May 25, 2025

Living in Unconditional Love (219)

 

“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.

05/25/2025                             It is ironic that our dear leader stated that all those who gave their lives in defense of our country are “losers” using his very word. Now he wants a massive parade for his birthday on the birthday of the Army, not to celebrate the army, but to praise himself – the only person in the world worth praising according to his behavior, for his behavior states he believes he is the king of the world, and all must bow down to him as ruler.

Our nation has been a great country, working to help the poor and hungry throughout the world, until now, willing to fight for freedom and shed blood for the right to live in freedom. Now, according to EM, we have had an epidemic of empathy and must take the food out of the mouths of the poor so we can give more to the wealthy. The world will suffer more, and the rich will grow richer because T believes that is only fair. After all, they earned it didn’t they? Indeed, I am saddened by massive steps backwards in our humanity.

I suspect it will get worse before it can get better – but I am afraid for this country, as so many have resorted to extreme selfishness, no matter what they call themselves as we show that we are not a Christian country, or a country guided by decent principles where love has any recourse. We deport refugees to strange countries far from their lands of origins, including sending plane loads to Sudan, where starvation and famine is rampant, and the deportees have no knowledge of the language or customs and will probably quickly die in agony.

Our new pope is quiet, as he tries to assimilate himself into the day-to-day operation of the Vatican that he now has under his control, as much as any one person can control.

But I look at the natural beauty of the world and breathe it in deeply. I listen to the songs of the birds in delight. And I watch how my friends at church reach out in love and help those in need, and my beliefs in love are strengthened.

It has rained most of the week and is raining as I write this on Saturday. It is quite cool, even a frost alert one evening, but we did not have a frost. Tim came out today between rain drops and we planted the gladiolas on Eileen’s grave, as glads were Eileen’s favorite flowers. The gladiolas are not planted around the garden, but they should start to be planted hopefully this week. I plant 8-10 a week until I run out, so the blooming season lasts several weeks.

The Pinkus azalea grove is wonderful, and I can see much of it from inside the house so I enjoy it while eating where I can see the hill. The other azalais are blooming and the rhododendrons should start soon. The deer wreaked havoc on many of the Rhodos this past winter even though I had covered them with burlap. We will have to fence them off to prevent depredation next winter. And so, the spring moves towards summer.

Meditation

 Gentle One, I lie before You weeping for the pain our once great nation is causing so many in our world. We are becoming even more selfish and turning back what we have achieved in this past century to become greedier and more self-centered. I ask forgiveness, for we do not know what we do as we seem to only see what is in it for ourselves. Forgive us, I pray.