Prayers Needed

For 15-20 years, I have been going to Lebh Shomea House of Prayer for quiet, study, and prayer. It is located in Sarita, TX. Since 1973, it was formed and developed by a core group of Roman Catholics: Father Kelly Nemeck, Sister Marie Coombs, and Sister Maria Meister.Their website tells you about the history of Lebh Shomea.

In the last decade, changes started to occur when Sister Maria Meister's Alzheimer's disease affected her so much that she needed to move into a care facility. This past year, both Father Kelly and Sister Marie Coombs decided to retire but remain at Lebh Shomea.

2009 picture of Fr. Kelly

As Father Kelly prepared an Archives Room of Lebh Shomea, he fell a few months ago. He broke his hip and in the time awaiting surgery and following it, he developed pneumonia. He almost died. Due to his weakened condition he was moved to a nursing home in San Antonio, near his beloved Oblate School of Theology.

After his move, he became ill with pneumonia again and spent several weeks in the hospital in San Antonio. Recovering from these bouts of illness and the surgery took much time, which also resulted in him not having therapy or exercise for his legs. He continued to be very weak, plus his Parkinson's Disease worsened.

After enduring all this and depression, he came to the difficult decision that he would not be able to return to Lebh Shomea. He will spend his remaining days at the Oblate Madonna Residence in San Antonio.

While I was at Lebh Shomea last week, I learned that Father Kelly suffered a heart attack in mid-February. Fortunately after several days in the hospital, he returned to the residence.

I could feel less quiet and his absence at Lebh Shomea. As Sister Marie told me there, "It is like a death."

If you know Fr. Kelly and wish to write to him, send cards to:

Fr. Kelly Nemeck
Oblate Madonna Residence
5722 Blanco Road
San Antonio, TX 78216

Please keep him in your prayers, as well as Lebh Shomea and its future.

Friday Five: Favorites

Just getting back from four days of silence, I am suddenly thrust back into the world. Wrestling with choices and seeing elderly decline in others, I am flummoxed about a Friday Five–so think of a favorite off the top of your head for:

1. food--salmon! Being from the Pacific Northwest, I love salmon. My husband Chuck grills the best salmon in the world--much better than in restaurants in WA, OR, and here in TX! He wraps it in aluminum foil, first spreading melted butter, lemon juice and dill weed on it. Yummy!

2. drink--I like HOT tea when it's cold, so here in south TX, that's only in the winter. Visiting colder climates, it is wonderful to drink hot tea. Last year I discovered Harney and Sons Tea Blenders and really like their special Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea when it is cold.

3. animal--Dogs! Although cats seem to like me more than I like them. Visiting a friend today, her cat kept kneading my arm and purring--leaving scratch marks under my sweater!

4. color--Green! We have three rooms in our house painted green, one wallpapered with green leaves, and green carpet in four rooms!

5. time of day--Cool, quiet mornings, especially when no one else is awake.

Bonus: Any favorite you haven’t mentioned above that you want to bring up!

Writing and receiving letters, cards, and/or postcards--snail mail!! And I just received a nice note from former blogger Catherine.

Off to Lebh Shomea

 Will the doves still be at Lebh Shomea?

I am driving to Sandia, Texas today to spend the next five days at Lebh Shomea, House of Prayer, retreat center. I have been going there since the mid-1990's and am sad to learn that Fr. Kelly Nemeck is no longer one of the directors there. I will miss his presence. He has been ill and has retired to a residence in San Antonio.

I hope that I will be able to write in the silence and absence from distractions like the internet.

Friday Five: Love!

RevKarla brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I know that some (a lot) of you are digging out from snow and ice and lack of electricity.  We feel for you, and love you!     Some of you have a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day.  ‘Nuff said.     I happen to enjoy Valentine’s Day in spite of having exactly one date ever on VD (before I was married).   I love celebrating Love!   So, all that is to say is that our Friday Five is to tell us about five random things that you love.

I could fill up each of the five loves with all my children, grandchildren, husband, and friends I love. Instead, I will try to branch out to other aspects of my life.

1. Cards and Mail: I love to buy and send cards. (I also love to receive them, which is sadly a rare event for me.) Whenever I visit somewhere new, I have to look at card shops, as there aren't many "different" cards offered in Corpus Christi for sale. This month, I am participating in A Month of Letters Challenge for the month of February.

Recipe Here

I love to send Valentines, maybe because of being a former elementary school teacher back in the days when it was possible to celebrate Valentines Day. Also because my grandmother always sent me beautiful, glittery Valentines as I grew up.

