Inspirational – Page 12 – Catholic Writers Guild

Alzheimer’s Disease Has Turned Me into a “Guilt-Free Liar”

August 2, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Inspirational/by Larry Peterson

By Larry Peterson

My wife, Marty, has Alzheimer’s Disease, which can lead to the unexpected, like this essay. I did not plan on writing what follows but certain things, silly things, happened last night that I found myself still thinking about this morning. I thought this might provide some insight into the daily world of Alzheimer’s patients and their primary caregivers.

After dinner (by the way, I am turning into a pretty good cook) Marty asked me, “What time is my show on?”

Reflexively I asked her, “What show?” (I know she has no favorite show. I also know she has stepped into what I call ‘Uh-oh time.’ I call it this because these are the moments that can lead her to become quickly frustrated and agitated).

She looked at me and I could see her tensing up. Raising her voice a decibel or two, she said, “You know what show. Just tell me what time it comes on.”

Quickly I became a liar. I have become a guilt-free, therapeutic liar because, in my world, I have to survive. My realization is that without me she is alone and she can no longer survive on her own. “Sorry, sweetie, your show is not on tonight. There is a special about sharks, and you don’t care about sharks, do you?”

“You know I don’t like sharks. But that’s okay. I can watch the news, right?”

“Absolutely.”

She headed to the sofa, sat down and picks up her puzzle book. She always was good at doing the anacrostics (I find them incredibly difficult) but now she more or less looks at the page, holding the pencil on it. The pencil never moves. Then she said, “Do I have to go to work tomorrow? I’m so tired. I really could use a day off.”

Two years ago I might have tried to explain to her that she does not have a job and has not worked in seven or eight years. However, with my Liar’s Hat still in place I answered, “You’re right. You do look tired. I think you need a day off too. Don’t worry, I’ll call in for you and tell them you’re sick.”

“You would do that for me? That’s’ so nice. I’m so glad I don’t have to get up and go in. Is today Sunday?”

Whew, a relief question. I could tell the truth. “No, it’s Wednesday.”

“Wednesday, are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s Wednesday.”

Things were quiet for a while. It was about 9 p.m. when I walked back to the bathroom. Suddenly I heard smashing and banging coming from the utility room off the kitchen. I headed in there and Marty had, in a matter of minutes, emptied the wall cabinet of all the plastic containers, glasses and cups and other things that were inside and stacked them all on the washer and dryer below. “Hey, hon, what are you doing?”

She looked at me and I could see she was agitated. “We have all this junk. We have to get rid of it. Why do we have all this junk? We have to throw it out.”

Immediately, I switched back to my Liar’s Hat. “Okay, when should we throw it all out?”

“I don’t know; maybe right now?”

“Well, it is kind of late. Maybe we can do it in the morning.”

“I don’t feel like putting it all back tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll do it.”

“Oh, thanks. I’m too tired.”

There was one final question. She looked at me and asked, “We’re married, right?”

“Yes Marty, we are married.”

She got into bed about 9:30 and was asleep in about two minutes. I was mentally worn out but I looked at her and realized that the innocence of childhood has come back from an unknown place and once again embraced her. I also knew that when she awakes in the morning she will not remember anything of what has happened.

Since I do not “punch a clock” I have the joy of being able to attend daily Mass at 8 AM. Marty will wake up at about 7 AM, and she always asks me, “Are you going to church?”

I answer, “Yup.”

She will ask, “Will you take me with you?”

“Of course.”

From 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

As a caregiver to a child of God, I have been blessed.

Being a caregiver for his wife with Alzheimer's Disease has turned Larry Peterson into a guilt-free liar.

By Gelonida – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29513537

Lent: Highlighting Forgiveness & Redemption for All; Even “Dutch” Schultz

March 1, 2016/1 Comment/in Inspirational, Lent, Year of Mercy/by Larry Peterson

We are now into the third week of Lent and the road to redemption has been halfway traveled. Throughout the world Catechumens have almost reached their goal of full inclusion into the Catholic Church, which takes place during the Easter Vigil. It is a beautiful thing. In addition, this past December 8, Pope Francis started us on our journey into the Holy Year of Mercy. The slogan for The Holy Year of Mercy is, “A Time to Heal, to Help, to Forgive.” Yes, forgiveness is everywhere.

To give an example of how God’s mercy is ALWAYS available to those who seek it I would like to briefly mention a man by the name of Arthur Flegenheimer. Arthur was born in New York City in 1901, of German-Jewish ancestry. By the time he was 27 he was known as Dutch Schultz and was quickly becoming one of the most feared mob bosses in New York. The “Dutchman” was a bootlegger (running illegal whiskey), a numbers boss operating in Harlem and a “shakedown artist” within the NYC restaurant industry, offering protection while using the restaurant unions as cover.

