The World of Grandpa Don
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Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works
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What's New In the world of Grandpa Don |
Week Ending Friday |
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Or to learn more of Grandpa Don and his remarkable family ...
Many of the quotes found on this page are from the daily messages I receive from Covenant House  |
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Saturday January 10, 2009 was the occasion of the Baptism of Isabella Ann Albano at St. Julie Billiart Church Officiating was Father Artur Sowa. The God parents were her uncle Joseph Albano and her cousin Brittiny Villa. After the liturgy the family went to the home of great-grandpa Don for feasting and celebration. Sarah's family ... parents, sisters, and their families braved the snow and cold to travel from the Detroit and Grand Rapids areas, and Dominick's parents, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins gathered from Chicago and vicinity. Even Ashley, Anthony's girl friend, came from Indianapolis. There were 32 of us including me and Bella's great-grandmother Rose Albano.
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Dominick, Sarah, Bella and Fr Artur Sowa |
Dominick, Sarah & Bella Flanked by Godparents Brittany Villa & Joe Albano |
Nick had come in the morning and using the snow blower, cleared the
driveway but a light snow continued to fall. Mark had gotten off work
early and before the ceremony re-shoveled the drive and spread de-icing
chemicals. Everything was ready, thanks to my family. Everyone shed
coats and boots and soon the inclement weather was forgotten as glasses
were filled and Bella was passed from loving arms to loving arms. I took
the small children down the the carpeted and finished basement and
they were delighted when I opened the doors to a closet full of toys,
long since outgrown by my grandkids, but never discarded. Soon the food
arrived and was set out to be devoured. The dining room table and the
kitchen table had been set and the bar, card table and snack trays were
all put to good use. A cake and Hungarian
pastries had been brought by the Nagy's to round off the meal and poppy
seed coffee cake was brought by them as a special treat for me. Sarah's
sisters and their families had planned to leave early for their Michigan
homes but due to the continuing snow decided to stay overnight so they
were able to stay at the party longer as well. Before Dom's mom, Rose
Albano, left there was a picture taken of her and I, great grandma, and
great grandpa with Bella. Rose said she would show it to her friends,
telling them that she got married and had a baby. (Click the
thumbnail for a better view.)
Anne Marie, Joe, Anthony and Ashley were the last to leave. The last of the glasses were in the dishwasher and the tablecloths were in the wash machine. Someone had picked up all the toys in the basement and except for my share of the left-overs in the refrigerator there was little evidence of a party ... unless, of course, if you could see into my heart, glowing with joy and contentment. I settled down to watch a bit of TV and then before going to bed had another generous slice of that poppy seed coffeecake with a glass of milk. They had left the whole coffeecake for me and I went to sleep reflecting on the glorious day and anticipating having more of the coffeecake for breakfast. I love poppy seed pastry.
Anne
Marie sent the photos on Sunday and there was a second shot of the
great-grandparents. I
thought it merited special attention and cropped myself out of it, did a
little touching up and sent it to my daughter so she could print and
frame it for Rose. When you look "Happy" up in the dictionary, that
photo should be there. Dominick and Sarah had brought some photos with
them to the party and I had to have them. The one at the top right is of
their Labrador retriever, Hunter ... protector of
Bella. The one to the lower right is Bella of course, wearing the colors
of her favorite football team. There is no doubt in my mind that her
first words will be, "Da Bears". My great-granddaughter's parents also
gave me a double frame with a photo of Bella and I on one side and a
beautiful poem on the other. I share it with you below:
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Great-Grandpa Take my little hand, Hold it close and dear. We have both been blessed, To have each other here. Generations join us, Although many years apart. Together in time and place, Together in our hearts. My life is new and innocent, Your life experienced and wise. Great-Grandpa let us share the world, Through each other's eyes. |
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It was not planned that way by the one who snapped the photo, but you will notice that there are angels trumpeting GLORIAS above and behind little Isabella Ann, very appropriate indeed ... that may have been the work of her Great-Grandma Anne. It is beyond any doubt a glorious occasion.
