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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Go to the Current Event for ..
Archive
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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Bulletin:
Nick Plefka started his teaching career on Thursday and Friday of this week as a substitute teacher in Tinley Park. He taught 4th graders and had, according to all reports from the children and himself, great success. This was related by a proud father on Friday morning.
(Now back to last weekend)
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of having dinner at Rocco's with my niece, Chris (Lawler) and her future husband George along with his delightful children Bobby, Sami, and Joey. We went for the whole nine yards starting with appetizers. All but Chris who enjoyed a salad followed that with the delicious lobster bisque. After much deliberation we all made choices for our entrees. Bobby, the high school student, is a culinary adventurer and had the huge bowl of calamari. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals and had generous portions wrapped to take home, except for George who couldn't stop eating his veal dish. Joey was concerned that if he didn't finish his pasta Alfrado that he couldn't have a canola for desert and his father confirmed that assumption. I informed Joey that since I was the host, his father had no say in the matter so I ordered spumoni for myself and a canola for Joey. No on else wanted desert but after they has seen and sampled the canola, another was ordered and generously shared.
I had said that it was a pleasure and that was an understatement. Sami and her brother Joey are twins attending junior high and they and Bobby were soon at ease with me. It was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other. George has another daughter, Stephanie, away at college. I have never seen Chris so happy. George and I were raised in the Brighton Park neighborhood and although we were a generation apart had many common memories of life there as children. Included, and a surprise to the kids, was the fact that when the boys went swimming in the Kelly High School pool it was au' natural. The girls were issued the school swim suits and of course, girls and boys never swam at the same time. Even Chris learned something of her grandparents during our conversation. She did not know that her grandmother at 16 and grandfather at 19, ran off to Crown Point, Indiana to be married by a justice of the peace because she was under age in Illinois. They were again married in their parish rectory by the pastor many years later. In regard to Chris and George's wedding reception, it will be held in the unique setting of the Tinley Park train station. We parted, well fed and with our spirits uplifted after a delightful evening.
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Between thunderstorms I went to Mass Sunday morning. They started on Saturday and continued intermittently for two days, some were loud with heavy downpours and others mild but all had light rain inbetween. The area retention basins had generous amounts of water. The city planners in our area had the foresight to insist that developers set aside parcels of land to retain the runoff from heavy rains so that streets and homes do not flood. Even when we built our new church and then again when the offices (pastoral center) were constructed, the retention basin on the property had to be expanded. As I left church I noticed the ducks were happily cruising on the parish's half full retention pond. In the summer when it is a field of grass, it is the sight of the parish picnic.
I had a dilemma for the Afternoon. I could have gone to the parish retreat. The presenter this year Joe Paprocki, DMin. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Ministry) . You can learn more about him at http://www.stjulie.org/00Parish10a.htm#Lent . He spoke at all the Masses on Sunday and revealed that although he lives in Evergreen Park, some 25 minutes from our parish and they have several nearby parishes from which to choose, he and his family regularly attend our parish for its superior music, liturgies and homilies as well as the energetic participation of the parishioners. I could have also gone to Dan & Karen's for corned beef and cabbage, always a delight. I chose however to have dinner at the Albano's.
The choice was influenced by the fact that we were celebrating (late) Anthony's birthday and Dom & Anne Marie's anniversary. (early). Rose Albano was there as well as Bella, who brought her parents. The BBQ ribs were fantastic. I kept looking to see if Anne Marie's mother was there in the kitchen because they were up to her standards of tenderness and succulent taste. (A little bit of heaven, perhaps.) I also enjoyed the Cole slaw. And then of course there was the cake, lovingly baked by my daughter. Another delightful dinner with some of the best people in the world. Mikey and I went home fully satisfied in body and spirit.
The following observation by a very wise Mother Teresa can apply to many aspects of our lives. Indeed everything needs fuel because the fabled perpetual motion machine has yet to be invented. We eat to feed our bodies and we meet with people to feed our need for community and support. And yet we find people who say they have a great relationship with God and never need to renew it ... or once or twice a year is enough. They have no idea that they are starving themselves or running on fumes. They may be worse off than the person who denies God and has no expectation of paradise. At least they will not be disappointed.
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Monday there were a lot of emails to read and some that warranted response. One was from a person doing research on the Packard family and had found her Ancestor Richard Packard who died in England in May of 1531 mentioned on this web site. This always grabs my interest because she may be of a line of Packard's which has some information about the broken link in our knowledge of the family. So of course, I replied in that hope.
After lunch, having depleted my supply of milk, I was off to the Jewel store to forage for supplies. Having found all the necessities and a bit more, I returned home to stock the larder. