Death takes it's toll

 A.T. died Sunday night.

She was in her 80's (I no longer call that 'old' since I'm 79) and a dear sweet lady.

I only know her from church and visiting her in her home during her last days.

Her son has done a remarkable job of taking care of her.

He would bring her to church and leave her at the front door after saying hello to everyone back there.

She would kiss my cheek and tell me she liked my hair. A lot of people don't like my hair.

C. or someone else would help her up to communion.

She was a bright light, even during her last days.

I gave her communion in her bed, she dipped the wafer in the wine and put it in her mouth.

A few moments later, she said, "I didn't drop it!" and laughed.

Such a kind and humorous soul.

I will miss her.

I pray God welcomed her home....

Bad dream

 I was coming, as a priest, to visit a new church. MAL, a friend of many years but now dead, was the retiring priest (she never was a priest.)

We were going to a small morning prayer, but I suggested doing a eucharist and she agreed.

When we got there, the church was packed with people. I was wandering around, amazed by the turnout, when I found myself lying on a table, unable to sit up.

Two folks were there and I begged them to help me stand up for the service but when I tried to touch them my hand went right through them. They weren't real.

I found myself trying to sit up with all my strength and when I woke up I was sitting on the side of our bed, one foot on the floor.

I laid back down and covered up--it was chilly--and tried to figure out my dream.

I feel asleep before I could figure it out....

Our (NO!) your (no!) somebodies president

Ok, the trumpster is now forbidding reporters from 3 major news organizations from coming to the White House.

It's illegal and unconstitutional, but until a court makes that clear he won't relent.

I think he's losing it--not just his popularity (which is at record low) but his mind.

How our country elected this guy twice is beyond me.

Lots of MAGA folks are regretting it.

Good!

But too late.

Two more years, beloved.

Even if the Dems win the House and Senate, this moron will be President for two more v e r y  l o n g  y e a r s.

 

Friday

 So, I went to the library--took back 5 books and checked out 5 more. I do this once a week and almost always read them all.

Bern reads as much as I do.

We are two voracious readers of Cheshire Public Library.

It's a great place. There to serve voracious readers like Bern and me.

Then I went to Big Y to get stuff for dinner. Lots of seafood for tonight.

Then I read some and sat on the back porch.

I played Hearts on line and read some stories on line and looked at some on line videos.

Now I'm writing this....

Not an exciting Friday, I'll admit.

But fine with me.

Just fine.

Doctors today

 Bern and I both went to doctors today.

I saw Dr. A., she is my cancer doctor though the cancer was over a decade ago. She's wonderful! I tell her stuff I don't even tell Bern.

Bern went to our new Primary Care doctor today. She loved him--though she was less than happy with the doctor before him.

She told him everything and admitted that she told him stuff she never told me....

I don't feel so bad about not telling her stuff after hearing that.

Doctors are those who want us to keep on living and be healthy.

Thank God for them.

I go see the doctor Bern saw today in a few weeks.

I actually look forward to it after her experience.

Until now, Dr. A. is the only M.D. I looked forward to seeing.

If you feel the least bit bad, go to your doctor.

They're there for us....

I'm surrounded by plants

 There are 17 potted plants on our back deck.

They are on the floor, sitting on the banisters, in waist high metal holders--all over.

I probably only know the names of 5 or 6.

Check that. I only know the name of one--a curly cactus. 

If you saw it you could name it--it's obviously a kind of cactus--though not painful to touch--and it curls around.

Pretty neat!

But Autumn is here and at some point most of the plants will come inside for the winter.

They'll all be downstairs and all over the place.

Bern and her plants.

They surround me....

That many? Really???

 I checked the number of views "Under the Castor Oil Tree" has.

I do that every few weeks.

Today I realized that I have had one million, 500 thousand views in total.

I know a few people who check in from time to time, but I have no idea how my blog has gotten so many views.

But thank you, whoever you are....

"AS"

 My sermon tomorrow is about 'forgiveness', which Jesus tell Peter to do 'seventy times seven times' when a member of the church sins against him.

The title of the sermon is "Don't Forget to Forgive".

I named it that because of the Lord's Prayer.

Jesus tells us to pray, "forgive us out trespasses ('sins') as we forgive those who trespass ('sin') against us."

AS is the big word there.

In the prayer it means "in the same way that".

So, if we don't forgive, God will not forgive us.

Check out Matthew 18.21-25 to read all about it....

And don't forget to forgive....

9/11

 TV and radio won't let you get away from it--9/11 is everywhere--as it should be today.

The question people are asked is 'where were you on 9/11?'

I've tried and tried and can't remember.

I was living in the house I'm in now--that is certain. 