His main enforcer was the infamous, Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll, a brutal killer who did Schultz’s bidding without hesitation. Eventually the “Dutchman” got tired of Coll’s wanting more money. As “Mad Dog” sat in a telephone booth talking on the phone he was machine-gunned to death by Schultz’s henchmen. Dutch actually proved to be a more brutal killer than “Mad Dog” Coll. So how does my brain tie together Dutch Schultz and the Holy Year of Mercy combined with Forgiveness? Actually, it is not that hard to do. This is the phenomenal redemption available to all through the Church and her Sacraments.

Dutch Schultz wanted to kill U. S. Attorney Thomas E. Dewey (later to be Governor of NY and the presidential candidate losing to Harry Truman in the 1948 election). The Mafia Commission told Schultz, “NO, it would cause us too much trouble.” Schultz refused to listen and decided to kill Dewey anyway. The mob, under Lucky Luciano, sent “Murder Inc.” after Schultz. On October 23, 1935, they gunned him down in a restaurant in Newark, N.J. Enter the sacrament of Penance and Forgiveness. Enter Mercy.

Earlier, Dutch Schultz had been acquitted on tax evasion charges, and at that time he converted to Catholicism. He believed that Jesus had saved him. When he was shot he did not die right away. He was taken to the hospital for surgery and he immediately asked for a priest. He was 34 years old and his last thought while he was dying was to ask Jesus for forgiveness and mercy. The “Dutchman” went to confession, received absolution and was administered the Last Rites of the Church by a priest. Then he died. Did Dutch Schultz go right to heaven? Did he get to the “pearly gates” and have St. Peter say, “Sorry, Dutch, that priest made a mistake. What you did was uunforgivable. You are not welcome here.” I think not.

In a few weeks it will be Good Friday. Catholic/Christian people all over the world will mourn and honor the bloodied, tortured and crucified Son of God, Jesus Christ: Jesus, the God-man who embraced forgiveness for all people and extended love to everyone. This is also what He wanted us to do. This is why he suffered and died for us. He offered Himself to His Father for us. Then we celebrate His Father’s gift back to us, the Risen Christ. We all have been saved and we all have the choice of whether or not we want to share eternal life with the Blessed Trinity. All we need to do is seek forgiveness. Because of God’s Mercy, even a Dutch Schultz can join in the Redemption Celebration. It is a beauty beyond description.

Humility and Pope Francis

February 2, 2016/2 Comments/in Current events, Inspirational, Spiritual Life/by Larry Peterson

Image source: Cassie Pease Designs..

This is from the Gospel of Luke; Chapter 9: vs 46-50

An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest.

Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

For the one who who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest.”

This gospel reading is all about the greatest of all the ‘deadly’ sins, Pride. It is also about the greatest of all ‘heavenly’ virtues, Humility. This is a “clash of the titans” of evil vs Good. And Pope Francis, without trying and by just being who God made him to be, wears the mantle of humility without fanfare, showmanship, pretentiousness or anything that might be self-serving in any manner. Yes, he wears that mantle and it is fastened to his shoulders with the clasp of Love. In so doing he continually shows the whole world what it means to think of yourself the least among all others. (Was that a Fiat Hatchback or a Ford Taurus?)

Jorge Mario Bergoglio never asked to be a bishop or a cardinal. He never “lobbied” for these positions or sought them out in any way. He did not have “super-PACs” at his beck and call when the vacancy for Pope opened. He simply loved being a priest, working with the poor and homeless, and doing his best to follow God’s call so he would make his life pleasing to Him. Make no mistake, God called him to the papacy. The secular world may mock that concept, but that is why they do not understand. That is why they cannot experience the joy so many millions of faithful are experiencing with his papacy. If they could only swallow their damn pride a bit and open their hearts to some humility, they may find the elusive peace that evades them.

Pope Francis is filled with the Holy Spirit. That Spirit leads him to stop his motorcade and wade into a crowd of children and hug them and kiss their foreheads. It compels him to embrace the crippled, the disfigured, the mentally challenged, the homeless as well as the “uppity-ups.” He has no qualms about walking into a prison and embracing hard-core murderers, rapists, thieves, and drug dealers. Pope Francis sees the Face of Christ in EVERYONE.

Last September, during his stop in Washington, D.C., he visited with President Obama and then offered Mass in the National Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. When he finished he made a point of going to the offices of the Little Sisters of the Poor. He had to send a message to the entire world about the solidarity that exists within the Church when it comes to respect for life, ALL life. That message required no words—just action. The Pope gave that message by meeting with the Sisters who take care of the elderly poor free of charge, and have been doing so since St. Jeanne Jugan founded the order back in 1841.

