(The following is edited from a 17^thcentury nun’s prayer.  I thought it was worth sharing.)

Lord thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday actually be old.  With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but thou knowest, Lord, that I want to still have a few friends at the end, so I send you this prayer.

Release me, Lord, from my craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.  

Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.  Keep me free from the recital of endless details.  Give me wings to get to the point.

Make me thoughtful, but not moody.  Seal my lips on my aches and pains but give me the patience to endure the tales of other’s pains.  

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.  I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.

I don’t want to be a Saint – they can be so hard to live with – but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.  So I ask Lord that you give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places – and talents in unexpected people.  And give me the grace to tell them so.

Amen

We Will Miss Him

Our pastor died last night.  Father Paul Campbell.  

I didn't know him well.  Not personally.   But I go to Mass frequently during the week -- and of course on Sundays -- and I came to look forward to, and really appreciate his homilies.  

On weekdays they were short -- never more than 3 minutes -- but always straight forward with a clear, specific message to carry through the day.   

On Sundays he became the dramatic story teller, engaging the entire congregation.  He would pull out a particular phrase from the days gospel or prayers -- often some remote passage -- and he would frown or maybe laugh, sometimes mimic or exaggerate -- whatever it took to draw us in.   And then he would explain the doctrine, the meaning, the logic and common sense of those words and impress on us how that phrase, written so long ago, is not only relevant but vitally important in our lives today.

He made us think.  He encouraged us to question.  He met the challenges and criticism of the church today with honest admission of our shortcomings and failings -- and with prayer, hope and encouragement for the church.   And he always insisted that the church be "inclusive" -- that Christ's message and love is for every single person!

These are just a few of the things I will remember from his teaching.  These are the reasons I was so grateful that he came to our parish. 

This morning a small group gathered in the chapel for our regular Monday morning Mass -- a young priest from the local seminary was at the alter -- and in our hearts many of us were questioning "Why?"  Why would God let this man who was spreading God's message so effectively be taken away?  Why would this man who had so much to share and the ability to teach and influence so many in such positive ways, be struck down so suddenly?  

Maybe Father Paul himself gave the answer -- just a few weeks ago in one of his weekday homilies he said  "When you don't understand why something happens, remember the Lord's Prayer -- 'Thy Will Be Done'. "   

Too simple an answer?  Perhaps.  But I think that phrase holds much more truth than simple acceptance.  I'll have more thoughts to share about that in my next blog.    

Meanwhile, we pray for the repose of the soul of Father Paul Campbell, and ask God to comfort his family and friends.

Accepting her award for Best Actress at Golden Globe Awards the other night, Glenn Close gave an emotional and passionate acceptance speech in which she quoted her 80 year old mother as saying “I feel I haven’t accomplished anything.”  

Ms Close went on to acknowledge “Women, we are “nurturers” … but we have to find personal fulfillment!”   

The implication being that personal fulfillment for a woman is not found in nurturing their families … and to me that so sad!

I certainly agree that women should have the freedom to follow their dreams and choose their own role in life — whatever that may be.  Woman should be free and feel respected (and not at all “guilty”) if they choose a career that does not include the traditional roles of wife or mother, or if they choose to combine motherhood with other careers.   

But women should also feel free and be respected if they choose the traditional role of wife and mother as their primary career!  Sadly that does not seem to be the case in our society.  

When I was growing up my mom used to get very upset with women who “apologized” for being “just a housewife”.  "I’m proud of being a housewife” she would proclaim!  For my mom, the role of housewife was a completely fulfilling and full time job.

When we came home from school, Mom was always there, ready to sit down and share a snack.  She was always anxious to hear about our day, and if we had a problem we could tell her.  If we had a question we could ask her.  

And the conversations weren’t limited to after school.  At any time of the day, if we suddenly thought of something we wanted to ask or share, it didn’t matter what she was doing, she would stop and it down and listen.  We knew we could share our stories and our feelings and concerns with her — and she shared her stories and feelings with us. 

From these conversations, and by her example, we learned the tools of life: seeing our own strengths and value;  accepting others as they are and not “judging" them because they are different;  realizing that no one is perfect, not even our mother; recognizing the results of our own choices and understanding the importance of the freedom we have to make those choices.   

The list of all the things I learned from my mother — the “housewife" — would fill several books!  I am so grateful to her and I believe that the world would be much better if there were more “housewives” like my mother!

Our daughters  need to know that they have the freedom to follow any career they choose!   

And they need to know that there is just as much need and importance and respect for women to choosing a career as wife and mother as there is for any other career!

