Mar 22, 2026

Living in Unconditional Love (260)

 

“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. Covid has proved to be a persistent problem, and many of the long-term effects are quite serious, and it has proven much more serious than flu.

03/22/2026                             I have been watching March Madness these past few days and will probably continue until the end. Alesandra and the girls left to be at her mother’s store. It is quite a way away, and it took them about three hours today to get there. I imagine the Saturday traffic slowed them down, but it is still a long way. Dan and I watched the games, walked to a nearby restaurant and had hamburgers, then walked back, then continued to watch. It was about at my limit of walking, and my hip was hurting on the way back, but I am fine now.

The seas have been a bit rough all week, with extensive whitecaps all along the shore, but the surfers are still out. Maybe not as many, but still quite a few. It is quite a sight to see them gliding on their boards as they ride the waves in. it takes quite a while to paddle out and some go a long way, but then many are skilled to ride the boards all the way in. Some spill, but many ride the entire trip right next to the foaming waves.

When we were walking home from the restaurant, we saw two really long limos parked close to the park below the condo with girls’ names on the limos who are celebrating their 15^th birthdays. I think they were at the park for photographs. We saw one group of girls in their prom dresses heading back to one of the limos laughing and talking, enjoying themselves. Things Dan and Alesandra have to look forward to. The 15^th birthday is a real big deal in this culture.

Madison will turn three on Tuesday. She has not said anything yet, so I am not sure whether she knows or not. They will not hold a big party, but a party will be held at the school and in the evening with family. I don’t know any details, but Dan did buy two pinatas, one for the school and one for here. Should be fun.

Our world is in a sad condition, and our leader is the cause of much of the suffering. It is sad to see, but the Pope has spoken out quite sharply about this. It is amusing to see some of T’s underlings who are Catholic tell the pope to shut up and look to the church but leave the world alone. But that is exactly what the Pope is doing, as the church envelopes the world and all its actions.

Meditation

Gentle One, I sigh as I look at the pain filling so much of the world. I ask for forgiveness for all the pain we have caused by our actions or lack of action. I place our love and concern in Your hands and ask that You distribute Your grace to all the afflicted and ease their pain.