Pope Francis left our country a more contented and inspired nation. He reached out to everyone and many responded. He represents the Goodness and Love that Jesus Christ brought to us and, despite the horrors of jihad and the emptiness of secularism pervading our lives, his presence and example make our world a better place. He is HIS ambassador on earth and he represents HIM well. We have all been blessed.

©Larry Peterson 2016

Meet “The Doorkeeper:” Solanus Casey, the Man without Ego

November 3, 2015/4 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Inspirational/by Larry Peterson

By Larry Peterson

The 2016 election (more than a year away) has already worn me down. The pundits include the greatest thinkers of our time. I know this because virtually all of the TV and radio commentators, campaign officials, editorial writers, government officials, TV talk show hosts, comedians and, of course the candidates are always saying, “I THINK…this” or I THINK…that.” Those folks sure do a lot of thinking. And I know it must be important thinking because the ones doing all the thinking are doing it on TV, radio, in print or somewhere in cyber-land. It MUST be important, right? Wrong!

They are all experts in everything you can think of and, filled with their own sense of grandiosity, they vilify, name-call, and besmirch those with an opposing viewpoint or philosophy. They even attack their opponent’s families. Then you hear the great Machiavellian disclaimer of, “Hey, that’s politics.” You know what, I have my own phrase for all of it: rude, obnoxious, self-gratified egomania. I’m so over it.

I decided to begin a search for someone sans EGO. I was sure it would be almost next to impossible. But guess what? It was not. We Catholics celebrate the great feast of All Saint’s Day on November 1. The saints are members of the Catholic Hall of Fame (I call it that). They are the best of the best, the crème de le crème, the most selfless of the unselfish. These are the people who loved God unconditionally and, in some cases, failed many times before they got it right. But they all invariably emptied themselves for others before they died, many times giving their lives in doing so.

By Mahatma Gandhi (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Let me tell you about one of them who was a quiet, uncomplicated man who never aspired to be anything more than a simple priest. His name was Bernard Francis Casey, and his family and friends called him Barney. There are many guys and gals like Barney in our Catholic Hall of Fame and they, like Barney, were ‘ego-less.’ This was not a birth defect. Their secret simply was knowing how to love God with all their mind, heart and soul. That led them to love others more than themselves. It was NEVER about them.

Barney was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin, back in 1870. He was the sixth of 16 kids of Irish immigrant parents. When Barney was a boy he contracted diptheria, and it left him with a permanently raspy-sounding voice. (Barney would never have qualified for American Idol). Barney felt the call to the priesthood but, at the age of 16, he hit a detour. He had to go to work to help the family and worked at jobs in Minnesota and Wisconsin as a lumberjack, a prison guard, a streetcar operator and a hospital orderly.

Barney Casey always did whatever job he had to the best of his ability, wanting to serve his God in all things. Five years later he was able to enter St. Francis High School Seminary in Milwaukee. He spent five years there before being able to move on and join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Upon his acceptance he took the name of Solanus after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th century missionary.

Solanus Casey was finally ordained a priest at the age of 33. He had to study extremely hard to reach that goal, and when he was finally ordained he was given the title “Sacerdos Simplex,” which means “simple priest.” This meant he was not permitted to preach or to hear confessions. He never complained; he took joy in just being a “simple priest.”

Father Solanus Casey lived in Detroit, and his main job at the monastery was that of “doorkeeper.” Father Casey, wanting to the absolute best at whatever God chose for him, became the finest doorkeeper that ever lived. He did this for well over 20 years and also became known for his service to the sick and the advice and consultations he would have with visitors. People began attributing cures and other blessings to his interaction with them or others.

Father Solanus Casey: a man who opened and closed doors for people. A man who had no ego and was happy to serve God in the simplest of ways. A man who, because miracles have been attributed to his intercession, was declared “Venerable” by Pope John Paul II in 1995. This is the first step toward canonization as a saint. Father Solanus Casey died in 1957.

Father Casey is the first man born in the USA to be on the road to full sainthood. And all he did was humbly and happily open doors for people and talk to them if they wanted. A Catholic Hall of Famer for sure, and quite the contrast to the gaggle of egotists that bombard us daily with their “I think” wisdom. Solanus (Barney) Casey has recharged me. It might be nice if all of today’s bloviating pundits could hear or read his story.

From the President’s Desk – Mediocrity

April 24, 2015/4 Comments/in Catholic Fiction, Catholic Writers Conference Live, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Inspirational, Self-Publishing/by Karina Fabian

“Do not be satisfied with mediocrity.” St. John Paul II

Any person who settles for mediocrity in terms of his or her spiritual life is setting himself up for failure. Reaching high for the virtues and striving for perfection isn’t always easy, but it’s always worthwhile. None of us will ever be perfect, but we must try. Most of us will fall short frequently, but as Catholics, we’re blessed to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to give us the grace to be better people.

