A Documentary On How People Disappear

There is so little that we know about anything! I watched a documentary on a disease that has been labeled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Watching the video made me realize that it is an illness that can come and go but most of the time leaves patients in bed unable to move. The pain described sounded awful; "burning inside my head and feeling like my eyes are going to pop out."

For years people have suffered yet doctors would say it was a mental condition or a hypochondriac was complaining because nothing could be found in the testing. It was sometimes called a Yuppie Flu. No one seemed to know why the patient had the symptoms so nothing was done to figure out what was wrong. The documentary, Unrest, is about a young woman, Jennifer Brea, who was living a normal life, married, traveling, working and enjoying life. Then the disease hit her and she could not get out of bed. Being a photographer, she decided to make a film to show others what she was going through. Along the way, and all over the world, she found many other persons suffering from the same thing.

Some of the people in the video said they felt as if they were disappearing little by little and soon  would be no more. One statistic was that many suffering from the debilitating illness commit suicide. Care givers suffer right along with the ill person as they try to help. It is a horrible disease and no cure has been found though it is now being recognized as an illness, but still, with no answers. And it now has a name!

"Now, at last, medicine has decided to recognize our problem. 

This is a tremendous beginning, but defining Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

to the public with such a benign name, a name that gets confused with 

simple (often stress related) fatigue, you have placed yet another burden on us."

Jane Cuozzo

A Long Walk

A few years ago I saw a movie called The Way and it was about walking the Road to Santiago in Spain. It featured Martin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez.  As I watched the movie, something stirred inside me and I felt an excitement making me wish I could do that walk. Well, maybe not the whole walk but a partial walk to end at the Cathedral in Compostela, Spain!  Last evening I watched Foot Prints, The Path of Your Life of eleven young men who decide to go on a pilgrimage to Santiago. Five hundred and fifty miles of walking would give them blisters on their feet, feelings of exhaustion, thoughts about giving up, personal struggles as well as happiness and feelings of fulfillment as they walked. What kept them going was the friendship and comradery. Watching the movie I saw laughter, devotion, happiness, joy, introspection and tears from these young men.

Aside from the reactions of the men, the photography of the scenery was absolutely beautiful! Water, trees, clouds, animals, fields, flowers and shrines were breath taking! History lessons about the Blessed Mother, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola and the defeat of the Muslim invaders in Spain. The stories were told simply and in cartoon form. When I traveled to Spain and visited the Cathedral where the walk ends, I saw where a stone in a doorway had been worn down by the pilgrims touching it as they arrived from their long walk.  Another fascinating spectacle was watching the large incense burner (thurible) as it swung over our heads. It is one of the largest in the world that weighs 176 pounds and is 5'3" tall! I thought it looked like a small car! We were able to go behind the altar and put our arms around the gold statue of St. James and in the movie the young men also do the same!

What a pilgrimage for those young men who made the long walk. Some of the men did not make it an had to end their walk due to illness. Eleven started out but only seven of the group completed the walk! Once again I felt a stirring in my heart to want to travel the road. But when I thought that I can't even walk a few blocks without getting tired. I knew that traveling the road would be impossible for me!

"It is your road and yours alone.

Others may walk it with you,

but no one can walk it for you,"

Hill Walk Tours

Cute Pink and White Trucks

My garbage disposal died and I needed a plumber to come replace it. Someone would need to come out to take care of the garbage disposal so I added a sluggish drain in my bathroom sink and I figured one man would take care of both problems. Imagine my surprise when one worker arrived at eight thirty and another man arrived, in an other small van, around nine. Talk about specialists!

I had driven past the pink trucks parked in front of the office on Marshall street and thought how clever the company was to have such cute looking vehicles. Since they are in Arvada, and I try to
do my shopping in Arvada, I called them to fix my problems. Both men came masked and were polite as they introduced themselves. The company text me their names and a picture so I would know who would be coming to my house.  I realized that with so many scammers this company wanted to keep their customers safe!

The work was completed and I felt satisfied with their work though I thought they were a bit pricey. On the other hand, no matter who I call to do work at my house, I always have the feeling of being overcharged. One of the men told me that the company has been in business for thirty-six years
and I figured that had to count for something!

