easter is the glorious morning of resurrection.What are you willing to resurrect in your life...maybe the words Happy Easter is a good place to start...

Cleaning With Humility

When St. Francis of Assisi traveled from church to church he carried a broom with him.AS he entered the building he would physically sweep the floors and clean the house of God.Unlike our own 21st century,things were none to clean in the 1200's.
The next thing he would do would be take the Eucharist,which was tucked away in some obscure place and put it in a place of honor for all to see and be reminded of Jesus great sacrifice to each of us.
Francis believed that all churches needed to be special places of God deserving of his presence.It didn't matter if the priest or the hierarchy at the time were corrupt,he felt that churches should be clean.
Confucius said that the best way to convert those above you to humility and service is by humbly serving them.
Both Francis and Confucius believed that all things can be changed from the bottom to the top rather then the other way around.If the individual can convert the leader then the leader can convert an entire civilization.
In this country,however many of us believe just the opposite that the well educated people in high positions change the world but this is not true its the soldiers who win the battles not the generals.
The church is set up to confer the word and inspire the people in the pews to go out and assist those around them.We are the worker bees of the hive,bringing forth love and evangelism to those around us.
The root of a plant gives strength to the leaves if the root is weak and sickly so to will be the leaves.
Many churches have with stood bad preachers,bad choirs and even bad hierarchies but if the faith of the people is strong then so too is the plant.A few sickly leaves do not usually kill a plant but a sick root system does.
Humility requires us to be gentle and loving in our criticisms.We are to be the servant who by example sweeps the church and washes the pews.We are to bring our love and caring into the church and do the servitude work not because we have to but because we want to.
A clean church is a symbol of a clean faith.If people take enough simple pride in the small things then the big things take care of them selves.
We as members of our church need to give with love and assist with all matters no matter how small or unimportant they may seem to us at the time.
We are not all called to do the great things but we are required to do the simple things.In this way we are able to support those who are called to be the shining star.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Violence

Seems since this whole health care package as been forced onto people some of the unstable in this country are now choosing violence to get their point across.
This weekend when the protesters of the Tea Party where shouting at the democratic house members some took the time to shout racist and gay slurs against several of them.It was even said that someone in the crowd tried to spit at one of the African American representatives.
First I would like to say violence is never the answer.Protest if you can and make your views known but never allow violence into the mix or you will lose all credibility.
Second no one knows if the people who used said slurs were really with the Tea Party group,they could have been plants to discredit those protesting,it has been done before by seiu.
I am a true believer in Gandhi and Martin Luther King style protest.Peace will always help your cause and keep you on the high road of any dispute.Self control should always be ones weapon of choice.
Its said that since the dawn of time we have two modes of action when we feel attacked.The first is fight and the second is flight.But in all reality we have a third called peaceful controlled protest.
This third action requires that we use our brains to solve problems and not our emotions.This action is much more difficult to maintain because our first reaction can be neither fight nor flight.
This peaceful protest as we learned from Jesus himself requires you to be treated badly but remain in control of you words and actions.
We live in an "all about me" society and as such feel any form of violence that makes us feel better is self justified but it is not.This is immature behavior displayed by children based on emotions not to be used by rational adults.
We must always remember that we need to love our enemies and do good to them even in times of dispute.Its alright to disagree,protest,picket,lay down,sit down or stand up for your principles but it is never alright to cast the first stone because we are not with out sin ourselves.
So stand up for you beliefs.Write letters,gather in groups,protest with signs and chants but never allow the other side to push you toward violence.Turn the other cheek and when they slap you they will be viewed badly not you.

