A Sad Movie

Unplanned was shown at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community last evening. I had not see the highly appraised movie and wanted to see what the movie could possibly say about abortion. When our priest got up at the beginning and gave a disclaimer about what would be shown at the beginning of the movie, I felt nervous.  I do not like to see anything bloody or scary. I felt better after he said it was all computer generated and not reality.

The story is about Abby Johnson, a young woman who began working in a Planned Parenthood clinic. She has gone through an abortion by pill and wonders why she was not told about the pain involved. She is told to tell untruths to convince those wanting abortions that it isn't painful or wrong. She continues getting promotions, frowned on by her parents who wish she would not work at Planned Parenthood, but the young woman sees nothing wrong and is proud of her accomplishments.

When she receives an award and hears her supervisor say that there is a need to perform more abortions she begins to realize that the clinic is not there to assist the young pregnant mothers, but to make money. When she is asked to be present at an actual abortion where she watches as a fetus is sucked out of the womb this makes her ill and angry. (I have heard that at certain abortions the fetus comes out in pieces all though the movie just showed the baby disappearing as the fetus is sucked out.)

During the time she is working at the clinic there are people outside the clinic praying and trying to discourage the young women to not enter the clinic where murder will be performed. To discourage the praying people, water is turned on to make them move away.  Abby, who is now the Director of the clinic, realizes she is wrong and she quits working at the clinic and joins those praying outside the clinic and is sued by the large and rich group in Planned Parenthood. Abby wins the court case and
a happy and big cheer goes up when the clinic is closed and the sign comes down.

One of the most moving parts for me, other than watching an abortion, was the fence where red and white flowers were placed on the fence to represent the babies that had been aborted. A long fence with  lots of flowers!  It is so sad to know that so many abortions happen in those clinics. The ads are that  Planned Parenthood is there to give information of vital reproductive health care, sex education, and informing those seeking abortions on other alternatives. Abby thought she was helping woman until she found out it was a money making corporation and not so much a helping clinic.

"I've noticed that everyone

for abortion has already

been born."

Ronald Reagan

World Day Of Migrants And Refugees

Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, hosted a Holy Mass that was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez and with priests from the Archdiocese of Denver con -celebrating the mass with him. It was quite moving to see the different countries represented in their native dress. How I wished for a better camera to get everything that was going on in sharp, clear photos.

Even though I had marked my calendar to attend this mass, I completely spaced it and was making plans to go the Westminster Oktoberfest!  I received a call from a friend to tell me about the special mass and my plans changed. I remember the saying in Spanish that we can make plans but God decides what we will do!

I had never been to the Vietnamese church though I had passed it many times and wondered if they worshiped the same as we do. Here was my time to find out! As I entered the church I was confronted with priests I used to know when I worked for the Archdiocese of Denver. After greeting them I continued toward the pews to find a seat when a man came to me with outstretched arms.
"Erlinda, how are you. You won't believe this but just a few weeks ago someone came in asking about you and the pilgrimages you used to plan." I knew him from my past and recognized him immediately because he is now the Director of Centro San Juan Diego where I used to work. We embraced and he asked me to contact him and gave me his card.



The church was crowded but I found a seat where it looked like I would be able to take photos. My mind was not on photography, but I was thinking about how God works in my life. A few weeks ago I was thinking about the pilgrimages I used to do every year to New Mexico and wondered if I should call Centro and offer my services. Because I procrastinate God took matters in his own hands and now I have a card with the phone number and e-mail of the Director of Centro. To me this was a miracle made possible because a friend called me to let me know of the migrant mass. God worked through her because I was still home and had not left for the 12:15 mass at my church. Her call to me came in around 11:30 a.m. and if she had not called me I would not have seen the Director and maybe I would never have called to see if pilgrimages needed to be planned.

The mass was beautiful and different people were dressed in their native clothing. The African group impressed me with their colorful outfits and the Vietnamese with their slim bodies! The countries represented were Pakistan, Africa, Mexico, Myanmar, Colombia, El Salvador, Vietnamese, Ghana, plus other countries. We all prayed the Our Father in our own language and it fascinated me to hear the murmur of many voices in different languages.

