Jul 23, 2023

Living in Unconditional Love (124)

 

“Love flows from God to humans without effort:

As a bird glides through the air without moving its wings-

Thus, they go wherever they wish united in body and soul,

Yet separate in form.”

–Mechtild of Magdeburg

 

My wife Eileen died from esophageal cancer in February 2020 one year after being diagnosed, 60 years after we met on Long Island. Then my brother Tom became ill (not COVID), and I spent a total of six weeks being with him in Ohio, but he died in October 2020. My sister-in-law Sue Mahoney died from Covid-19 in January 2021. On top of it all stood the pandemic, locking everyone down almost two years.

07/23/2023                             This has been a quiet week with only a few days where I could be outside. The rain is welcome as the ground is still a bit thirsty, even though we have had significant rainfall over the past several weeks after a very dry May. The daylilies look very nice and provide an amazing amount of color in the gardens. Everything from white to deep purple and brilliant oranges and reds. Everything has been weeded and weed-wacked, so all looks good. I was able to mow the lawn this week, including the lower lot that had not been mowed for many weeks and was quite high, but the garden-tractor mower handled it well.

I have several of the ‘ten-year’ smoke alarms scattered about the house, and apparently the ten years are up. This past Monday night (of course at night) I heard beeping, and of course I could not determine which one was beeping (the high-pitched squeal seems to be everywhere). I thought I determined which one it was and isolated it sufficiently with closed doors that I could sleep through the night. The next morning there was two of them beeping, and I got some aid to take the offending ones down and disable them. I have bought some replacements and will have them installed next week. It is somewhat amusing to think that I had installed all of them at the same time and two of them failed on the same day years later. Several had failed over the years, so I will replace them all with new ones.

I have decided to get one of the “guardian” buttons that I can wear around the property to call for help if I fall or need help. They are not particularly cheap, but I will feel better having it on me. Don’t be fooled by the advertisements of “19.95 per month” in the AARP magazines. The true cost is $45 per month, and that only if you pay by the year where you will get one month free. But it will be worth it for the peace of mind.

The air conditioning is working well, and the house always comfortable. I am very happy with the units, as they work to supply heat during the winter and cooling in the summer.

I am still fighting lethargy and lack of energy, and I suspect that will continue. But I have little to complain about, as I have few aches and pains, far fewer from what I can tell as do many of my aging friends.

Meditation

Gentle One, the time just seems to flow by in a blink. I sometimes wonder where the day has gone, as evening falls and the day is gone. The much longer days of summer are welcome, as give me the illusion that the day is longer than it is, but I know that the wonders of creation is rippling on and carrying me with it. I am grateful for all I have been given in this time in creation, especially the love of the family and peace of mind that so often eludes me.