The Journey

I guess you've all been wondering about my fascination with sail ships. Well, besides the fact that I think they're just beautiful there is a Spiritual reflection that I have that I would like to share.

Ask yourself what you would be thinking when you board a sail ship to go on a journey. You're all excited about the trip, what kind of goodies there are to eat, how many friends you're going to meet along the way and most important, what is your destination going to be like. You go aboard and find all sorts of people doing all kinds of jobs to get the ship underway. Some of the jobs you find most interesting, saying to yourself, 'I could do that' and then there are the jobs that you say is something that you could never do.

Now, I like to think of life as going aboard a sail ship and preparing for a journey. Everyone tells you what your final destination (Heaven) is going to be like but you really don't know for sure and you're kind of apprehensive about it, not really sure you want to start this journey into, what you believe, is the unknown.
Because someone loved you so much when you were born you were Baptized into Jesus Christ thereby giving you the ticket to board the ship. You find everyone that you love aboard, both alive and dead, to help you understand your journey. All the passengers and crew are your community who have the same apprehensions that you do but because they've been sailing longer then you, there is a certain amount of joy in their lives because they know, through Faith, that the destination is worth the many perils and heartaches that they as a community are going to have along the way. Everyone aboard ship (the community) has a job (vocation) with is designed by God just for him or her. You can always recognize these people, they're the ones that are always full of joy. These people set the example for you. There are some of them that when you see them at work, you stand in awe wondering how and why they do the things they do. The ship finally gets underway after all the provisions (Eucharist, Bible) are safely stowed away. No sail ship can get very far without the wind. The wind is the Spirit of God that blows you and your community toward your destination. As you sail along there is calm with a gentle breeze and sometimes there will be gale force winds (sin) taking you off course and which will make you feel as though you're not worthy to continue. Then, just when you're ready to give up hope that you will ever get back on course...the gentle breeze begins again steering you and your community in the right direction.

Then, and this is the real kicker...you realize that there are many ships traveling in the same direction...to the same destination...to our Lord, which is one and all!

This week

I still haven't heard from anyone regarding our upcoming fortieth wedding anniversary.

Late last week I was given a new client in the hospice program. I was warned by many of the nurses that he was an old "crank" and would probably chew me out when I go to meet him. The next day I went to the assisted living home where he was staying. I was met at the door a nurse's assistant who advised the he was in a bad mood and would probably throw me out of his room. I went to his room introduced myself and we sat down and had a conversation about his old job how long he had been retired, etc, etc. He was very nice the whole time and shook my hand when I left. the nursing assistant was in shock. Anyway, that was last Thursday, on Friday I came to work and was told that he had been admitted . After work I went to visit him but he was sleeping. I spoke to the nurse who stated that he had been given some pain med. but he was expected to recover and would be going to a nursing home. To make a long story short, I visited twice spoke to his daughter both times because he was sleeping...probably in a coma. Well, he died on Tuesday morning.


One of the neighbors behind had a tree taken down and asked if I wanted the wood. The only problem was, I had to cut it up and haul it into my wood pile. I finished it last night. (nice to know I can still do things like that , or as your Mom put it "I still got it").


Was supposed to go to jail Ministry today but I received a call from the jail that the inmates were in "lock-down" and there won't be any programs today. So I spend the day with your mom shopping and doing a lot of yard work.
Tomorrow I go to Marshall to study.

Update

Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting in such a long time, I don't have an excuse except that I've been pretty busy and then I forget...I know what you're all thinking! "He's just getting old" and you're right I am but I've never been more content then I am right now.

I went to the VA about my skin cancer a few months ago and they zapped a few suspicious spots. I just got the cost of that half hour in the mail...$950! I'm glad I don't have to pay for it.

I've decided that I am going to study to become a Secular Franciscan. It will take three and a half years to complete the study and be accepted into the Fraternity. A Secular Franciscan is a lay person who has been called to live the Gospel of our Lord according to the teachings of St. Francis and Ste. Claire. No, I won't be living in a monastery or get one of those little bald spots on the top of my head, which would have been hard to distinguish with my current hair style. I'm just starting out and I Pray that the Holy Spirit will help me in this decision. As most of you know, I've been going to the Franciscan Retreat house here in Minnesota for the past twelve years and I feel that whenever I feel that little tug by the Holy Spirit it was always a Franciscan that did the tugging. So, Pray for me and I will keep you all in my Prayers.

I started a Jail Ministry here in Kandiyohi and have found it to be a wonderful and eye opening experience. There's nothing like praying the Rosary with five or six inmates (with gang tattoos) that truly want to know our Lord Jesus Christ. It just appears that they can't get enough of talking about our Lord. I just can't believe that I'm doing this! Then I remember that I am just doing what the Spirit of God wants me to do, that this certainly isn't about me, but it's about our loving and forgiving God that has led me here and I've never been happier. Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns forever!

I've decided to take a little time off this summer from the coffee shop. I'll only work three days a week. That will give me time to go camping, fish and bike. I really want to spend some time with my grandchildren and hope that this time off will give me the opportunity to do so.

I'm about half way done with my current sailboat which is coming along just great. I may have to take a trip to Denver to deliver it this summer.

I really don't want to think about part of the family moving to Denver. I remember how long it took for us to adjust to Minnesota and I still won't say "ufda" or "pop". I can't stand hockey (unless my grandchildren are playing)and for the most part all Minnesota pro teams should be semi-pro. Snow is just beautiful as long as you don't have to be digging drunks out of ditches or shovel four foot of it off your roof. I guess I went off on one of those "rants". I don't like the idea of my kids moving away and I get dry mouthed every time I think that I should have spent more time with them while they were here.

