Well, not really all that bad. But there was a time in my life that it would have caused great anguish and been a major event in my life. But fortunately I have mellowed. With God's help, things are in much better perspective. So, on Saturday morning when I went to check my email and found the computer dead, it was just somewhat of an Ooops! After checking all the obvious things I decided that the internal power supply had failed. All that filtered electricity from my new UPS unit must have been too much of a shock for it. A call was made to my computer angel, Kevin at Acute Compute. He would be unable to come until Monday so I contemplated going through complete withdrawal for a few days.

My laptop computer had not been used for a long time, maybe as much as a year so I plugged it in and fired it up. Not having been in contact with the internet for so long it was way behind in its updates from Microsoft and from McAfee virus protection files so I just let it run its updates. While it was doing that I started cleaning and organizing the clutter in my "office". That task was also long overdue, So that was how my weekend was employed.

I was bothered by the fact that my little friend Mikey was out of sorts. Saturday he was very lethargic and sad. He would just lay in the same place for hours and did not jump up on the couch to be petted or scratched. Instead he simply came to lay at my feet. With coaxing, he went out for brief walks but he did eat his supper when I put it down for him although he did not come looking for treats at the normal times. Sunday he improved somewhat and by Monday he was close to normal. I am greatly relieved.

Dan called and invited me to watch the Bears game Sunday an join the family for Pot Roast. Nick was home for the Thanksgiving holiday and the girls had no track or soccer meets so it family time in the dinning room of their new house. The Bear's loss neither surprised nor upset me and dinner was scrumptious. (That means good beyond delicious.)

Monday I used the laptop to check and respond to email and continued with the cleanup of the office area. When Kevin called to let me know he was on his way, I asked him to bring an internal card with additional USB ports. I am always disconnecting things to connect other devices such as my camera card reader, a flash drive, and the connector for my digital photo frame. Upon his arrival, Kevin perfumed open heart surgery, first connecting the new power supply while it lay outside the body of the computer. When it sprang to life, confirming that the old heart was dead, he removed the old power supply and bolted the new in its place. Before closing up the case, the USB card was installed and tested. Kevin's visit was brief but successful and after using the newly restored computer to calculate the bill and upon receiving payment he was on his way.

I was now able to save some information from weekend email for future use and catch up on a couple delayed computer tasks. The temperature on Tuesday was a bit above "normal" for this time of year although it was very damp and dreary. Since a downturn is anticipated I ventured out to gas up old Betsey and fill the gas can for the snow blower. I also looked for the snow brush for the car and remembered that I had done that a couple weeks ago and put it in the trunk of the car. BUT ... it wasn't there??? Then I remembered, I had placed it on top the trunk with the intention of putting it inside the next time I drove the car. I hope the person who found it in the street will put it to good use. It had a scrapper on one side and a brush on the other. The handle was extendable so you could reach across the entire window from one side. I have another, not a s good, but it will do the job if (when) needed.

My dad always referred to his cars as "Old Betsey". First of all I think they were always used cars and therefore "old". And a car always had a feminine name. Well, they were a bit hard to manage and somewhat unpredictable. Did you ever wonder why the rear storage compartment of a car is called the "trunk"? I was reminded of it last week with the photo of my father and his family. Did you notice the family car in the background?  By then, they were including the "trunk" as part of the car but it still retained the shape of a big steamer trunk. Earlier cars such as the touring car at the right simply had a trunk fastened to the rear of the car.

I talked to granddaughter Caitlin Tuesday evening. She reported that her mother's hand is fine (considering) with no damage that requires surgery. Now it is just a matter of the healing powers of the human body. Caitlin's schedule has abated a bit now that swimming season is past. She is not thrilled at the prospect of being at school at 5 AM on Thanksgiving but it is a necessary prelude to the long standing tradition of the Marist High School band's participation in Chicago's Thanksgiving Day parade. Will you be watching on TV? Apparently they will be near the beginning of the parade because she plans to be back home in bed by around 10:00 AM.

While exercising Tuesday afternoon I watched a program about Eastern religions. A precept of the Hindu faith is to "Place your heart in your work, not in the reward". They definitely had it right. This belief is one that I try to promote as a way to living successfully by doing whatever you have to do with enthusiasm, as if it was the most important task in the world. The rewards will follow in the natural course of events even if it is a very low paying job. There are many similarities in the Hindu and Buddhist religions to that of Christianity. Their moral values and concepts of ethical living are certainly very close and even their basic concept of God is not that different. The big difference is in the cultural aspects of the people. It was an enlightening program.

Wednesday morning one of my holiday elves came by. Marc had things to do in the area and took the opportunity to get my three boxes of Christmas decorations from the crawl space. All the boys anticipate a very busy time the next several weeks and although I am not ready to decorate, the boxes will be in easy reach when I do. He also figured out how to open the battery compartment on the remote control for the digital photo frame. It was just a real tight fit and was not yielding to my efforts to pull out the little drawer that held it. The little device measures 2" x 1-3/4" x 3/16" thick and has 12 buttons on the front. Now I'll be able to get a replacement battery so I can program the display to show the pictures in the order that I want instead of randomly.

