Drove out to Greeley cemetary to visit Dad & Mom C and David. Hard to believe dad has been gone 30 yrs, mom 7, and David almost 3. Drove past the home place. It is being well taken care of by the Palmers. The cottonwood is gone, but its memories remain.
The old St Joseph’s Church still supports its beautiful stain glass windows. I think of dad sitting under the Kateri window. He was her advocate long before she attained sainthood. I wonder how she got a window at St. Joe’s before she was a Saint. It is now the Greeley Community Church. I often wonder how they explain the “pagan windows” to their congregation.
Grilling is on the agenda for our supper. Pork steaks and a salad seem to be the best way to round out this day.
It has been good for us, this vacation. It has been good.
Coffee is perfect or perhaps I’m just drinking it in the perfect place
Feeling much better this morning. Amazing what a dose of old fashioned Vicks can do for a person.
Intermitent Fasting week 20… 20# down, 1914 hrs of fasting, better sleep. Loose skin is an issue. It is a bit depressing in fact. I don’t know why it cannot relocate to my posterior and give me back the cushion weight loss took away. I do not care for boney butt.
New Book… well old (1969) but new to me…In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. I’m liking it. Picked it up at the Tiny House in Hopkinton for a quarter.
Today’s Ponder…Anthony Cardinal Bacci speaks on Fervour and Tepidity today. I agree with his statement, have experienced it personally. “The only choice in the life of a Christian is between fervour and sin. The teid or negligent soul cannot remain long in the grace of God, and when God’s grace is removed, it means the death of the sould. The spiritual life resembles a steep hill. A man cannot stay still. He must keep going upwards or begin to slip downwards. Whoever struggles on up the his is approaching perfection and Heaven; whoever slips backwards is approaching sin and Hell. There is no middle way. Those who are lukewarm are an object of disgust to their Creator. Who casts them away from Himself.” (Rev 3:16)
Lenten Practice… give more of yourself than you think possible.
Looking for a lazy day today. Hoping to enjoy some warming sunshine on the deck while I watch the lake ripple. Good thing the buggy blanket is along, I can wrap in it and still enjoy the lake. Should reach the 50’s today.
MV District Invitational Events Contest. Fantastic hot lunch available. 26 schools competing. Solo Musical Theater@ 0956 and Poetry @ 1356. So far good day. Sellah competed with the following. I enjoyed her mannerishms, the way she used her voice to draw her audience into the poem. Her facial expressions evoked sadness, wonder, and joy. It was good. So happy to have gotten the chance to see her performance.
Go Down, Death by James Weldon Johnson
Weep not, weep not, She is not dead; She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus. Heart-broken husband–weep no more; Grief-stricken son–weep no more; Left-lonesome daughter –weep no more; She only just gone home.
Day before yesterday morning, God was looking down from his great, high heaven, Looking down on all his children, And his eye fell on Sister Caroline, Tossing on her bed of pain. And God’s big heart was touched with pity, With the everlasting pity.
And God sat back on his throne, And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand: Call me Death! And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice That broke like a clap of thunder: Call Death!–Call Death! And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven Till it reached away back to that shadowy place, Where Death waits with his pale, white horses.
And Death heard the summons, And he leaped on his fastest horse, Pale as a sheet in the moonlight. Up the golden street Death galloped, And the hooves of his horses struck fire from the gold, But they didn’t make no sound. Up Death rode to the Great White Throne, And waited for God’s command.
And God said: Go down, Death, go down, Go down to Savannah, Georgia, Down in Yamacraw, And find Sister Caroline. She’s borne the burden and heat of the day, She’s labored long in my vineyard, And she’s tired– She’s weary– Go down, Death, and bring her to me.
And Death didn’t say a word, But he loosed the reins on his pale, white horse, And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides, And out and down he rode, Through heaven’s pearly gates, Past suns and moons and stars; on Death rode, Leaving the lightning’s flash behind; Straight down he came.
While we were watching round her bed, She turned her eyes and looked away, She saw what we couldn’t see; She saw Old Death. She saw Old Death Coming like a falling star. But Death didn’t frighten Sister Caroline; He looked to her like a welcome friend. And she whispered to us: I’m going home, And she smiled and closed her eyes.
And Death took her up like a baby, And she lay in his icy arms, But she didn’t feel no chill. And death began to ride again– Up beyond the evening star, Into the glittering light of glory, On to the Great White Throne. And there he laid Sister Caroline On the loving breast of Jesus.
And Jesus took his own hand and wiped away her tears, And he smoothed the furrows from her face, And the angels sang a little song, And Jesus rocked her in his arms, And kept a-saying: Take your rest, Take your rest.
Weep not–weep not, She is not dead; She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.
I am ill. Woke yesterday with stuffy nose. Very stuffy today, sore throat, bad ears. I’ll need to find a clinic for a strep test. No speech contest for me, the man will have to go it alone while I find a clinic.