The Plumbers and Steamfitters Union

named Albert Einstein an honorary

plumber after he said he'd be a plumber

if he could do it all over again.

From the Internet

Corpus Christi Masses

No matter how far I wander from my faith, God has a way of dragging me back in. Today I woke up feeling weary, maybe a bit depressed, but feelings of not wanting to do anything but stay in bed. I thought about which mass I would attend virtually. Time passed and I missed the eight o'clock mass. I debated if I would watch the 10:30 mass or if I should wait until the 12:15 mass. When I looked at the clock it was around 11:30 so it was decided, I would watch the later mass. I turned on the computer and noticed that the 10:30 mass was about to begin and I had seen the wrong time on the clock. God wanted me to attend the 10:30 mass and I am so happy I watched the mass. For the first time in weeks I felt a closeness of God.

As I watched I saw children with masks and thought how different their lives were and how they would never think anything was unusual. To them it would be a normal way of being and keeping their mouth covered. The small table with a chalice, cup, cruets for water and wine, small plates, pacificator (small linen cloth), finger towel, pall (stiff cloth to place over chalice) now had an additional item, a bottle of hand sanitizer!  Seeing the church with many empty pews is sad but with the pandemic still around, only a few people can attend each mass. Churches have really changed!

The Homily by our Pastor was interesting as he told about the Benedictine Monks who opened a monastery in North Carolina and there is a huge symbolic stone at the entrance. In dealing with the present situation he mentioned three things; prayer with reflection and meditation, for us to see the presence of God among us and we must never forget human life matters, from womb to tomb.  The third thing was to have a spiritual response to bring healing to our world with truth and gentleness.

All of the hymns were appropriate and seem to hit the spot of what is happening right now with the pandemic, riots, upheaval, etc. One of the hymns of "We are one body, one body in Christ, we do not stand alone. When you eat my body and you drink my blood I will live in you and you will live in me." Those words made me feel close and secure in my love for God! And for the first time of the pandemic, I yearned to receive the body and blood of our savior.

"Receive Communion often, very often.

There you have the sole remedy,

if you want to be cured. 

Jesus has not put this attraction 

in your heart for nothing."

St. Therese of Lisieux

As I finished typing the quote I looked up and on the wall above my lap top was a picture of St. Therese! To me it was a miracle or as some would say, a serendipity moment!

Later on Sunday I watched another virtual mass outdoors in a peaceful setting by a former Spirit of Christ Catholic Community priest. During the mass there was a light shining on him and I felt as if the Holy Spirit was shining over the priest. His vestments were beautiful in green and white and he let us know how Jesus gave himself to us in a complete way. He gave us his flesh (host) and so we could have Him with us. Today on the Feast of Corpus Christi we need to have a renewal of our faith. I agree because the morning mass made me want to receive the body of Christ.

His story of the Blue Men of the Sahara was fascinating as he told us that when the father dies, the son steps up and gives himself completely to watching and caring for his mother. Father mentioned that he had never seen such unselfish giving of a son except for Jesus Christ.

"To live a pure unselfish life

one must count nothing as one's

own in the midst of abundance."

Buddha

Am I Afraid

The Coronavirus seems to spread fast and there are certain precautions that are advised by medical groups. Wear a mask, wash your hands and stay ten feet away from others seem to be three main suggestions. I have two sets of friends with opposite ways of thinking. One group follows the rules by staying home except for essential outings. The other group meets in small groups, wear masks and try to have space between each other. They meet to play cards, dominoes or eat out and feel safe. I have not joined the second group and am staying home. So far, neither group has gotten the virus and hopefully no one will. Each person handles how they react by what makes them feel comfortable. The thing is that no one seems to know exactly what to do or what is the safest way to react with the information given to us.