Authors who settle for mediocrity with regard to their writing are also setting themselves up for failure. Articles and books that have not been professionally edited will frustrate readers. These authors can become known for their mediocre writing, and readers may not return for more. If you’re posting to a blog, ask a writer friend to be your second pair of eyes. If you’re traditionally publishing a book, your assigned editor will help make your book as professional as possible. If you are self-publishing, please hire experienced and professional editors to edit your book. Most importantly, humbly consider any and all suggestions from your editor.

Don’t settle for mediocrity in either your spiritual life or your writing life. Strive to be the best you can be!

Special thanks to CWG member Allison Gingras for featuring my third novel, Stealing Jenny, during her radio show, A Seeking Heart, this week! Check out a few of the shows here:
https://www.realliferadio.com/a-seeking-heart-with-allison-gingras.html

And, today, I’ll be live on A Seeking Heart from 10:00 until 10:45. Listen live here at this link: https://www.realliferadio.com/a-seeking-heart-with-allison-gingras.html

If you’d like to call while we’re on the air, here’s the number: Call 1-855-949-1380

CWG News:
We have an upcoming live conference in July in Somerset, NJ (July 22-24) and registration is now open.

The Catholic Writers Retreat is taking place in late October. Your Word is my Delight takes place October 25-29, 2015 at the St. Francis Retreat Center, 703 E. Main Street, DeWitt, Michigan 48820. Register on line at here at this link, Click on Other Offerings, or call 866-669-8321. $490 for five days.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me: president (at) catholicwritersguild (dot) (com)

In Jesus and Mary,

Ellen Gable Hrkach

Reconnecting with an Old Family Friend: St. Therese

March 3, 2015/0 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Inspirational/by Larry Peterson

I have a small bedroom I converted into an office. Against the wall next to the closet is a narrow bookcase. It is about seven feet tall and one foot wide and has seven shelves. It is a great dust collector. Anyway, I had this sudden urge to “straighten up” the mess of papers and supplies I had so “neatly” placed on those shelves over the past few years. So I reached for the stack of old Writer’s Digest and Writer magazines on the third shelf. I placed one hand on top and tried to get my other underneath the stack. As if working together in synchronized dance, they all slid out and landed in a pile on the floor. I shook my head and chuckled. “Typical you,” I mumbled to no one.

Included in my extended Catholic family (besides you and all Catholics) are the saints. Regarding the saints, there are many of these family members I have never even heard of. But, I do know that if I ever hear about one of them and seek them out, they somehow heed my call. For example, recently I “met” St. John of God for the first time and I had never heard of him. After reading about him, suffice it to say that this saint is no longer extended family for me. No sirree, he is now close family. I give him a ‘shout-out’ every day. (You can Google his name and a wealth of info comes up).

But what about an old family member who you were very close to and then, for some inexplicable reason, you more or less ignored them for many years? How do you finally get back together with them? I’ll tell you one way it can happen. They might hit you upside your head with a clear and unmistakable message. Guess who my message sender was? It was St. Therese, the “Little Flower.” Many of you know what I am talking about. There is no subtlety when she is communicating with you. You can do like me though. You might begin to take her for granted and then begin to ignore her. SIGH–I did that, I admit it. Not anymore.

I should explain that my family and I have had some profound experiences courtesy of this great saint. In fact, I could write an entire short story right now about each of several miraculous things that have happened in our lives courtesy of St. Therese’s intercession. (I actually started to do that so I just deleted more than 400 words of “stuff” that was turning this into a novella.) “C’mon Larry, get to the point.” (That’s me talking to me.)

I bend down to begin picking up the magazines which are spread evenly across the floor. The mastheads are all showing as if they were put on display. In the middle of the pile I see a thin box. It does not belong. It is an interloper. I pick it up and see it is an old Xerox box, 8.5 X 11 by about one half-inch thick that held something called transparency paper. I did not even know what that was and then the end of this box popped open and a bunch of photos slid out. Guess whose 8 X 10 photo is on top looking right at me with this satisfied smile that made my knees get weak? Yup–you got it, St. Therese.

Two hours later that photo of my sweet, little friend (and your friend too), was in a very nice 12 X 15 bordered frame hanging on the wall a few feet away. Now I get to see her every day and she still is smiling gently. Since we have reconnected I have seen more ROSES than I can count. I found the booklet, “Mary Day by Day” in the garage (don’t ask me how it got there) which was Blessed Mother Teresa’s favorite book. I received an e-mail from someone named Therese Martin (St. Therese’s real name) and, thanks to the encouragement of Elizabeth Schmeidler, my book is coming out in print in a few weeks. I also am reading Connie Rossini’s book, “Trusting God with St. Therese.” How timely is that? I might add that our stillborn daughter’s name is Theresa Mary and my granddaughter’s name is Theresa Marie.