Mom and I are celebrating our fortieth anniversary this year and would like to go somewhere special next fall. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'll try and keep you all updated sorry for the delay.

Reflections

I went to the Va Hospital in St.Cloud today for a checkup (everything is ok) when I saw an old Vet come to the revolving door into the check-in area of the hospital. He had two canes keeping him "afloat" as we Navy Vets would say. He was walking very slowly through the revolving door hoping that the door didn't hit him from behind. He had a grim look on his face as he looked toward the floor. It was a look that you see on a lot of these former warriors as they struggled along trying to make appointments. Why was he looking down? The reasons are probably many, maybe he has been in pain for most of his life, maybe coming to the VA brought back bad memories, maybe he was just having a bad day. All I know is that he looked like a man beaten, a man that has seen better days and probably thought that those days were gone. He wouldn't look at me as he struggled by going to his left and into the check-in line. Then suddenly everything changed. He saw an old friend sitting in a chair on the far side of the waiting room. All of a sudden his chest stuck out, his gait quickened as he made his way to his old buddy. Both were grinning ear to ear as as he made his way across that waiting room his head held high...he was young again.

GOODBYE...

I went to Elaine's wake last night and the funeral home was packed as I knew it would be. A DVD was playing and Elaine was playing the piano and singing. It nearly broke my heart as I remembered how she played at the hospital. There were so many pictures of Elaine with her family. I didn't see one picture that showed her alone, she always had family around her. There was one picture that showed her wearing a big hat with a very big bow and a pair of very heavy shoes, it must have been taken in the early forties when that style was the fad...I bet she was the "cat's meow"!

Elaine has touched my heart in a very special way...I will never forget her.

I'll miss you...

Sorry I haven't written anything lately but I've been working on one of my models and after the sails are made it will be done!

This morning I went through the Emergency Room entry door as I do every morning on the days that I am working. I was carrying a couple of gallons of milk as I made my way down the corridor toward the coffee shop. I was stopped short by a nurse pushing a bed toward the x-ray department. As we passed I saw that it was Elaine on the bed. We said hi to each other as we passed and I could hear her say to the nurse "that's Earl, he's a real nice guy". I smiled and continued to my shop.
At about 6:30 am I heard a "code blue" for the x-ray department. My heart sank as I said a little Prayer for the person and hoping it wasn't Elaine. Well, about a half hour later my fears came true as I found out it was indeed Elaine that had suffered a heart attack and died.
I felt just terrible all day as friends stopped by to comfort me because they knew what Elaine meant to me. They all made me remember that Elaine is in a much better place now, with no more pain. The realization that she is no longer in pain made me feel so much better because she had been in pain for such a long time. I remember when I had torn a rotator cuff, the pain was terrible. After I received a shot the pain left immediately. I didn't know how much pain I was in until it was gone. I'm sure that Elaine feels the same way...being free from all her pain must feel like...Heaven!

If you haven't read it already there is an old entry on this blog about my friend Elaine.

What a week!

I'm reading a book titled "From Image to likeness" by William A. Simpson. The general theme of the book is that through our journey God is an image but as we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit we become a likeness to God. There's a chapter that deals with seeing God in our everyday lives. I surely have seen Him this week. I have a friend whose husband goes through dialysis treatment on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of every week. Well, I saw her yesterday in the patient waiting area and stopped to say hi. I knew something was bothering her as I asked how she was doing. Suddenly she grabbed and hugged me as she explained that her husband's cancer had returned. She broke down in tears as she told me that he had lost the use of his right leg. He was having an MRI done as she waited. I left her there after a few minutes and was leaving the hospital as I saw her husband in the x-ray waiting room, he was sleeping in his wheelchair. I stopped and put my hand on his shoulder, feeling his shoulder bone through his shirt. I just said hi and left. I went to St. Mary's Chapel to say a Prayer for this wonderful man and woman and you know I don't even know their names. As I sat in front of the Eucharist I remembered how I first met them over two years ago. She was taking him to his treatment on Thursday morning and I was in my coffee shop with "Swing" (WWII era) music going full blast out of the CD player. After she took her husband in she came out and told me that the music I was playing was his favorite. That afternoon I saw my brother Steve and asked if he would make copies of the CD and he took them home and brought them in the next day. I saw her the following Tuesday, gave her the CD and watched as tears welled up in her eyes. I never said much to her after that knowing that she had many things on her mind and everything revolved around her husband and I didn't want to appear like a pest. We just smiled as we saw each other every other morning. Well, today is Thursday the day of his treatment and what a wonderful day in turned out to be!
First I want you to know that I love the hospital where I work, some wonderful things occur there everyday. Today we had a blind person playing the piano and singing Christmas carols at the top of her voice. Someone opened the door to Dialysis so then patients could hear the music, I looked over and saw that it was the lady whose husband was sick. I walked over and asked how the MRI turned out. She looked at me with tears of relief as she told me that it wasn't as bad as they thought, the symptoms were brought on by a recent bout with the flu and the cancer hadn't returned. She hugged me then and thanked me. I went to Chapel today and thanked God for this wonderful job, for the wonderful people I get to know, for my family, and for my wife...all of which I surely do not deserve.
I could go on and on about the things that happened today and I think I'll add some more but I think its time for me to stop for now.