After mass on Sunday I picked up my copy of the Parish Directory and on my arrival at home went through it for the first time. It was well done and interesting, It starts with a collage of historical photos of buildings, past pastors, some associate pastors and deacons as well as parish events. That is followed with photos of the current staff. Then come two page spreads of each of the five parish Boards, called Commissions in many parishes, under which the various ministries function. Individual ministries are not identified, nor are the people. There is only one exception because when I was asked to submit a group photo of the Web Ministry team, because we only gather on the internet, I assembled individual photos into a group and inserted the name of the group as well as the names of each person. As a result, the web ministry members stand out prominently. Honest ... I did not plan it that way! Of course, the photos were submitted about a year ago so it is no longer an accurate representation on the Web Ministry. We have lost one member and added two others. 

The rest of the book consists of individual and family photos of parishioners. It is incomplete of course because many chose not to be included. It seems that those most active in the parish were represented although there were some of those missing. I can think of several reasons not to be included. The first of course is the cost. Oh yes, it was free, but the optional purchase of your family photo was expensive. The purchased photos were high quality, no cheap deals here. Then of course there was the inconvenience of getting the family all spruced up and together for the trip to the Activity Center for the taking of pictures ... no small task for busy families of today. Of course, if any individuals or families were in the federal witness protection program they could not be expected to participate.

In any case the pictures of parishioners put names to many faces that I see regularly which is one of the reasons for doing this. I have long considered the members of my parish to be extended family and you do keep the photos of family members in your house.

In the broader sense, who isn't family? Both religion and science tell us that we originated from a single set of parents. But then, Cain and Able couldn't get along and that represents the start of all the trouble ... I have to have it MY Way ! In a way it was very fortunate that I wasn't raised with my brothers because I can truthfully say we have never fought. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ..SAR AH

Mikey and I went to the Albano's Sunday afternoon, The first order of business was a romp in the yard for Mikey, joined by Sampson and Hunter. Dom and Sarah's dog was there because they had gone to the dog show at McCormick Place. Marc came home from refereeing basketball games and a little later Dom and Sarah returned. Tender Roast pork, dumplings and sour kraut with mixed vegetables was enjoyed by all. The Albano men omitted the kraut.) They did not omit the chocolate cake and ice cream after the singing of "Happy Birthday". 

Sarah told stories of her class of 12 boys ... no girls ... all disabled physically and with learning disabilities. One has a nurse with him at all times. Sarah has an assistant to help with the others. She loves them all and they love her.

Nothing at all will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. ~ Samuel Johnson

Anthony returned from his visit to his Alma Mater, Florida Atlantic U, tanned and happy on Monday. Several flights returning to Chicago were canceled and his was overbooked but he beat the snow storm even though they were am hour late. He is the proud bearer of the Teammate of the Year award for 2006 delayed in the receiving because there was no gathering of the alumni last year. This award is much like the Academy Awards in that it is a tribute by your own team mates who recognize the person's playing ability, leadership and popularity. Congratulations Anthony!

I had delayed my usual Friday afternoon trip to the grocery store until Monday morning. My larder is now stocked and overnight the snows came extending into Tuesday as I write this. Every once in a while the wind gusts and we have a mini-blizzard. But is is cozy and warm inside with no reason to venture out.

My prescription provider sent an email informing me that I could get print a copy of my prescription records for tax purposes. It was a different web site than the one I use for refilling them. That web site does not provide the information in a suitable form so I was eager to get it. However it would not accept my username and password. After several frustrating email exchanges I finally discovered that the new web site was that of the parent company and differed from the subsidiary company that handles the mail-in prescriptions. It required a new registration with a different username and password. Once signed up, my information was easily obtained. I was also informed that I could renew my prescriptions using either web site. Why have two web sites? Beats me ... but I don't need to understand everything I know.

The report was complete and very informative. It included the prescriptions from the mail service as well as a couple that were filled at the local drug store. Each fill of the prescription was itemized with the drugs grouped and subtotaled showing what I paid and what my Medicare Rx provider paid.  I am paying a little more than 1/3 of what my prescriptions cost me before Medicare Rx  The surprising thing is that when you add in the amount that my insurance provider pays, the total cost of the prescriptions are 75% higher than what I was paying two years ago. The premium I pay is deducted from my Social Security benefit and is hardly noticeable.

