I feel like Ray Milland in “Lost Weekend”. Only I wasn’t drinking. I opened this a few moments ago expecting to see what I wrote yesterday and I couldn’t find it. I assumed immediately that I must have forgotten to save it because driving home last night, I prepared in my mind what I would write. I turned on the computer in my room and then went into the bedroom to say evening prayer. When I finished, I turned on the TV and got in bed, set the timer, and went to sleep. When I woke this morning, I noticed as I was leaving my room, that my computer was on. I figured that I must have forgotten to turn it off – BUT NOW I KNOW THAT I FORGOT TO GO BACK TO IT – Sorry.
Yesterday was lovely. I got up early at Maggie’s and drove up here in time to celebrate the 11:00am Mass. I enjoyed putting on the green chasuble, which means we are in Ordinary Time. I love that because it is the period that we celebrate most of the year. Often 37 weeks of ordinary time. Oh, I like the special seasons but when we start ordinary time again, I am reminded of the definition of a saint: “Not someone who did extraordinary things but an person who did ordinary things extraordinarly well.”
After Mass I drove over to Fairfax, Virginia to a very nice residence called “The Woodlands”. My friend, Ellen, who is Jewish ran a program for people who live there, that was an excumenical program that brought ministers, a rabbi, a muslim, and priests to talk about religious topics. I went in November with another priest from Virginia. I stayed for dinner and had a great time. So I was invited back to give a talk on Church History, which of course, I was more than happy to do. Our meeting was from 2:28pm ( I got lost and did not arrive at 2pm) until 4:20. There were about 14 people, among them my good friend, Claire Sheehan, whom I met at Structure House and use to go to movies with Maggie and I. I stayed for dinner again with a group of about 7 and again, had a delightful time.
I left for home around 7pm and that was when I was thinking about what I’d write and I guess I was still “flying high” from the fun that I had when I sat down to pray, watch TV and went to bed. So now you are up to date.
It is now 7pm and I should tell you about this day. I went shopping because I am going on a vacation with my sisters and my brother-in-law, and Pat Berry. I leave Sunday the 16th and will be home on the 28th. We will be a cruise so I don’t know if I’ll be writing from the ship or not. I’ll let you know.
I also got my hair cut and my beard trimmed. It makes me look younger but it shows all the shins I am trying to hide by having a beard. Oh Well!
I had the 5:30pm Mass and there were about 60 people there. I guess they stopped by on the way home from work. It was suppose to snow today but nothing yet – and I think it’s another one of those “scares” so we’d go to the grocery store. No meeting tonight so I think I’ll go to my office and try to clean the desk. I’m glad I came. I had two wonderful phone calls. One was from Lorraine Huchinson. She is the daughter of Lil, who was Nellie’s Bingo buddy. We had a great talk and she, Marie, and I will get together for dinner in February.
I also had a call from my buddy, Abbey who once again had some religion homework that she knew her “uncle Father O” could answer. And I could! Well, back to the rectory. Still no snow!!!
A cruise sounds like a GREAT idea as I look out my window and behold a winter wonderland and the forecast of below freezing temps for the next few days. Happy winter!