2. Baking: I love to bake, especially cookies. This week I made Valentine pumpkin bread which was surprisingly easy. I found the recipe on Pinterest. The pin showed chocolate cake with hearts (from a Sara Lee's pound cake), but I tried pumpkin bread for the Wisdom Class on Tuesday. It was a hit with everyone in the class and was so easy! I bet you could cut out different designs, like maybe a star or a tree.

3. Words With Friends: I love playing this game on my Ipad and Iphone. It is like Scrabble with a partner. I don't often win, because I play too quickly. My oldest son DC continually beats my by hundreds of points!

4. Soups: I love making big pots of soup, a rediscovered passion with our month of cold, cold weather (for TX!). I have made five different soups from my newest soup cookbook, The New England Soup Factory Cookbook, and each one has been judged by all as excellent. In fact, I have made their recipe for Vegetarian Muligatawny four different times already--twice for Chuck and me; for my family at Christmas; and for my family in Austin at AA's request (which greatly pleased me). I've been making such big pots of soup that I can share some with friends, too, while we have it for multiple days. I am grateful that Chuck likes soup.

5. Books: I love to read, look at, discuss books!  I even have a Pinterest board About Books with over 1,000 pins! I really love children's books, so it is a joy to find books for granddaughters Avery and Emma! It is exciting to find new ones, like Good Night, Construction Site which is so appropriate for these girls because their daddy supervises construction at apartment complexes almost every day. It is arriving for them tomorrow!

Helping Friends

After my last post, a blogging friend and other friends have reached out to me to give me support and encouragement. Today I found these words from Diane Walker, both on her Facebook page and on her blog Contemplative Photography:

Back in the days when we lived in Vermont, there were lots of jokes about taciturn Vermonters interacting with that most dreaded of species, the New Yorker.  And the punch line for one particularly amusing one I remember, uttered by an old Vermont farmer in that lovely accent they put on for strangers, was "you can't get theah from heah."

... which was what I heard when I looked at this photo: I mean, the gateway and path issue a lovely invitation, and there's a pretty cottage off in the distance, but the truth is -- you can't get there from here. There's actually a very deep body of water between here and there, not to mention a field thick with dune grass and a broken-down boardwalk through a marsh.

... which reminds me a bit of the spiritual journey: there have been, in my lifetime, any number of appealing and inviting paths I've pursued, only to find myself blocked at some unexpected point -- and frequently having to retrace my steps.

... which is, perhaps, the universe's way of reminding me -- as it says in Logion 3 of the Gospel of Thomas -- that the goal, the end point of this journey is not somewhere else: it's really right here. "Divine Reality exists inside and all around you," says Yeshua. "Only when you have come to know your true Self will you be fully known-- realizing at last that you are a child of the Living One."


By Diane Walker


Thank you, Diane!

I feel stuck!

It is already February, and I feel stuck, stuck, stuck about my master of theology papers. There is a time crunch now and I have very little written. I am at a loss for words. . . .here. . . .there. . . .everywhere.

Friday Five: Spring??

3DogMom brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Here in Nashville the annual Antiques and Garden Show is getting underway.  The temperatures are more cold and windy than is typical, and the garden displays with colorful spring blooms are going to be tonic for many of the souls that visit the show this weekend. Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted another six weeks of winter when he saw his shadow, but spring is on the minds of many!

With that in mind,

1) What do you anticipate with the coming of spring?
This has been an unusual winter in south TX, with cold fronts actually bringing us COLD weather! We keep dipping into the 30's and 40's for high temperatures, which has not been the norm for years. Knowing that this will not last much longer, we know spring (and shortly after, SUMMER) will arrive soon.

I am hoping for some of our usual winter, but spring-like, weather to return. This is when it is reminiscent of Pacific Northwest summers. High and low temperatures of the 70's and 50-60's are so pleasant.  I am hoping some of those days will get here before the heat and humidity return.


2) Is there anything you will miss about winter?
I will miss drinking HOT tea. I never learned to like coffee and so have long been a hot tea aficionado.I especially like Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea, which may also be bought through Amazon, as my daughter-in-law KA did for Christmas.

Cousin Margaret in Calgary

Somehow hot tea is not as inviting when it is extremely hot outside. And I don't really like iced tea.

3) Is there an occasion on the horizon to which you’re looking forward?
At the end of March my cousin Margaret from Calgary, her daughter Kathy and two grandchildren will be coming to visit. It is exciting to think that the children will meet my granddaughters, Emma and Avery, as they are about the same age!

4) Do you have a favorite spring memory?
Memories of Easter egg hunts with my children.
Births of AE in March 1982 and BJ in April 1985.

