Unveiling the Light

I have found the remote, or rather, my housekeeper found it! It was way down the back of the sofa. I had looked there but not well enough as it was very deep down the back of the frame. Now I can once again surf my 100 + satellite channels to find that there is nothing on of interest. I mean, how many times can you watch an episode of Law and Order? I have four channels which carry this popular series. I never saw it when it was a prime time series but over the past few years have quickly caught up. Remember the saying that anticipation is always better than the reality of having something? I now know where the T.V. remote control is but seldom use it.

I have received several inquiries about Patrick. This dog is better known in this town than I am. For those of you who have never met him, Patrick is a Labrador and Boxer mix, black with a white chest, white paws and white around the snout. He weighs in at 82 pounds, is very strong and athletic and has a character that is unique in the animal world. He will chase a ball until exhausted, loves to play with kids, rolls onto his back so you can rub his chest and was generally the parish welcome dog and clown. Unfortunately, while I was in the hospital he did the unthinkable and bit someone. We think it was the tension of my being absent that caused this unusual behavior. Alas, I had to adopt him out as I could no longer keep him on parish grounds, where I live.

He was adapted to Jim and Barbara Brown. These are parishioners, good friends and had known Patrick well as they sat with him when I traveled. Despite initial reluctance, they stepped in at the last minute to save Patrick from being put down. He was actually scheduled for the procedure hours earlier but higher powers intervened to delay that appointment. Thus he was saved from the deadly needle. The Browns erected additional fencing and held their breath at the thought of how their two cats might react to this newcomer.

Well, Patrick has done very well there. He minds well and is genuinely happy to have a smaller yard to rule. We hypothesize that he was overwhelmed by the space of the Church and felt obligated to patrol it while now, in this smaller and fenced yard, he can relax and see all that goes on from one spot. He is king of that yard.
I am a bit disappointed at how well he is getting along. He does not moan for his old master and has made no attempts to escape. He has changed his sleeping habits and now rises at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, with his new masters. The cats get along with him fine, although one was seen to be attacking Patrick’s wagging tail as he passed near its perch on a foot stool. He does not seem to miss the entire back seat of the truck he once rode in and now rides happily in the back of a Chrysler PT Cruiser. He seems, all in all, to be quite content. You think he would miss me just a bit!

Of course, he does get along best with Jim as he seems to prefer being a man’s dog or it could be that the difference reflects the attitudes of Jim and Barbara. Would you believe that Barbara refuses to let him sleep on their bed, even when they are not using it … or that she insists he not rest on her chair as well? He has had to learn to discern which chair is acceptable and has learned to ignore her commands to get off of the bed. He is used to the royal treatment and loves to rest on the furniture. After all, only animals live on the floor and he knows that his status is far above that of a lowly animal. Oh well, we must all learn to take a bit of suffering in this world.
So for all of you Patrick fans out there, he is doing fine. I will not visit him for sometime as I do not want to confuse him or get him upset. He belongs to them now. Although he has had to scale back his living style and no longer has run over the entire house, he seems to be doing just fine and is happy. Darn him! I still miss him here.

A pox on all spiders as well! My war against the spider bite continues. Ten days in the hospital, three weeks of intravenous medication at home, two weeks or oral antibiotics, and many weeks of wearing the wound-vac marks my healing time thus far. The doctor is happy with the wound which was very deep and now has filled out to where the depth is not much more that skin deep. However, it still covers a large area and the doctor figures another month of the wound-vac will result in it closing. I have resorted to chemical warfare to ensure that this never happens again. Since I returned from the hospital, few living spiders can be found around my house. Yes I am now paranoid but that does not mean that they are not out to get me!

Meanwhile we are very busy at St. Thomas More as we plan for a new parish hall while continuing our growing ministries to serve each other as well as non-parishioners. This business has not come at the best time for me but I am handling the increased work load with a lot of help from parishioners. Many people have stepped up their activity during my convalescence. Unfortunately, our part-time retired priest had to leave us for an extended period of time to help his ill brother in Minnesota. Also our new youth minister won’t start for two more weeks, so I still have plenty to do.

It is said that we should tell God about all of the plans we have for ourselves because He needs a good laugh! This refers to the fact that life is full of weird twists and turns. When preparing for vacation in August, I had no idea that a spider bite would cause me such long term problems. I had many plans for my vacation and for work but this wound care was not part of those plans. None-the-less, life goes on.

