St. Francis Academy

Lessons from Carolyn

The past two weeks have been heavy around here, even though we had the joy of celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary last week.  We lost our dear neighbor, Carolyn, last week, and the sadness I've been experiencing has surprised me.  I think it is partly because she was so young, and her illness and demise came on so quickly.  She would've turned 40 this summer and was diagnosed with cancer in December, but had yet to start chemotherapy.  A little over two weeks ago we were in her driveway discussing the upcoming baseball season, plans the kids had for summer, and her desire for her doctors to find out "what the heck is making [her] feel so crappy."  A few days after that, she was brought to the hospital and the downward spiral began.  We all are having such a hard time making sense of it all.  I can only imagine the tremendous grief her husband and children are going through.

Carolyn's funeral was Monday, and the priest's homily resonated with me.  He said there are "cornerstone moments" in our lives that remind us why we're here and the Church is the same way.  In the liturgical year, the big celebrations of Christmas and Easter remind us why we're here and this helps us in those times, all those Sundays, when we feel like we're just going "going through the motions."  The death of a loved one is one of those cornerstones which reminds us why we're here.  And while there is great sadness and grief "on this side, there is great rejoicing on the other side."

And so, as I reflect on the passing of our neighbor, I will try to list some of the lessons I have learned.

• "Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary, use words."  (St. Francis of Assisi)  Carolyn was a loving and generous neighbor.  May I strive to continue in her example.
• Cherish the small moments.  The movie, "The Bucket List" comes to mind here.  The first several items on the mens' lists were "big" things like "Climb Mt. Everest", "go on an African safari," etc.  But as they progressed through the list, the things got simpler...they were those "small" moments like "see a beautiful sunset" and "kiss a beautiful woman" (which was one man's wife and another man's granddaughter).  While I don't relish the idea of "change another diaper" being on my personal bucket list, may I appreciate that moment as being one spent with my baby boy. 
• Carpe diem, sieze the day.  Too much of our time is spent in pursuit of things that are either unattainable or fail to satisfy.  May I appreciate each moment for what it is, while striving to keep things beautiful and good.
• Open your heart.  Yes, you run the risk of getting stomped on when you let someone in, but the benefits of true friendship--Platonic love--outweighs that risk.  May I have the courage and trust to open my heart to those around me.

Rest in peace, Carolyn.

Spring?

Well, the snow has been long gone and we have been enjoying some beautiful spring-like weather.  It was nice enough to even let the heat be off for a couple of nights.  However, the past couple of nights have been cold, so I broke down and turned the heat back on this morning.

I love the changing of the seasons.  I eagerly awaited our first snowfall, and once that was over, I was anxious for the return of warmer weather! :-)  But seriously, I do like that we live in a climate that experiences all four seasons.  My favorite season is autumn, but that is closely followed by spring.  I love how the breeze carries the scent of new life...the richness of the soil warming up, the crisp scent of buds emerging, the delicate aroma of burgeoning blossoms.  Ahhhh....

We're gearing up for spring here in our home and school.  This weekend marks the first baseball tournament of the new season.  Matt, John, and John's team will be heading south to Chattanooga, TN where there will hopefully be warmer weather.  I made the decision to stay home, since the weather can be iffy even in TN when it comes to these early season tournaments.  Last year's tourney in Nashville was completely rained out.  We dubbed it "the Flames' most expensive pool party" and I really didn't want a repeat this year.  It looks like there is a chance for rain, but hopefully it will either blow north or south and the boys will all get a chance to play.

Our science project for the spring and summer is container gardening.  In the fall the kids got interested in sprouting beans and some asked if we could start a garden this year.  Our home owner's association stresses that gardening plans and other "improvements" need to be submitted to the board in writing and approved.  I understand that the goal is to not have anything "unsightly" to disturb your neighbor's aesthetic sense, but gosh!  Anyway, I figured we'd be able to get away with container gardening for this first go-round before I summon up the audacity to submit plans for a square-foot garden for the south-west side of the house next year.  Thus, we have started seeds for vegetables and herbs that are appropriate for growing in containers (ok, I might sneak in a couple of watermelons for that south-west plot  so they can grow down the hill).  The seeds have really taken off and need to be transplanted to some bigger containers and placed in a sunny window upstairs.  Looks like I need to visit Lowe's again.

We are in desperate need of a landscape remodel in the front of the house.  Still, we do have two different shrubs showing signs of spring.  The pussy willow has shown its soft, fuzzy buds and the forsythia is sprouting bright green buds.  If the warm weather returns, the forsythia will burst forth in a brilliant yellow soon.  Ah, yes, I do like spring.