Communion

Yesterday, Saturday, there was a special mass for the First Communion of young children. It was a very nice event. The church was packed to the point of several standing along the walls. What a happy occasion. I went to watch my friend Henrietta's son Adrian make his First Communion. All the children looked great, nice suits and pretty white dresses and veils. So many proud parents, grandparents, family and friends were present. Truly a blessed event.

There was an issue, though, and I know it is wrong for me to be judgmental but I cannot help myself. Participating in the Eucharist is something I feel     helps to strengthen my faith. I was amazed to see so many present to watch those young people make this special step in their faith lives, and yet less than 1/3 of those present went forward to also partake. What kind of example is that for those young people? They saw many people there to encourage and recognize their commitment to accepting Communion yet so many of those present did not themselves accept.

There are times that I do not accept, times when I have not been to Reconciliation and do not feel worthy to accept. I do go forward with arms crossed to receive a blessing. That action is uplifting.

I guess that the children have to go by the old adage of " Do as I say and not as I do." These young people need adult role models that walk the walk and talk the talk. As the numbers of our church dwindle, can we afford not to lead by example? 

All in all it was still a very joyous event and I was glad to have been invited by Adrian and his family.

The pain of famiy loss exasserbated by beaurocratic red tape

Recently an old friend lost her son-in-law and grandson to a house fire. The circumstances were sad and more so due to the fact that the grandson was a Down's Syndrome young man. The fire woke the family in the wee hours and the father (DJ) managed to get most of the kids out when it was realized that Tyrone was in fact still in the home. DJ went back in to get Tyrone and sadly, neither made it out alive.  There were several witnesses to the circumstances surrounding the deaths of DJ and Tyrone yet, autopsies were requested (autopsies have always been a frowned upon by the Navajo people). There was a fundraiser at the Baca Chapter House (Navajo Community Center) near Prewitt. I attended to lend a bit of moral support to Nancy and her family in their time of loss. 

DJ's employer made a short speech as  did some of his co-workers, several tribe members made commentary on the character of DJ and the loving father to Tyrone and all his children he was.

Then a tribal representative made the appeal to help with the final costs involved and explained the circumstances of the arrangements. First, the coroner must release the bodies after the autopsies which could take up to 2 weeks. Then and only after the release of the bodies can any arrangements be made. Then because of new restrictions at the cemetery in Grants, vaults in addition to caskets must be purchased. The plots must be purchased as well. The family can get no help from Social Security until they provide birth certificates (lost in the fire) or any other documentation proving identity ( all lost in fire). The funeral home will not make arrangements until the bodies are released. The family is staying with other family members and the community has stepped forward to assist with food and clothing but it still seems to me that too much red tape is involved to help this family get by the details and on with their lives.

I guess that as a genealogist I am used to the concept of copies of documents such as birth certificates and marriage licenses. That is part of why I have written today. To remind everyone that when you can, you should order from your location of birth or marriage (ie. county or state agency) at least 1 extra certified copy of birth certificate or marriage license. Have a near relative or safe deposit box to keep them in. In such emergency situations , ask yourself if you lost all in your home or were not allowed to search through it , would you be able to get documentation to get new drivers licenses or social security cards or benefits? Would you be able to deposit or withdraw form accounts? Where are your financial papers, life insurance papers, records, family contacts? Would you be able to function with the little you may have on your person at that kind of tragic time?

We have fireproof (not just flame resistant) gun safes that have old photos, documents and legal papers, 1 in the house and 2 in the garage. They are supposed to withstand fires up 3500* for 30 minutes which as fast as homes actually go up in flames, that should be sufficient. Our home nor garage are so large that they would burn that hot for more than a few minutes.

After a tragedy like this one has time to reflect on what they should could or would do in similar circumstances. The best advice I can offer , be prepared and have a well thought out schedule of what to do in each of several scenarios. Also, consider a list of all your online stuff. Does someone have access to what business you conduct online? Do they know which utilities are paid automatically and which you have to enter each month? Is there anyone with your passwords that can get to your accounts to take care of business as needed? Some very important things to consider about your life that you can take care of. Things that will be taken care of no matter who may be left to take care of details. A plan that can be set in motion no matter the severe emotional distress you may be dealing with.  

