What Paddy Shot At

Today is a feast that I like because St. John had a great devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, whom I also like to meditate on.

ONCE AGAIN, I WROTE THREE PARAGRAPH THIS EVENING AND SOMEHOW I LOST IT. I WILL RE-WRITE IT ON SATURDAY – Sorry!

Well, I finally got my bill straightened out and I feel a lot better because it is also the time for the final payment for our November cruise and I wanted the right amount to be in the account. I love that you can go on line and see what is going on in your account. So now I can relax till I get home on Sunday. Enough about that.

Wednesday was another full day for Maggie and me. The morning was full of classes and sessions. We also had some small group sessions and I really enjoyed that. We went to both pool sessions and as we are in the outside pool, I got a little pink from the sun. It has been in the 90’s here but there is no humidity, so it is OK. After supper, Maggie and I just went for a ride to see if we could find the movie theatre that we use to go to. It is amazing how much building has gone on here.
We did have a little excitement last night. Around 11:30, Maggie knocked on my room and said she was ill, could I come out and help her. She is diabetic and took an insulin shot before she went to bed. She woke up and she was sweating profusly. She took her sugar on her machine and it was 56 – very low and very bad! I got in the car and went looking for a 7-11. There isn’t one nearby so I drove to 3 or 4 gas stations and of course, they were closed. I finally found an Exxon that closes at midnight. I got some orange juice, crackers, and chocolate milk. Once she ate, her numbers went up and she was feeling Ok and we went back to bed. Everything was fine today but I was so glad that Pat Watters had warned me years ago what to do if a diabetic’s sugar goes too low.
Today, we once again, had a full schedule and then this evening I had another massage. So I am as loose as spagetti and think I should go to bed soon. We are watching the team from Warner Robins playing in the Little League World Series but I might watch the end of it from bed. I think I’ll write tomorrow.

Just returned from seeing the movie; “Harry Potter”. It was great and very entertaining. If you have seen any of the others, I’m sure you will like it.
Maggie decided at dinner to go on what is called “going to the grocery store”. She says it was fun and she learned a lot; but since I don’t shop for grocery, I thought the movie was a good alternative.

Yesterday, Monday was the normal busy day here at S.H. We had a lot of sessions and Maggie went to everything. I didn’t do the pool in the morning because I had a group therapy session. There were three guys and four women and the leader. It was vey interesting and I enjoyed it. Last night, after supper, I had a massage. I had the same masseus as before. She is from Wisconsin and I had liked her so I went looking for her. It was so relaxing!! I didn’t have any tension but it was just as enjoyable. I got home around 8pm and was so relaxed that I went to bed around 8:30pm. Maggie says she went to bed shortly afterward. It was a tiring day.

Today, we went up to the office early to straighten out some finances but we had a storm last night (which we both slept throught) that even had hail and somehow knocked out the system at the office. We couldn’t weigh in either so I don’t know if I finally have lost some weight. Find that out tomorrow. Skipped the morning pool as Maggie wouldn’t be there because she had group. Instead I went to Jiffy Lube and got my car done. Interesting that our government can’t seem to keep records of where the money is while as I drove up to Jiffy Lube, a man came out and said, “Welcome back, Mr. O’Connell”. He knew everything that I had had done at the Jiffy Lube in Maryland. How come the government can’t find where 2 billion dollars went. Is a puzzlement!!!

So the rest of the day was full again and the afternoon pool, which was outside in the 94 degree weather was great. And then I went to the movie!

I was very frustrated by losing half of my message last night but I am better about it today.

As I was saying: He is prepared and ready to go to Heaven. He has a great support group and his daughter, who has come from Augusta to be with him, is military and between the two of them, things go like clockwork. I have been praying for him and as I told him as I left. It is great to have a face to go with those prayers. He said the same is true for him. I will have another advocate in Heaven.
Maggie and I left around 1:30 and got home around 9pm. There was a steak dinner waiting for us in the apartment. Oh, I forgot to mention that the reason (besides an opportunity to see them) that we went down to the Thompson’s was that Maggie had a wheelchair that was Mrs. Mac’s and we took it down for Maureen to use. She and Rick are going to Gatlingberg soon and it is so much easier if she doesn’t have to walk everywhere.

On Sunday, we went to Immaculate Conception church in Durham for the 9:30am Mass. The Fitzpatricks and their two daughters, son-in-law, and two adult grandchildren were there. It was nice to see them all again. Also Fr. Larry, who was pastor at St. Camillus and always so welcoming to me when I visited, is the assistant there. We had a chance to speak to him before Mass. The Mass was so “spirit filled” and the pastor’s homily was excellent. It is nice to be “in the pew” and have good liturgy.

