Happy Anniversay

On April 29, 1994, my sister Ellen got married to Tommy, my dear brother in law. The wedding week was full of arrivals of overseas and out of town guests and celebrations. I took three days off from work and enjoyed the luxury of time spent with family and friends.

Flashes and moments stand out in my mind...

The feather "Fifi" high heeled slippers Elle got as a gift to take on her honeymoon, the new pink carpet Mom had installed so the house looked good in the pictures, our lovely blue dresses with the white lace- not a butt bow in sight...

On the big day, dressing at my parents home, and my father had the unenviable job of closing thousands of bra hooks on every female relative, as we were all wearing the waist length ones and also had our nail extensions, so we were helpless to hook them ourselves. Then, he had to lift my girdle up, one side at a time. I had my daughter only months before and was determined to have a flat belly in photos. Yes, it was as funny as it sounds. If we had video, my dad would easily have won the "Funniest Home Video" prize.

My sister, the bride, with only her undergarments and veil in place, hair and make-up done and the shriek she let out as the photographer arrived while she was still sans dress.

My nephew at the church, joining Elle and Tom on the alter- How Andy loved his uncle Tommy. The priest saying Tommy would fall short and Elle would fail- jerk! Shows what he knew.

Dancing so much at the reception that none of us ate- I think we missed five courses in all.

Mom's hilarious story of taking the newlyweds to the airport.

Noel and Keith discovering, to their collective horror, that April had only thirty days, so they were leaving on Sunday, not Monday.

Peg returning to work after her "sick day" so hung over that her students and colleagues thought she was still ill.

What a wonderful time, and such great memories.

Stones

On this day in in 1908, Oskar Schindler was born. During World War II he was both a Nazi and a hero. He saved the lives of almost 1200.

No one knows what Schindler's motives were. He was quoted as saying "I knew the people who worked for me... When you know people, you have to behave towards them like human beings."

In Schindler's List (1993) the final scene focuses on the Schindler survivors and members of their families placing stones on Oskar Schindler’s grave.

The Jewish Talmud states that “to save one life is as if you have saved the world.” Oskar saved each of these individuals, gave his fortune for their lives. The movie, and the book before it, chronicles his story. It is a difficult movie to watch, as are most depicting the fate of the Jewish people during World War II.

Even in the darkest moments, humanity had small victories.

Happy Birthday, Oskar

Easter Vigil Mass

The message from Lyle came on Holy Thursday:

Hey Geri what you doing this saturdayEaster visual is this Saturday and wanted to see if you would come see me get baptized at 730pm at St Gabriel's. Peggy Jerry Heather and Nikki, Coleen & Chris will be there and maybe Rick if he gets back in time. Heather and Lindsey are singing that night, too. Thanks. It would mean a lot if you could make it.

So I went and met Lindsey and Lyle in the lobby of the Church at about 7:15pm last Saturday. We went up to his row and then Jerry and Nikki joined me. Rick and Brenda arrived next, just as I mentioned to Lindsey that my son, on hearing the Mass was going to go beyond the 45 minutes door-to door, opted to skip the service. Rick asked us just how long the service would be... with 5 readings and responsorial psalms it was going to be a while.

Lindsey and Heather each sang a response, Peggy was up front with Lyle as his sponsor, and Rick, camera in hand, captured the night.

I sang along with the hymms, we lit our candles and then we watched as Lyle was first baptized, then confirmed into the Catholic Church. And me, a regular Scarlet O'Hara, without a hankie! So Proud! Finally, he received First Communion.

The Mass ended at just past 10:30pm, and pictures were taken, then we all went out to eat and celebrate.

Oh, and they picked a wedding date: June 15,2013...I wonder how they will be able to wait so long...

Good Friday

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Today we remember the sacrifice of Jesus, his crucifixion and death...

A long time ago I read the following, and it has stayed with me always- There are many adaptations out there that share the wonder of One Solitary Life:

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.


(This essay was adapted from a sermon by Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” 1926)

Amen...

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner...

Twelve words of great power. I watched a special on THINK TV yesterday focusing on the Jesus Prayer, and the manner that this simple prayer can bring about inner silence. Not just the silence of not speaking, but silence where all the racing thoughts in your head are quieted and you are at real peace.

How many of us go for days-weeks- longer, without ever having a truly quiet moment.

It is Holy week, Holy Thursday and today recalls Christ's celebration of the Last Supper with His disciples, four days after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

I will try to find the silence.

Water, water everywhere...

So I finally got my new washing machine on Saturday- a modern convenience I have lived without since January. Happy day, right?

Did a little test cycle- everything looked good. About an hour later, after doing the dishes and a few other chores, I went down to put on wash and found a good two inches of waste water in my finished basement- carpets underwater in spots, drywall that was anything but... and I don't even want to discuss the smell.

Usually I handle stress well. This time...not so much

I called Tony, my favorite carpenter, straight away- and tried to stay composed as I left a message of my latest disaster... but I am sure by the end it was clear I was sobbing.

Then I called Rick and there was no doubt that I was sobbing uncontrollably. ( He wanted to stay friends with me why? With calls like this he must wonder) He was so calm, asked me questions and based on the answers I gave between sobs, he told me what I needed to do. I tried to pull myself together and apologized for bothering him but that Tony hadn't answered when I called him first. He said it was fine...

Tony rang me back just a few minutes later and confirmed Rick's diagnosis- my sewer line was likely blocked.

So I called Roto Rooter... and $335 dollars later, the water was draining back down the sewer line and now I really had problems. No, not tree roots...

The video tour of my sewer line revealed a clay pipe at the end of its useful life and then some...