Wind settling down

The wind has been horrible the pas few days. Yesterday was the worst in a long while. Our little greenhouse that my nephew Christopher was hoping to utilize later this spring was blown away...really, it is now mostly torn up and sitting up against an apple tree about 300 feet from where it was positioned. It was a small 10'X10' but we had put a lot of work in it.

Our neighbors trampoline was also relocated to being up against a fence about 200' from original position. The sand was so thick you couldn't see but just few hundred feet at times. Tumbleweeds the size of my little car were rolling all over the place. We will have to see what we can selvage from the greenhouse and if it could be feasible to try to rebuild. I guess I can continue to use the garden tub in our master bathroom for a greenhouse. I can start a few plants like tomatoes and peppers. The acrylic block windows in that corner of the house work well for getting plenty of light in there.

This morning it is nice and calm and beautiful. Ready to go to church and give praise for such a glorious day.

Almost a week into Lent

Today I am contemplating the concept of giving something up for Lent. This year, I did not give anything up but a little free time. My Lenten promise is to prayerfully read from either the Bible or one of the many recently acquired e-books that are associated with my Catholic faith. My Lenten promise is to hopefully come out the other end of these 40 days with a more clear understanding of my faith and perhaps even a goal of stewardship that I can achieve.

As someone that has only been back to practicing my faith a few years, I'd like to share my journey back to the church with others that, like myself, fell away from the church and may have reservations about returning. There was a wonderful lady at Holy Family of Nazareth Parish in Irving, TX that was instrumental in my return  to the church.
I must also add that Catholic Radio on XM was also part of that process. At any rate, Patricia was like me, she had been away from the church for many years and returned. She had been back about 10-12 years when I had met her. Just the fact that we shared that similar experience of straying and then returning gave us a special bond.

She said she was grooming me to be her replacement, she had several health issues facing her. I could not be her replacement at that Parish but with what she taught me, perhaps I could start a similar ministry here in my area now that I have moved back to New Mexico.

Using Lent as a medium for increasing my knowledge for such an endeavor is more in line with what Lent was described as by our Priest. Not to necessarily give something up, unless you continue past Lent and it affords you the opportunity to grow in your faith.

Paper Announcements

As an avid genealogist, when I have time, I appreciate the old tradition of mailing out announcements to family and friends. Having announcements posted the local newspapers was also a way of relaying information about life's events. Announcements like, births, graduations, marriages, military service or other milestones in someone's life that may be noteworthy. It seems people do not do the old mailings like they did years ago. That's o.k.. Often digital media is the currency of family information.

 As the older generation (my parents) are disappearing, the contacts of the "cousins" is certainly not what it was for the "brothers and sisters". I try to keep up with some cousins but as they become parents and grandparents their family lines become more focused on their particular branch. That is also understandable. For someone that is not a genealogist, those more distant branches become more and more blurred and less important

As my nephew and his fiancé were preparing to get their wedding announcement  mailing list put together, I realized that there are probably many of my 1st cousins that have no idea who my nephew is. Likewise he has no idea who some of the people I suggested for his mailing list are. His Grandmother's brothers family, his Grandfather's sisters kids, his (deceased) dad's cousins are included on this list.

There are many cousins that I realize I do not know much about their lives. Mom always got the wedding, graduation and birth announcements from her brothers families. After I became and adult and moved away, I only heard about these events if mom remembered to tell me about what mail she had received or I had any sort of close connection with a particular cousin. I guess it is inevitable that each generation moves farther and farther apart.

Now that I have moved back to Grants, NM, a small town, I hear stories of how this person found out after being neighbors for years that they were actually related. Cases like this one's grandmother was sister to that one's grandmother. Being far removed from most of my parents families that is not going to happen here. Also, most of my husband's family is far away. His son's maternal family is around central and eastern New Mexico so could possibly run into an unknown relative on his tree.

I guess I am just on my little rant because I do not receive announcements and now that mom is very advanced in age, she does not either. I am also ashamed that our little family has not been a bigger part of my parents extended families. Time, distance, education and economics make a difference in how people stay in touch it seems.

