Dec 08, 2024

Living in Unconditional Love (196)

 

“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.

121/08/2024                                                  Snow and more snow. Never much at a time, but it keeps coming. I have 7-8 inches on the deck, and I had the driveway plowed once. While snow is not unusual for December, it has seldom been as constant as it is this year. It is supposed to warm a bit, as it has been below freezing most of the time. Then it is supposed to rain. We could use the moisture though, so I am not complaining. We had a drought for most of October and November and the moisture is needed.

I have been lazy this week and not put any more Christmas things up. It is still early for me to feel like Christmas, and I know I will be celebrating for a month or so after the day. I am always amused to see the trees by the roadside a day or two after Christmas while I am just starting to enjoy mine. Since I seldom am out of the house, and I don’t watch television I have no incentive to view other things, and I am not reminded what I am missing.

My usual fall battle with the mice is still going on. I have caught many, and I have many traps set all over the house, but I have not caught any this week. I check all every day or two and all have been empty. The bait has been missing and I had that replaced this past week by my pest service and the bait seems to be remaining this week, a good sign. I believe the bait is poison so even though the traps were not sprung the mice seem to have had enough. The traps will remain set though as the bait does not harden and will last the season.

The snow has caused the deer to come out to the fields where they can paw down to the grass, and I see them almost daily sometime during the day, usually either early morning or late afternoon at dusk.

I will be baking my molasses cookies this coming week in preparation for all coming home for Christmas, and I must admit I am the greatest consumer of those wonderful cookies. They are not hard to make, but they do take time, as the dough must cool down the overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. The dough is heavy and thick and quite messy while getting them rolled out to be cut by the cookie cutters I have from bygone days. Lots of flour and therefore messy.

I am looking forward to having all here for the holidays.

Meditation

Gentle One, I await the celebration of Your coming on earth as a time of joy. I am thankful for all You have given me this year and await Your blessings over the next year. The beautiful snow that blankets my view is wonderous, and I joyfully look at that each day.