On this page I have recorded what I found significant during the past week as well as my thoughts about those events and other reflections. I started doing this before the practice became popular and before it had a name. This is my "Blog", written a little each day and published weekly.

Last weekend flew by. Lana, the leader of St Julie's Pro-Life Ministry had given me a CD of files of pamphlets for that ministry. There was much information that should be available to our parishioners but purchasing pamphlets is expensive and getting them into the hands of the people who need them is problematic. Besides, once the people have them they may get read and then lost, not to be available when really needed. But, making the information available on the parish web site is the perfect answer. It will be there at the time of need, whenever that may be. I spent parts of three days turning them into web pages and placing the pages in the appropriate categories. And so we have expanded our information in "Life & Living" "Our Faith" and Youth" with new Pro-Life information.

When people discuss the problems of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, they often refer to it as "The mistake by the lake" (Lake Erie). However, it occurred to me that the label "The mistake by the lake" may have been misapplied to the city back in the early 30's when it really referred to me!  The fact that my conception in Cleveland was definitely a mistake (possibly by the lake) is one of the reasons I am prejudiced to a Pro-Life stance at this time on my life. A mistake was made and Lucie was sent to far off Chicago to have her baby and place it for adoption. What a great choice in mistake correction! I am eternally grateful. Maybe if there had been a (legal) abortion clinic in Cleveland at the time, things would be much different and there would not be a World of Grandpa Don and many of the people who are mentioned here.

Having said that, I would add that I like to think my mother would not have gone down that path even if it was available, but who knows, considering the pressures that our "self-interested"  society places on us.

Our newest member of the parish web ministry is well on her way to being on "automatic pilot". Liz set up the "Spotlight" pages for the week and modified the Home page to feature them, having mastered the necessary uploading tasks as well. That relieves me of several hours work on the parish web site each week. Maybe with all this free time I will be able to resume my work on Chapter 16 of my life story, "How I Became Grandpa Don". That is long overdue, intended to have been completed in 2004, having been sidetracked by many things, other interests and diversions, most notably the discovery of my parents and siblings with all the associated genealogy.

Monday morning a brief visit was made to Dr. Kennedy's office where he proclaimed that his disruption to my mouth was well on it's way to successful healing. I knew that! I thanked him for his care and consideration as well as his skills. He in turn, thanked me for being a good patient. He said that many who use his services expect a totally pain and discomfort free experience and that is beyond reality. They complain about the limited pain they experience during the procedures and the discomfort of the experience. They complain about the pain and discomfort afterward as well as the efforts they must make to care for themselves while recovering. These doctors are good but it is unrealistic to go to them expecting miracles. It behooves us to be nicer than we need to be even to the guy who is ripping the teeth from our jaws. After all, he is not the enemy.  

My Monday morning reading of the Daily Southtown brought me the story "Finding God away from Catholicism". According to the author's story she had been turned away from her church by the priest pedophile situation but that was not all. Many details of her story prompted me to send an email to her in which I suggested that it seems to me that her parish failed, not her church. I also sent a copy of "How Could I Go Back?" On further reflection, and I did not say this to her, I think her experience is another example of how we run away from reality and try to find solutions to our problems in other places in stead of dealing with them where we are. It is another example of our "throw away" society. A couple gets caught up in the passion of the moment and a child is conceived ... throw it away! Our spouse won't comply with our concept of what he/she should be ... throw it away! Our Church isn't what we envision it to be ... throw it away. We have great admiration for the idealistic statement, "Ask not what our country can do for us, ask what we can do for our country. For "country", substitute, "child", "spouse", "friend", "parent", "church" ... and God. Sometimes it is up to us to adapt to the situation in stead of expecting the situation adapt to our perception of reality. It is only when we have done our best to accommodate the situation at hand that we can say it doesn't work and then look elsewhere for a change

After several days of near record low temperatures we have returned to summer. I had turned the air conditioning off but having a very 'tight' house. the bedroom stayed too warm for my taste Monday night and I had trouble sleeping. A warm room is the one thing that will keep me awake. As a result, when I took my morning visit in the gazebo I was attacked and subdued by a nap. Even the steady breeze couldn't help me fight it off, if indeed any attempt was made at all. My morning had been slightly disrupted earlier when Barbara arrived over an hour later than usual. I feared an accident but she did arrive with an attempt to explain that did not communicate anything but the fact that she was here, healthy and anxious to get to work. As a result of the late arrival the kitchen was being cleaned at the time I would normally have my lunch and so that was delayed. I did not starve of course and instead of watching the noon news while I lunched, I saw a very interesting travelogue about Budapest. Barbara left at 2 and after feeding Mikey, we went out to the Gazebo to read C. S. Lewis' comments about the "Inner Ring". At about 3 I looked up to see someone standing on my front walk speaking on a cell phone. It was Barbara! I went out and invited her to come back in and wait. The temperature was approaching 90⁰. The van was broken down. 

When she came in the house she would not sit in the living room or on any comfortable chair but took a place on the carpeted stairs. I was unsuccessful in offering a more comfortable place to wait  or even for some refreshment. She said, "Two cars ... both no good." Much to my surprise she let me know that her husband was coming for her. Some time ago she had said ( I think) that on her visit to Poland she would see her husband, children and grandchildren. Apparently he is now here with her. That makes me feel better and somehow less guilty about  wanting her to be here to take care of my house. I was out in the gazebo with C. S. Lewis when she came to the patio door to let me know he had arrived and she was leaving. They were gone by the time I got into the house. I would have liked to meet him.

Every student should read "The Inner Ring" an oration given at King's College, University of London in 1944. On second thought, EVERYONE should read it. This short address warns of trying to become one of the privileged few who are admitted into the inner ring of privileged people. Lewis tells us that those who make it their goal to gain admission into these Inner Rings (Circles) are doomed to failure because by their entry they diminish the value of the ring. They also find that once inside, the ring has lost it's luster and they will be seeking to satisfy themselves by finding another one. It is like peeling an onion. If you succeed, there will be nothing left. We do find ourselves in small groups of  co-workers, friends or people of like interests and this is good because the exclusivity is a by-product not the goal. I like his definition of a "scoundrel" as one who is an unscrupulous, treacherous, ruthless, egotist. Lewis believes that one who's efforts are directed to becoming a member of the Inner Rings gradually slide into being a scoundrel. I was reminded of the statement by W. C. Fields. "I would not join any organization that would accept me as a member."

Sitting out in the gazebo after writing the above generated additional thoughts but I decide that rather than subject you to them here I would add to my "Thoughts" pages, And so I invite you to visit Being Part of the Inner Circle That in turn, leads you to my thoughts on the Secret of Life, ... if you wish.

I have been trying to be out in the garden as much as possible these days. Call it "smelling the roses" if you will, although my roses are a complete failure. That is sad because I love roses but so do the rabbits, ... in a different way. I have been told that rabbits don't eat rose bushes but nobody told these rabbits and the bushes they don't outright destroy are left with a few feeble leaves and fewer pathetic blooms. Since the law and compassion for the little critters prevent me from taking drastic measures against them I will replace the rose bushes with perennials which are advertised to be unattractive as food for wildlife. They are on order and will be shipped in a few weeks. 

More next week ...
and 'till then, ... 

Let's be more kind than we need to be.

Grandpa Don Plefka 

Anne wanted everyone to be 'Nice'.
This button was in one of her dresser 
drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004

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