A friend asked me, "Why are you so afraid?" When she said this to me I resented the fact that she thought I was afraid. I felt as if she was saying that I was cringing in corner, afraid to do anything! Yet, when I looked up the word afraid in the dictionary I found out what it means; feeling fear or anxiety,  worried that something undesirable will occur or unwilling to do something for fear of the consequences. Which leads me to the conclusion, that I do fit in the category of being afraid, not frightened, but worried about the consequences that might happen if I am exposed to the virus.

My prayer is that either group, those feeling the need to socialize and those staying at home until a better time, stay healthy. Each person has to make a decision as to what makes them feel comfortable during this Covid 19 pandemic.

"In time we hate

that which 

we often fear."

William Shakespeare

The Power of a Screw

In the middle of being isolated due to Covid 19, on my birthday, May 20th, some friends drove by my house and sang happy birthday from their car while I stood in the driveway. One friend yelled and asked me what was wrong with my mailbox. I glanced over at the mailbox and it looked a bit tilted. After they left I straightened the mail box and it was okay.  It was all right until the night of June 6, when we had strong winds. The next morning I noticed the mailbox was hanging sideways. I again straightened it out and checked to see why it kept moving.

As I examined the mailbox I noticed that one screw was holding the box in place. Amazing that the one screw is keeping the mailbox from flying away! Once I adjusted the box, it looks fine sitting on top of the post. But, I know that if a wind comes up it will turn the mailbox sideways again or it might rip it right off the post. Today, since there is a breeze that might turn in to a stronger wind, I keep looking out to see if the mailbox has moved but, so far, it is staying in place.

I looked on the Internet and found mailboxes at Home Depot. My next project will be to go buy a metal mailbox and get it screwed in with the right amount of screws. I figure that should keep it without moving in any kind of wind!

"That's what I do.

Watch movies and read.

Sometimes I even

pretend to write, but

I 'm not fooling anyone.

Oh, and I go to the mailbox."

Nicole Krauss

A Final Closure

The only male in our book club passed away a few weeks ago. He left us, and to many of us, it was a huge shock and surprise. We knew he had a brain tumor but he looked fine and acted healthy. The cancer spread to his liver and that is what took his life.  I blogged about him on May 4, 2020, Prayers For A Friend and on May 15, 2020, Attending a Virtual Funeral. Today I am writing about a dream I had last night.

Members of the Spirit of Christ Catholic Community 

were gathered around the table ready for a discussion on a book.

Al walked in and took his seat next to me. I glanced over at him 

and felt a happiness overcome me. I said, "Al, I am glad you came back," 

and I turned around and gave him a big hug; it was a long and hard hug. 

I do not remember if he hugged me back but I felt as if I was saying goodbye to him and it felt good!

Five Separate Shampoos in One Day

Today I decided to shampoo my hair. Well, it is my hair but why five separate shampoos? The reason is because they are my wigs that I wear when I go out. About fifteen years ago, my real hair began to thin out and I decided to wear a wig. Presently I have five wigs. Two of the wigs are shag like, one is a light brown, and two are brown. The latest wig is a pixie and it is light brown. Different friends compliment the wig styles and I am hoping that the pixie cut will be well received also. When I visit my family in California, I use a sculpture of my daughter's face to put my wig on.

The wigs are on my dresser on their own special stands or on pottery vases and I decided to shampoo the wigs and put them in plastic baggies and store them in a drawer. After shampooing and storing them they will be ready to wear when I decide I want to change my hair style.

I was asked how I wash the wigs and the procedure is to place the wig in a sink with cold water and put some wig shampoo into the water and swish the wig around. When I ran out of the wig shampoo I began using regular shampoo and found out it works quite well. The next step is to rinse once or twice and spray a wig conditioner on the wet wig. Place the wig on its stand and let dry. Once the wig dries, I shake it out and brush the hair into a style. The spraying with a hair spray is the final step. It's amazing how long the wigs hold up after many uses.

                             






Four of the wigs are now in plastic bags and in a drawer. The only one I left out, and which I will use when I go out, is my new Pixie wig. Yet, I know I have four wigs to choose from depending on my mood!

"My wigs are ever changing in

height, width, color and size.

They make me feel happy.

Wearing them makes me feel I

can be a different person every day

and that is kind of exciting."

Nicki Minaj