I shall end this now by simply asking St. Therese to please pray for all of us and by promising her that she can stay smiling at me from up on that wall for the rest of my life.

From the President’s Desk – Failure Leads to Success

February 27, 2015/0 Comments/in Catholic Fiction, Catholic Writers Conference Live, CWG Member News, Editing, Inspirational, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life/by Karina Fabian

“Has it ever occurred to you that a life without failure is a dead life? Because you learn by failing. If you don’t try things, you’ll never learn anything. You’ll never accomplish anything.” Catherine Doherty, Foundress of Madonna House

Thomas Edison tried and failed on hundreds of attempts to create an electric light. Without failing, he would never have succeeded.

When it comes to writing, failure is necessary to succeed. I took writing courses in college, and I was a court reporter for many years, but I had no experience writing fiction, aside from the creative writing exercises in college. It should come as no surprise that when I first started writing fiction 14 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I just sat down and wrote. I remember thinking, This isn’t so hard. When I asked my husband to read part of my work in progress, he said, rather bluntly, “You’re not going to let anyone read this, are you?” I was crushed and felt like a failure but, in retrospect, my husband was absolutely right. That first attempt was terrible. So I trashed that manuscript, bought a few books on writing fiction, outlined the story, wrote character studies, then waited until summer so I could have uninterrupted writing time (I was homeschooling my five boys at the time). I went to adoration on the days I was writing and took my time drafting the novel.

Four months later, I shared it with my spiritual director and a few close friends. They gave me some helpful feedback. Later, I hired an editor (thinking she was a copy-editor, but she was actually a developmental editor). She eventually offered me a nine-page critique: half a paragraph on what was good with the manuscript and eight and three-quarters pages on what was in desperate need of improvement. There was an edge to her tone and by the time I reached the end of the nine-page critique, I was in tears. I was convinced that I was a failure at writing novels.

My husband, seeing how upset I was, suggested that I put the critique away for a few days. Then he recommended that when the initial shock wore off, I should go back and try to humbly discern if there was any merit in the editor’s suggested changes. When I eventually stepped back and considered all the changes, I ended up agreeing with most of her suggested edits. It took another year, but when I finished implementing the changes and sent it back to the same editor, she praised the manuscript and my edits and encouraged me to keep writing.

I learned a lot from that first experience with an editor. I learned that I need to be humble in accepting criticism. I learned that I need to have a thick skin when someone criticizes my writing. I learned that I will not agree with every piece of criticism. I learned that the editor is not paid to make me feel good, she is being paid to make my manuscript better. Although I initially felt like a failure, these are things I never would have learned without “failing” in the first several attempts at writing fiction.

A few months after that first book was published, the acquisitions editor of a Catholic publishing company read it. I received an email from her asking if I’d like to have a critique of the book. “Sure,” I said, confident that she wouldn’t have much to say, given all the feedback I had from a professional editor and friends. Instead, she shared with me that the book suffered greatly from “telling and not showing.” She advised me to write future manuscripts like they were a play and describe everything that was happening rather than telling the reader. Rather than “He was sad,” say, “His shoulders slumped and his eyes stared at the ground.” She gave me a few other pointers, then encouraged me to keep writing Catholic fiction.

Again, I felt like a failure. However, after humbling stepping back and reading the critique from this editor, I realized that she was right and I began changing the way I wrote.

My next book went on to win the Gold medal in the 2010 IPPY Awards for Religious Fiction, the first Catholic novel to win this award. All of my novels have been on bestsellers lists (Stealing Jenny, my third novel, was #1 in its category for 180 days of 2012). My newest book, A Subtle Grace, has been in the top 30 of Christian Historical Fiction and Christian Historical Romance for over a month and was in the top ten of six categories for two weeks. As of today’s date, the combined downloads of all my novels have just topped 585,000. Many look at those numbers and see “success.” However, without the previous “failures,” I would never have seen this “success.” And I am now also a busy fiction developmental editor and book coach.

For those of you who are still working on novels or non-fiction books, don’t give up! Don’t be afraid to “fail.” Failure can certainly lead to success.

One way to increase your chances of success is to become more active in the Guild (there are many resources within CWG), get to know your fellow CWG members and/or volunteer with the Guild. We could use volunteers for two committees: The Catholic Arts and Letter (CALA) Committee and the Membership Committee are in need of volunteers. If you’re interested, please contact me: president(at)catholicwritersguild(dot)(com).

We have new chairpersons for the CWG Blog: Kathryn Cunningham and Dennis McGeehan. Thank you, Kathryn and Dennis, for stepping forward! Special thanks to Jen Fitz, who was blog chairperson for many years!

