Jul 07, 2024

Living in Unconditional Love (174)

 

“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.

07/07/2024                                                    This has been a bit of a challenging week in light that July 3 was the fourth anniversary of Eileen’s burial. My son Tim and I went to the cemetery on the 4^th and weeded and planted glad’s, one of Eileen’s favorite flowers. We cleaned the stone and left all looking nice. but my memories have been long and joyful and sorrowful at the same time. Death is part of life, and I have many wonderful memories made during the 60 years we had together.

The daylilies are slowly coming on, and my early garden lilies are starting to show signs of being close to bloom. The gardens look wonderful, and I try to get out as often as I feel up to it. It has been warm outside, but the AC keeps the house comfortable. I am feeling much better and went grocery shopping in the big store for the first time in six weeks. I have been shopping locally during the time I was ill, but they do not carry the smaller frozen vegetables packages that I prefer, so I stocked up.

I had a picnic supper with Tim and family on the fourth, and that was nice. We had it inside, but hamburgers, hot dogs, and salads were the menu. Julie (Tim’s wife) is recovering nicely from her two surgeries (ankle and knee replacement) and has just finished physical therapy. Good to see her moving around without pain (or less pain).

My back patio has not been poured, as the concrete supplier had an equipment failure that stopped them all week. It will take three pours, and hopefully I will be able to have the bonsai picnic this Friday, but we shall see.

I pray for our nation that is struggling to maintain democracy in the face of relentless pressure. I find it a bit amusing to see people wishing for “the good-old-days of yesteryear when all was calm and peaceful”. That is the feeling of the white population, who pretend that the days of “Jim Crow” never occurred, with lynching and other atrocities occurring often. I remember we visited my Dad’s birthplace in North Carolina in 1948, and if a black person was on the sidewalk walking towards you they would walk out to the center of the street so as not to confront us. I read that still occurred in areas of Atlanta into the 1970’s. Not so nice for a large percentage of the population.

Yes, I have talked about this before, but it is surprising how large the percentage of folks have forgotten the facts of Jim Crow.

Meditation

Gentle One, I rest in You and You hold me oh-so gently and carefully so that Your Love fills my being when events remind me of things I would rather not ponder on. But they are the facts of a life long lived, and I have been blessed with a long life. I am thankful for all the wonders of my life, from a person who dedicated her life to me and the seven children that blessed us over the years.