Jan 25, 2026

Living in Unconditional Love (252)

 

“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.

01/25/2026                             This has been another cold and quiet week, and the temperature reached below zero Friday night. We are holding our breath as a major storm is coming into this area tonight (Saturday night) after coming across the nation today. I went grocery shopping today and the store was very busy, but things went well, and my trip was short, so I am set for anything.

The Christmas tree and stable are packed away, and all is back to normal. I usually leave them up through January but decided to put things away before my son Tim went back to school. My supplier filled the propane tank this week, so I am set for the winter as the oil tanks were filled in December. I have only a few weeks left before I leave to go to Lima where it is summer.

I am enjoying watching the birds at the feeder, and I had a large flock of turkeys (30 or so) visiting the bird feeder area digging for scattered seeds. It is amazing to watch such a large group of these large birds parading around as I seldom see any in flight. I am always amazed to see wildlife living all around us that vanish as soon as they are aware of my presence.

We have not had that much snow so far, so a heavy storm would not be abnormal at this time of year. We have had a colder year than many recent years, with snow squalls throughout December and January, but this will be the first heavy snowfall if it reaches us, as it is coming up from the south from Texas carrying much moisture. Probably NYC will receive more snow than we will, but that is what makes winter interesting giving us something to talk about and wondering what I will wake up to see.

There is nothing I can say about the doleful state of our poor nation and the thousands that are dying from our actions.

Meditations

Gentle One, I rest in Your care during this sad time as the actions of our nation injure so many of the poor of the world – the very ones You commanded us to help. I pray that the hearts of those who control where food is have hearts that are moved to help those in need.