Singing by the different groups was amazing and when I looked up at the choir loft that stretched across the church each group had it's own singers and music.

After mass we walked to a reception area where tables were set up and every table had eight bottles of water. I thought that was a neat touch. There were three  long tables with food from different countries but it seemed to me that there were more Mexican dishes. I was told that twenty four dozen tamales had been purchased for the occasion. Asians prepared egg rolls, Pakistan had a delicious dessert that looked like tangled orange string but it was honey with sugar.  Not good for diabetics!

A potato and egg dish may have come from Peru and brown balls I was told were rice but when I bit into it I got a mouthful of tasty bread.

Lots of delicious and different food to feed the close to 300 persons. Different countries entertained the crowd with dances from their areas. What a glorious gathering and I could only think that our world would be better off if everyone loved and respected each other as we were doing today!

"I wish that you can live peacefully in the towns that welcome you, 

respecting their laws and traditions and, at the same time, maintaining 

the values of your cultures of origin...the meeting of different cultures 

is always an enrichment for all!"

Pope Francis

Grape Stompers

Remember watching Lucy Ricardo in the episode where she joins a woman to stomp grapes in a large vat? It is a funny show as she stomps and dances in the grapes until she and the woman end up having a fight and rolling around in the grapes. Yesterday I was invited to my first private party of grape stompers.  When my five friends and I arrived to the home in Longmont the whole scene took me by surprise.

A large yard with many beautiful plants and flowers greeted us and about seven large tables had many persons sitting, drinking and eating. The mood was happy and everyone was friendly as we were introduced as "The Chicks." That is the nickname we call ourselves and my friend's cute granddaughter made us laugh when she said, "They don't look like chickens!"

One table had twenty or more bottles of wine for everyone to enjoy. Since I am allergic to sulfites one man poured me a small glass of his own manufactured wine without sulfites. He told me that sulfites are known to cause headaches and I told him wine with sulfites causes me to wheeze. We then enjoyed our wine without sulfites!

A band was set up with terrific musicians and they played while everyone chatted until it was announced it was time to do some grape stomping!
The ten foot long rectangular inflatable kiddie pool was filled with grapes and the first ones to begin walking around in the juicy grapes were the small children. Teen agers were to go next and then the adults. Only two of the "chicks" were brave enough to stomp as the rest of the "chicks" enjoyed watching the stompers!

 After the grapes were danced, walked, scooted, and stomped on they were put in barrels and taken to a machine that would separate the stems from the grapes. It was an interesting process watching the beginning of wine making!

One of my favorite pictures was grandpa with his granddaughter. He seemed to be working on a special project while she ate and waited!

A fun and interesting afternoon as we met people, talked to some, ate delicious food, drank good wine, listened to great music and thoroughly enjoyed the Grape Stomping Party! I am beginning to see that Italians really know how to enjoy life!

"Beer is made by man.

Wine by God."

Martin Luther

Birthday Fun

The day I was invited to join four other friends to celebrate a birthday, I did not know the big surprise that awaited us. We were told we would meet at 10:00 a.m. and then the surprise would be revealed!
And it was! We would go to the newly opened Alamo Draft House Cinema in Westminster to see Downton Abbey!

We arrived early so we sat on a bench outside and chatted about this and that! The young manager told us the place would open at eleven and I asked him to take our picture.

 When the theater opened I was amazed at the small gift shop, the large movie posters and a brightly colored mural on the wall.

We all ordered something different; friend pickles, smothered French fries, and pizza. We ate and made ourselves comfortable in the recliner chairs to wait for the movie to begin. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie because I already knew all the characters from watching the series on television. The ending was happy with no horrible surprises and it really did seem as if everyone lived happily ever after!

We drove to a friend's home for cake and cream puffs and to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday gal!

