Grandma and a few other things

We laid grandma to rest on Friday morning right next to my grandfather. The weather was terrible. It was rainy, very windy and very cold. We took some of the flowers home with us because we new that if left outside they would end up scattered all over the cemetery. During the viewing, I approached my grandmother and she seemed like a hollow shell. Her body, while physically present - seemed completely vacuous. I whispered in her ear (as I had Monday when she died in the hospital), "guide me to where you're now." I think that same desire - the hope of seeing our loved ones again after death - is shared by anyone who has ever lost someone they cared for.

I wondered, perhaps out of fear, how the end would eventually come for my grandmother. She was elderly and one of my biggest distresses when she was alive was getting a phone call at work from my mother telling me that my grandmother had abruptly passed away. Many years ago I selfishly prayed that when the end would come for her that it would come gradually, as to allow myself time to prepare. She lasted eight days after her heart-attack, so I guess my prayers were answered. It's been almost a week since her death and I still can't completely digest the idea that she's gone.

I want to thank all of you again (gosh, I can't thank you enough) for your prayers and for all your kind thoughts. This has been incredibly tough on me and on those of us who loved my grandmother. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

On a side note, have any of you heard about Near Death Experiences? I was once ready to blow them off as new-age quackery or a neurological condition brought on by great stress. Then I met Father Jude. Father Jude was a Dominican (O.P.) priest visiting my diocese and I was giving him daily rides from the rectory of my perish to my church. I can't quite recall the topic of conversation, but I do remember, while riding in my car, that he cited some of the described experiences of those who have had an NDE as proof that there was an afterlife. It seemed odd to hear something like that coming from Father Jude since he is very traditional when it comes to the Catholic faith. Apparently, the number of people who have had an NDE is quite large, and mainstream scientists who are investigating the phenomenon believe that human consciousness separates from the brain at the time of death. Some of the commonly described experiences of those who have had a Near Death Experience are feelings of great joy; seeing a beautiful light; profound peace and incomprehensible love; a review of one's actions and their impact on others; a sense of leaving their bodies behind; observing events - such a doctors and nurses working to revive them - while they were clinically dead; when they return, many experience complete change in their outlook on life/ they way they treat other people. There have also been accounts of people who have visited a less than peaceful place. A place of great distress and unpleasant images (you draw your own conclusions). I recently watched the BBC documentary The Day I Died and I was amazed by the number of mainstream scientists who have taken an interest in these experiences. They are focusing their attention on people who were clinically dead (no heartbeat, no breathing, no brain activity) and who also report an NDE.

So what do you think of these near-death experiences? Are they an indication, a hint, a gift given to a few as a glimpse of the world to come? Do you know of anyone who has actually had one? Love to hear your thoughts on this subject matter. The links below are of the documentary The Day I Died, which is comprised of six videos on YouTube. Try to approach them with an open mind.

1 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I9-XxBAEsQ

Part 2 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKv3rrFO0LU

Part 3 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjTgKPOkFuA

Part 4 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA37uNa3VGU

Part 5 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-sk2qW1tcc

Part 6 of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9CDCZLRL9g

My grandmother, Isabel, passed away this afternoon. She was the kindest, sweetest, most compassionate human being I've ever met. She was kind, had a wonderful sense of humor, and loved children. A part of me goes with her.

Please keep her in your prayers. God bless.

Prayer of Commendation

"Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you.
Go forth, faithful Christian!
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the angels and saints. . . .

May you return to [your Creator]
who formed you from the dust of the earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints
come to meet you as you go forth from this life. . . .
May you see your Redeemer face to face."

____________________________________________________________________
4-1-09

I would like to extend to all of you profound thanks for your prayers and well-wishes. This has been incredibly difficult for me and for those of us who loved her, as some of you might already know. My grandmother will be laid to rest this coming April 3rd right next to my grandfather.

