Transported to the 1800's

I began watching the Netflix series titled Bolivar. I joined the characters and lived every battle, every love scene, every treacherous happening, and I got to know the people involved with Simon Bolivar. I lived with Simon and his slave Dionisio and watched them grow up together. I was saddened when Simon's mother died. I watched as Simon was schooled and how he became a soldier.
I did not like when he went to Spain and France and lived a life of drinking, dancing and womanizing. Yet, through his young life he wanted freedom from Spain for his country in South America.

In 1805 he returned to Venezuela and fought the Spanish armies (Royalists) and in 1815 he was able to free the country from Spanish rule and became known as the Liberator of Venezuela. He continued fighting in Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. As he returned triumphant to Ecuador he met Manuela Saenz and they have a torrid love affair until he dies! Their relationship is not approved by the people or by God because she is married and he vowed to his wife, now deceased, to never marry again! I have to admit that she got on my nerves and I did not care for her daring ways, but history shows her also fighting for liberty from Spain. I admit, she does help him and saves his life when traitors attempt to have him killed. I overlooked her smart-alecky ways.

How I wished for computer and Facebook for Simon because it took months to receive and send letters! Many of the followers of Simon thought he wanted to be a dictator and he not only had to fight the people, some who had fought with him in battles, but also try to stop the uprisings in different parts of the country. I found myself talking to Simon that he should be careful and not believe certain individuals.  Episode after episode kept me glued to the story. There were over 60 episodes and each one was more exciting than the other! Clearly I could see the difference between those that thought they were better upper class persons and the poverty others lived in as they begged for food. I think Simon could see the difference and wanted to help.

He died in 1830 at forty-seven years of age. I was saddened when he died and felt as if I had lost a friend. The movie shows he died of some disease where he could not breathe and he coughed up blood. The Internet mentioned he died of tuberculosis but another article said he died of arsenic poisoning.

When I was in Peru I saw a large statue of Simon Bolivar in the plaza in Lima (see above) and many of the South American cities also have statues dedicated to him. Bolivia was named after him, there is a hat called a Bolivia, stamps with his image, and many monuments of Bolivar throughout South America.

I do not remember studying any of South American history and found myself interested in the man's life. Government functioning does not seem to have changed at all, there or here in the United States. There is always one group or another wanting to take over the power!

"Flee the country

where a lone man

holds all the power:

It is a nation of slaves!"

Simon Bolivar

A Lebanese Priest

A year ago I attended the Lebanese Festival in Lakewood, Colorado. I happened to by driving on Wadsworth and I saw the signs advertising the festival so I pulled into a grassy and bumpy parking lot. It could not be compared to the local bazaars held by the many Catholic churches but it was interesting with Lebanese food and music. See my Blog of September 18, 2018, Meeting Two New Saints, for information.

This morning a priest from St. Rafka celebrated mass and told us horrible stories of how the Christians have been and are being persecuted for their faith. He told us about when he was a child how twelve children had to hide in a cave to keep from being murdered and only seven made it to freedom. He came to the United States and now at forty-five years old he continues visiting parishes and asking for prayers and money to assist those in need in the middle east. Once, he said, he and fellow monks walked over a land mine and with the grace of God it did not explode. The monks that were with him were so frightened thinking they would die that one soiled his robes.

When I received communion he looked at me with dark, penetrating eyes and I felt a jolt in my heart. Was that a look of love? I felt that Christ probably looked into people's  eyes with that loving look. I have become accustomed to priests putting the host in my hand and then moving on to the next person. It seems rushed but I understand there are many persons in line so I never think much about it. Today, this priest took his time and as he looked into my eyes and said, "The body of Christ," I believed it was Christ being placed in my hand. He continued looking at me until I said, "Amen." The priest seemed so holy to me and I felt so humbled. His look, I am sure, was a look of love!

I picked up a flyer for the 6th Annual Lebanese Festival to be held on September 14-15, 2019, at the Maronite Catholic Church in Lakewood, Co. I would like to attend again this year and try the authentic Lebanese food and listen to their music. And try not to think of the atrocities being committed against Christians in their land.