Joe Biden

In the past year I have come to appreciate the Vice President,Joe Biden, more and more and although most people think him the fool I think he's comic relief for an overly serious White House.
Although there really is nothing I have in common with any of the Democrats in office at this time. I must say I can truly understand Joe's slips since I too have a problem with putting my foot into my own mouth on a great number of occasions.
The fact that he does not even seem to know or understand that what he's just said has ramifications endears him to my heart even more.
It's good not to always be the straight laced,guard your mouth kind of person.If you think something is a "Big F.....g deal " then go right ahead and say it but watch out where they have set up the mike while your uttering it.
I can remember one day watching a news commentator who said if you want the truth about whats going on in the White House just listen to what the Vice President has to say because he will cut through the lies and deceit and give you the real message,kind of like the court jester.
I don't think this is a malicious man and he certainly doesn't seem out to want to gain any great advancement unless they drop in his lap.He seems happy enough to be on his present ride and open to future prospects as they occur.
I look forward,with great anticipation, to his future comic slips to keep me amused as I ride this long somber Democratic funeral procession into the new fall elections.
Joe all I can say for my part,from one November born baby to another,is keep up the good work.. your a hoot...and I for one appreciate all you have done to bring a smile to my face through out this burdensome administration.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Representattion ?

This weekend has been very loud with Washington pushing their weight around and the people pushing back.
My supposed serene Saturday and Sunday was invaded by frustration and fear all 48 waking hours of it,and let me tell you today is a good day to shut the idiot box off for awhile and realize there is more to life then just controversy and discord.
We are a free people no matter what rights are given to us by our government, freedom is God given,not man given.
This whole weekend as proven to most people just how precious our way of life truly is.We have not had to worry about tyranny since we won the Revolution with England.
We now know we need to be ever watchful and on guard of who we are has a people and what has made us great.
The amount of pettiness shown by our elected leaders is truly wrong.We the people run this country and when threatened we need to act.
Last Monday my husband sent an email to our representative "Joe Courtney" to voice his opinion.To which yesterday morning Joe replied with a faxed form copy of a letter. which was,to say the least, distorted and over sized causing the margins to be missing,making for some interesting reading,if you like word games.
Now I don't know about you but come April 15th my family and I will be at the Norwich tea party. In the fall we will be assisting who ever is running against Rep.Courtney(and I use the term representative loosely) to try to assist this new person into office.
It's time for new blood in the House of Representatives.
The Democrats know what is coming down the line for them and now is their chance to push through as much legislation as possible because come next year they may not be the majority any more.
To our representative,who I tried to email to for an entire week with no success,let me tell you: Joe its a good thing you passed free health care because your going to need it.Come January I will personally send you a copy of the constitution for your reading pleasure while you are gainfully looking for employment.Also good luck with the job hunting cause there is not much to be had in the Constitution State but I'm sure you've got union friends who can help you out.
Tell me Joe was it worth selling your country down the river to save the Presidents' legacy?