All of us will likely face many unexpected obstacles, twists and turns in our life. It is the nature of the beast. Unexpected things happen, new priorities come up, plans change and expectations diminish or grow. The only thing that remains constant is the presence of God in our lives. If we keep an open heart attuned to that presence, then all of the changes and challengers life offers will be put into prospective. Against the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, these other things account for little. God remains constant and is always with us. His salvation of our souls is by far the greatest gift we have or will receive.

So life goes on in Paradise. That is another unexpected development. Until age 35 I was happily engaged in commerce as a manager with an MBA. The priesthood and living in Paradise were not even considered, yet her I am and I would have it no other way. I have a wonderful vocation to serve the people of God and live in a wonderful community whose name reflects what it is. We are all lucky to live here. God has been good to me in ways I never expected. Who am I to complain about the little problems mentioned above? God is good and little else matters. God bless you all!

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have been suffering for days now. I know the TV remote is in the house but darned if I know where. This is not the first time it has been lost. Once, after a week of exercising by rising from my chair to change the channel, I finally came across the missing remote. It was in the freezer! Now how it got into the freezer I have no idea. It must have been during one of my musings, when my mind is far from my body. I can imagine myself placing the remote in the freezer while the ice cream lies melting on the counter. Who knows? I have even caught myself searching for my reading glasses when I am actually wearing and looking through them!

I recently turned 50 and these “Golden Years� have so far been less than kind to me. I am still recovering from a nasty spider bite that occurred in early August. My vacation was lost, replaced by a long hospital stay, at home care with intravenous medication, and even now, continued use of a “wound-vac� that must be carried around and connected 24 hours a day. I had to adopt out my best friend, a four legged type named Patrick, because out of the blue he decided to uncharacteristically taste somebody's arm. An old broken wrist has begun acting up, and; (Did I mention?�) My back is acting up again, probably due to the cane I use to help the wound from the spider bite heal. (It is on my right ankle.) To make matters worse, I understand that Patrick is very happy and doing just fine without me, thank you! How ungrateful is that! (Now I can expect much grief from his many fans.)

I believe it was the humorous Erma Baumback who said, “Old Age is not for the faint hearted.� How right she was! Too bad I won’t be allowed to revel in my self-pity. You see, being a pastor of a large parish I am often in the company of those who consider me to be very young. Few of the 70, 80, and 90 plus year old parishioners will have much sympathy for my state. They hold me to a high standard. Some are healthier than I am but I know that many also have their aches and pains. Some have faced serious illness. Still all display a great love for life. In talking with them I usually discover that few of them fear death. They have made their peace and are ready, but while God leaves them in this life, they are determined to live it in full. They are great examples of how to happily live a faith filled life.

Woe am I, for although I have the aches and pains of growing older, I am not allowed to let them affect my outlook on life. These good Christians insist on living by the Word I proclaim in the name of Jesus Christ. They make me realize that all things have meaning, even suffering. God calls us to look beyond our immediate pain or discomfort. These trials serve to humble us and cause us to look to back God for comfort. They cause us to consider reformation in our life. This Gospel of Jesus Christ that I preach is full of hope and the people who have listened now throw it back at me! God does not promise that this life will always be easy and comfortable. He simply promises that we are never without him. God loves us even in our sinfulness and especially in our suffering.

So I will, instead of complaining, point out to you that God has gifted me with a vocation that I love. Growing up, my plans and yearnings were for wealth, fame and glory. Now I turn my back on all these things and only seek to follow Jesus. I seek to love and to be open to love from those around me and especially God. I have to admit that, despite the trials of this priesthood that I have committed my life to; I am far better and happier for it. In fact I have never been happier with my life. Sometimes we just like to complain for the sake of drawing attention to our sufferings. It is a sinful trait that speaks to a lack of humility and a need for outside reinforcement when I should be putting all of my hope in the Lord. We should all try to avoid such self grander.

Now, if only I could get rid of this contraption I have to lug around and find my remote control … Oh! Did I tell you that with my cable hook makes it hard to change the television channel manually? Do you want to hear about my ingrown toe nails …

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 01:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)