Antonio Cardinal Bacci speaks today on Avarice (extreme greed for wealth or material gain) & Ambition (strong desire to do or to achieve). He uses the words “unscrupulous businessman” and “careerist” as descriptive words. Reminding us that seeking adulation for ourselves (excessive admiration/praise) gains us nothing as we often end up losing our own soul.
I’m going one step further here this morning and stating our current contenders for the presidency both fit into these catagories. As neither do what they do for any reason other than personal gain. Whether that gain is monetary or notority. It matters not at this point who wins the race as the nation will have already lost.
Left home this morning under grey skies with a stiff breeze. That didn’t change any except for the temperature dropping as we headed south. The weatherman advised we could run into snow flurries about 1 this afternoon but so far that hasn’t happened.
We stopped in PDC at the resale shop we like to frequent on main street… no treasures called to us. Our next stop was for a quick fish sandwich in Guttenburg. Fareway to pick up cooking supplies was a good stop in Dyersville along with the resale shop where we found a lecturn for our home altar.
The lake is cold and grey with choppy water but still our happy place. Not sure what calls us back time and time again except for love the the sunroom there. The stress of traveliing just faded as the door was opened and belongs put into place.
Looking for a local fish fry for tonights supper. Then a relaxing evening with nothing else in the works.
I pulled my Give him 5 cup from the cabinet this morning. Back in ’12/’13 I had purchased it from ‘give him 5’ along with a little muslin bag with prayer helpers in it. I learned this morning she had passed away. May she rest in peace.
A little battered and used
Today I remember and smile over the engagement of my bil (M) and sil (S) back in 1992. Time has flown. They now have grandchildren and will have another wedding this year. God is good all the time.
Ponder… Matthew 15:25-32… He was mocked by bandits, chief priests, and scribes. Had we been there ourselves, we confess, we may have joined in. Forgive us all who–then and now–understand his mysterious power too poorly. As a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and suffering, wear a cross today.
The Chair of Peter… by choosing Peter (Matthew 13:16-18) to lead His Church, Jesus showed us that perfect faith is both a process and a gift. It represents the papacy, the unbroken succession of Popes throughout the Church’s 2000 year history. You can read more about the chair of peter at https://ewtn.com/catholicism/seasons-and-feast-days/chair-of-peter-23015
Today do one thing in secret that you are quite sure would receive the praise of others if they knew of it.
It is said St Thomas Becket patron saint of priests is said to have worn a horse hair shirt under his crimson and gold robes while he was the Archbishop of London, England. He was canonised in February 1173 and his legacy as a defender of the rights of the Church against royal tyranny became firmly established. He was murdered by the knights of Henry II at Canterbury Cathedral. You might find John Guy’s book Thomas Becket, Warrior, Priest, Rebel an interesting read.
We will begin Leg#4 of the Great Adventure tomorrow.
Early baby run this morning… I know, vaca but I couldn’t not do it, after all I am at home.
Got in last night and unloaded. Was good to sleep in my own bed. Today will get caught up on laundry, etc. Our next adventure will begin on Friday.
Today let us remember Jim Hayward, former Lt. for the Independence, IA police department. One of the best men, officer, detective I have ever know. He would have been 94. May he rest in peace.
Today I ponder…”the soul of the hive“… what is the soul of the home you live in? the church, the community, the state, the government…etc May your soul be based on Christ, recognizing those things that are or will become evil, and resisting external forces that constantly try to encourage evil. List the ways you tend to conform to the world and ponder them.
Boyden, IA in honor of Willard Boyd. The Sinclair 2.69/ gal 30 cents a gal cheaper than in Sheldon.
Sheldon, Ia, named for a railroad promoter called Isreal Sheldon.
Sibley, IA, named for General Hastings Sibley.
Minnesota welcomes us.
I90 EB home in 4 hrs.
The trip has been good. Loved checking out the Catholic churches along the way.
Interesting historical markers. Sometimes, I think history is ignored or altered to make it something other than what it was. We can not learn from our mistakes if we don’t recognize the error. We can not recognize an error if it has been altered. We can not go back and change it. We can remember and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Lovely evening with Henry & Linda. The children have gown so much. William is taking one or two steps on his own. Andrew is learn how to play matching. Sarahann can write her name and count to 20. Marty is in 5th grade, riding his horse to school. Steven is working for the Hutterites. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Hutterite_Church_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Today%2C%20almost%20all%20Hutterites%20live,at%20home%20and%20in%20church. We plan to visit the colony today. Henry has his own construction business. At present they are renting but activly look for their own land. The community grew with the addition of 3 new families and another family is planning to move here as soon as they find land.
Remembering Kaye Krogmann who was killed in a car accident in 1999. May she rest in peace.
Ponder… can you identify individuals sent by God to act as mediators between God and your faith? Can you outline the spiritual history of your family?
In the "Wilds of Wisconsin & Cornfields of Iowa" 