The rest of Sunday, Maggie and I relaxed. We do go to the pool for an hour, and did our laundry (we have a washer and drier in the apartment), and then watched some more of the Little League games in Conneticutt and Texas. I also worked on “my stuff” and wrote the blog, of which I lost half and that’s why I am writing again about Sunday. I went to sleep and slept through till 7:30am. I will write about today, later tonight.

It is a very nice rainy day today and Maggie and I are using it to just relax. So I wanted to catch you up since Wednesday.
Things are going very well here in North Carolina and I am attending lots of classes and going to the pool twice a day. I haven’t lost any weight yet but I have been eating too many things with salt in them and I hope to show a lost next week. On Wednesday, in addition to our activities, Maggie and I went over and visited Tom and Marge Fitzpatrick. They have moved here from Myrtle Beach to be closer to family that live here. We had a great visit and caught up on their kids. Later that evening, Maggie and I went to the movies. We saw “The Staff”. It was advertised as a humorous film but it was both funny and profoundly touching. We recommend it.
On Friday, we stayed for the pool at 10:00am and then headed out to visit Maureen and Rick in Warner Robins, Ga. We took lunch with us and we stayed structured. It was a beautiful day to drive and we got there in about 7 and a half hours. They had two salads waiting for us. We watched the finals of the Little League on TV because the Warner Robin’s team was playing. They won and will be in Williamsport, Pa for the World Series. Mark and Laurie and their girls, Rachel and Sara, were at the game but couldn’t see as well as we were on TV, so they came by to visit. It was great to see them. Also another friend of M & R came by, Bill and Shirley and we sat up talking till 2am. It was a lot of fun being with all of them. I slept till 9:45am and Rick made a great (structured) breakfast for us. Then Rick drove me over to see the brother of a good friend, who is Catholic and dying. He and I talked for about an hour. It was very impressive. He is prepared and looking for (I am so annoyed that all the rest of what I wrote disappeared somehow). (I will recreate it tomorrow!) Good night!

I finally got my laptop computer, which is about 12 years old, hooked up and working in my apartment. It is so old that Baboo, the IT person wasn’t sure we could get it to work – BUT WE DID!

First to bring you up to date. Maggie, Marie and I left Blessed Sacrament after the 10:30am Mass on Sunday, the 7th of August. It was a nice Mass and Ryan, the seminarian spoke after Communion and thanked the people for his 8 week experience at the parish. We have all loved having him. He is going on vacation with some relatives and then will return to Theological College at Catholic University. I hope that he will keep in touch with us at SBS.
It was a beautiful day to travel and except for the Beltway, we moved down the highways with no problems. We dropped Marie off at her friend, Myrtle, who lives right off of RT 95. Then Maggie and I headed to Durham, which was about 2 hours farther. We got here before dark and settled into our apartment. We are in 118 in the James Coco ( a graduate) building. We have a living room, a kitchen (where we keep cold water in the frig!!) and two bedrooms and baths. They had left dinners for us in the frig and then we headed off to bed.
Monday, we were up around 7am. Breakfast starts at 7:45; so we went to the office first and turned in paperwork. The day went very quickly as there are classes, water exercise, and meals all day long and before you realize, we were back at the apartment, watching ” America’s Got Talent”, which I never watched at home but Maggie introduced it to me and we’ve watched it every night so far.
On Tuesday, once again the day was full with classes, medical appointments, the pool, and meals. It was the hotest day that North Carolina has had and since some pool activities are in the outdoor pool, Maggie and I went out and bought hats! We look silly but it helped. We called Maureen and Rick because we are driving down on Friday afternoon to visit and spend the night. We’ll be back Saturday night. There isn’t much going on during the weekends and we can catch up on Sunday with our rest.
Today is Wednesday and I finally got Baboo, the IT person, to come and hook up my computer for internet. This laptop is about 12 years old and I last used it about 4 years ago; so he had to made the card I had work with the wifi that is in each building. It works but since my window was the 2003 version, I had to update to 2008 – I think. I had to do it as that is not part of Baboo’s responsibility. I keep waiting for it to explode!!!
Today was another full day and I am very tired but had to get out some kind of message since I now have internet. I also called Tom and Marge Fitzpatrick, who have moved here from Myrtle Beach and are old friends. Maggie and I plan to stop over tomorrow to visit and have a glass of water!!! Today also, we went to AAA and got maps for our trip to Georgia. Well I better go watch AHT and then go to bed. I have nothing to report on weight loss but I am learning a great deal that I hope to take home and try to live better.

