Life Continues Amid Comings, Goings

January 11, 2008 -- It has been far too long since I last posted. And this time Charlie didn't come through to help me out. He's been busy, too.

So I finally got past my disappointment at not getting to Cabo for a week. Instead, I was busy dealing with arctic air and 16 inches of snow and ice that kept most people housebound for the better part of a week. Thankfully I have four-wheel-drive which works great on snow but ice is a whole 'nother matter. I did not have chains and wouldn't have wanted to bother with those anyway.

I had my sister, Shirley from Medford, with me as she was planning to fly to Cabo with me. Plus I had the ex-husband of a very good friend. He was in town to spend Christmas with their kids and didn't have anyplace to stay. The original plan was that he would house-sit and take care of Charlie while I was gone. But since I wasn't gone . . . It was a little strange but he was a pretty flexible guest. Actually, I ended up giving my bed to my sister, giving him the guest room and sleeping on the couch, much to Charlie's delight. I don't usually let Charlie in my bedroom at night because, frankly, he snores loudly. And my bed is too tall for him to easily climb onto, so half the time he was hogging the couch, which isn't that big to begin with.

I was able to make it to the Christmas vigil at 7. Main streets and highways were fairly passable, but I did worry about them freezing before I got home. And the roads between my house and the freeway were terrible. Any of you in the Northwest will have no sympathy for me -- especially those people in Spokane who are measuring their snowfall in feet rather than inches this winter! Pretty much everyplace north of Salem was hit very hard by winter weather. And now we're dealing with flooding. Tell me again about this Global Warming phenomenon?

After my sister headed back to sunny Medford, my daughter and her husband came to spend a few days for New Years and I was able to spend time with them and with my son and his family in Vancouver. While Kristin was here, her friends Tina and Patrick, whom I had visited in Lexington, KY, were also here so I had them all over for dinner one night. I barely had enough chairs. But it all worked out, happily, and we had an enjoyable evening.

Finally my last guest left by January 6. Then on to the next project: our wonderful pastor of eight years is leaving us. This is his last weekend. We had a huge party for him last night and I was very involved in helping put it together, working with volunteers and all manner of other things, whenever the chair needed help. One of the benefits (?) of being retired. So this morning I will sing at his last Sunday morning Mass and try not to cry. He will still be in the neighborhood as he will be working for the Oregon Province of Jesuits. But we will see him rarely. It is difficult to lose friends, loved ones and mentors, even when they aren't dead and you know you may see them from time to time. Losing their close presence in your life is a difficult thing. And not that he and I were all that close; we had our difficult times. But he is such a good man and his spirituality has been a tremendous gift to me and I know to many others.

So last night we laughed and danced and were joyful for his time with us. Next week we will cry. We put together a book of letters, poems, prayers, etc. And I wrote a special poem for him. With a backdrop of Haystack Rock on the Oregon Coast, I wrote:

Did your parents know? Pat and Helen --
When they named you Peter, were they inspired by some prophecy?
Did something or Someone whisper to them hints of your destiny?
A rock. Our rock.
When the storms of life have pulled at us,
Have threatened to capsize us and carry us away,
You have been a solid and steadfast foundation for us to cling to.
Your great faith and goodness, your wisdom, your love of God
And commitment to a just and peaceful world --
These have taught us, strengthened us, steadied us.
You have given us a solid platform from which to chart our own courses,
Good maps to help us follow our own journeys to God.
But you are not granite or diamonds.
There is a softness in you, like that found in gold.
You have been molded in the flames of God’s love,
In turn, your love has helped mold us.
Your gentleness with children, with the elderly and infirm,
Your kindness to those who are hurting or needy,
Your willingness to understand, accept, forgive,
Your generous sharing of time and wisdom to all who ask it –
These have lifted us up, given us a high and holy vantage point
From which to see and know God’s great love for all of us.
Though you, too, were often battered by sorrows and storms,
You remained steady; you did not crumble or break.
But now we have been called to share the riches of you with others.
Reluctantly, tearfully, we let you go.
But know that you will always remain in our hearts
And these Peter years will always be remembered
As the golden years at St. Ignatius.

And so it has been. And so life goes on. People coming, people going. We deal with the loss in our own ways and know that other good people will come to take their places. In the meantime, I now finally have time to work more diligently on my book. My goal is to have that ready to submit in propoal form before Spring. Heck, before Lent. So mid- to late-February I need to have proposals ready to send out. I can do this. I know I can. If I can drive a 36 foot motorhome 25,000 miles across the country, twice, then I can do this. Oh, and lose about 30 pounds -- but not by Ash Wednesday.

May you all have a wonderful 2009 filled with love and joy, lots of comings and not very many goings. May you be surrounded by peace and abundant blessings.

TravelinLady