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It is the heart always that sees, |
Last week I spoke of the heavenly GPS being much different from the global positioning system we have for our cars. It is, no doubt, a wonder and a miracle of sorts that God has given us the ability to develop this kind of technology but those of us that have used them long enough will know that they aren't perfect, having been programmed by humans and subject to our imperfections. Besides, the human GPS only takes us where we think we want to go, not where it may be best for us to go.. Bella's Baptism, however, is, if you will, the granting of Gods Pilot System, a GPS that is spiritual in nature and if we will only learn to use it, truly infallible. Baptism has somewhat different for Christians of various denominations. Some do not believe it should be administered to infants. Even some Catholics do not fully understand it's implications. Some refer to it as Christening. If by that they mean that it confers membership in the Christian Church it is somewhat correct as opposed to just naming the child. The Catholic belief is that in baptism there is the absolution of Original Sin and the granting of Grace and Blessings that stay with the person for ever. We no more feel that it depends on the choice of the person being baptized than it would be to wait for a person to choose to go to school. It would be unconscionable to deprive a child of education until they decided they needed it or to deprive them of the graces of Baptism until they realized that it would have benefitted them. We do not ask a child's permission to vaccinate against measles or chicken pox. Like education, a person in later life can chose not to use it and can ignore it. ("A person who does not read is no better than one who can not read.")
Now that Bella's soul has been marked as Christian it it is up to her parents to help her build on that and teach her what that means and what it entails. In addition, she has "God" parents who represent us all in our duty to instill Christian values and beliefs in Bella and in all those we meet. We must learn to use God's Pilot System to guide ourselves and to teach others, mostly by example, that it is there for us and it is reliable ... indeed, infallible, but only if we don't let our ego get in the way and override the system. If absolutely necessary, we can use words but that is best left to the preachers. People go to church to listen to them and normally don't take kindly to those who preach at them, uninvited.
I had the kind of Doctor's appointment I like on Monday. The appointment time was 2 PM and I arrived 5 minutes early. I was in the room before 2 and back in my car at 2:15. It was my regular 9 week visit to the foot doctor and so my toenails are neatly trimmed and my feet are expected to support me for the foreseeable future. We also had time for him to tell me of the good time he had on Sunday when he took his six year old son bowling for the first time and I related the events of my great weekend.
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He who is outside the door has already a good part of his
journey behind him. |
It is called "The Fear Factor". No, not the TV show ... the weather forecast. They said there was a BLIZZARD Warning for Monday night and Tuesday morning. I got a call from the parish office. Panic had set in and would I send an email to all "Include-Me" members that the Young-at-Heart luncheon for Tuesday was canceled ... rescheduled for next week. It was soon sent. Well, we had 2 - 3 inches of light snow Monday night, no wind to speak of and Tuesday was cold but bathed in bright sunshine all day. I have been bemused lately by the people on the news broadcasts getting all worked up over snow predictions. These people are obviously not native Chicagoans. Come on guys, it is WINTER and it is Chicago! This is what to expect here. Yes, it is a good idea to prepare people for the inevitable. People who are unfortunate enough to be homeless or who live in sub-standard housing should be told that there are shelters and warming centers. (It would be better to have done something about that before winter came.)
Joe came at about 11:30 and cleared my driveway and walkways. The sun was so bright that even with the air temperature at 9 F, the remaining snow on the driveway was melting. I offered him lunch but he had to be on his way to (indoor) baseball practice. I watched the noon news. They said that the big storm had mostly missed us to the north and it didn't develop into the expected blizzard but ... A BLIZZARD was coming on Wednesday! This will be the BIG one! Well, right now it is just an old fashioned Chicago winter. It has snowed an inch or two every two or three days and has been cold enough so that we have accumulated 8" or more. It is beautiful out and there will be enough moisture when it melts so that the crops and flowers will be glorious in the spring.
Tuesday, Alex Kapocius sent so many forwarded emails that it took hours to go through them. He does that. Last Sunday after mass I asked him when he has time to eat and sleep. His emails contain a great variety of subjects and you may have noticed that I share many of them with you when they fit the "theme" of this web site. This week I put something he sent up at the top of the page in the box I call "A Thought". I invite you to go back to the top and read it. Then ... think about it.