I wish Ms Close, at the Golden Globes, would have followed up her comments with a thank you to her mom, publicly recognizing her mother’s contributions to her own successful life.   

And I hope that Glenn's mother was able to look at her daughter standing there on the platform, and say with pride,  “I did accomplish something very worthwhile!"

Sunset over the Eastern Bay

First Day of Fall

... and happy to be me!

Today is the first day of Fall!  Didn't feel like it this morning.  Woke up to misty rain and very hot humid air.  I was tired and anything but happy.  I had a good breakfast and enjoyed getting our house organized after a long trip, and as the day went on the sun came out a breeze came up, the air gradually became dryer and I began to feel better.

By evening clouds returned bringing the distinct coolness of Fall so I pulled on a sweater and rode my bike the short distance down to the bay.   Clouds hung low across the water.  The sky was washed with layers of yellow, orange, blue, purple and grey, and sunlight filtered through soft rain showers on the other side of the bay.

As I sat there at the edge of the water, enjoying the breathtaking glow of sunset, a bald eagle swooped across the trees and dove down into the water.  It's white tail and white head feathers caught the sunlight as it flew off with a fish dangling from it's talons.

Just then I heard the noisy squawk of a flock of geese returning to the Eastern Shore.  The familiar sound announcing Yes indeed.  Fall is here!  And I felt the joy of it!

The other night, at a family dinner, we were playing "table topics".  The question was asked "If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you want to live?"  My immediate answer was Right Here!  

How blest I am to be living in this beautiful place -- so close to nature -- with so many friends -- and the love of family all over the the country.

So on this first day of Fall I just have to say, I'm thankful to be Me!

And I hope all of you reading this will be able to take time to enjoy the beautiful season of Fall!

MOMENTS OF AWE

I read an article on Flipboard recently about how “Moments of Awe" can significantly improve your health, so I thought I'd share just a few of the moments of Awe in my life.       

- Drifting on our lake in my canoe as the early morning mist swirls in little tornados drawn up to the sun.

- Squinting my eyes to see sunlight reflect off the water and sparkle like a thousand little diamonds.

       

- Sitting by the Chesapeake Bay on an early morning when the water is as still as a small salt pond and fog muffles the sounds of the world.

- Eating breakfast on the back porch surrounded by giant loblolly pines with their majestic trunks and crowns of soft green needles against the deep blue sky.

- Looking out my window and watching a bald eagle soar over the trees, swooping down along the green fairway of the golf course.

- Spotting a mocking bird perched high on the peak of a roof mimicking robins, cardinals, blue jays and even an owl in it’s joyous evening song.

- Seeing the sun rise out of the ocean - so vivid you can almost see the flames around the orange fireball - and realizing there is a force more powerful than man.

- Sensing the energy of an ocean wave as it crests and crashes on the beach - washing over the sand then turning back on itself as it rushes back to the sea.

-  Standing on the bow of a classic sailboat feeling the swells of the ocean as we rise and fall in rhythm with nature. 

- Watching the sky turn from blue to a hundred shades of pink, red, orange and purple as the sun sets over the water.

Seeing the Whole Picture  

I sat on our deck last night surrounded by tall pines, maples and oaks, listening to crickets and katydids, appreciating the shapes, shadows, and sounds around me.  

Then someone across the lake turned on a very bright spotlight that shone through the trees into my face, and suddenly that was all I could see, all I could think about.  

“Why would anyone use such a bright light up here?  Why are they disturbing this peace? Whose house is that?  They can’t really be “lake people” like us.  Why don’t they turn it out. Can’t someone talk to them and explain that you don’t need that kind of light up here? If I had a bebe gun maybe I could shoot it out.”  

On and on my thoughts went, forgetting about the peace and beauty of the trees, the shapes and shadows and sounds around me.  My eyes and my thoughts were drawn to that single bright light.  

Then it dawned on me how easily we can be blinded by a single light — or a single issue.  How often does a single issue blind us to the full picture of the world around us.  How often does focusing on one single issue blind us to other equally important issues.  

And how often does the media - newspapers, magazines, TV and even social media - focus so hard on one particular issue, or part of an issue, that we are blinded and unable to see the whole picture?

Last night I discovered that if I moved just a bit to the right or left, the trees covered the direct beam of light allowing me to see the whole of my world again.  The light was still there, but only as part of the whole.  

So now I’m thinking, maybe we should all be careful not to let one single issue, no matter how important it may be, blind us to all the colors, the shapes, the darks and the lights of this world in which we live.