5) Do you have a favorite spring flower/bloom, and if so, what makes it special to you?
I love daffodils. When we lived in RI and NJ, it was wonderful to see crocus and daffodils coming up while it was still cold. Daffodils do not grow in TX, so I have enjoyed the springs when I have seen them elsewhere, especially in WA State.

My Seattle daughter AE sent me a picture of a daffodil in 2009, so I posted it with a poem here.

Book Bub

Have you ever heard of Book Bub? If you sign up for it, you get daily emails of bargain ebooks that cost from $0 to $1.99. It says it works on all these devices:

 

It is a good deal! It's also helped me find some new mystery authors. It's free (unless you buy a book or two) and easy. Look at Book Bub!

Jan and Baby Emma

Jan and Emma, Feb. 2, 2014

Empty!

by MonkiFenn

That's how I feel but am trying to remember:

"Ignore your inner nagging thoughts. They are seldom accurate perceptions of what you are actually achieving. It is deeply unfair to criticize your navigation skills when taking a journey into unknown territory. Try not to demoralize yourself. I call my first draft “the Lewis and Clark.” Any freaking way to the coast is the correct way! Do not criticize yourself for the odd wrong turn, the weather slowing you down, having to stop for supplies. There is no bad route when you are on a voyage of discovery. Just keep going!"
PEN DENSHAM

Watch and Smile!

Post by Bhaskar Rao.

Crazy Texas Weather

By Dave Granlund

All the hype leading up to the latest Arctic cold front that reached us last night resulted in near-panic for many Texans. Here in Corpus Christi today the low temperature was 31 degrees F. and the high temperature was 36 degrees F. That is in great contrast to just yesterday when it was 40 degrees warmer!

And tomorrow it is projected to be 30 degrees warmer, with a high temperature of 64 degrees F.

So in three days, the high temperatures have fluctuated widely:

Thursday 74  ---->   Friday 36 ---->   Saturday  64

It can be crazy around here!

Friday Five: Too Late!!

Many apologies for this very late Friday Five. Going out of town all day and not paying attention to the calendar, I mistakenly thought I was bringing next week’s FF. So here goes:

Have you ever been late? List five ways you have been late, remembering it is “Never Too Late To Love!”

1. Late with today's Friday Five AND yesterday's Thursday Prayer
I seem to be forgetting dates lately, as I am overwhelmed with the possibility of writing (or not) the three scholarly papers for the Master's Degree in Theology from Oblate School of Theology.

I have lots of excuses but no papers, not even the topics chosen. How will I ever get this done by the end of this semester? Panic.

So with embarrassment and apologies, I commit to pay more attention. (This is especially ironic considering the weekly book study group I lead, The Wisdom Class, is reading and discussing Awareness by Anthony de Mello.)

2. Late with piano practicing.
As I posted on Facebook yesterday, I sometimes forget such daily (so-called) disciplines as practicing the piano and centering prayer. If I just get started each time, I recognize how much I love doing these activities. . . .

That is a perfect image to go along with today's mishap. It's a Bitstrip cartoon, which I discovered through several other RevGals on Facebook.

3. Forgotten appointment
Forgetting an appointment for a massage, my massage therapist called me up to remind me. I've seen her since 1995, and I appreciate our connection. This year she began to text me to remind me ahead of time!

4. Late with papers
This is the biggest laxity on my part that is plaguing me. Having grown up in a family where denial of alcoholism was major, I easily fall back into denial. That's the only way I can describe my lack of participation last semester--I blocked it out of my consciousness. During this time I celebrated the birth of our second granddaughter and visited her a lot. However, excuses don't help.

Another preoccupation was the gift of an Ipad for my birthday, and that is so much fun to play on.

My daughter AE gave me a funny book about the over-use of technology for Christmas (when all four children and their spouses were home!)--Good Night, Ipad! It is authored by "Ann Droyd."

5. Just late
As I have been writing this FF, I keep thinking of Saint Augustine:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

from The Confessions of Saint Augustine

Do Your Little Bit

Found on Facebook from Kissing Fish

And I just learned about and ordered the book Kissing Fish: Christianity for People Who Don't Like Christianity by the same person, Roger Woolsey. The Kindle edition only costs $3.03!

Friday Five: Random

Today's Friday Five is brought to us by Revjkarla:

I am feeling all in the moment, or at least the past few days moment, so our random FF is focused on the last couple of days (or week, or however you want to interpret this….)

So, without further ado….

1.  What is the best thing you have had to eat in the last couple of days?

Mint M % M's, which if indulged in yesterday despite my commitment to health-full eating.

2.  What is the topic/subject of the best thing you have read in the last couple of days?

Decluttering, as I am reading The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide by Francine Jay on my Kindle.