I have just returned from exposing the Blessed Sacrament and am just sitting here in my office. I have Benediction at 5:15 and the 5:30pm Mass; so I thought I’d start a message. I didn’t do one yesterday, because I just “frittered away” the evening. The morning went by quickly as I had the 8:00am Mass and then did some work at my desk and left for Maggie’s around 9:30. I was there before 11am and waited for her as she was at the doctor’s. Marie came down and I took a nap, then Mike and Sue, Kerri and Tim joined us for supper at Mama Lucia’s. It was very good and then we went home and played cards. Also Maggie and I worked on her menu for Structure House. Couldn’t get mine to work so I might have Cherrios (with no milk) for the first day. We stayed up late and watched already pre-recorded America Has Talent shows. I had never seen them and I enjoyed it. I guess I shall have to watch it at its regular time as I don’t think we have Infinity!
Got up early around 7:30am and drove up to Blessed Sacrament. I had the 11am Mass. Joined the house for lunch and then went to take a nap. Marie came and had to pound on my door to wake me. I had left my cell phone and my finger machine at Maggie’s and she brought them up to me. I went back to sleep and got up for supper, then came back to my room. I went through some photo albums ( I am looking to see if I have any pictures of St. Martin’s school or church for their 110th anniversary). Then I went to bed – and I slept fine. I really do like sleeping in an airconditioned (68 degrees) room.
Fr. Jim has a wedding rehearsal at 6pm and so I’ll probably go over to the rectory and sit at supper time and then he and I are going out to supper to catch up.
Yesterday was Bob Norton’s birthday (he’s 65 – a kid) and so I prayed for his parents and him at Mass.
Today is my sister, Maureen’s birthday, so I will say the 5:30 for her, our parents, her husband and family. Lifting up people to the Lord just seems the best gift of all.
Tomorrow, Saturday, I have the 4pm Mass at Knollwood and that’s all but I must get stuff together for my vacation. Maggie and Marie are coming to the 10:30am Mass on Sunday and then we head out to North Carolina. Marie will be visiting her friend, Myrtle; and Maggie and I will be at Structure House, a residential treatment center for ” morbidly obsese” people!!! Doesn’ that sound like fun. We’ll be there for two weeks. We’ve been before but this is post-gradual work. I may write from them but not sure. I will write before I leave on Sunday.

Again, I got home late last night and went right to bed. So this will be a “twoffer” also.
On Monday, I had hoped to have the 6:30am Mass so that I would have the rest of the day free; but when the final schedule came, I had the 11:00am Mass. Without much problem, everyone adapted and D & S came to the Mass and afterwards we pick up Joan and headed up to Betty’s. We got there around 1:30 and had a delightful visit at Betty’s apartment for about two hours. Then we toured Shrewsbury, Pa and then we went to supper at the Mason/Dixson Diner, one of my favorite places in the town. Mary Elizabeth Falcone, Betty’s daughter and her two daughters, AnnMarie and Theresa joined us and we had great food and a nice visit. Afterwards, we went up to the Falcone’s house and had an extended visit. We left around 7:30 and I got home around 9:15. Dan and Stephanie had left their car here, so we had a nice farewell in the parking lot. They seemed to enjoy the visit – even with the heat. And I know that I and everyone they saw enjoyed them being up here. They went back to the hotel and were suppose to leave today around 10:00am. They might stop somewhere on the road so I won’t call them for a couple of days. I really enjoyed them being here.
I went to bed early and got up around 9am today. I went over to the center and had the 11:00am Mass. Today’s feast is a bishop from the earliest days of the church and because he liked to write he is often a source of information for church historians. I love him.
I tried to clear up my desk and did get down to wood on part of it. I joined Frs Ron and Percy for lunch at 12:30. I am trying to get back in the habit of eating at the table rather than out on the road. it is fun to be with them and then I take a nap.
I went back to the center around 3pm and stayed till 6. Fr. Ron has gone to his mom’s, so it was just Percy and I for supper. Humberto has returned from vacation and he made great steaks on the grill. So good, I even ate the brocolli!
Now, I am upstairs and watching Jeopardy. I’ll read for awhile and then go to bed. I have the 8:00am tomorrow and then I’m going down to Maggie’s. We are doing some work on the St. Martin’s reunion and I will stay the night as I have the 8:00am on Thursday. I might not write again till Thursday.