August 30, 2010

Today is the feast day of a fairly new saint, St. Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Her order of nuns continues to tend to the needs of the elderly poor. My sister in law and her mother work to help the nuns raise funds and keep on doing the work in San Francisco. Interestingly, in the story of Sr. Jeanne, (Mother Marie of the Cross, she was called) was reproved by the abbot and was fired as superior of the community. Eventually, he was fired and she resumed her duties. I noted that because I'm reminded that so many of the world's saints suffered greatly to serve God's people. I imagine that Mother Marie was being punished by a limited priest, and that because he had the power, she had no recourse but to carry on ... this is my own little bugaboo. People who THINK they know better and who assert their power. The happy ending of course is that she returned to her role as leader and the work continues worldwide. Saints be praised! and God help us to love our elders.

sunday, august 22, 2010

Fall is in the air... reminding me of my own school days, when we'd overdress for the day and then swelter and sweat long about lunchtime out on the playground. The moisture in the air, the angle of the sun, this sense of expectation build not solely on the return to school and all the newness there, but in the cooler breezes and the gentler sunlight and the shortening days. Something's comin' I don't know what it is but it is gonna be grand.... from West Side Story.. maybe there is a sense of leaving behind and being pushed out into the cold and needing to anticipate meeting new friends and eventually leaving your folks. Ouch. Maybe that's the sense.. like a bird in a nest moving toward that final launch sailing out into open air in order to grow and become independent... that's what fall and the beginning of school requires. There is some excitement and some dread. Anticipation and fear. Get ready... maybe too there's something built into our human being/earth connection that says.. get ready! winter's coming. Get some new clothes, new shoes, bring things in out of the rain, secure those fences, get ready to harvest and to preserve. The days are getting shorter and you've got a finite amount of time to pull in the crop. (btw: our crop got eaten by the gopher and her entire family.) I am reminded of the beginnings of school years with the boys. One piece of advice I'd offer them: be patient with people and with yourself. Everyone is excited and nervous about the beginning of school. They will demonstrate those feelings in different ways and some of them will be off putting. Cut them slack! and be kind. So, as a mother in that nest and as a fledgling in the nest... I'm challenged to continue softening the nest, and to get ready to launch myself. Ready, set, stay, I mean, no, GO!!!

ireland August 4-8, 2010

Pete, the boys and I visited Ireland for a few days last week. We felt at home. John said "he blended". People were friendly, offering help to us when we looked lost, chatting us up in pubs and cafes, interested in our stories, and all with a smile, a twinkle in their eyes and a ready sense of humor. It was delightful. The country is suffering from the recession, but as our hotel host said, "they are in their comfort zone"... that a few years ago, everyone acted like J.R. Ewing. Now they're back to their old selves. Another resident said that the Irish look after one another. He lived in England for twenty years and said it wasn't so there. Another offered that the Irish suffer from a shame that took root over years of poverty and oppression and abuse. That will require a long healing process. It is true what they say about the many shades of green in the landscape. I kept taking pictures to capture them as many as I could. It did rain on us, but it wasn't a debilitating rain... often it was a mist or a light drizzle and then it would stop as soon as it started. A nice wash. When the clouds parted and a shaft of sunlight shone through, it reminded me of heaven. Another delightful aspect? The Irish gift for gab. it isn't just that they talk a lot, which they do, but that when they talk, it is poetry. Turns of phrase, the flow, the gentleness of expression, the angle of insight reflected the geography... easy on the eyes? easy on the ears. Rolling along and then swept up by a sudden emergent mountain that leads to a lovelier, grander vista. and let's face it: they are a funny people. I will treasure our visit to Ireland. In fact, when we flew into Dublin and as we first caught sight of the island itself, I found myself very moved. My reaction caught me by surprise. Maybe because my mother is Irish and because I love my mother and the fact that she possesses so many of the great Irish qualities: humor, kindness, honesty, and generosity... like Pete's mother too. Anyway, I'm taken in.... and it just goes to show.. .travel is full of surprises. Didn't see it comin'.