Mar 02, 2025

Living in Unconditional Love (207)

 

“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.

03/02/2025 (Lima, Peru)                   How does one describe the feelings when an almost two-year-old crawls into your lap and falls asleep? That happened Saturday when the family joined with a friend, and we went to visit a farm exhibit and swim area outside of Lima. It was about a two-hour walking tour, and I was in a wheelchair as it was a bit much for me to walk that much, when Madison grew too tired of walking and crawled into my lap for her 45-minute nap. Afterwards she woke up for swimming and enjoyed herself immensely.

The weather her has been consistently warm, in the low-80s during the day and in the 60s at night. We had “rain” one day, a sprinkle that they consider rain.

I had forgotten the cultural tendency towards help for those less capable, such as the elderly, pregnant women, and those with small children that is noticeable in checkout lines. They either have a sperate aisle for them or part and allow them to go earlier. Very nice.

Also, I had forgotten about the use of speed bumps to control speed and replace traffic lights. While lights are still used on main roads, the side streets and crossings will not have lights but stop signs and speed bumps on the side street to slow traffic. It works well, and traffic flows quickly.

School starts this coming week, and all three, even Madison, will head off in the morning to school. They will use a local school for now, but Dan and Alesandra have an appointment to see a different private school in mid-March for Maria. The school they would like to use is almost an hour and half away, and they would have to have someone take them and it is too difficult. Hopefully things will work out.

I wake up each day to the sound of tennis balls being hit and it lasts almost all day, with breaks for washing and watering the courts each half hour.

Meditation

Gentle One, I place my life in Your care and trust You will guide me in my decisions in life. I thank You for the love I have found in life that has been the foundation for my life, especially for the love of Eileen that formed my core. I give my thanks for all I have each day that supports those in my care.