Catholic Writers Conference Live: Registration is open for the Catholic Writers Conference Live, to be held July 22-24 in Somerset, NJ. Please consider joining us. There’s much to be learned from our varied speakers. And you will probably enjoy networking and fellowship with other Catholic writers, along with Daily Mass, Rosary and Confession.

Catholic Writers Retreat! Mark your calendars! CWG writing retreat coming soon! Prayer, reflection, writing, critique. What more could a Catholic want in a writing retreat? Oct 25-29 in DeWitt, MI.

As always, if you have any comments, questions or concerns, feel free to email me: president (at) catholicwritersguild (dot) (com).

In Jesus and Mary,

Ellen Gable Hrkach
President, Catholic Writers Guild

(Image purchased from iStock)

Margaret Rose Realy and Lent – CWG February Book Blast

February 21, 2015/0 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Encouragement for Writers, Faith, Inspirational, Lenten Devotion/by Karina Fabian

This month’s CWG Book Blast is to get you ready for Lent. We’re a little behind, but that doesn’t make Margaret Rose Realy’s book any less applicable. It’s a perfect springtime meditation as well. It has the CWG Seal of Approval and is published by Patheos Press.

Cultivating God’s Garden through Lent

Margaret Rose Realy, Obl. OSB

These daily reflections for Lent offer tranquility and simplicity by finding God through nature. Readers who love gardens and woods and find solace in experiencing the Creator through these environments will enjoy these prayerful reflections.

Excerpt:

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Fast from bitterness; turn to forgiveness

Fast from hatred; return good for evil

It was a relatively small patch that I had dug at the back end of the yard to the rental house where I planned a vegetable garden. As an undergraduate at MSU, and a decade older than my classmates, I knew that growing my own food was a necessity; I did not have parents supporting my education.

I dug a portion of the sod and broke up clumps, picked stones and broken glass from the soil, raked it smooth, and mounded the edges to help direct water. Purchasing seeds, I then planted the early season crops of peas, radishes, kales, and a few herbs. A few weeks later I would purchase starter plants for vegetables that took longer to mature such as eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers.

I returned home rather late after classes one day about a week later and again headed to the back of the yard to water the seedlings before sunset. A few feet away I stopped dead in my tracks, saddened by the state of my garden patch. The mounded edges had been kicked into the lawn. Two-thirds of the patch had been covered over with pieces of hand-dug sod, while the remaining third was trampled. Apparently I had unknowingly encroached into the neighbor’s property.

Disheartened, I cleaned up what remained but knew I did not have enough time in my schedule to expand the now even smaller patch.

Soon afterwards, as weather permitted, I planted starters of tomatoes and eggplants in the remaining section of garden. In another garden area bordering the house I tucked in some bush zucchini seeds.

Throughout the summer when I was studying in my room, I would often hear the neighbor mowing his yard and anxiously hoped my plants were safe. They were often coated with grass clippings but never really damaged.

It wasn’t long until the fruits of my labor ripened and canning and freezing commenced. There is something about tomato and zucchini plants in that I always underestimate their production. Even with the smaller plot I had an overabundance.

While washing the vegetables I looked out the window over the kitchen sink. Sitting in the shade of a large sycamore tree was the woman who lived with the man who mowed the lawn that covered my plants with debris. What I saw was just another woman on a hot August day trying to find a cool place to sit. I had lived next to her for almost a year and never knew her name. After all, I was just another student in the rental house next door.

I carefully laid newspapers in the bottom and up the sides of a small cardboard box. I placed a few small zucchini to one side and then piled several large tomatoes on the other. I took a deep breath and headed out the screened side door.

As I approached the woman I introduced myself and held out the box of vegetables. I could tell by the look on her face she was surprised to see me. I think she realized for the first time that I, the student next door, was close to her own age and not a teenager.

As she accepted my gift she seemed dumbfounded by my presence. She never rose from the lawn chair or told me her name. Avoiding eye contact, she spoke a barely audible “Thanks.”

Feeling rejected, but without bitterness, I turned away and went back to my kitchen to continue putting food by. Looking again through the window I noticed that my neighbor had left her shady area and taken with her my gift.

That September I found a room in a house closer to campus. Before I moved away I kicked the mounded edges of dirt into the little patch that had been my garden, smoothed it over, and dusted it with seeds for new lawn. I patted down my pant legs and “shook the dust from my sandals,” knowing I had already moved on.

____________________________

Heavenly Father,

Guide me to always reflect you to those around me. Spare me the shame of reciprocal behaviors rooted in personal pride and let me not limit your love to human love. Grant me to be charitable and forgiving in the face of apathy or anger, so that those whom I meet will know it is you that I serve.

Amen.