A second tech would have to come and see what repair options I had.

And boy was he a ray of sunshine...

I need 60 feet of piping replaced that is eight feet under my yard. The cost of said replacement made me want to vomit. I don't even have the required down-payment...

Because of the damaged pipe, it is only a matter of time till my sewer line backs up again...

I called my insurance guy at home at 8pm on a Saturday (really good insurance guy) and he filed a claim about the water damage from sewer back-up. It will cover the first $5000 of damages, after my $500 deductable. And he gave me the number of a company to clean up the mess.

So first thing on Palm Sunday morning, two wonderful fellows from Brock Restoration came out and cleaned up the mess- hauling out the damaged areas of carpet and setting up the dehumidifier and industrial fans. At least that helped with the smell.

Yesterday the insurance adjuster and Tony went through the basement and found the damage there was worse than I thought. My bathroom vanity will also need to be replaced.

What a year I am having...and it is only April...

Roe

On this day twenty years ago, a friend of mine died at Our Lady of Mercy. She was so young, the wife of a dear friend and mother of five children. Her youngest was only 18 months old at the time.

She had been sick for a while, but kept putting off going to the doctor. She had kids to take care of and things to do...not that it would have mattered. In the early 1990's nothing helped stop the virus...

I was one of the few who knew how very sick she was. I was in my last semester of nursing school and had seen the x-rays. I knew she was dying of AIDS, but her husband begged me to say nothing. What a terrible secret to keep. I mourned her and cried alone for this strong woman who had struggled her whole life.

Her ex-husband had already died of the virus. He infected Roe before she found out he was shooting heroin. She left when she found out, and was living happily ever after with my friend, and she had just had his child, a beautiful girl... She was so happy.

The cough got bad in January of 1991. By March she was admitted. She never went home. Her poor husband never recovered from the loss of this tough amazing woman. Their daughter has no memory of her.

I miss her today.

Richard Bach

Author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Mr. Bach was an author I found during my college years. After an incredibly difficult break-up, from a man I thought I would marry, I read "The Bridge Across Forever". At a time I could not sleep and was physically worn down, sick in body and spirit, his voice transcended my despair.

It is not a book everyone would enjoy, but I found it at a time when it gave me incredible comfort. I remember reading the astonishing quote on the cover-

....If you've ever felt alone in a world of strangers, missing someone you've never met, you'll find a message from your love in "The Bridge Across Forever"

It was like a splash of very cold water, and I remember writing in the book, over and over (something I rarely do outside of textbooks)as I tried to capture the wisdom and bring myself to peace.

You do really find the teacher when you are ready for the lesson. And while the "perfect" love story ended, I still loved the read.

Grace

A while ago, I read a book called “What is so Amazing about Grace”. I won’t even tell you how long I had it sitting on a bookshelf before I fit it in…you know how busy life gets, and any excuse will do when you need an excuse…

I read a lot. I own more books than some small libraries. I go through reading material quickly, always having a next read ready to go. I finish even bad books- hoping they get better. I reread my favorites over and over. Books can be like an old friend. But reading about God’s message can be a challenge for me.

Sometimes I get lost in the “what I have to do today, this week, this month” and lose sight of the small moments of blessing in every day. We all do.

Grace has been described as the true gift of Jesus Christ for the world, and my friend Liz gave me the book when I needed to find the peace of grace so badly…that I put the book on a shelf for several years. I am nothing if not stubborn.

Well, at a crossroad, I brought the book out and read it- it felt like a drink of tangy lemonade on a hot summer afternoon. I could not put it down. It was like the book had been written for me. What had I been waiting for?

I keep it on my book shelf, and take comfort from it’s message. Philip Yancey gave me a great gift and when I am struggling in life, I go back to the comfort of this wonderful book.

2011 has been full of challenges for me. I have been hurting, thirsty, sad and alone.

But not really. I lost sight of the important while focusing on the stuff. I have loving healthy children, good friends, a family that will always support me, and today someone told me I had grace. Wow! She praised me so in her message that tears came to my eyes.

So guess what I am pulling off the shelf tonight?

The SBCHC

When my daughter was six weeks old, I was looking for work as a nurse and saw an add in the paper (before internet job searches) for a nurse in the Longwood area of the South Bronx. Spanish preferred. Longwood was a stop on the 6 train, so I applied.

My first interview was with Mercedes Rios. Considering how terrible my resume was at the time (14 font, anyone?) it is a wonder he considered me. He showed me the brand new street front clinic in an area where HUD was building a large number of two-family homes on what had been empty lots. I also met Janet Quinones, the nursing supervisor.

The second interview was with Dr. Alan Shapiro, at the 64th street offices of the Children's Health Fund. The medical director, Alan surprised me by how amazingly young he looked, with his so curly hair. At some point during the interview, he switched over to Spanish and we just carried on. When he was satisfied that my Spanish was up to the task, he asked me why I did not list Spanish as a skill. I gave him a lame answer about it not being a nursing skill... Really?!? Clearly he saw potential cause he hired me anyway. I think it helped that I had just had a baby, because EVERY woman I met was in their third trimester.

Alan and Janet taught me all the stuff that isn't in the books. Alan worked with teenagers in a way that offered them safety and a voice. Janet was the supervisor I would strive to emulate. She never asked any of us to do something she wouldn't do. She was kind and patient. The whole staff was like family, and I was a sponge soaking up the knowledge.

We made a difference in a neighborhood that needed a medical home for its children. And I will never forget the lessons I learned there. In the four years I worked with these wonderful people, I became a better nurse.