Nolan at his first Christmas play....
Nolan and his buddy Carter
The Dede gang
The new bridge under construction at Hoover Dam
Run faster Daddy!Every blade in the field--
every leaf in the forest--
lays down its life in its season
as beautifully as it was taken up.
--Henry David Thoreau
Yesterday was the 13th year to the day when Jesus came for my dad at St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, Church in Las Vegas. How I can remember the details of that day so clearly, yet not know what I did yesterday is beyond my understanding. A couple of weeks ago, he visited in my dreams again. We had a good long talk; I can remember nothing of the conversation. I only remember he had lost weight, looked very good, and as he got up to leave through swinging white doors, I said to him, "Everything is ok now Dad." I awakened with a gentle peace in my heart.
I've been immersed in the study of spiritual subjects for a few months. St. Peter Parish is moving toward a stewardship model of parish life, and I find the work with the stewardship group interesting and rewarding. We have the Church's document on discipleship as our guide, and we've had a great beginning. We have a retreat for church leadership on March 19-20, a gift from the parish, and Mario and I will be there. We have also worked on a TEC this year together. Our longtime friend Julie Regner invited us to be on the adult team and give the discipleship talk. For me, it was the best experience of spiritual study I have done for the TEC program. And I will never forget a statement Mario threw into his part of the talk...."I've not always been a good Catholic, but Ginny has always known Him." I was humbled by that characterization in the presence of all those kids. After the TEC was done (during my birthday weekend in January), I was invited to give a talk on the Quest February retreat (that is an overnight at the retreat center for 14-15 yr. olds). I talked about what my faith and the Scriptures mean in my life. I used the Bible my old friend Sister Susan gave me 30 years ago, and I showed the kids how I find solutions for everything that happens in it. I came home from that weekend totally uplifted but ready to lay me down. Then came another call from our ol' buddy Paul. He's been in California for many years and has just moved back home (Bowling Green, MO) to complete his doctorate in psychology. I think he is Chris' age. Well, he asked me to read a chapter of a book called Gifting as Prayer and give a talk about it on the February MiniTEC he was going to direct. (Any adult or teen who has made a TEC can go.) So I studied up on that subject, figured out a few ways I have been doing that, found just the right children's story to illustrate my point, found my giraffe jacket in the back of the closet, and was ready to go. I think I enjoyed that one as much as anything I've done. So I have done a lot of writing in the past couple of months, and enough speaking as well. And I really believe I am the one who has benefited the most from all of this. So I have nothing but praise for God and gratitude in my heart today.
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