Available online at:

Amazon, https://bit.ly/1Ms4EPF

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Barnes & Noble, https://bit.ly/17J9Fn2

Website: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/prayergardens

Author Central: https://amzn.to/1AKPvUS

Still not sure? Check out this review:

Cultivating God’s Garden through Lent offers daily reflections for each of the days of Lent. These reflections come from the writer’s experience bringing order to gardens both real and spiritual. At every turn of the trowel, every sprinkle of seed, every tug of a weed, Margaret points out to us the rich, loamy meaning that God has for us, just waiting there quietly, if only we will make ourselves still and small enough to see. Margaret does this, shares the fruits of her contemplation with us, and in doing so, invites us to examine our own gardens, wild and weed-ridden they may be. If we stop and look with her, we will see the kind of quiet, luscious adventure that only a gardener can find. This is the first book to ever make me wish Lent could be longer than it already is. The meditations in Cultivating are just the right length to slow you down without dragging it out, and the messages are presented so clearly… I cannot wait to see what sorts of seeds come forth from the read during that time of cold, silent, invisible growth [of Lent]. ~ Mrs. Erin McCole Cupp, OP

Celebrating Our First Christmas with Alzheimer’s Disease: Laughter Allowed

December 24, 2014/5 Comments/in Advent, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Devotionals, Faith, Humour, Inspirational, Pro-life, romance, suspense/by Larry Peterson

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

by Larry Peterson

I guess the first time I realized that something was really wrong was about a year and a half ago. I have a bedroom I turned into an office, and I was sitting at the keyboard clicking away. I sensed someone behind me and turned to see my wife, Marty, standing there. She had a strange look on her face. I remember the moment because fear was etched across her face. “Hey,” I said. “What’s the matter?”

Then I noticed she was trembling. I stood up and went over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. She stammered and sort of whispered, “I don’t know. I think I need your help.”

“Okay, what is it?”

Marty turned and headed down the hall past the living room and into the kitchen. I followed and noticed that she had her “cookie” stuff out. As she had done so many times in the past, she was about to make the best old fashioned, home-made, chocolate-chip cookies I have ever had. Like a child, I said, “Oh, awesome, you’re making cookies. So, how can I help?”

She sighed and shook her head. She began to cry and, looking at me, said, ” What is all this? I don’t know what it is for?”

The woman who had made thousands upon thousands of these cookies over the years had no memory of previously doing what she had done so many times before. She had placed the needed supplies on the counter and went to use the bathroom. When she returned a few minutes later, what had been virtually second nature to her had been erased from her mind. It was all gone.

She had come back to me for help because she KNEW something was terribly wrong inside her head, and this time the sudden, specific memory loss was scaring the hell out of her. She sobbed, “What is happening to me?”

She had been sick with Lymphoma since 2011. She had endured numerous cycles of chemotherapy to fight the disease. Anesthesia, required because of surgery in August (needed to repair a broken ankle), and an attack of A-Fib (Atrial Fibrillation) in September exacerbated the cognitive dysfunction. She was officially diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s Disease* on September 28. And now we are approaching our first Christmas together with Alzheimer’s as our unwanted Christmas guest.

Guess what? It is OK. He will not ruin our Christmas. He is welcome to join us. That is because we have started to laugh again, more and more. And we are laughing at the insanity of living in Alzheimerville. And trust me, it can get quite wacky.

I have always had a bit of a flip attitude. It probably has helped me get through some tough times. So when Marty goes to the cardiologist and goes to sign in and cannot remember her name she looks at me for help. I smile and say, “Who cares Lucy, they know who you are. Just put down Lucille Ball.” She starts to laugh and I laugh and I write her name down for her. Not an issue.

The past ten years of her life seem to have literally vanished from her brain. She does not remember us getting married. (We were both widowed and married eight years ago. She has no clue.) So she asks me if we are really married. I show her our marriage license and pictures from our wedding. She is shocked. “I can’t believe it, ” she says. We really ARE married.”

Now, every night I say to her, “Okay, we can sleep together tonight. It’s not a sin.” She always laughs at that.

There are so many little, extraordinary things that happen every day. Being asked the same question over and over can become unnerving. I have turned it around to where I start by giving her the answer. For example, she asks me ten times a day, “How do you feel today?” After a few times I answer, “Today I feel like seeing you and that makes my day shiny.” It is a ridiculous answer but she likes it and I like it too.

I cannot count the things that have been moved to the strangest places. I have found the Parmesan cheese in the towel closet, unwashed clothes in the dryer. She makes coffee and tells me it is the worst coffee she ever had and I should let her make it. She has hair curlers that keep vanishing. I have found them in the garage, in the refrigerator, and under the kitchen sink. We had been searching for them and when I found them in the refrigerator I said loudly, “Here they are.”