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Anxiety And Joy

While at work yesterday my supervisor and I started talking about anxiety attacks.She asked if I had ever had any.
I told her when I was young I was a very shy child with all kinds of fears and although things frightened me I never remember having attacks of dread.I can,however,remember being around age thirteen,sitting in a class room having reoccurring thoughts of my parents dying.Usually I would pray through it and feel better until the next wave occurred then I would repeat the process.
Since she had had several her self,we talked about what an anxiety attack feels like and how she had recently talked someone out of their attack.Helping them,at that moment,gain control over their fears.
Anxiety always seems to hit when a person is calm not when they are in a conflict situation.If something happens to you,you are able to work through the issue but later on when at rest the feelings attack and paralyze you with dread and thoughts of your own death.
Every year during lent I read several books.One of which is the teachings of St.Frances of Assisi.This is a good grounding book to where your life should be headed and how to make the corrections in small steps.
One of the things he talks about is Joy.In this society we fear being joyful because it will make us look silly and out of place.
St.Frances talks about when your sad you should go into a room and pray to God.You should get angry or weep and let your father know what is bothering you.Empty your self of negative emotions then pray for peace and go into the world with joy and gladness.
This will not only help you but also all those you encounter along the way.
He claims that anger,sadness,depression and all other negative thoughts are from the devil and if we allow these thoughts to broaden we move away from God.The evil one begins to take a thread of our fears and makes it a cable of anxiety,depression or anger.
Joy is an uplifting pleasure which we have no control of.It makes us fly to new heights and unlike happiness is felt by our very soul.
Last night was such a moment for my husband and I.We went out to supper with friends and attended a very funny play at the Bradley Theater called "The Foreigner".
We had a great time and when we came out of the theater we all started doing impressions of lines from the play,which caught our fancy,for the amusement of each other.
Although this may have seemed slightly silly to some people this is what joyfulness is.It is not being afraid to be giddy and child like.
Jesus many times talks about joy and happiness but unfortunately some religious people feel such things are petty and sinful.
In my mind they are not!
God wants us to be happy.I believe he likes it when we act child like.Being religious should not mean seeing the dark and dismal side of life.Always sad,always in remorse,always weepy.Full of self loathing and despair at how unworthy we are.
God knows we are not worthy but he made us that way because that's what he wanted us to be.Living should not be a chore of sadness and unworthiness it should be taking the best of yourself and bringing it forward to the world.
God wants us to love each other but how can you do that if you are sad and furlong.
This play starts out with a man who says he has no personalty and by the end finds he gains one from the people around him.
We are bits and pieces of others sunshine which helps us become parts of their lives.The joy in being with each other is the joy we get and give to each other.
I think last night was proof of this and being joyful in the presence of others brings the light of God to each other whether we know it or not.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

St.Patrick

Now not being Irish I do not know much about this Saint except that he was originally from the Britain's,came from a wealthy family who were religious and was kidnapped as a youth,forced to tend sheep in the mountains of Ireland.
His owners did not treat him well and although he was forced to keep animals,starved and weathered he turned to God for his support.
Many was the time when he could say up to one hundred prayers a day.After eight years he escaped came back to his home land and became a priest.
The call of Ireland deep in his soul he decided to go back and bring the faith to a mostly pagan society.
St.Patrick was so successful in his work that by his death he converted most of the country over to God and away from paganism.He taught about the trinity with the use of the three leafed clover and is claimed to have driven the snakes out of Ireland although I tend to think that the snake was probably the devil since many people at that time tended to view Satan in that form.
St. Patrick went on to become a Bishop and was greatly loved by the Irish people,he used their views of paganism to help establish his views of Religion.
Upon St. Patrick breast plate was a rather long prayer but the part I like best about this prayer is as follows:

Christ be with me;
Christ with in me;
Christ behind me;
Christ before me;
Christ beside me;
Christ to win me;
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me;
Christ above me;
Christ in quiet;
Christ in danger;
Christ in the hearts of all that love me;
Christ in the mouths of friends and strangers.

Happy St. Patrick day to everyone including all of us non Irish descended people.
Erin go Borough

The Shroud

Yesterday morning when I came into work one of our patients had passed away.As the RN.on duty went about filling out the death certificate I went to check the deceased patient.
When ever a person dies,after the family and the funeral parlor are called,the aides go into the room and wash the body put a johnnie on it,comb and fix their hair,put on their glasses, adjust the sheets and blankets,then put their hands in a prayer position,if Catholic they entwine rosary beads around the persons fingers.
Now most people would think this is a disgusting thing to have to do but it is truly an act of love.To wash the remains of someone you may have taken care of for several years and make that person look presentable to a distraught family is not only an act but a gift of kindness.
My job is to make sure the patient and the room looks presentable.All medical things like IV.poles,suction machines and oxygen tanks are removed.I also check the body to make sure all dressings,Foley Catheters and Picc Lines are taken out.
When the funeral attendant came this morning,to pick up the body,I went into the room to assist him.
We first shrouded it with the fitted sheet on the bed.The top part is folded over the head,the bottom over the feet and the sides of the sheet go over the remaining torso.Being lent and all I began to think this is how Jesus must have looked being shrouded after being taken down from the cross.
The attendant must have read my mind because he talked about going to a nursing home where a nurse asked him What he was doing with the sheet?
He told me I explained to her that "shrouding is a sign of respect,this is still a person deserving of what any living person is entitled to".He went on to say "Even Jesus was shrouded".
We then lifted the body and placed him on the stretcher,belted him in place,closed the bag and covered the top with a quilt.
After making sure the halls were clear of patients we moved the stretcher out of the room into the hall.My Director of Nurses,who happened to be walking by, touched the patient foot and said Goodbye to him in Polish.
Every person is just that a person and even if your soul is no longer in your body you are still due respect.Before you stopped living you contained the breath of God and this vessel we call your body is your temple fashioned by him.The bible says we are made in the image and likeness of God.If you believe this then any less respect would be an insult not only to man but to God.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Getting It Right

