"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales
Dee and I watched an interesting movie about Eric LeMarque, a former Olympic and professional hockey player. It is a true story about how he overcomes being stranded in a snowstorm in the High Sierras while snowboarding.
The actor, Josh Hartnett did an excellent job of his portrayal of the challenges Eric faced during his eight days in the wilderness.
David Alm has an interesting article over at Forbes.
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My buddy, I won't use his name because he probably doesn't want me to write about this, talked about writing a journal. He figures that since he is "sheltering in place" he could write about his experiences, his trials and tribulations, his strength of faith as he faces the unknown of this "coronavirus."
So, I did some research and found a website that would offer him some ideas.
They provide some suggestions for writing. Sort of a "start to see if you really want to journal."
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Dee and I watched Bishop Robert Barron's "Daily Mass" on Sunday morning. He is a great speaker, and his Homily on the reading from John, chapter 8, 1-41, was excellent.
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This is a "TED" video with Bill Gates speaking about a “highly infectious virus.”
The video is dated from 2015. Those who watched the video and/or were in the audience apparently didn’t let the rest of us know about this. Did Bill Gates predict our current Pandemic? Well, he was trying to warn us …..
So here we are, doing our best not to spread COVID-19.
Seclusion, well not really, but close. Yes, we are staying at home a-lot. We still require food, drink and other supplies so an occasional trip to the grocery store is required.
We stay in touch with family and friends via the cell phone, email, FaceTime, texting, etc. So, we're not alone.
The good news is that we remain healthy, continue to laugh and enjoy each other's company.
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The first death from COVID-19 occurred in China on 1-11-20. If I use that date, then this would be day 76.
I missed last week. No problems, we remain healthy, just busy with other things. Started painting miniatures again, more on that in another blog. Dee and I attended our Annual "Retreat at Church of the Epiphany. The speaker was Sr. Dolores Smith, CMS, M.A. who is a Comboni Missionary Sister. The topic was "When You Seek me You Will Find Me."
"Normally, we all say that we know that God is always with us. But... do we really believe that? Are we fully aware of the many ways God has and uses to speak to us every day of our lives? We are not alone, we are never alone...the invite is to tune into God's wave lengths and enjoy His constant desire to be with us - all the time."
This was an excellent retreat and I suggest that if the opportunity arises you should attend one of her talks.
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"Daylight Savings Time" was last week. I'm already acclimated to the change and I didn't suffer in any way. I did locate some interesting facts, "The Never Ending DST Debate' by Anne Buckle. Longer evenings, Doesn't save energy ... Less artificial light, Can make people sick ... Lighter=Safer, Costs Money ... Just things to think about.
Well, it's St. Patrick's Day but we're staying at home and not traveling to the pub. There's always next year and more importantly Dee and I are together.
"Lo, in my soul there lies a hidden lake,
High in the mountains, fed by rain and snow,
The sudden thundering avalanche divine,
And the bright waters’ everlasting flow,
Far from the highways’ dusty glare and heat.
Dearer it is and holier, for Christ’s sake,
Than his own windy lake in Palestine,
For there the little boats put out to sea
Without him, and no fisher hears his call,
Yea, on the desolate shores of Galilee
No man again shall see his shadow fall.
Yet here the very voice of the one Light
Haunts with sharp ecstasy each little wind
That stirs still waters on a moonlit night,
And sings through high trees growing in the mind,
And makes a gentle rustling in the wheat. . . .
Yea, in the white dawn on this happy shore,
With the lake water washing at his feet,
He stands alive and radiant evermore,
Whose presence makes the very East wind kind,
And turns to heaven the soul’s green-lit retreat."
Essentials are those things we feel that are "absolutely necessary" or "extremely necessary." Some items that currently meet this definition are; toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizers and sanitary wipes.
Since we may have to "shelter in place" for some time period, everyone is doing their best to "stock up" on these essentials as well as "food and drink." In addition, we should also pray: For assistance, For patience, For calmness, For understanding, For guidance, And recovery.
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March 19, 2020 - the spring equinox, which this year is "the earliest First Day of Spring in 124 years." It was a beautiful spring day here in Virginia, with warm temperatures, high of 81, and plenty of sunshine. Dee and I enjoyed a long walk which included following a trail through the woods. No bears or wolves.
The Richmond Spider men's basketball team will end their regular season on Friday night, playing the Duquesne Dukes at Pittsburg. They travel there with a record of 13-4 for Conference and 23-7 overall. Go Spiders!
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“March is a month without mercy for rabid basketball fans.
There is no such thing as a “gentleman gambler” when the
Big Dance rolls around. All sheep will be fleeced, all fools
will be punished severely … There are no Rules when the
deal goes down in the final weeks of March. Even your
Dee found my old "composition" note books from "Marriage Encounter." There were two of them, both written in cursive. The pages still in relatively good shape. After taking the time to read through them, I found it interesting to look back at myself and see how much I have learned and grown in my love for her. God knew what he was doing when He paired us together. Although it's probably been more of a challenge for her. We have always been able to work together encountering life's challenges. Understanding, accepting, forgiving, sharing, laughing, supporting and worshipping together has had more rewards than I ever imagined. I thank the Lord for what we have and look forward to many more years together.
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"Paying attention with undivided attention may seem like such a little thing but it makes all the difference in the world." Best Lent Ever
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Tricia has a beautiful review of "Undone" by Carrie Schuchts Daunt. Please take the time to read it at her blog, "Prints of Grace."
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John Denver & Cass Elliott - “Leaving On A Jet Plane.”
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