I want to also say that I'm acutely aware of the fact that she lived a long life - she was 20 days shy of her ninetieth birthday when she passed away. Many people who are considered to have lived a long life don't necessarily live as long as she did. I'm also cognizant of the fact that human beings who might - at most - be half my age have entered the hospital in which she passed away and never came out. Her passing, thank God, was not a violent one, although someone like me, who loved her dearly, will always consider her departure premature, regardless of her late age. Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for, but the pain of losing someone like her swells in me sporadically throughtout the day. I think those of you who have had your hearts broken by a loss of this type (and I know that there are A LOT of you) can relate to what I'm going through.

Again, thank you for everything. God bless you.

I spent the afternoon and the evening hours with my grandmother till about 11 p.m. today. She seemed a little better than yesterday, but she is far from being out of the woods. Here's the situation: her blood pressure keeps dropping and they are giving her medications to try to elevate it. Because she has atrial fibrillation, her heart rate is erratic and sometimes elevated beyond the normal beats per minutes. Today they gave her a medication to regulate her heart rate but part of the side-effects of that particular medication is to lower the blood pressure, something we definitely do not want. The nurses told me that they will not give her that same medication again. They also did an echo-cardiogram and the technician showed my mom the problems the echo-cardiogram machine could detect in her heart (I stepped out of the room simply because I didn't want to hear it).

I'm trying to pull myself together because the severity of what is happening is hitting me for the first time tonight. I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye just yet.

Please continue to keep her in your prayers. Thank you and God bless.

Grandmother

I know I've been away for quite some time. I've been busy with school, work, and other affairs that demanded my attention. I hope all of you and your families are having a peaceful Lent.

This past Sunday I had a terrible experience. My grandmother had a heart-attack and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. For a moment there it was thought that she would not make it. However, she was stabilized and they've kept her in ICU for the past three days. Yesterday the doctors and nurses were talking about releasing her on Wednesday, but this morning she took a slight turn for the worst. Her blood pressure dropped significantly, so they had to give her more medications to stabilize her. She appears disoriented and tells the nurses that administer to her that she wants to go home. I know she is elderly and that I should be glad for having her as long as I did. But when we love someone, there is no such thing as having them for just the right amount of time.

Truth be told, I've been dreading the day a lose her for the longest time now. I've wondered how and when it will come despite obvious answers and admonitions not to do so. A few years ago when she had a cardiac incident and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, I prayed for a few more years with her and it appears those prayers were answered. Now, selfishly I pray again for just a little more time.

Please keep my grandmother, Isabel, in your prayers. Thank you and God bless all of you.

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy I Got Love in My Tummy!

This is a post that should have been published over two weeks ago. Unfortunately, my mom acquired the cold from which I had been suffering and ultimately developed pneumonia. Subsequently, my focus turned to her.

Toby received some treats this past Valentine's Day from dear Auntie A (Adrienne's Catholic Corner) and her lovely little four-legged kiddies Elle, Sophie, Angela, and Erica. This was Toby's first Valentine's and also the first time he had anything other than the prescribed food our vet assigned to him. Let me tell you that he was gobbling this stuff up! You should have seen the size of his eyes as he tried his yummies for the first time and saw me holding a second batch in my hands (mental note: wear armour gloves when feeding this little monster by hand). Such a short time on earth so far and this puny-one has found a slice of heaven.

Here are some pics of Toby next to his treats before first trying them. As you can see, the little mischief-maker is anxious to get inside the packages and start chomping. I should make all of you aware that when taking these pics, I had to place Toby on a chair to have more control over what the little puff of smoke was doing. He is simply IMPOSSIBLE to photograph.

So yes, this was Toby this past Valentine's, getting stuff from girls while his master stood dateless in Las Vegas. LOL!

So a big thank you to Auntie A and her critters for making Toby's first Valentine's Day one to remember. BTW, here is Toby's favorite song:

Pause music player before playing video.

Political Correctness

A few years ago, I remember a group that called themselves the American Indian Movement, protested the use of Indian caricatures of such sports teams as the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Redskins. In light of the politically correct society that we live in today, who could blame them? Today we have to be very careful with our choice of words when making public addresses in the public square. One miscalculation - as has happened to countless numbers of politicians and celebrities - and you might acquire publicity that you might liken to the plague. I think this whole politically correct vernacular may have started when one group demanded a certain type of choice words when being referenced, and another group decided they too had as much right to the same sensitivities as the other group. Just speculation, of coarse. Eventually, the whole P.C. movement gained momentum, and different caucuses were ready to introduce into society what words were off-limits when referencing their respective groups.

