Jun 16, 2024

Living in Unconditional Love (171)

 

“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.

06/16/2024                                                    Happy Father’s Day!

Sigh! The cough seems determined to keep me down, as it continues to send me into nasty spasms several times a day. I still feel like I can sustain myself, and my son Tim was out on Saturday to mow the lawn, so all looks nice. The gardens continue their glorious series of blooms and keep me entertained. The peonies are at their peak, as I have many and they cover a long blooming season. They have amazing beauty, especially when in bloom but their foliage is lovely too.

I missed the bonsai club meeting this week because of my cough. My bonsai need trimming, and I have not felt like going out to do that. I hope I will be able to get out there this week as the weather is supposed to be warm – even hot, in the 90s for a few days. Luckily, I have air conditioning so I will be comfortable inside as I still spend most of my time resting from the fatigue I feel. I use a cleaning service every other week, and they were here the past week, so all looks nice.

Sleeping much of the time does not leave me time to do much, so the week has been slow. I feel sad that the supreme court has blessed the murdering of children and others with the allowance of bump stocks which turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns. I do not understand their thinking.

It seems incredible that half of the year is almost over, and the longest day is this coming week. My son Dan and family are coming over late July and hopefully all the others will find the time to come then also. It should be a great time.

Hopefully my back concrete patio will be starting reconstruction this next week, and that will allow the bonsai to be placed in their usual place. They are not displayed well in their present location.

Despite the illness, life is treating me well, and I continue to be blessed every day.

Meditation

Gentle One, You have given me the wonderful blessings in my life, including Eileen and our children and their families. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for all the blessings I have been granted and to rest gratefully in Your Being. I ask for relief of this cough and such so I may resume my activities I can still perform.