Last night at Presanctified Liturgy Fr. John talked about the saints and how they "got it right".
Being someone who attended Catholic School for more then 8 years I can tell you the one thing that always interested me was reading about the lives of the saints.
Most people think that saints were always that way,right from the womb and although some were,the vast majority were not.Many spent countless years trying to "get it right".
If you were raised in a religion who believed in saints,for the most part, there is probably at least one you have chosen to admire and whose life you try to emulate because maybe he or she is allot like you.
Believe it or not saints at one time were living breathing people who for some reason caught on to the beauty and truth of God and decided they needed to be more like him. Whether through a radical or slow creeping decision they began to become more and more like Jesus.They began to embrace and follow the teachings of the Bible and lead a more chaste life.
In the Catholic Religion in order to become a Saint you must also have recorded events of healing to your credit in the Orthodox faith being above average in your faith and the possibility of martyrdom helps your chances along.
I like to think of Saints as the kid in school who was so scholastically smart he or she graduated in the tops of their class winning all sorts of awards.
Although most of us will never reach that letter of holiness it is also true that God does not make junk and our potential,like theirs,is always there for success.
God does not expect us to become who we are not.But he,like the Army,expects us to become all we can be.
You and I were created to be a certain person with characteristics and personality given to us not just from our genetic pool but from our God pool.
I am not like any other person on this earth and as such must find my own route to God which makes me saintly in his eyes and although I will never achieve what the saints I have come to admire in my own life did,that does not mean I am not holy in the eyes of God.
I pray differently,believe differently and act differently then any other being on this planet but in the same respects am also part of my religious family and because of my uniqueness I give a different perspective to my church just as each apostle gave a different perspective to each other.
Who would have thought that these 12 men,who by most accounts were not much to begin with,would become who they did and not just through their holiness but through their uniqueness.
We are who we are because of God's grace and as such need to strive to be who he chooses us to be.Through the blessings of God and if we "get it somewhat right" maybe we too can graduate at least the top percentage of our class.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Giving

With Lent here one of the important parts is not just about fasting its about alms giving.
Now I don't know about you but I am the type of person if I have something and someone is in need then I feel its my duty to give.I try not to think of the value,because most things people ask for are not worth that much,so If I can't give all I try to at least give some.
I like to give to groups were the money will go exactly where it's ear marked.Things like Doctors With Out Boarders and personal appeals tend to catch my eye.
Several days ago Fr.Peter Preble had an appeal to a small monastery in New Mexico whose head priest in sick and whose electricity may be shut off because they are unable to pay the bill,haven't we all been there at some point in our lives?So giving to this group seemed very possible especially when I found out the name of the monastery is called the Arch Angel Michael,How could some one who attends a church called St.Michael turn their back on another of such a name.
This small monastery is located in Canones, New Mexico and candle making is their business,which you can not do very well with no electricity.
Even a small donation sent in love is worth so much in the eyes of God and to help a monetary is worth,I'm sure even more.
If your interested in this opportunity to assist this small house of God please go to
www.fr.peter-michaelpreble.com and you can read fr.'s blog called "Help for Monastery in Canones,New Mexico"