Beyond that, I have no idea.

Have I blocked it out of my memory because it was so painful?

I don't know....

Where were you?

education

I read an article on line today about the most educated and least educated states.

Connecticut, where I've lived for most of my life, is the 4th most educated state in the union. The ones who are ahead are 3. Maryland, 2. Vermont and 1. Mass.

Not bad, considering the three above CT all have great colleges and universities.

The state that is least educated is (hold on...) West Virginia.

That's where I was born and spent all my life until I went off to Harvard at 22.

Bern and I lived there again and both our children were born in Charleston while I was the priest at St. James there.

But then we moved to CT and have been here ever since.

So, moving from the least educated state to most of my life in CT. seems a good move.

(I just told Bern and she agreed!)

 

well, maybe not a good visit

Our daughter replied to our 'good visit' ideas with 'she's manipulating you!'

Bern and I pondered that and then decided...

MAYBE SO.....

Who knows?

Maybe we'll find out later....

 

A good visit

Our daughter-in-law (soon to be divorced from our son) spent the night with one of their twins on the way to Boston for college.

I was nervous about it because the separation has be contentious.

But it went well.

We assured her she would always be our daughter-in-law and the mother of our grandchildren. She appreciated it and was very kind in return.

"Because of the girls," she told me, "we have shared on genes."

True.

And the college kid was wonderful to have with us.

All in all a good time.

But I feel sorry for her for what she's going through.

Kindness on a special day

 So, I went to Big Y to order fish and chips for our Anniversary dinner (Bern's choice) and to pick up this great cheese cake with fruit topping for our desert.

The couple in front of me had bags and bags full of stuff. They used a gift card and then nearly $100 in cash to pay.

As the clerk was ringing up my dessert the guy came back and said, "how much?"

She said, "fifteen dollars" and the guy threw a ten and a five on the counter to pay for the cheese cake.

I was so stunned I said, "did he just do that?"

She smiled and said, "happy anniversary".

I had told her when I was checking out and he must have heard.

I rushed to catch up with them and they were out and gone before I could find them.

What astonishing kindness from a total stranger who didn't wait to be thanked.

What a day...in so many ways....

I need to figure out how to pass it on....

We all do....

 

Tomorrow!!!!

 Bern and I will be married 56 years tomorrow!

Hard to believe I've been so lucky to spend over 2/3 of my life with her.

There have been rough spots along the way--but not many.

2 kids and 4 grand kids have come out of it all.

A lots of dual respect and love.

Until I retired from full time ministry she came to church almost every Sunday and brought the kids. At one point they could have been a great trio of voices.

Since then, she's retired from church!

Fine with me. She did so much along the way--trained church school teachers, was a reader in services, did lots of behind the scene stuff and gave me great advice.

I love her so.

Now she does a lot for me as I'm not the young man I was....

I am one lucky guy to have met her in high school Latin class....Amo, amas, amat (if that's right...been a while).....

Writing a sermon

 It's not the easiest thing--but not that bad.

I should be doing that now instead of this.

So much is coming up--our anniversary on Saturday, a visit from our soon to be ex-daughter in law and one of her college age girls, Sunday church and visiting a dying parishioner. Lots of stuff.

But I have to write a sermon.

I'm going to center on Jesus saying "when two are three are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst of them."

He's talking about 'church', though that won't happen until many decades after his death and resurrection. And the Gospels about him won't be written for several hundred years.

But he is assuring us that he will be in the midst of us when we gather to worship him.

A big favor to us--two or three--gathered in his name....

 

Bible Study today

Only 4 today--small number, but bright folks.

We decided to give up on the Gnostic Gospels and today looked at the Gospel for Sunday.

A great way to help the preacher coming up--mostly me!

Went well, but a hard reading about confronting someone who sinned against you and then bringing witnesses and casting the offender out if he/she did not repair his/her offense..

But we hear Jesus say where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst of them.

That's good news for churches, especially small ones.

We had 4, so Jesus was with us.

That's wonderful....

Jesus in our midst.

 

Joy and Anguish

 My dentist called and asked if I could come in at 3:30 and get the implant I've been waiting on for months.

I was so happy I got there 20 minutes early!

She fooled around with my space and put the implant in and I was delighted--it felt and looked great!

Then she said, "Jim, I've got some bad news...."

Having a dentist say that is terrifying.

The implant wasn't broad enough to touch both of the teeth on either side so she took it out and sent it to the lab to see if they could fix it a bit.

Just a bit....yet I have to wait another 3 weeks now.

I came home so depressed I burnt the bread in the toaster oven.

I have the gizmo with my fake tooth in now and I'm still in anguish....