I sometimes complain about the cold and the snow but it keeps me inside doing things that need to be done. As a result, I invested some more time in adding the tracking code to some of the pages on this web site and sprucing up a few that needed it.  That of course brings me to pages that catch my attention causing me to stop and read. One of those was a poem, ... a repeating theme found here and so I share with you "I'm Having The Time of My Life" By Grace E. Easley. Her poems are often found in the little booklets which are a part of my morning reflections. She always has something good to say. These are positive thoughts and another page will reveal my thoughts on "The Power of Positive Thinking"..

Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are. ~ Julius Charles Hare

I was rescued and granted my freedom by Joe on Tuesday just before lunch.  The snow had stopped after about 5" covered our world.  He is too meticulous in his cleaning of the snow. After he used the snow blower he went over the entire area with the snow shovel making sure that it was clean to the pavement and the edges were nice and neat. He then carefully scraped away all the snow at the curb before going to the back and clearing the patio for Mikey. He accepted a bowl of chili for lunch and then went on to meet coach (and big brother) Anthony for some extra hitting practice before the rest of the team arrived for baseball practice. (Don't tell him, ... but 10 minutes after he left the plow came by and pushed a sloppy mess up on the driveway.)  By the way, by the time we sat down for lunch I had to put on a pair of sun glasses. The bright sun reflecting off the snow was blinding.

Do not complain that there are thorns on roses. Be thankful there are roses on thorns. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

The Snow Directors

It was rapidly descending,
That white and bothersome snow fall.
Too much had come this winter,
That was a fact avowed by all.

I saw them come out of their homes,
A trickle, one, two, ... a third,
Then more and more joined the fray,
Protesting ... and bound to be heard.

Coats and gloves left behind,
Some in slippers or feet still bare.
The cold was forgotten,
No hats ... for their blowing hair.

They stood facing the East
Bare handed - reaching back,
Flailing the powder back into the sky,
Redirecting it eastward - all joining the attack

Their voices came softly at the start,
And then ... could it be penchant,
Cleveland ... Cleveland ...
It swelled to a great loud chant.

Some women brought bedding,
The neighbors recruited here and there,
Two to a pillow case, four to a sheet,
The snow was caught and flipped back in the air.

Cleveland ... Cleveland...
The voices resounded fair,
We've had quite enough,
Send it all there.

It was a marvelous display,
bedding of many colors acclaimed,
As the chorus resounded again and again,,
Cleveland ... Cleveland ... everyone exclaimed.

The sound reverberate,
The fury arose from all Chicago-land.
Amid voices galore - a swirling of white -
sending the snow east to Cleveland ... to Cleveland

In time it was over.
At least here in our hive,
But in Cleveland ... in Cleveland ...
Redirected, it thrived.

The people faded back to their homes,
Did it happen as reported? or say,
Has the unfettered mind gone awry?
Cleveland ... Cleveland ... the snow to stay.

But this I know and avow,
The story is as true as the clock ticks.
For, ... in inches - we had five,
In Cleveland - it was six.

© Grandpa Don Plefka
Orland Park, Il
February 27, 2008

 

" A lack of effort will always cause failure! " Robert A. Schreiber

Well, it is amazing what the unfettered mind can imagine. Could we by sheer willpower redirect the snow. Probably not, but we can redirect how we feel about it. I don't know about you but I can picture all those colorful bed sheets flipping the snow back up, propelled by all those barefoot people standing in the snow. What FUN!  Sorry about that Clevelanders!

Wednesday morning, as I had my breakfast, I watched Diane Sawyer and several of her crew members walk on a bed of hot coals in a demonstration of mind over matter. They were so amazed that they had done it that they repeated it several times. By coincidence, the news reports of the morning were concerned with the excessive use of drugs to control depression with some contending it should be controlled more with our minds. There are many examples of amazing feats of the human mind. Could these be just a hint of what is possible. We see this also in the healing "placebo effect" when health is improved only by the expectation of improvement. The "power of positive thinking" has been promoted not only in matters of health but in life in general and I believe in it without reservation.

I do not believe that everyone should throw away their pills and stop seeing their doctors. We have not developed mind control to that extent, It could work for a few but they are exceptional. However, I believe that our perception of things and our faith in both God and ourselves can be a great asset to the extent that we can let it take hold. That is the hard part.