If your interested in donating the mailing address is:

The Monastery of The Arch Angel Micheal
PO.box 38
Canones,New Mexico 87516-0038

Thanks for what every you send

This is my kind of appeal some one who is in real need of assistance and not just out to pay overhead.
You know donating to a monastery will bring you lots of prayers and let me tell you who couldn't use those.So give even a little for great will be your reward.
Have a wonderful Lent and do a heart felt deed.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

16 And Pregnant

One of my friends ,whose daughter is 16,is due to have her baby any day now.
Last week while flipping through the channels on T.V.I came across a show on either vh1 or MTV called 16 teen and pregnant.
It's a reality show which picks a 16 year old girl who is pregnant.It starts with her explaining how she told her parents then follows her through with giving birth and concludes when the baby is several months old.
This is a really great show and should be mandatory viewing in every school starting with kids as young as age 14.Its eye opening and these girls are very honest and straight forward.They discuss and show how they have to deal with not only their teenage problems but now baby and boyfriend issues as well.
The best part is when most of these girls find out how much their boyfriends are not there for them,many are irresponsible and immature,compared to what these girls have had to become.
When I was in nursing school one of my instructors used to say "If your not going to take birth control seriously then you'd better decide if every time you sleep with someone if this is the person you want to bring your future child to visit on the weekends."
Young girls have this illusion that having a baby will cement their relationship with the boy they love.They don't get the fact that this 16 or 17 year old male is not interested in having a baby or helping to raise one,he's more interested in cars,friends and having a good time.He wants to start his life not feel like he's trapped.
So if any one has a teenage girl,or boy,have them sit down with you and watch this show.I know my friend told me she and her daughter have just started watching this program several weeks ago and her daughter said "I wished I'd seen this before I got pregnant because maybe I would have waited.""I didn't realize being pregnant would be so hard."

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Happy Birthday Victor

March first was my husbands birthday and being his 65Th he decided to call the Social Security office about his now being eligible to take from the system after all those years of giving to said system.
Well the Social Security Office of Willimantic Conn.being a true government branch, was to busy to take his call and asked him to call back at a more convenient time.. for them..All be it not much of a birthday gift from them,if I do say so myself.
Not being one to just give up in the face of adversity I encouraged him to take the modern route and fill out his form on the Internet.
After many attempts and little patience on his part,the deed was done and he is now part of the retirement crowd and entitled to full benefits,if he so desires them.
After printing up his forms and being told to check back in 5 working days,(Now lets see how many days is it for government workers? And is it their working days or the rest of the working worlds days?)He will see,come April, if he will be gaining monthly income.
Being his birthday it was decided that spending the day at the book store was his choice of activities to which I whole heartily agreed.Its always nice to sit around drinking over priced coffee reading a book you have really no intention of buying.Being Monday it was pretty "deadsville",for you young ins that's an old "hippie" saying.
Once back at home it was almost 6pm so left overs and any thing else that required little preparation,was on the birthday menu.
For his gift I gave him a DVD he has been talking about since January,its called "Office Space".A movie he could relate to being that Vic was an Electrical Engineer and worked for a government contracted company,this movie is right up his alley.
After opening it he wanted me to come watch it with him and although a mountain of dishes sat before me,I figured what the heck its his birthday and he's really excited about this movie,the dishes can just sit and wait,its not like their going any where and no dish fairy will do them during the movie,I'm sure.
So the evening ended nicely and he seems to have had a good day.His sister called to wish him Happy birthday,To which being true to form a real mans man said,oh by the way your is in February right? He then thanked her immensely for her kindness.
Aah those baby brothers they can get away with murder can't they?
Now little does he know its not over yet because a surprise party awaits him on March 6. Will he be happy or upset? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.."The Rest Of The Story"...(an old radio program by,I think,Steve Harvey,even I remember this one).