Anyway, this is a video that shows a group of redheads (what is the P.C. term fro "redheads?") protesting the Wendy's logo. To them, the Wendy's icon misrepresents the physical appearances of most redheads by putting pony tails and freckles on the Wendy's girl.

What do you think? Are these folks just simply taking things too far, or is their beef with Wendy's legit? If it had been the image of a minority, would the same protests not have occurred? Would Wendy's have even placed the image of a minority as its logo?

Pause music player to avoid cacophony.

Howdy! :0)

Sorry I've been away for so long, but as I pointed out on my last post, I've been completely pre-occupied nursing my mom back to health. I'm DELIGHTED to say that she is doing much better, and according to her doctor, she no longer has pneumonia. What does lingers is a "wetness" in her lung that we still have to keep an eye on. She also has a nasty cough, but she is not coughing nearly as much as she used to. In any case, I'm making her some more chicken soup tonight and I'm going to insist that she do her lung treatment using her nebulizer. Thank you for being so kind and keeping her in your prayers. The only thing I ask is that you continue to pray for her complete recovery.


On an even more positive note, it's LENT! Nature seems poised for a glorious and unique transformation. I'm so saddened by the fact I could not post on Ash Wednesday. But considering all the things that have been transpiring, it was simply impossible to do so. To all of you and your families, I wish and pray for a reflective and prayerful Lent season. May you know and find Christ more deeply and fully.

Father,
through our observance of Lent,
help us to understand the meaning
of Your Son's death and resurrection,
and teach us to reflect it in our lives.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever

Auntie A, I have not forgotten about the pictures.

Prayer Request

Dear friends, please keep my mom Isabel in your prayers. After catching my cold last week, I feared she might develop pneumonia as she once did on a previous occasion. Well, today, to the sound of her complaining and insistence that she was okay, I took her to see a doctor and guess what he said? She has pneumonia. He has put her on a strong anti-biotic for the next five days. He said this medication should do the trick (from his mouth to God's ears).

Say a prayer for her if you get a chance. Thank you and God bless you.

Addendum:
My friends, on behalf of myself and my mom, I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and for your thoughts (especially Auntie A).

Mom ate tonight some chicken soup that I made for her and drank plenty of fluids, just as the doctor instructed. She still has the occasional shortness of breath, but I believe this is normal due to her condition. She does have an inhaler to assist her with those episodes (please tell me if I'm wrong in thinking her shortness of breath is, for now, normal). She has an appointment this Thursday with her doctor to re-evaluate her condition. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Again, THANK YOU for your kind gestures and for your prayers..

Pelosi and the Pope

Whited sepulcher Nancy Palosi met with Pope Benedict today in Rome for a meeting that was unusually private. During their behind closed door conference, Pope Benedict reportedly emphasized the duty of Catholic politicians to protect and uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. No photos were taken of the meeting, and the Vatican did not elaborate on other topics that may have been discussed. Pelosi's camp issued the following statement:

"In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church's leadership in fighting poverty, hunger and global warming, as well as the Holy Father's dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel. I was proud to show His Holiness a photograph of my family's papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren."

Is that not the most adorable thing you've ever heard?? Oh, Nancy, you make me proud to be Catholic!

Now can someone please tell this insufferable Jezebel to cease and desist attempting to theologically justify the destruction of unborn human life? It's bad enough that this politically savvy charlatan secularly endorses this type of procedure, but it's inexcusable to use a tradition that stands for LIFE as an apologia for this terrible inequity.

If you have the time

...take a listen to Part's beautiful Salve Regina (turn your volume up for this one).

Arvo Part: Salve Regina, for chorus & organ - Polyphony, Stephen Layton conducting; Christopher Bowers-Broabent, organ

Oh, and by the way, TEN days left!!