Aug 11, 2024

Living in Unconditional Love (179)

 

“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.

 

08/11/2024                             Dan, Alesandra, and family left Wednesday afternoon from Syracuse to resume their life in Peru and it is taking a while to become use to the silence. It seems almost unreal that three weeks have passed since their arrival but here it is mid-August already. Everyone had a wonderful time and was sad to leave, but they had things to do in Lima and were quickly immersed back in that life.

We spent the week trying to get in the things they wanted to see, which included a drive through a wild game farm safari not far away that all thought was wonderful. We spent last Sunday with Drew and his kids at the lake. Maria continued to talk about seeing her “best friend” which was great. I wonder what they will remember next year when they return. I do miss the noise and bustle, and it will take a few weeks to get all back in order, but it was a wonderful time.

My son Tim was a big help, especially putting all three car seats in the car and driving up to Syracuse to haul luggage to and fro. As you may imagine, lots of luggage. We were happy to be able to fit all in his SUV and we kept the large stroller in my car.

The hurricane remnants came through here on Friday. I lost power for six hours, but my generator kept all running smoothly. As you can imagine, their leaving day on Wednesday was hectic, and a heavy rain Tuesday night took my hot water system out. It is a propane instant hot water type, but water came in the exhaust vent and luckily my handyman Tim H was here working to open the drains in the woods and driveway. He took things apart and using a hair drier got things working again. I still had several loads of sheets to wash on Thursday, but all is well now.

This has been a wild time in the presidential election, and there is little I can constructively say.

The Olympics have been fun to see, but we have been too busy to watch any part of it. Lots of ups and downs and eventful that I could catch moments of extreme competitiveness that was jaw dropping to see.

The garden is well past the peak, and the heavy rain left by the hurricane took most of the blooms from the flowers. Still all looks good, as I was able to walk around Saturday, and no damage was visible.

Meditation

I am filled with gratitude oh Gentle One, and thankful that this summer has been filled with joy and love. The wonderful party, the amazing joy of having family here, the beauty of summer, the glorious color of flowers – all the amazing part of life I have been granted. Plus, the ache of missing Eileen as she was the heart and soul for many years, and it is in times like these that I am so grateful for having her by my side for 60 years.