What a Wednesday

Yesterday I went to visit my mom in her nursing home because today is her 83rd birthday. She is in fine spirits for a woman who can no longer walk or talk or carry on conversations. She talks a lot more than she used to (probably because they have reduced her anti-anxiety meds to almost nothing) but still her words aren't very conversational.

The funniest thing that happened yesterday (rather sad but funny). The entire time I was there visiting a new resident across the hall was just sobbing uncontrollably about having to be in the nursing home . After about fifteen minutes mom actually said, "She really needs to shut up." It was the most purposeful thing mom had said in over two years.

With my mother-in-love in the hospital after her TIA over the weekend, and making sure she has what she needs from her house and taking care of the kids, my week has been packed. I want to apologize about not having a Mystic Monday post this week. I am sure that at least two of my loyal readers are sad at not getting to find out about some obscure mystic from the third century.

I do want to share something I have been reading with you, but I am not sure that this person would be considered a mystic although I find some of what I have read in this wonderful little book to be quite mystical in its simplicity. I happen to be reading Jean-Piere de Caussade S.J. Book (actually a Kitty Muggeridge translation ) called The Sacrament of the Present Moment)which was written in the 1700's .

This is the section that I read this week that has given me great hope:

May others , Lord, multiply their prayers and supplications. I ask but one thing. I offer up this prayer to you: "Grant me a pure heart!" O pure heart, how blessed you are! You find God in the strength of your own faith, see him in all things at all times in and around you. You are his subject and his instrument. He guides and brings you to your destination. Often you do not think; but he is thinking for you. Whatever happens to you is ordained by him. All he asks is your willingness . In your bewilderment you don't understand this longing in yourself, but he does. Ah, how simple you are!


This has been my way of praying for the last few years. I don't have to know or understand how or why things are happening in my life because I know that God has a plan and that plan is for good even if I can't see how that good will come about because of the pain and suffering that I might be going through at this moment. If I trust in God's mercy and love everything will work out the way God intends for it to so long as I move with God's will.

Thursday May 21st is mrangelmeg and my 26th wedding anniversary. We are going to try to go out to dinner in between work and kids and visiting mother-in-love at the hospital.

Oh and Friday the angelbaby turns 13 and is having some friends over for a sleepover. Won't that be fun? A basement full of teen-age girls after a week of less than stellar sleep. We must be crazy, but we had the sleepover planned before other things happened and mom should be more stable by then.

Pax

A Love Story

On August 20, 1949 at St Anthony Catholic Church in Davenport Iowa, the lanky football star in the picture above married his college sweetheart and they embarked on their life together. They are my parents Mike and Tess Scheck on their wedding day 59 years ago.

They raised nine children and lived together for twenty-four years before cancer took dad's life at the age of 48. Mom had to soldier on alone after that because six of the children were still living at home and needed her to be strong for them.

I realized this year that mrangelmeg and I have been granted the gift of a longer marriage than my parents were given. I feel so blessed, because I owe so much to my parents. Without their example of total self-giving love I am not sure I would understand how to be a married woman.

I still remember their morning ritual of coffee together, when they would sit and discuss the minutia of their day. To an outsider it might have looked humdrum, but I could see the simple gestures that passed between them; his getting up to refill her cup, her hand resting lightly on his arm, the way they passed the morning paper sections back and forth between them; each was so infused with devotion.

Then she would follow him out to the hallway as he left for work; he walked because the school where he taught was only a few blocks away. They would linger over one last kiss at the door, her hand lost in the hair at the back of his neck. And then he would smile and leave for the day.

She told me once years after he died that she had trouble sleeping in the bed they shared without him beside her. This is something I can relate to completely because I struggle sleeping without mrangelmeg even when he is on travel for a few nights let alone weeks or months. I would shudder to think of having to imagine him never returning to the bed we have shared all these years.

I know my parents must have argued, but I can't remember ever hearing them have a huge screaming fight. If they ever got frustrated with each other they seemed to be able to work out their differences without taking it out on each other. Although my dad did have a habit of sweeping the front room with a broom whenever he needed to release pent up aggression. Whenever he was doing that, we knew to stay away until he calmed down (or went to confession, whichever came first).

Anyway, I wanted to honor my parents today. I went to visit mom yesterday. I lit a candle for Dad today. Happy anniversary mom and dad.

Pax

My Blogaversary: I'm Four Years Old (In Blog Years) . . .

and I still look pretty good for the wear and tear over the years. I wanted to take this occasion to thank some people:

I want to thank my two loyal readers (and you know who you are) without you I would feel so all alone out here in the blogosphere.

I have to thank Alexa for creating my header when she made over my blog a couple of years ago. I have since changed templates but have kept her amazing header.

I want to thank all my blogging friends that I have met in those four years from practically the four corners of this great nation (and some from "across the pond").

I want to thank mrangelmeg who has been an inspiration and fodder for more than one post. If truth be told he is much funnier than I am, so most of my best humor stuff is borrowed from him (we have community property laws in the Midwest, don't we?)

I especially want to thank anyone who sent me a meme or quiz link the entire time I was in Gradual School (which was a majority of the four years) because without those time wasters, uh I mean wonderful diversions I might have gone right out of my head.

Seriously, I think blogging has been great fun and I hope to continue. Here's to many more inane, silly and sublime postings in the future.

Pax