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'.

july 22, 2010 happy birthday Pete!!

Today at my house we're celebrating Pete's birthday. He told me this morning when I drove him to BART that he was thinking about his parents and the scene of his arrival in their lives. He was blown away thinking about how little he was and how big they were. He was thinking about their encounter and the fact that he was ever SO little once. I've seen pictures of Pete when he was little ... big head, little bitty self. But, it's him alright. His little hands resting on his knees as he sits.. his fingers firmly lined up.. just the way they still do. His BIG blue eyes... as benign and beautiful as always. and big smile... a happy soul. I thank God for his gift of Pete to me... today and always. Let the festivus continue!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Peter Manning Hayes. July 22, 1958 was a day that changed my life immeasurably and without whom there would be no Tommy, Billy, Robbie or John. HIP HIP HOORAY!! for PETE!!

monday, july 19, 2010

There is a very happy bird singing outside my living room window. A breeze is blowing, the sun is shining if I listen very carefully, I can hear the leaves rustling on the trees, the bird, a neighbor's dog, a motorcycle motoring down St. Mary's Road. If I quiet my mind, and just listen I can hear insects , the clock ticking on the kitchen wall, a car leaving its driveway. Just as I was thinking we hadn't seen any squirrels lately, I heard some ruckus and looked out the window and guess who was climbing the neighbor's fence not 12 feet away? Squirrel. Now there's a funny word. My friend asked if my name could be a noun, what would it be. Squirrel did not spring to mind. Actually, Pashmina did. Does Pashmina sound like a fat girl? If your name was a noun what would it be? Protuberance? How about Kaleidoscope? or Quilt? Kinda funny ... if you think about it. I mean Quilt is not too different from Quinn or Chet.... John said yesterday he was thinking that if a police man stopped him... he would say, "Is there an officer, problem?" Can you tell it's summer vacation? the things we have time to think about.

saturday, july 17, 2010

Never have I enjoyed packing for a trip as much as I have today. Pete and I hit the road early and ran all sorts of errands in preparation for our trip to Wales in one week. Haircuts, dry cleaning for wedding finery, travel stuffs like quick drying towels for the boys while they are staying in hostels in Ireland and Scotland, and then we came home and did a virtual pack. So nice to be doing it not in a panic late at night while exhausted. We could shuffle around the house and make lists and discuss things like the best way to pack five suit jackets, dress shirts and dress slacks. Then we made dinner with four of the five recommended courses from a menu for grilled salmon. It was fun because I did the asparagus and the Burgundy salad (a classic from Burgundy, France) while Billy grilled the salmon and Pete concocted the saffron risotto. There was a simple feta, pepper and honey first course served on crackers. The washing machine has been running non stop lately, so I took a break from that chore. There's more that needs doing! but I've packed what I'm taking and am NOT taking them out of the suitcase. It feels good to be getting well prepared. Keeping in mind, however, Rick Steves' encouragement to let go of expectations once the trip commences and to just see it all as part of the adventure. Good advice for life too eh? Serenity now.

friday, july 16, 2010

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel... don't 'know much about Mt. Carmel. I'll look that up. Jesus' gospel today is the story of the disciples eating grain from a field on the Sabbath. The Pharisees criticize them for it and Jesus says, essentially, the Sabbath was made for man, and not the other way around. The Son of Man is the master of the temple. My wonderings want to lead me to the question: where in life do I allow structural demands to supercede the life of the Spirit? Where am I not hearkening to the life of God within and ignoring them for the sake of some "societal norm" or law that is outdated or not as important as the life giving spirit within. I spoke to a woman yesterday who will be coming to speak to our Women's Group .. the title of her talk "Women Responding with a Resounding Yes!" I'm thinking about the ways that I ignore the yes's within that yearn to be spoken. The yes's that I would love to act on: some ideas I have for quilts, some calls I would love to make, some questions I'd love to ask. It seems to me that the God of love and of life would like me to follow those promptings too. Often, I worry that the prompting isn't valid OR that I don't have the stamina to follow through on the prompting OR that it isn't a valid desire. Hmmm. Consider this posting an invitation to do that thing that is an answer to the prompting of the spirit within. (that you might dismiss or ignore.)