"I believe love is like war:

we only know how it starts,

and nobody knows how it will end."

Jabber Douaihy

Mission Accomplished

The temperature was in the nineties as three of us decided to travel to Mother Cabrini Shrine. Two of us had a mission to accomplish because on Facebook there had been a beautiful picture of Our Blessed Mother and the many times we had visited the shrine, we had never seen that statue. As we climbed the hill to get to the Shrine, I heard one of our travelers exclaim, "Look, a deer." I said, "Where?" The deer was camouflaged in the shadows of the trees and then I saw the large antlers and it started moving away from the side of the road. My friend tried to get a picture but the deer disappeared down the mountain without having his picture taken! We felt it was a good sign to see such a beautiful sight on our way to the shrine.

We began to slowly go up the steps to see the Sacred Heart Statue at the top but about 1/4 of the way we decided we would not go to the top. Knees were hurting, hearts were pounding, heads were aching so we sat on a bench in the shade and greeted those headed to the top! We did see a plaque for one friend and she got teary eyed at seeing her grandfather and her uncle's names.

Every thing at the shrine was pretty much the same except for a water vending machine. We walked to where my other friend has a memorial bench for her mother at the Meditation Walk area.

We then went to where the chapel and gift store are located to inquire about where the statue of Our Lady was located. The first person I asked had no clue and was not very helpful. I found another office upstairs, near the Chapel, and I was told it was at the top with the Sacred Heart statue. I mentioned we had tried but that there were too many steps for "old ladies!" "Oh, you can drive up to the statue." She gave me a key, instructions, and told me there were two gates we needed to open and then we could drive up the dusty, weedy and rocky road. She kept my driver's license as collateral and off we went on a new adventure. Grasshoppers jumped on my windshield, weeds rattled below the car, and dust flew around us but we arrived at the top. Some of the gates were rusty and it took some tugging to open but once we were at the top we found Our Lady's statue.

The fun and interesting journey to see and feel the closeness of God is special and so close to Arvada.
We wondered why we do not go visit more often and I felt good that our mission of finding the statue had been accomplished!

                                  

"I will go anywhere or do anything

in order to communicate the love

of Jesus to those who do not know

him or have forgotten him."

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Party Brings Family Together

Even though her birthday is on December 12, her three daughters decided to have their mother's 90th birthday party yesterday. When I received the invitation I was pleased because I would get to see and meet relatives. My first surprise came when I stepped up to give my third cousin her a hug, she did not recognize me. Even though she, another cousin and I had worked on genealogy together a few years back and I had not seen her for about five years I thought, have I changed that much? Even though it did take her a few moments to recognize me it did not take long for us to continue where we had left off years ago.

As I waited for her siblings to arrive my excitement grew. Her youngest brother and I were the same age and had been in school together but it had been over almost fifty years since I had seen him. One brother had passed away a few years ago and the handsome brother who had all the girls crazy over him, was scheduled to arrive at the party. His whole family had driven in from Texas.  It took me a few moments to recognize him but he still had the same smile and before long everyone looked like I remembered them.

I was harder to recognize because as one brother said, "I remember you with braids, quiet, and I would never have recognized you if you hadn't told me who you were!" The introduction of the family members was fun as I met the many sons, daughters, children, and grandchildren of the many cousins. I had to explain how we were related and some seemed to grasp our relationship where others I am sure did not!

My grandfather was married to my grandmother and she was the sister of my cousin's grandmother. Their grandmother was my great-aunt and she lived across the street from where we lived. My mother would cross the street, almost daily, to visit her aunt and I would usually go with her. My mother told me once that her aunt was the closet thing she had to a mother. My grandmother had died during the time when influenza was taking many lives in the mid-1917's and when she died my mother was a toddler. I do remember my great-aunt made the best macaroni and cheese with tomato

sauce. I have tried to duplicate the dish and was surprised as the daughter of my cousin said, "That's how we make our macaroni and cheese also!" My grandchildren always request that I make the "different" mac & cheese!