Wednesday morning we awakened to about an inch or so of new snow and fine light snow was falling. While eating breakfast the fine light evolved into larger heavy flakes which continued through the morning. I was like a Christmas card. Bionic Bob Lewis had called Tuesday evening in high spirits. His rehab is progressing to the point that he is actually using his legs to move the walker, not visa versa. However, he has not been able to get internet access so I did his part of updating the parish web site again this week. That was easier for me also, having had the practice of last week.
In addition to the above, I was asked to send out a notification that Thursday morning's Bible Study had been canceled and as soon as I had done that, there was a request to send a notification that the Thursday evening "What Makes us Catholic" discussion group had also been canceled. I look forward to the time when we will be able to post emergency notices on the parish web site. Jason has not been able to work on the new structure for it because his business has been demanding his time. That is great! Ford, Chrysler and Buick should have that problem.
Nick had called about mid morning to tell me he would come to clear my snow. I told him to wait until it stopped, knowing that it was the light fluffy kind and the snow blower could handle the added accumulation. There was no point in doing it twice. By 2:30 it had stopped and the sun was out. We got about 5" and it appeared to be about a foot deep ... or more ... when added to the previous snows. Of course, where the plows and snow blowers had banked it it was more than twice that. Now we gird for the cold. When Nick left he said he was going to clear their driveway for the second time. He also had cleared his neighbor's drive. Thanks Nick
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If you want to see the sun shine, |
Thursday dawned bright, sunny and frigid. Temperatures are expected to stay below the dreaded zero mark (F) for about 40 hours and hit -13 tonight. That is actual degrees Fahrenheit, not wind chill and that is expected to be about -30. Mikey's trips outside are brief and he looks like he is walking on his tip toes when he comes in. It really makes one appreciate the nice warm bath room.
With Bible study canceled, there was no excuse. I sat down and composed a two page letter to my cousin Tilly Plefka. There were many things to relate since neither she or the daughter she lives with have a computer. Then I bundled up and made the short trip to the mail box at the curb to send it on its way. A little snow had blown over parts of the driveway and there was the crunch of super cold snow under foot. When I came in, a serving of Firehouse Chili was in order. The sun reflecting off the brilliant white snow was so bright that I had to close the window blinds in order to watch the noon news on TV. But as opposed to previous days, even that glorious sun was no match for the aortic air and there was no hint of melting. The snow simply reflected the sun's heat back into the cloudless sky to be scattered into space beyond.
Faith, hope, and charity –
if we had more of the first two,
we’d need less of the last.
~ Anonymous
Friday ... today ... is the same as yesterday ... Sunshine and very cold. Mikey got me up at 5 AM to go out and then we went back to bed. It was 8:30 by the time I got out of bed.. My little friend had an upset stomach as evidenced by the rug at the bedroom door. Some club soda brings the stain to the surface where it is easily absorbed by paper towel.
Are You Going to Finish Strong? Nick Vujicic has no arms or legs but has come to terms with his lot in life and he delivers an inspirational speech to these kids that they will probably never forget. Jean Dean and others sent a link to Finishing Strong It is well worth the watching, especially if you feel you have been dealt a bad hand.
On a less serious note All Kapocius sent The Magic of WD40 . Wow! I always knew it was good but with WD40 and duct tape you don't need anything else. Well... food maybe.
Each day provides it’s own gifts.
~ Martial proverb
We will survive ... even enjoy ... the winter, thanks to modern homes, clothes, and conveniences. We pray for those less fortunate and thank God we are able to pay the taxes and donate to charities so that government and others can provide assistance to those who need it. "There, but for the grace of God, go I". We thank God for all the factors that went to saving the people who 's plane went down in the Hudson river. It reminded me of the flight I was on coming into Tulsa many years ago through a very violent thunderstorm. The plane was being tossed about in the turbulence and I knew we we would die Obviously I didn't but I can appreciate how the people on this recent flight felt.
Thank you God for my life. It started on a wing and a prayer and there have been rough spots along the way. I wouldn't have it any other way because it has included much love and beauty. I don't try to balance and measure the good against the bad because they all meld together. I love my life and I love even more what is to follow.
Have a happy winter.
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I am blest |
Grandpa Don
Plefka
. Links
of the Week
Following the link is ...
the name of the person who led me to it.
State Flowers
... Alex Kapocius
The Magic of WD40 ... Alex Kapocius
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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