Apr 06, 2025

 Living in Unconditional Love (212)

 

“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.

04/06/2025                             It is hard to believe that I will be 91 this coming week. Time just slips by, and I still miss Eileen, after the 60 years we spent together. Dan will be joining me on my birthday (Wednesday) for a few days between meetings and will leave on Sunday, I think. It will be good to see him.

My first daffodils are in bloom, the mass of daffodils on the septic bump below in the field has only a few blooms, but they will soon start. The bonsai are still in the control room, but they may go out at the end of the week as it is supposed to be very cold in mid-week but then warm up. If I remember correctly, they were already outside by this time last year and it did not become too cold, but it is supposed to reach 20 this week which is too cold for the bonsai and water hoses. Some of the Winter Aconite, snowdrops, and crocus are all in bloom as I write this.

My time in Lima seems almost like a dream, as I slid easily into my routines just like I never left. I must have had a severe brown-out that did not turn on the generator but stopped some of the clocks, as they were either off or out of sync by two and half hours. Since the generator kicks-in in seven seconds after power outage, only a brown-out could have affected the clocks and only some of the timers and not turned on the generator. Some of my timers are set for certain lights to turn on and off at certain times were also off by the same amount, and some were not.

Lima is a massive city, having about 11.5 million inhabitants. It sprawls over a large area much having beautiful blooms but much being homes not that different than a Queens, NY Street. Because traffic was heavy when we were traveling to the airport, we took side streets to avoid the jams on the highways, so I had a chance to see many areas that visitors seldom see. The speed bump method of speed control seems to be everywhere – and it works.

One of the more interesting things I observed from the living room in Lima was wheelchair tennis being played on the courts below. As many as six courts were used for the games. They wheelchairs seemed to be special models built for high speed and quick turns, and they played at the end of the courts. Apparently more than one bounce is allowed, and I was surprised how long the volleys lasted.

Meditation

Gentle One, I rejoice in the wonderful visit with my family in far-off Lima, and I thank You for that gift. I pray for our country as greed chomps down on the poor and lame of the world and within our own country. I ask You to “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” I truly know that life is short and before they realize it will be over.