Facing mortality !!

It was a shock, this morning, to see that the motor home–of a near neighbor–was gone. Furthermore, the maintenance staff is preparing to move a motor home from a site corner-wise from the back of my site. At last count, I’ve lost eight resident “family” and “friends” in the two years I’ve lived at CARE. ~~ I’m planning to radically “downsize” in the weeks and months to follow. “Too much stuff!!” (I don’t want someone else to deal with my clutter!!) ~~~~ This morning–in the adjacent Escapees Rainbow’s End RV Park–I was learning where to find the food for a precious little dog “in case the owner isn’t around to care for her.” An RVer-friend claimed me as his “guardian angel” and wants me to check on him–and “care” for Rosie.

Motorhome ready to move

Two sites vacated in one day

Two sites in one day (2)

Guardian angel wings wrapped around a heart

Pope Francis in New York City

Pope Francis at United Nations

Pope Francis and Cardinal Dolin

Pope Francis at 9-11 Memorial Museum

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Pope Francis at 9-11 Museum

Muslim at Inter-faith Ceremony

Hindu meditation

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Hindu meditation (2)

Participants on stage with Pope Francis

Buddhist meditation

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Buddhist meditation (2)

Sik meditation

Orthodox read scripture

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Unknown speaker meditation

Another unknown

Another unknown faith meditation

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Youth choir

Pope Francis with other participants

Jewish prayer for the dead

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Inter-faith service is almost over

The end of Inter-faith service

Pope Francis crest

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First: The Pope speaking at the United Nations. Second: Pope Francis participates in Interfaith ceremony at the 9-11 Memorial Museum. ~~ Click each picture to enlarge for better viewing. The pictures are irregular sizes because I “cropped” them for emphasis on television screen and not cabinetry around television set. With twenty-twenty hindsight, I should have set the camera up on a tripod.  

During the Interfaith service, the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi was read–and The Beatitudes. Both are listed below. A Youth Choir sang Let There Be Peace On Earth.

The Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Attributed to Francis Bernadone, perhaps the most universally loved of Christian saints, who was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182. At the age of twenty-­two, after a sudden illness that brought him almost to the point of death, he left his home and inheritance to follow an injunction that he felt he received from Christ himself: “Francis, go and rebuild my Church.” Three great Franciscan orders quickly grew around the monks, nuns, and lay disciples who responded to his joyful example of universal love and selfless service.

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THE EIGHT BEATITUDES OF JESUS

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

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Let There Be Peace On Earth

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With god as our father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

 

 

The Golden Rule…

and (as a follower of Jesus Christ) a Golden Ruler.

(Click each picture of a better view.) I was glued to the television set. I shed some tears–and appreciate that Speaker John Boehner could openly weep as he listened to Pope Francis. There were claps of approval when the Pope talked about living by The Golden Rule. Many of the Pope’s comments seemed well received. However, I wonder if his words “went in one ear and out the other.”

God Bless America

Before entering the Chambers

Pope Francis at Congress

Pope Francis

Pope Francis (close up)

Pope Francis greets and is greeted

Oops, sunshine on the screen

Speaker John Boehner weeps

The Cardinals

No signal

View of the crowd

Pausing before statue of Junipero Serra

On the balcony

On the balcony (close up)

John Boehner weeps

John Boehner weeps

Golden Rule

Golden Rule Matthew7-12

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Junipero Serra statueInformation about the statue of Junipero Serra, and California Governor Jerry Brown’s desire to keep the statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection on Capitol Hill.

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En route to St. Patrick's Cathedral

Moving down 5th Avenue

Outside St. Patrick's

A blessing

Moving down center aisle

Inside view of St. Patrick's Cathedral

At the alter

Pope Francis at the alter

Outside St. Patrick's Cathedral

Pope Francis in Washington D.C.

Pope Francis at the White House

According to a correspondent on NBC-TV (8:10 AM), Pope Francis has “a seventy-four percent approval rate with Protestants.”  I’m not Catholic, I approve….

Today, probably very little time in the yard. I’ll be indoors so I can watch activities of Pope Francis in America.

Pope Francis in Washington DC

Pope Francis in Washington DC (close up)

Pope Francis in Washington DC (wider view)

Pope Francis crest (very best)

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En route to Canonization

En route to Canonization (broad view)

Yesterday… and today !!

Hot and dirty!! For many hours I was working with cement. True story: I’ve planned to purchase two eighty-pound bags of Quikrete (at $4.19 per bag at Lowe’s)–to prepare “pilings” for the proposed shelter. Suddenly, Sunday afternoon, I became aware that concrete would be delivered–and poured–at CARE, on Monday morning. I hastily prepared and nested empty bird seed bags in my large plastic containers. (When the concrete is dry, we’ll slide it out of the pail. I don’t want to sacrifice my good pails!!) It was my hope, and prayer, I could obtain some “left over” concrete–because it would save me so much labor. ~~ Yesterday, one and one-half pails–a good start!! By eleven-thirty today, I had two full… and three partial. I planned to buy an eighty-pound bag to top the three partial containers. (See next to last picture.) Out-of-the-blue, very unexpectedly, the owner/supervisor arrived at my door with a wheelbarrow full of concrete. “Where do you want it?” I showed him my project and he “topped” the three… and sat and visited with me for about ten minutes. I’m so delighted with his thoughtfulness!! ~~ In the last two pictures, note the area to the left of the five containers. That is where David and I will eventually construct the shelter, with camouflage tarp, storage area. (Everything easy to disassemble [when I die] so the next resident can have a “naked”–no maintenance–yard.)

Maybe I can beg some cement

Big job, maybe I can beg some cement

Many thanks

Number one of five

Hot and humid at two

Number two of five

Raining so I'm under the awning

Bright and early

My reliable hand truck

Three of five

Hot and humid at eleven-thirty

Three are only half full

Five of five

Thank you as a comment

Smiley face two thumbs up

Hot and humid at three-forty

See the hooks?

Bad news