good for the soul

Eucharistic Congress in Atlanta

2009 Eucharistic Congress

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ecumenism on the front porch

So my husband, a.k.a. Gladys Kravitz, and I sit on the porch in the afternoon and watch birds. Pathetic, I know, but hey, it’s rather relaxing and once I got past the whole cliche/mockery of what our lives has become,  it’s turned out to be a rather relaxing and enjoyable part of my day. In fact, so much so that this evening we put rings on crucifixes for that crazy bunch over at Rosary Army and The Catholics Next Door until the natural light gave out. Note: piece work a terrible way to make a living.

Anyway, I digress. This is about the birds. The ecumenical ones.

It turns out that my hubby made a little island in the front yard, and put a bird bath and a feeder in it. That is what occupies our evenings when Gladys isn’t spying on the neighbors and delivering world-altering news like, “Lamar just went out to get the paper.”

Anyway, the birds. There are tons of them! It’s quite lovely to watch. At first, they would come to the bird bath, but totally ignore the feeder. Except for the squirrels, who perch near the stand and try to figure out how to get to it: fail! We’ve seen all kinds of pretty birds. Now that they’ve figured out that there’s food, everyone comes to eat. We were particularly taken with a male and female couple of cardinals. The female seemed afraid of the feeder, and would perch near it, but not terribly close. The male would get some food  and take it to her! It was amazing!  I’ll let you draw the metaphor for marriage on your own.

Back to ecumenism. Every kind of bird comes to the bath and feeder and shares in the available resources. It’s pretty amazing. I didn’t think they would coexist like that, but they sure do. Of course, some are a little more righteous than others, and then there’s the problem of the Blue Jays. They are pricks. But all in all, we could learn a few lessons from the natural world.

It reminds me of one of my favorite bible verses: Matthew 6:25-34.

People the greatest source of history

I make it a serious point to avoid talking about my students although I could have a field day sharing some of the zinger stories packed away in a not-so-little “Do not disturb” file in a dusty corner of my brain. Anyway, I’m breaking my own rule to talk about an experience I had this week.

I have a few “older” students in an introductory class. By “older” I mean people who could be my parents, or older. I love them. Besides having excellent writing skills, they bring so much to the class discussions. These are folks who have sacrificed much in their lives, and are now returning to school in the ultimate delayed gratification scenario. Once, I had such a student share that she didn’t care if she never went to work in her field because she just wanted the satisfaction of having the degree.

Anyway, one of my current students, an African American lady, shared that the last time she was in school her high school was segregated, and she found this new experience of sitting in a college classroom different and exciting. Wow! She lamented her impression of the youth around her wasting the opportunity to get an education, so she decided to pave the way. I hope she is successful, not in the classroom — it’s obvious to me that she will, but in the environment where she is trying to foster a desire for an education. She’s certainly a fantastic example to the students in her class.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I figure, there’s too much bad news on TV — I better report on something cool. That, and I have to figure out how to get her to share her story openly in the class.

That is all. Have a nice day. 🙂

Who’s the hottest guy in the Coast Guard?

Yeah, I thought so. We know who are hero is, the one in the dorky helmet! Check this out, and then read the press release.

Thanks to all the brave men and women who serve our country. It’s not a flawless country. It’s not even even a country that is free from the ills that plague other countries on earth, but it’s ours, and it’s worth protecting. In this case, these fine coast guards protected more than the coast–they stopped the delivery of an obscene amount of cocaine destined to ruin more people and communities.

Good work guys!

Today…

Today I am sitting in the comfort of my air-conditioned office sipping on an over-priced latte and pushing papers on my desk, not stopping to think how my world could be turned upside down in mere moments.

Seven years ago today, the country and the world was rocked by the savage destruction of three buildings, numerous aircraft, and countless lives as innocent people were killed and their families and friends had their lives irrevocably altered.

I watched along with the rest of the world, mesmerized by the sheer immensity of the tragedy, but galvanized by the insuperable power of individuals, not governments, who rallied and joined in to offer assistance, whether physical, emotional, spiritual, or economic.

It is the one redeeming aspect of tragedy, that it allows us to put a face on the anonymity of the human condition. We too easily shy away from the day to day tragedy that surrounds us, often out of a sense of powerlessness, yet the epic nature of the immensely tragic creates heroes.

Not even seven days ago, the imposing forces of nature swept through a Caribbean already pummeled by Gustav, and finished off the job of destruction with Ike.  The nameless faces of the victims are played and replayed over and over again on the news, alternating the human destruction with the topographical.

Seven hours from now, the Texas coast will be added to the tapestry of destruction.

I encourage my readers to give to the multitude of social services that transcend lipstick jokes and political barbs and rise to the occasion of the real human condition: Charity. Love. Brotherhood.

Catholic Relief Services would welcome your contributions. If you want to send a more direct form of help, the kind that is more personalized, you can send aid directly to my uncle, pictured here on the left, for immediate relief to his community in Holguin, Cuba. 

The good Marist brothers and alumni of the Marist run school in Santa Clara, Cuba have made a call for donations that will go directly to aid that community. I encourage you to support their cause:

MARISTANET Santa Clara Foundation

c/o Carlos Villanueva11281 NW 59th Terrace

Miami, Fl 33178