Expressing thoughts, ideas and opinions

It is another beautiful day here and I have just been reading over several things from the cost of motorcycle tires to the steps I need to see about in order to start a "Welcome Home" ministry at our parish. I truly believe I have AADD or as I call it, the inability to stay focused. My mind wanders the far and wide. Sadly, I am not well versed in a great number of topics, I generally study a topic till I become bored or distracted by another topic.. and then I am off and running in another direction. Often, I do mentally return to the original topic but it may be a few minutes or years.

I think the internet has aided in my inability to pay attention or follow through on a course of action or study. It is far too easy to skip from one page to another and back. Following links from one site to another to another and yet more, can leave you questioning your own sanity. There have been numerous times that I have actually forgot where I started to end up where I find myself. Fortunately, I am able to follow the "breadcrumbs" back to the original train of thought. By then, though I have probably forgotten what the search was all about.

I have been trying to focus on saving money, cutting costs and expenses here and there. Now that Mike and I and mom are all pretty much on fixed incomes, keeping track of spending is vital. It is not like last year when I could just work a little extra and get a bit more on payday. Unless I go out and get some kind of job, I have to get a rein on the money. Mom has very little concept of money, she has always been very lax when it came to financial record keeping. We have expensive hobbies, Harley Davidson motorcycles and antique trucks. We have also been spending like drunk sailors when it comes to getting our property set up, the home, the garage, the shed, the driveway ect. There is a great deal done and lots more to do.

Today I will be going over utility bills and monthly expenses to see where I can save money. I am hoping that before too long we will as part of the exterior projects, get solar panels set up and tied into the grid. Our Electric Co-Op does have a buy back program for solar and wind generated power form individuals. Their program is such that you continue to pay your bill each month then at the end of the year, they calculate how much they have received from your end and pay that amount in one lump sum.  I have talked to an old classmate that has a solar company in Albuquerque and think it will work out for us. 

On to the day, clipping and snipping where I can. Soon we will be able to get ready to plant a garden. I hope we can grow plenty for our own use as well as some to sell at the farmers market in town this summer.

What is wrong with my cat?

We have 2 former stray cats living with us, or ruling our household. They both made the move from Texas to New Mexico with us this past September. They have both been checked out by vets, both here and in Texas prior to our move. First, the male, a solid black that we found lost in our back yard when he was no more than a small handful in size. Next, the female, a grey that was also found in our back yard. She was a few months old when we found her and she had obviously been house trained and someones pet though she did not have any collar or tags. From the first day, she had no problem with entering the house and making herself at home.

At Christmas, we purchased a new living room set, all leather sofa and love seat recliners as well as sofa table, coffee table and 2 end tables. The first day in the house, the cats started trying to claw the furniture.  Since they had already done quite a bit of damage to our other furniture, we decided to have them de-clawed. They seemed to recover fine from the process and since we have no intentions of ever letting them out, not having claws should not be an issue. Actually since moving here, they have made no attempt to even get close to an exterior door. 

As an early riser, I often get up about 5:30 and sit in our breakfast room anticipating the day, reading, computering or just sitting. The cats consider this our time and often climb up to "give me sugar" and curl up close. Even to the point of climbing onto my computer and just laying there like I am not giving them enough attention. 

In mid January, I started taking a computer class at our Community College. So now, I have homework to do and use that early morning quiet time to concentrate on lessons. The grey cat, Rat Cat is her name, has taken it personal that I do not allow her to interrupt my studies. Since the first time I prevented her from climbing up onto my laptop and taking all my attention, she has started becoming a paper shredder. She finds either newspaper, magazine or any other bunch of paper, places her front feet strategically and begins ripping small portions of the paper and spitting them out. I must be diligent about what sort of papers are left lying around. 

I am at a loss as to if this new behavior is due to my not allowing her to get on the computer or the fact that she now has no claws. Perhaps it is just a phase and she will cut it out soon. I will not, however, be taking her to a cat psychologist or psychic or psycho or anything, she will just have to be content in what ever means I decide will be used to retrain her from this bad habit.

Looking at how our parish works

I have recently become more involved with my church and more interested in the stewardship of being a good active member of the church. I have found that I need to study  the history of the diocese here and see what is going on.

Last evening at "Little Rock Bible Study", the discussion turned to the role of each of us and each member of the clergy all the way up the "chain of command". Keep in mind that I have not lived here in many years and have not kept up with what has been going on in this diocese.