A lot of remembering and a lot of sharing stories made for a wonderful birthday party. Of course I will not remember most of the people I met, yet, it was nice meeting and talking to so many relatives.  A couple of the young family members want to get together to work on genealogy and that should be fun and interesting.

"We all carry inside us,

people who came before us."

Liam Callanan

Starved For Attention

Yesterday was the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and while at mass, I thought it was surprising to see so many children. They varied in ages and looked like preschoolers. In front of me was a young woman with four children; three boys and one girl. They looked to be one, two, eight and ten years old. In front of that grouping there was another woman with eight children ranging from months old to ten years old. Some women had two or three kids and I figured the father's were out earning money to support the many children.  There were other children scattered throughout the church and some were quiet but others screamed, talked, gurgled, or made other kiddie noises. It felt as if I was at a child care facility.

An older woman sat down next to the family of five after making sure the area was unoccupied. Mass began and I watched the two youngest children vie for their mother's attention. I felt sorry for the mom because she kept switching between the two younger kids. She would get one settled in her arms and then the other child would want to be held.

I noticed the little boy kept looking at the older woman at the end of the pew. He sidled closer and she patted his head. Then, he hugged the woman and she picked him up.  As we listened to the readings he cuddled into her arms and sat quietly in her lap with his head against her bosom. It was as if he knew the woman.  When he got off  her lap, the little girl got into the woman's lap and at one point, both children were being held by the woman. Maybe the woman reminded them of their grandmother!

My thought was that the children were starved for attention. They were willing to go to a stranger because their mother could not give them what they needed. Another thought was that they were such friendly children that they would go with anyone. In this day and age, not a good thing.

This was not the first mass that I watched a family in front of me instead of paying attention to the Readings. Neither the children, the mother or I got much out of mass. Maybe the message was for me to understand the innocence of children and the kindness of a stranger. Or maybe the woman was having a crappy day and the children cheered her up!

"The best place to be

when you are sad

is Grandmother's lap!"

Author unknown

The Real Deal

When I wrote on Facebook that I had eaten an Argentina empanada at Stanley's Market Place in Aurora, a friend from Arvada said, "You know there is a place on Wadsworth, around 88th that has empanadas?" I told her I did not know of the place but today, after spending two and a half hours at Caribou Coffee with four friends, we decided to find the empanada place.  Probably, without getting a heads up on the location, we would not have seen it in the strip mall where it is located. We had met at ten in the morning for coffee/tea and after much laughing and talking, we were hungry!

The small restaurant has a Natural Smoothies & Latin Food sign over the door, yet the name of the eatery is The Real Deal.  As we looked at the menu on the wall and checked out the pictures that would let us know what we were ordering, three of us were given a small sample of Pina Colada. A tropical drink made with pineapple and coconut milk. Two were given The Real Deal; a mango, passion fruit and ginger drink. We all commented on how refreshing the drinks tasted.

Two of us ordered a baked empanada stuffed with squash, two ordered the gourmet pupusas with cheese, onion, garlic and either pork or black beans, and one ordered the arepas al pastor, a corn tortilla and topped with cheese, pork, onion and cilantro. Many of the dishes are vegan or gluten free and when my granddaughters come to visit I know where I will take them to eat.

While waiting for our food to be prepared we looked at the many photographs taken of the travels of the owners, a Colombian husband and his wife. On the walls are countries written in large block letters where the couple has visited. The place is light and cheerful and as we enjoyed our lunch there was a steady flow of customers. 

I liked the bicycle decoration and a couple of shelves with sweets from Latin countries. For dessert I ordered two thin, crisp wafers with caramel in the center and we all got a taste of the Oblea. It was good but I could have eaten three or four more of the light dessert!

"Friendship is like peeing in your pants.

Everyone can see it, but only you can

feel the warm feeling inside."

Unknown

Celebrating 112 Years

My daughter introduced me to an artist by the name of Frida Kahlo. When she mentioned that Frida had been married to Diego Rivera, an artist I did know, I became interested and read some books about the female artist. Her life was quite surprising because she seemed to be ahead of the early 1900's and would probably have fit right into our current times!

