The Year: 2018

Another year has literally flown by.  A friend once explained this rapid passage of time mathematically. It seems as we age that each year goes by more quickly and it is true since each year is a smaller portion of our total life span. 

Charming fountain at a gallery in Sedona

It is a gift to have another year of life. I really am so gratefully that I have virtually no health problems. Part of this year’s pilgrimage has been to experience the ins and outs of medical doctors’ offices and the necessity of speaking up for oneself or having an advocate to do that for you.

I acquired an infection this spring which lasted throughout the summer. The first three medical professionals misdiagnosed the infection and prescribed medication that did not do anything to improve my health. Finally, the correct antibiotic was prescribed for a period long enough to eradicate the infection. 

I’d also been experiencing some shortness of breath after exertion and some mild chest pains which opened up another whole field of inquiry.  It turns out that there are no cardiac problems. A stress test, echo cardiogram, angiogram, and CT scans have proved that.  

My take on the situation is that I had not been keeping up on my usual exercise routine because I felt lousy due to the infection and the antibiotics. Therefore, at my age, shortness of breath. I think the pains were due to rather obtuse working habits which stressed some muscles not usually involved in day to day living.

The bottom line is: I’m healthy.

For the second year in a row there has not been much travel.  I must be honest and say that staying home is not all bad. It really is much easier not to travel.

Interesting formations at Bluff, Utah

I’d given up membership in one organization, and rotated off the board of another which involved travel each year, many times to the east coast. I do miss that biennial trip to New York City. My non- presence on the board does not prevent me from going, but the impetus to do so is no longer there. 

The first weekend in February I journeyed to Tempe, AZ, for the annual general chapter of the Canons of the Order of Saint Benedict. This year Fr. Chad-Joseph and his community hosted the gathering. We were able to learn about the various ministries with which the community there is involved. We celebrated the clothing of a novice. The priors were able to meet and discuss several items of mutual interest. The weather was lovely which was an added benefit.

A friend and I traveled to Minneapolis for an event on the First Sunday of Lent at Mount Olive Church.  I written before about how fond I am of that place. They do a lovely service of procession, readings and hymns on the First Sunday in Lent. 

Traveling to Minneapolis was fine.  It was a lovely winter day.  The return on the next day was far less than pleasant. Sleet began the day which changed to freezing rain and snow with winds. This continued to within 40 miles of Sioux Falls.  I gave thanks continually for my new tires and for the daylight in which we traveled. I kept thinking that the only thing that could make the journey home worse would be darkness!

The chapel at Christ in the Desert

At the invitation of my wonderful friends in Littleton, Colorado, I flew to Denver. We then embarked on a road trip through parts of the world I’d not traveled before.  We had beautiful weather traveling through the mountains heading toward Scottsdale, Arizona. On the way we stayed overnight at Bluff, Utah. The rock formations were awesome. 

We spent a week at my friends’ timeshare in Scottsdale. This was a most pleasant “retreat.” We traveled to Eloy to see friends from my former parish in Denver. A day in Sedona was also in our plans. The whole week was a wonderful experience, plus we were able to go to Fr. Chad-Joseph’s Church in Tempe for Sunday Mass and then enjoy a brunch with Fr. Chad and two of his sons.

Following our stay in Arizona we raveled eastward to New Mexico. We had a weekend reserved at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Several of the parishioners from the parish in Denver had been there on retreat and told me how lovely and peaceful it is. They were not exaggerating. 

The Monastery is thirteen miles off the highway on a forest service road which sometimes is two lane and sometimes graveled. I leave the description of it to your imagination.  The silence and the darkness are incredible. They are “off the grid” and use solar power so there is not even the sound of a generator. The chapel is beautiful. One can see the rock formations from within the chapel.

After a few days in Denver making contact with dear friends I returned home and basically remained there until October. We had a very warm summer. It was good to have friends from Denver come to visit.

Three of the pilgrims

October means our annual pilgrimage to Sheboygan to the first shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Friends from Denver and Charlotte, NC, flew to Sioux Falls. The road trip is fun. We were able to visit Holy Hill, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, attend Mass on Sunday at St. Agnes, Algoma and see our friends there, stop by the Norbertine Abbey, and journey through some snow as we headed back west via St. Paul and Minneapolis. It is always good to see my friends and to travel together.

Makarios and Miss Sophia

I made a few trips out of town to attend funerals. Other than those brief sojourns that’s the extent of the travels this year. Life has been busy with my volunteer activities, the Canon Community, filling in at the altar and on the organ bench. 

All of us at 3316 send our greetings and best wishes for a blessed and peaceful holiday.