Oct 26, 2025

Living in Unconditional Love (240)

 

“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.

10/26/2025                             This has been a quiet week. A friend and the mother of one of Eileen’s closest friends died this past week, not unexpectantly. She has been in a semi-coma for the past weeks, and it was just a matter of time. She was a year older than me which brought home no matter how long we live, death will catch us. Many of the Hollywood stars of my younger days are dying as they are my age or older. Most manage to live into their 90s. Fran was a pillar of the community and the church during most her life and is missed. She had lived in assisted living for the past few years after her husband died.

We had some rain but not nearly enough. Everything is very dry, and the color season for the leaf peepers is almost over, even though there is still some color. I love the red of the maples and the trees with the deep bronze color that look so rich.

The bonsai are still out but will be brought in this coming week. That is when the garden will be prepared for winter.

I will be going to Peru to visit Dan and his delightful family in two weeks. I will travel with Barbara, but she will return in two weeks. I will stay on for another two weeks returning early December. I will go to Barbara’s house on Sunday with Tim taking me halfway to meet Barbara, as I can no longer drive that distance. We will not leave until Tuesday. The trip, including one layover, and will take about 11 hours plus travel to and from airports. Lima has a new airport which opened this past spring so that will be different. My return will be overnight, so I booked first class (or whatever they call it now) for the return trip but coach going as it is a day trip.

Our sad world continues as T destroys heritage adding a ridiculous ball room to the White House while destroying the classic beauty of that institution. The government is shut down with no end in sight as T and Republican party starve millions and remove health care for the poor. They will be held responsible for that, and the Pope recently chastised them soundly as he continues to voice responsibly to the agony we all see, with much promoted by so-called Catholics. They seem to forget that life is short.

The Pope’s exhortation was interesting. It was started by Pope Francis but finished by the present pope, illustrating the continuity of thought to the new pope from the old. It is a cry against the abuse of the rich against the poor just to gain more, but to lose everything in the long haul in the process.

Meditation

Gentle One, I weep for all the pain visible in our world, much brought on by greed. This life is short and ends all too soon, but those whose thirst for power and money show no sign that they recognize how short life really is. We cry for mercy as masked thugs swarm over people in cities grabbing any with brown skin as suspects and tie up even children in their brutal thirst for retribution. I beg for mercy on all concerned.