I find it sad that our priests are so overwhelmed with the mundane day to day operations and demands of the diocese that "tending their flock" is often pushed back. Ours is a small parish and our priest takes care of 2 churches in addition to serving at the diocesan level in the town 60 miles away. The Grants area has 4 churches in the same group and all are part of the diocese of Gallup. There are also 2 other priests that tend to the 4 churches and a school.

I am hopeful that our new Pope, Pope Francis, will have an affect on everyone down through the line from him to each parishioner. That he will institute programs that will focus on the building of the church on the faith needs of the communities wherever they are and not on the aspirations of a few who are search of the ever elusive next step up. Whether it is the political, social or financial desires of the average person or the intentions of a clergy to seek higher office in the church. The intent of the church should remain the needs of those seeking to find, build on, maintain and share the faith as Christ asked each of the apostles to do. That is what is asked of each of us, to follow or at least try to follow in Christ's footsteps, tending to the weak, the poor, the hungry and always remain faithful.

In this day and age, the church must continue to make amends for the actions of a few priests and the church leaders that failed the people. It must be also, ever searching for the financial means to carry out the work it must do.To help those in most need, it must ask for help from those most able. To maintain places of worship, it must have financial means to pay for building, utilities, literature and all those day to day things we often take for granted.

A passionate Catholic priest

I have not often discussed my religion, my feelings about the teachings of the church or for that matter, evangelized in any sort of manner. Today, I am changing that.

I am what is often referred to as a "Cradle Catholic", that is someone that was Baptized and perhaps even catechized and made First Communion and Confirmation. Some even went so far as to be married in the church. Then at some point fell away from the church. Myself, I was Baptized and made First Communion at St. Teresa of Avila in Grants, NM. I was Confirmed at St. Vivian's in Milan, NM and spent the last several years of my youth attending San Rafael Parish in San Rafael, NM.  AS a working teenager, there came a point where I was working on the weekends and it just seemed "easier" to focus on work and not church. At first it was once in a while, then progressed to be more often and even got to the point where attending mass was the exception, not the rule. I am not altogether sure when it happened but one day I realized that I had not been to mass in several weeks. Then it was months and then years, about 30 or so.Yes, I had become a heathen.

In all those years, though I did not go to mass, confession or communion, I still referred to myself as being catholic whenever the topic of religion ever came up. I just always did consider myself as catholic, not really accepting what it meant to be catholic. I married a man that had been previously married, not once but 3 times. We were married by a protestant preacher of some kind. The preacher came as part of the package deal at a "Wedding Chapel" business in Irving, Texas. Never saw him prior to the wedding or afterwards. I took my vows with my now husband Mike as real and lasting as I believe he did as well.

About 2005, as a truck driver running between Dallas, And Laredo, Texas, I started listening to Catholic Radio on XM satellite radio. First just when I couldn't find much else that seem interesting or intriguing, then as time went on, I listened to more shows. I found it interesting how much I remembered about the church and how much more I had forgotten if I had ever learned. I also heard many words of encouragement, welcoming words, accepting words. After kicking around the idea of returning to the church on several occasions over several years, I finally did on January 18, 2009, my mom's birthday.

On that morning, I sat in my truck a little while contemplating going in or leaving. After all, I had been here a few times before and just left. This time was different. It was the 8 am mass at Holy Family of Nazareth in Irving, Texas. A woman, later found her name was Patricia, came over to me and greeted me as did the priest, Father Jerry. I nearly fell into Patricia's arms weeping, overcome with emotions. What a Blessing it was that she was there to receive me and comfort me. She held me as I wept through the entire mass, as best as I can recall. After mass, she took me to the cafeteria, the Parish has a school as well. They had coffee and doughnuts and visiting. Father Jerry, having seen me during mass, came over and also was a great comfort. He asked if I would like a private time to meet and discuss (confess?) anything, and I made an appointment. I truly believe that if it had not been for these two particular people, I may have went in, been anonymous and left, probably never returning again.

My faith journey seems to me to be unique, perhaps it is not, I don't know. It seems we Catholics don't often "tell our stories"or share our faith. I started attending church every week, even bidding on schedules that allowed me to either attend mass or attend meeting of a group referred to as "Re-Membering Church". A group, by the way led by Patricia, who became and still is a dear friend. Unfortunately my job was such that I could not make schedules that allowed for both. The Re-Membering Church class was a sort of refresher class for those that had been away for a long time. Similar to the RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) it was geared for adults that may have been away for a short time or like me , a very long time.

