Care Giving

Who wants to be a caregiver! The benefits are great! Because you are the only one who can, or will provide care, all of the wonderful jobs that could be parceled out to others rarely do!. It's a thankless task, but don't despair, because you have led a life of constant sacrifice, you seem never to have any time for yourself! Oh, I don't mind, I don't need any time for myself. I wouldn't know what to do with all that leisure. Besides, God knows that your doing the right thing. I wouldn't know what to do with all that idle time, any way.We'll take a nice holiday one of these days, when things are less hectic... There are real-world saints among us every day. Consider giving them the day, or week or month off. All of us deserve leisure time, quality time, time to do what YOU have always wanted to do. This plea comes from a recipient of wonderful care giving. My wife has taught me that leisure is essential,even when it seems frivolous to others or ourselves. We only get one turn at life. Choose wisely. Love deeply.When a chance to improve another's lot, do not hesitate to jump in! You'll never regret generous kindness.

The Basilica Needs a Labyrinth!

Seriously. One of the most profound meditative experiences available to the lay person, or any other soul desiring a respite from the banality and meaninglessness of our daily round, can be found as near as the closest Labyrinth. The ancient practice of walking the "maze" has captured many a soul, most probably because the physical action of its twists and turns, coinciding with the step and breath of the human in motion, excites, even as it calms. Many prefer the setting of an outdoor Labyrinth, most likely due to the fresh air and sight-lines that seem to integrate the worlds of the interior and exterior as one all-encompassing meditative experience. There are many Labyrinths in the Baltimore area, but the most un-used and relevant location by far, would be the south-facing lawn of the Basilica. It would command a fine vista to the south, while bringing an invitation to experience the joy of a walk in the wide and gracious path. Seeing the worshipers as they wend their way through the maze would invite others to experience the maze, beckoning others to explore a meditative walk with a vista and an invitation to explore. in time, many would come to incorporate a regular outlet for a delightful spiritual experience in the midst of a hectic day, or just a moment of gratitude

If all the Hippies cut off their hair...I don't care...

It seems downright tautological to believe that Alz is a condition that will be cured at some point in time.We humans have a pretty good track record, even in cases that seem to be intractable. It may take a good long time, but my bet is that it will go the way of Small Pox and Measles. In the mean time, however, there is a paucity of light, giving little hope in this otherwise gloom benighted sphere. If we can embrace the darkness,we may be able to glean the clues that nature, or, our scientists, or a shout out for some help from the higher power that may possibly be just the bit of information we need to flip the switch. Many examples can be found in the history of science, and who knows, maybe we'll catch a break. The time for wishful thinking is over, but the more human community present in the gracious good will of a group of intelligent, creative, and compassionate people can always win the day. Of course, it is up to all of us, and nothing will become of our efforts if we can't find a way to merge our talents, focus on the light, and imbue all of our energies, in all of our endeavors, within a framework of integrity and love.Our aim is lofty, but the energies of our people will bring us to an utterly other country.

Not One Wrong Note

Yesterday, my wife and I experienced the remarkable musical institution known as the Vienna Boy's Choir. As we slid into the perfectly placed seats at Baltimore's Meyerhoff' Symphony Hall, memories of my days as a boy in the Choir of Downtown's Old Saint Paul's Church came flooding to mind, with the jittery moments before the baton was raised, and then the rush that can only come from the inhale of breath and a silence broken for ever. The sweet notes found full flower, and we were off, stunned momentarily, to find so full and strong a sound, from these boys who have been toughened and tried, demanding much of themselves...my thoughts had need of wandering, for the experience of this performance made me review the accolades that my own Boy's Choir colleagues once dreamed of attaining. While we found other ways and other paths, we remained faithful to the quest for accurate pitch, pin-point attack, and many of the other skills that separate the casual whistler from the budding musician. For myself, music, and it's practice, holds a world of beauty and accuracy to which many are called, but few are chosen. While in the long run, I could not make the grade, I had a good long draught at the well, and it has given me great love for music in all it's forms. Hic Finis Est

Clout

Which disease is the worst? The disease of wishful thinking? Waiting for "Godot?"Bigotry? Indifference? The false promise of a cure? These possibilities confront us all from time to time, but in the ALZ world, it's becoming very clear that researching goes only so far. These may be the darkest days yet, for it now seems that all of the so-called "promising" ALZ medications have been roundly discredited. It is a bitter pill to swallow, (or "patch"). So what is to be done? Let's think back to yester-year, for a moment. We eliminated TB, we managed to thwart AIDS (for the most part), and all in all, we've done pretty well with the most heinous of maladies. We should be able to overcome this insult to our civilization. Unfortunately, we have not been able, thus far, to create an effective motivation to deal with this most heinous of public health challenges. Pity our children, for the burden we are passing on, and for the results of the decay of wholesale lack of acuity. When language fails, civilization implodes, and the body becomes an onerous burden. We must not pass on this legacy to future generations! Without voice, without reason, we will surely leave a legacy that no one can bear. The time has come to focus and act!

Tesuque

Periodically, the memory of living in New Mexico asserts itself, and today happens to be the day for the Tesuque tribe to nod it's place in my memory. I will not romance the conditions of the tribe: dirt floors, urination anywhere, any time, enhanced, by the mongrel population for maximum racket and overall unrest in the camp. Afterbirth, questionable water sources, a sort of laisez faire attitude combined with the ravages of alcoholism, all in the name of need for whiskey and ammunition, scavenging petrol, fighting over the jug, with a huge tolerance for squalor, numbed to the cries and screams of the night. The night grows numb, and dim, and the day fades to the spectaculour colors of the sandstone bluffs, crumbling inexorably into the arroyos, shifting out of the wind, without the possibility of shelter. The impossible light finally drags its paint can to sleep, as the howls of coyote finish the day.

It is what it is.

I don't like having Alz Disease. I dislike the vagueness, the pauses that almost never refresh, the stutter that builds to an unbearable explosion, propelled much of the time by a yearning to unleash a stream of feeling, a desire to let flow the deluge of pent up words that will never come out right, the misfire that stops the flow cold, or worse yet, the "spitling" that comes bursting, gargled, and twisted, gutteral and raw, a mad dog, chasing a tail that cannot be caught, behind a cruel master who seems to delight in the pain of expression, the master that drags and alternatively, praises and scolds, never knowing when to cower, when to growl, when to expose the belly, when to cover and slink. Keep your powder dry, your wits about you, or rather, pretend you have wits, for these are in short supply, and there are dangers unseen, ruses and false leads, dead ends and tight corners, cul-de-sacs and broken roads. Today I am fine. Today I love and honor, and have integrity...but the under-belly is exposed, and the roads tend toward misgiving, and the light dies slowly, Faulknerian, brusque, uncertain lines, meter decaying, ...where is love, where is the rest of me, my blue-eyed son, or you my one true one...