3.  Who would you like to give a shout out to that has been in your life the last couple of days?

My cousin Margaret, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She called to ask if she and her grown daughter Kathy could bring Kathy's two small children (the same ages as my granddaughters Emma and Avery) to visit in February! I am thrilled that they would like to make this big trip!

4.  How have you practiced self-care in the last couple of days?

Walking at the mall each day and having a massage yesterday.

5.   Use the following words in a sentence:    couple, shutter, smile, pillow, groan, skip, baby elephant, red shoes.

No groaning for the baby elephant in her red shoes, because she smiled as she skipped over the pillow to the couple of friends sitting nearby.

For A New Beginning

In out-of-the-way places of the heart,

          where your thoughts never think to wander,

          this beginning has been quietly forming,

                    waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire,

          feeling the emptiness growing inside you,

          noticing how you willed yourself on,

                    still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety

          and the gray promises that sameness whispered,

          heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,

                    wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight, when your courage kindled,

          and out you stepped onto new ground,

          your eyes young again with energy and dream,

                    a path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not yet clear

          you can trust the promise of this opening;

          unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning

                    that is at one with your life’s desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;

          hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;

          soon you will be home in a new rhythm,

                    for your soul senses the world that awaits you.

~John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us

Begin!

O, Begin!

Fix some part of every day for private exercises. . . . 

Whether you like it or no, read and pray daily.

It is for your life; there is no other way:

else you will be trifler all your days. . . .

Do justice to your own soul;

give it time and means to grow.

Do not starve yourself any longer.

~John Wesley

2014 Books

With this being the third of January of 2014, I have decided to keep track of the books I read this year. I did this for a few years when I first began my blog eight years ago and would like to do it again. You can see the list to the right of this post.

I read about Crossing for Safety by Wallace Earle Stegner somewhere on the internet and bought a used copy. It was published in 1988, when I had three children and was not reading much except quick mysteries. Its description as a quiet book about two couples intrigued me, as well as the date of its publication.

The narrator of the book is the male member of one of the couples, who is about 64. That is almost my age, so his reflections seemed relevant as to our age perspectives. These couples met while they were in graduate school. The book chronicles with flashbacks their relationships and challenges as they grow and change. It is an interesting book.

It evidently was the last book that Wallace Stegner wrote before his death in 1993. It was so well-written that I plan to read more of his books, but will get them from the public library if possible.

Friday Five: Turn the Page!

3DogMom brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Whether or not we make resolutions with the new year, we all transition to a new, physical calendar. In recent years my favorite wall calendar is called Pooped Puppies, a monthly collection of sleepy, or sleeping, pups that can’t help but evoke an “awwwww.” for many years my godmother gave me a flat, weekly desk calendar that featured National Geographic photos. One of the great things about calendars is that for each of us they fulfill the “form and function” requirement–a place to indulge an interest while serving a purpose.
 For today’s FF, tell us about five calendar themes that you like to see hanging on your walls or going with you to appointments, or that you WISH existed to adorn and accompany your life.



I have not been blogging much lately, but this Friday Five clicks with me because I love calendars and always write friends' birthdays on my new calendar on New Year's Day. I have done that since I was in college, which was more than four decades ago.

1. Kitchen calendar: I take time on my trips to look for calendars and tend to choose ones that are of nature, especially trees. This is the one that has everyone's birthday listed.


2. Birthday calendar: When I was younger, I had a book calendar that listed everybody's birthdays, but that was always mislaid. I just got a birthday calendar for the wall from Etsy.com. It also had pictures of trees, but are the creator's renditions. It may be a more permanent choice in the future, though the tradition of writing on the calendar on New Year's Day may be one I am not ready to surrender. I still need to record the birthdays on this one though.
 
3. Google calendar: This online calendar on both my iphone and ipad helps me to keep track of regular commitments, especially my RA medications--once weekly of Methotextrate pills and bi-weekly injections of Humira. The latter one can be confusing in the rush of life (holidays most recently).

4. Check-off calendar: For the new year, I resurrected a form I created about five years ago with weekly check-off squares for daily disciplines of meditation, piano practice, walking, etc. Some habits are in place, but not all of them. Physically marking off a box and seeing the monthly results on the bathroom wall will (hopefully) give me positive reinforcement to continue.

5. Mental calendar: This may not be as dependable as it has been in past years--remembering appointments, regular events. I've missed the last TWO Thursdays for posting prayers at RevGalBlogPals, and so I need to depend less on my brain's remembering and write more things down! My awareness of this not working as well as it used to makes me realize that I need to put more reminders somewhere.