In September of 2013, I retired and moved back "home" to New Mexico. I am only a mile from my old Parish of San Rafael (by the way, my birthday is on the Feast of San Rafael). I started attending either San Rafael or St. Vivian's or St. Teresa's, all within a few miles. Just depended on what was planned or what time it was. Now I am pretty much established in San Rafael and very happy. Our old church is an old Spanish mission style , beautiful architecture, stained glass windows and statuary. Some of the things I did miss while attending Holy Family, a newer building in the new style many churches are now.

Now, that is my history, on to the topic of this page, the passionate priest. I had always thought Father Alberto at St. Teresa's was zealous and very animated in his homilies. Then I saw Father Mike and his enthusiasm not only for the Word of God but for his flock, us. I have seen a change in his homilies of late and applaud this change. He has become more adamant about how we as Catholics need to "live our faith" not just give "lip service" on Sunday and forget the teaching of the church the rest of the week. Father Mike is unafraid to mention politics from the pulpit, to discuss how current laws and political views are almost to the point of trying to override our faith and our church. How we as parishioners must also stand up and let our voices be heard and vote, keeping our faith in mind as we do so. Father Mike's homily this past Sunday stirred me to the point I had to restrain myself from standing up and applauding his courage, his strength, his passion. Passion for the unborn child murdered in the womb, passion for the murdered child beaten at the hands of his parent, passion for the medical care that is going to be "determined" by a board, not a doctor and patient. Father Mike's homily made me realize that I, too am passionate about such topics, yet a follower, not a leader. Someone that is happy to sit in the background unnoticed. He also made me realize that I cannot in good conscience continue to be uninvolved.

In my opinion, Father Mike is what a flock like us needs, a leader, someone that is willing and able to nudge, no, push us in the direction we need to be going. Push us in the direction the Bible tells us we should be going. Push us in the direction we know in our hearts we should be going. I only hope that I can say and do more to help to not only push the issues that we need to in the presence of our politicians but to also push our beliefs through sharing with family and friends that are open to discussion.

Father Mike's flame of passion has ignited a spark in me to be nurtured and fanned to help spread that same passion. I hope that I have not overstepped any lines or bounds by posting this. I in fact hope that I may cause someone to rethink their passions and how they can share those with their family and friends.

A few minutes, what to write about??

     I thought I would do better at keeping up with a blog than I have. Now that I am retired, time seems to be just as evasive and precious. Though we are quite settled in, it seems there is a great deal of work yet to do.
     Things are much more organized now. We do have all of our necessities around us. Each day it seems though we discover some other thing or gadget that we need or want and haven't unpacked yet. There are  also about 50-60 DVD's missing. There are about 40-50 boxes, tubs and containers of stuff in the shed. Mike has a great deal of garage equipment and stuff to unpack and organize.
     The garage is now with the exception of the wall where the rollup door is fully insulated with 1-1/2" Styrofoam sheets and 7/8" wafer board sheets. The wafer board is painted white now and ready to move the various shelves into position. Mike's larger shelves have wheels on them. Once we move stuff around in the garage and make some more room, we can move boxes from the shed that also belong in the garage. That will free up space for "my shed" and how I want to set it up.
     I keep looking at "organization sites" and find that by most of "those" people's standards, Mike and I must be hoarders.  We did cull a bunch of stuff before leaving Irving. Gave most to charity, some to neighbors and some went for scrap (metal that area "collectors" pick up from curb on trash day).
     There is still a great deal of dirt work that will need to be done. Hauling it in and spreading it with the tractor. Driveway and pathway plans are in the works. Also we are anticipating what kind of garden, where are going to put it, how small or large are we willing to make it. The size determines the amount of work and time that must be devoted to it. We have the commitment of taking care of mom but have a couple of people that will come and help take care of her for a few days should we have a chance to go on a ride for that long. We don't want to also have them take care of a garden.
     We have high hopes of having things set up to be mostly self sufficient or at least enough so that we can leave it be for a few days. Having the burglar alarm will also give us peace of mind.