Sunday dinner had been re-warmed Monday evening for supper, Pork roast, dumplings, the bread dumplings made in a loaf and sliced like bread, covered in thin but tasty dark brown pork gravy along with sour kraut. Then Wednesday noon there was another special treat of warm slices of roast pork smothered in sour kraut on rye bread. I may not be of Bohemian decent but I am Bohemian by indoctrination!  My daughter makes the kraut the way her mother did using bacon in the mix. There is nothing better. ... No, ... not even that! At least not that I remember. The Czechs who lived in the Bohemian provinces and were constantly being influenced and controlled by the Slovaks and  Germanic Bavarians and Austrians learned to enjoy life through their food. I was indeed fortunate to have been raised in a Bohemian family.  

Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. ~ Anonymous

Speaking of families, ... I had to amend my Copeland genealogy page. A distant cousin, Corrie Moen, sent this:

"I think I found out why the Copeland Estates in England were named Dolphin Leigh. after the Prince of Scotland, Northumbria, near where the Deanery of Copeland is found Cumberland, Cumbria, North Umberland area 600 sq miles, the Deanery. they were the Chieftan Lords before the Normans began conquering in 1066. and then afterwards that area rose up against him, and he nearly annihilated the area"

She also sent a link to a web page but in connecting to it I found:

Early DNA testing shows that there is no link between the John Copeland who arrived in 1635 to Isle of Wight County, Virginia (DNA haplotype R1a) and the Lawrence Copeland family of the 1600s in Norfolk County, Massachusetts (DNA haplotype R1b). Researchers may want to re-look and update their family histories, especially for Joseph Copeland/Mary Woodley associated with Taberers.
( http://genforum.genealogy.com/copeland/messages/4244.html )

That would seem to indicate the Corrie is an even more distant cousin.

Back to reality and the immediate family ...Dom's surgery has been postponed. Pre-admission testing reveled problems during the electrocardiogram. Additional tests were done Thursday to determine the cause of the problem. We await the results.  He and Marc were going to go to Tennessee to see Joe's first spring ballgames but due to cold temperatures those games were canceled. Joe and Anthony will instead be traveling directly to Clearwater, FL for their first games next week.

A Political note, ... Comments are being made that Obama and McCain are campaigning against each other as if the candidates for each party have been already selected. My thought is that in doing so they are talking more about issues .. as they should.  Now if Clinton would join in and do the same it could be interesting. By concentrating on the issues and presenting the ideas each candidate offers to deal with them we could see which would be a better President and the better candidate for each party. Enough of these personality and personal attacks. Let's get down to business!

In case you are wondering, the poem, "The Snow Directors" is my first attempt at writing poetry since ... I don't remember when. I had always found it impossible to do. I was inspired by a some whimsical poems written by my father along with the recent snow and my brothers and sisters in Cleveland. One of Al Copeland's poems, "The Attack!",  described what appears as a cavalry battle but turns out to be the charge of the company quarter master charging to the mess tent for his dinner. Another, "Interpretative Dancing" could have been subtitled, "An Ordinary Guy Goes to the Ballet" as he imagines the subject of the dance to be, for instance, a woman hanging out the wash. Of course this is lost on the more recent generations who have never seen all the clothes and bedding hanging out in the back yards to dry on Mondays. A favorite of mine is "Tom Fooler Rhyme", a play on words, masterfully done but with an ending that informs that we are all joined together in heaven. My father's poetry was quire good but in spite of the fact that my poem just 'fell together' I don't intend to quit my day job.

In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired. ~ Anonymous

We had a couple more inches of snow during the night but the Snow Directors apparently decided to let mother nature share it with our Cleveland relatives and others to the east. I believe that we will let mother nature take care of its removal as well. Anne Marie called to let me know that Dom's doctor assured him that he has no serious heart problem but he will need to delay his shoulder surgery until the medication regulates the "electrical" abnormalities. It may have been caused by a virus. 

The above quote, "In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired" is another manifestation of mind over matter in that it reminds me that I could reduce the amount of medication I am taking if I would take control. I should exercise! I should not "reward" myself with snacks in the evening. Just who is in charge here. my good sense or the ego driven devil within me? ... No need to answerer that! .In Dom's case medications are essential in fighting the problem and all he can do is try to keep a positive attitude as he deals with the pain and inconvenience of an arm that doesn't work right. .In my case, My mind must take control of my habits so my body can repair itself somewhat and lessen the need for medication. Pray for us. ... thanks.