A wonderful day and I had to laugh when one of the ladies said, "We are almost the 500 Club!" (The USA 500 Clubs are exclusive regional communities for successful professionals.) I suppose that by adding all our birthdays we might come close, but certainly not any time soon!

"There is nothing better

than a friend, unless it's

a friend with chocolate!"

Linda Grayson

Honorary Fire Woman

I am not really a fire fighter but today I sure felt like it! I was invited to Panera's by two thoughtful friends and when I arrived we got our coffee and tea. We headed toward the table they had chosen  and I could see there were two gift bags on the table. I asked, "Is it some ones birthday?" They laughed whole heartily and told me the gifts were for me. First I was told to open the white bag. In it I found a bunch of neat fire fighter's stuff; a pink and a red hat, a pencil holder with crayons, a picture of a firetruck, a sheet to color, a white feathery boa, and a lovely card from my two friends. All the while they were giggling as they handed me the larger bag.

 

What a surprise! They had enlarged and framed my picture with the four firemen taken at the Italian Festival at Belmar! What a thoughtful gift because I no longer have to look in my phone at my photos but can gaze at those gorgeous men that will be hanging on my bedroom wall! I still haven't figured out the significance of the white boa. Maybe a hint that I could put the boa around my neck and dance in front of the half naked men in the picture!

I mentioned how much fun it was receiving my neat gifts and they told me they had lots of fun putting it together!  They said, "We were so afraid you would cancel and not meet us and we were so excited for you to see what we had put together for you!" Thank you kind ladies, you made my day today with you kindness and thoughtfulness!

" 'Why did you do all this for me?'

  he asked, 'I don't deserve it. 

I've never done anything for you.'

'You have been my friend,' 

replied Charlotte, 'that in itself 

is a tremendous thing!' "

E.B. White, from

Charlotte's Web

CauIiflower & Broccoli Save the Day

Six months ago I dropped my hand held remote garage door opener and 50 million parts scattered all over my driveway. We, it may have looked like a lot of parts but there were about six or seven on my walk. Even though my hand held remote was destroyed, I still had the remote on the frame of the garage. It now meant I had to go through a few extra steps to open the garage door;  back out my car, park my car, get out of my car, use the wall remote to close the garage door.  When I return from my outings, I have to do the same process, only in reverse.

I have procrastinated and not called a garage person to connect the remote that I purchased for about $45. I  could have done it myself but it would entail me climbing up a ladder and at my age I refuse to climb anything! Our weather for the past month has been in the upper eighties and one day around three o'clock the garage door would not open. I became a prisoner in my home until around five thirty. I tried the remote again and the door opened. Since that day I learned that after 2:30 my garage door will not open and after 5:30 or if it is cloudy, the door will slide open. Somehow with the sun hitting the remote, the heat keeps the remote from working.

Yesterday, I had an important meeting to attend and at 4 p.m. I was ready to leave and the garage door would not open. How could I have forgotten to get my car out of the garage before two-thirty? I panicked. The car trunk had everything I needed for the meeting so I couldn't even call a friend to come get me or even Huber because I needed what I had in my trunk.  I called the president of the club that had been working with me for the meeting and she asked her husband. His suggestions was to put ice cubes in a bag and hold them over the remote to cool it off.

I did not have ice cubes but I did have cauliflower/broccoli frozen vegetables to I grabbed the bag and stood in the hot sun for about ten minutes while holding the frozen packet over the remote. Nothing happened. I was sending prayers to God, and to the saints, asking for help as I continued holding the frozen vegetables for another ten minutes. And then it worked and the garage door opened. I backed the car out and got out of the car to close the garage door and the garage door would not close. Back into my house I ran, got the frozen veggies, and back to holding the bag over the remote!

After about eight minutes the garage door closed. I kept thinking that women may think we can handle all problems but men seem to know handy secrets on how to fix problems!

Now I know that I have to get my car out before 2:30 in the afternoon and if I return and the sun is bearing down on the remote, I have to wait until after 5:30 to put my car away! It's interesting to know that high heat will keep those inner workings on my remote from working. But, I now know  the secret on how to open the garage door and that is a big relief!