After a leisurely breakfast I turned on the big TV and settled down to watch the beginning of the Chicago parade. The Marist Band was selected as the "official" local band and the first band in the event. And of course I hoped to see my granddaughter. Unfortunately, the WGN camera crew doesn't share my priorities and did not focus on Caitlin or even the flute section and I could not pick her out from the others. Next time we will ask her to have a different color hat. It was my intention to shut off the TV and get about my day after that part of the parade but Mikey was laying on my chest and I didn't want to disturbe him, ... or me. When I woke up, the parade was over and Mikey was on the couch next to me.

I have not adopted the practice of attending mass on Thanksgiving although it is a very special event at out parish, a celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the parish. ( See Memories ) The 9 AM Mass is always followed by a "fellowship" time with coffee and ... I sometimes fell like I should go but especially on days like this one when there are flurries in the air, I am more comfortable at home, counting my own blessings.

On this particular day, after rousing myself from in front of the TV, I turned to my late but essential time of prayer and reflection. The C. S. Lewis message for the day had to do with liturgical music, imparting a beautiful tribute to those who provide it through singing in a choir. But it was when I turned to my little "Prayer for the Day" booklet that I was struck by the significance of "My Prayer for Thursday".

I read this prayer every Thursday and it is one of my favorites, conveying deep meaning and purpose. On this Thanksgiving morning however, it struck a deeper chord. Being thankful to God is essential but the last line of this prayer makes it complete and seals the gratitude with commitment. It is this commitment that fulfills our part in the covenant with God. Without this commitment, "Thanks" is just a word.  Even the picture that accompanies this prayer has significance. We live in a world that is obscure to us and we do not clearly see what awaits in the distance but when that next hour or even previously obscure moment arrives our thoughts and actions need to be in tune with God's desire for our lives to be that of love and compassion.

It is also on days like this that I remember that this was one of the little books that Anne left for me, knowing that I would need it, and someday learn to appreciate it, It is, yes, one of those days that I burst into tears, wishing that she could be here with me to share my gratitude and my love for her and all our family. But at the same time I would not deny her the joys of paradise and I know she shares all this in ways that I can not begin to understand. Through these brief moments of tears I am grateful for her and all that God has given me. I am having the time of my life right now and would not have it any other way. "For yesterday is over and tomorrow's far away, and I am committed to the good I do today."

Our Thanksgiving dinner was reduced in number but not in meaning or joy. Dom's mother, sister and family are all battling the flu or colds and so did not join us. There was an overabundance of food for Anne Marie, Dom, Dominick & Sarah, Anthony, Marc , Joe and I. The traditional meal was prepared by my daughter to perfection and served with the expedient help of all her family. We were all too full to eat desert but we bowed to tradition and enjoyed it anyway. It was a delightful day, one in which I am grateful, not only for the gifts of the day but the people in my life. Anne Marie asked of the holiday celebrations of my childhood and I recalled that for the most part they were joyous feasts at our home or the homes of my mom's sisters the Snyder's and the Delany's. Then when I married Anne, it was our house, her parents house and later the house of her brother Harry and Carol and their family. As our kids reached adulthood the circle changed again and continues to evolve.

While all that was going on, the Cecora and Copeland families, I am sure, have been going through similar metamorphous and our thoughts and prayers now include them. Circumstance and distance preclude holiday gatherings that might have been but there are no "ifs". We can not change what has happened, nor would we want to change anything. Life is what is happening this moment ... "For yesterday is over and tomorrow's far away, and I am committed to the good I do today."

And so, today I am thankful to have, most of all, been given life and all that comes with it. I thank God for my adopted family , then Anne and our life together which includes our family along with the Lawler's and their extended family. I also give thanks for the distant families of the two responsible for my life and their families as well as the most recent gift of knowing them. As you can see, I have been gifted with much more than the average person and to all, family and friends, near and far, I extend wishes for a ...

I mentioned the thoughts of C. S. Lewis about choir music. I think of my good friend Bob Lewis, among other things a choir member. C. S. said when speaking of all the practice and work that goes into the preparation ...

"When it succeeds, I think the performers are the most enviable of people, privileged while mortals to honor God like angels and, for a few golden moments, to see spirit and flesh, delight and labour, skill and worship, the natural and the supernatural, all fused into that unity they would have had before the fall."

The choir members, get a taste of what the garden of Eden must have been like. And we the listeners get a taste of Heaven. Our Choir is exceptionally good and so I can appreciate those words.

I came home from the Albano's with plenty of leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner and an added treat. Jack Toomy, their next door neighbor, made Irish soda bread and I got to take home some of that. I had it for breakfast Friday morning and I love it. Yes I know, the texture leaves something to be desired and the taste, even with the raisins, is not spectacular but when used as a raft for copious amounts of butter it is GREAT! Thanks Jack.

I got another treat when I checked my email. Grandpa Schober had "Elfed himself" and sent it to his friends, As you all know, I did the same. Kurt Burg said he didn't know I had so many moves. Well, you haven't seen it all. I had so much fun that another was sent to family members, this time it featured the dancing elves, Jim Cecora, Don Plefka, and John Copeland, appearing on stage together for the first time. See it here.