She was standing nearby and turned to see me lifting the bag from next to the milk. I quickly asked, “Can I use these for curly fries?” I began to laugh and she shook her head and smiled. I gave her a hug, opened the freezer door and tossed the curlers in. “They are not frozen enough,” I said. She began to laugh and so did I and, although shrouded in a dark moment, we laughed our way into the brightness of a new moment.

Marty has been captured and imprisoned by the most insidious of diseases. It is like a computer virus slowly deleting what is in memory. So far the last ten years are gone. That cursor is still clicking delete, delete, delete. The day will come when she will not even know who I am. I will do my best to keep her laughing and smiling as long as I can, and as long as she understands why we laugh.

As for me, I must admit, this entire situation has been wearing me down. There is a lot to do as a caregiver. I traveled a similar road with my first wife, Loretta, who died 12 years ago from cancer. She was sick a long time, but she never lost brain function. That is a very difficult thing to deal with 24/7. But you do what you have to do. If a man and a woman love each other that is the way it should be, HAPPY to be there for each other, no matter what. We both took vows before God and man to that effect and, for me, they remain in full force until death.

Our biggest friend in all of this is our Catholic faith. It is there for us through the Holy Mass, through Our Lord Jesus, through Our Blessed Mother and through the examples and intercessions of so many great saints, reinforced every day by prayers from our family and friends. In fact, I did attend Mass this morning and I had a bit of an epiphany. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself when I realized I had been given a Christmas gift from God Himself.

This gift is my ill wife afflicted with a disease that is unstoppable and incurable. She is foremost God’s child, and now she needs someone to take care of her just as she did years ago when she was a child. We met at church and were married in church. An unlikely couple, I know that God brought us together. Maybe this is why. Because during the Christmas season of 2014 I realized that besides a wife, HE has given me one of HIS children to care for. I will do my best to make Him proud. I will also do my best to keep us laughing. It is all GOOD.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
________________________________________________________________________

* In case you do not know this, Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia are NOT the same thing. Alzheimer’s is the number one cause of dementia but there are over 150 different causes.

From the President’s Desk – Terrorism Comes Close

October 24, 2014/1 Comment/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, CWG Member News, Inspirational/by Karina Fabian

Photo courtesy KJ

It’s a beautiful autumn day as I write this. Here in Canada, we are still in shock that terrorism has come so close. It played out like a suspense novel. A young reservist, Corporal Nathan Cirillo, was shot and killed by a Muslim extremist. Most of downtown Ottawa was in lock down as the RCMP and military personnel were trying to ascertain whether there were multiple gunmen. When I found out about the shooting, I was immediately concerned for my 22 year old son, who attends college a few blocks from Parliament Hill. I texted him, but there was no response. I found out from another student that the university was in lock down with intermittent internet. I knew he was probably safe, but only breathed a sigh of relief when he texted back four hours later. The lock down was finally lifted at around 5:30 and he was able to go home.

Corporal Nathan Cirillo guarding the War Memorial minutes before he was gunned down (photo Huffington Post)

Incidents like these remind us of our vulnerability. We are blessed with freedom — and free will. All persons have a choice to do good or to do evil. I just can’t imagine how any religion can justify unprovoked violence on innocent people. But, as a friend reminded me recently, western countries are no stranger to causing unprovoked violence to the most vulnerable of all, the unborn child.

In the unprovoked violence on Wednesday, however, there were many accounts of heroism, from the bystanders performing CPR on Corporal Cirillo to Parliament’s Sergeant at Arms, Kevin Vickers shooting the suspected gunman before he could enter the caucus room where many of the Members of Parliament were meeting.

Please join me in praying for all who were affected and for the souls of those died on Wednesday. May God keep both USA and Canada “strong and free.”

Guild Elections:
Elections are coming! You will be receiving an instruction email soon. The CWG Board for 2014/2015 will be:

Ellen Gable Hrkach – President
Arthur Powers – Vice President
Ann Lewis – Treasurer
Dave Law – Secretary
Nancy Ward – Committee Coordinator

Please vote in our upcoming Guild elections to confirm the above board members.
Voting is a privilege! Although I live in Canada, I still vote in US elections. As a new Canadian, I voted for the first time since in our municipal election. Please let your voice be heard!

Join me in giving a special thank you to Jennifer Fitz (outgoing VP) and Don Mulcare (outgoing Committee Coordinator) for their service!

Membership Dues:
Membership dues will be increasing to $40 per year starting on January 1, 2015. We will be stopping the automatic dues payments as of January 1st and we will be sending PayPal invoices to all members who had previously been on automatic dues payment. Please pay your membership dues in a timely manner. The Guild depends on this money to pay for the day-to-day business expenses of the Guild.

FREE BOOK: My second novel, In Name Only, is FREE through Sunday on Kindle.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns: president (at) catholicwritersguild.com

Blessings,

Ellen Gable Hrkach
President, CWG