The Chapters In Our Life

Last evening at the Spirit of Christ Catholic Community Young At Heart dinner a skit was performed and it was all about the transitions in our life. I would be the narrator and after dinner all the "actors" retired to the dressing rooms to don costumes that they would wear to represent the different phases in life!

As I narrated the skit, two babies came out in diapers, fighting with each other for a blanky. One diaper had something that resembled poop but I heard the baby say it was mustard! The babies were followed by four children; two girls with pig tails, freckles and while one jumped rope the other blew bubbles. Two boys tossed soft water balls to each other as they followed the girls.

Next came two dancing teen-agers and a young man trying to walk his girlfriend home from school. She would have none of his pleadings until she finally let him carry her books. Then the longest chapter in our lives followed with different careers; mom with baby, military, chef, doctor, race car driver, business woman, priest, construction worker, plumber and nun.

When retirement age rolled around, this was the time to enjoy life. Retirees could now join the
55+ YAH group, go golfing or fishing, travel, (France, Italy or Mexico,) play tennis, take a bus to the casino in Blackhawk, and basically have the time of their lives!

It was fun planning the skit though it ballooned to over thirty persons playing a part and not like my original thought of about ten people!  It worked out because "The more the merrier!" And there were plenty playing their part! After the final bows, I got some thumbs up from the audience and a few told me they had enjoyed our skit of life transitions and that made me feel good.

The president of YAH did a tremendous job of organizing the "actors" and finding props. Another person helped by finding people to be in the skit and that was a big help. It was truly a team effort and the entertainment did not cost us any money!  All in all, it was fun and I hope everyone enjoyed the skit as much as we had fun putting it together.

"You can't start the

next chapter 

of your life if you keep 

re-reading the last one."

Internet

God's Surprises

On Sunday I drove to The Fort to the 1830's Rendezvous & Spanish Colonial Art Market, something I have done for many years.  In the past I volunteered and worked at the Tesoro Cultural Center and every year I helped, I was given a t-shirt. Strange how the t-shirts seem to have shrunk until they no longer fit me! After I stopped volunteering I continued going to see the Hispanic Santos, wheat art, jewelry and listen to the New Mexico style music. The music reminded me of my Father who played some of the tunes on his harmonica. It just so happened that the violinist is a friend and is married to a friend who worked with me in the past.

This year I arrived and parked my car and a golf cart picked me up and took me to the entrance. I made my way to where the music was playing.  They were scheduled to stop playing in about ten minutes after I arrived. Looking in my purse for my phone so I could take some pictures I realized my phone had been left in the car.  My dilemma was either I could return to my car to get my phone but miss the musicians or I could find someone with a smart phone and have them take a picture and send it to me. I looked around for a familiar face but I did not know a soul other than the musician playing his violin and singing.

Sitting next to me were two ladies so I asked them if they had smart phones. One said she did so I explained my problem. She was very friendly and took a picture of the Southwestern players and one with me and my violinist friend.

The ladies and I continued talking and one of them attends Spirit of Christ Catholic Community and lives near Pomona High school. The other lady lives in Erie, Colorado. I mentioned Young At Heart and both seemed interested in joining. I told them about our dinner on the 19th of September and both said they would like to come. One is Native American and was wearing beautiful turquoise jewelry. She told me she is a story teller and I suggested she might like to come and speak to the YAH members. She introduced me to a friend who is a professional photographer. He showed us some of his work and I was impressed with his wild life shots! He took our picture and since he does excellent work with wild life, I am curious to see what he does with three women!

From the Lebanese Festival to the Hispanic Market, Sunday turned out to be a wonderful day. Meeting the two ladies at the Fort  was a special bonus and it was all because I forgot my phone in the car. I can't help but think that God planned and arranged it as he seems to do so many surprises in my life!

"God reveals himself through surprises."

Pope Francis