Her life was tragic and began when she had polio as a girl leaving one leg thinner than the other. I read that she wore long skirts to hid the deformity. Later, while on a trolley, the trolley was hit by a bus and a long metal pierced her body and she had to wear a brace for the remainder of her life. It was after her accident that she began painting and took some of her work to be critiqued by Diego Rivera. He was twenty years her senior, yet she fell in love with him. They married, divorced, remarried and had a tumultuous life with each of them having affairs. She may have been bi-sexual, fought for the poor, knew Tolstoy, may have been a communist, traveled to United States and Europe with her art, and became a celebrity with her art and the way she dressed. She is pictured with eyebrows that go across her forehead and sometimes with a wispy moustache. She is pictured with flowers on her head, pet monkeys, and many of her portraits are of herself.

"I paint flowers so they will not die." Frida Kahlo

Yesterday, August 10, 2019, on Morrison Road there was a celebration of her life. Many women dressed like her and had flowers on their head and entered the look alike contest. There were many booths under white tents with items with Frida's face. Artist also painted their version of Frida and the art work could be purchased. I saw her face on t-shirts, purses, magnets, blouses, earrings, and post cards. I was surprised to see that this festival has been going on for seven years and this year is the first time I heard about it. The fiesta was across from an interesting looking restaurant named Kahlo and the sign outside advertised Michoacán food.

I enjoyed wandering around, seeing the many people dressed in Frida style outfits, listening to the Latin music, and seeing the art work on the walls. I watched a tortilla maker placing tortillas on a hot grill and then topping them with green chili and cheese.  Made my mouth water!

Next year I will keep my eyes open as to when the celebration will take place because I will attend again and maybe next time I may put some flowers on my head!

"I drank to drown my sorrows, 

but the damned things learned to swim!"

Frida Kahlo

Michelangelo & Leonardo

In the 60's we would often enjoy Italian dinners at a restaurant named Patsy's. There was a huge painting on the wall of two persons reaching out to each other with their forefingers almost touching. I remember my two children looking at the painting and giggling at the naked man. When I was in Rome in the 90's I saw the original painting at the Sistine Chapel. Yesterday, at the showing of Michelangelo's art work, I learned that the famous picture is representing the creation of Adam. Live and learn!

I happened to see an ad that in Aurora, where Stapleton Airport used to be, there was a showing of Michelangelo's work in a place called Stanley's Market Place. What a surprise to arrive and find a huge building, that used to be an airplane hanger, converted into many shops and restaurants. Another surprise was the huge size of the artwork on walls and hanging from the ceiling of Michelangelo's work.

For the pictures on the ceiling, there were padded benches to lie on to gaze at those pictures hanging from the ceiling. I did not use the benches but craned my neck to see the beautiful work above me.

 I learned that Prophet Jeremiah was a moping, melancholy, weepy kind of man. David and Goliath story represented good vs. evil, and the Prophet Ezekiel was engrossed in reading until he listened to a message from God. The picture of The Judgment is so large it takes a long time to look at the many figures.

The feeling I had as I left the extraordinary art show is that I wish I knew more about the characters in the Bible. I marvel at the talent of Michelangelo and how he was able to do such beautiful work.

"What spirit is so empty and blind, 

that it cannot recognize the fact that

the foot is more noble than the shoe, 

and the skin  more beautiful than the garment."

Michelangelo

Driving home I passed the Denver Museum of History and Science and decided to stop and see the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition that I had seen advertised. I was not prepared to see the many works

of the man who was known for science, art, and inventions. The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper were the works of art that da Vinci had painted that I recognized but I did not know about his many inventions. Flying machines, military weaponry, diving apparatuses, scientific experiments, and his art work were fascinating to see at the exhibitions.

A roving musician and his flute played music of the time of da Vinci and I had my picture taken with him. He had an accent as he explained that da Vinci sometimes took ideas from others and expanded on them. In listening to the young man, I felt as if I had gone back to the 1500's!

The end of my day with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci