Living in Unconditional Love (199)
Jan 05, 2025
Living in Unconditional Love (199)
“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.
01/05/2025 I hope all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We had a wonderful celebration, and we ended by going to Mohonk Mountain House for three nights and meeting with Eileen’s brother Kevin between the holidays. All four of my daughters were home, three for Christmas itself, with Janet and her son Brendan arriving on the 26th for the trip to Mohonk on the 27th. All stayed through New Year’s Eve and all, but Barbara, left on the 1st. It was the first time in many years that the house was filled with joy by so many for so long. Barbara left the following day, so the house is back to its quiet place with the Christmas tree still up and my village on the coffee table still up. Almost all the remaining decorations are down and put away (thank you Barbara).
It was the first time in many years that Karen and Maureen were here for Christmas eve and day as they usually came the day after Christmas, and it felt great to have the larger crowd here. We had Christmas dinner at Tim and Julie’s place and had much laughter and cheer during that time. I do enjoy these family times, especially as I grow older. I can not physically do all the things that Eileen and I use to do at Mohonk during our visits, but sitting in front of the fireplace and chatting with Kevin and Mary Jo was a wonderful experience once more, and I could use the fact that it rained much of our visit as an excuse to stay indoors. I had a room on the 6th floor facing the lake, and it was different being so high and viewing things from those angles. It was truly breathtaking to look at the beauty there, and the many decorated trees inside and out.
The weather has gyrated from warmer and raining to bitter cold and snowy. Right now, I had about three inches of snow last night (Friday night/Saturday morning). and it is in the ‘20s and it had been windy with snow flurries all day, so I stayed in the warm house for the day. To our delight we had a couple of inches of snow for Christmas, so we indeed had a White Christmas, the first in several years. The weather will continue to be cold for a while, so winter is finally here in full force. It went from warm to bitter cold quickly, and I hope the plants accepted it well. I won’t know until spring if any damage occurred.
I am constantly amazed at the beauty of the scene out my windows. It never stops being truly a glorious sight.
Meditation
Gentle One, I am amazed to be able to celebrate the new year once more. I have been gifted with beauty and wonderous things all my life, and the long life I have has allowed me to share this wonder as I can. I miss Eileen and her wonderful presence that kept me grounded and close to all that life has to offer. I am deeply grateful for the 60 years we spent together.
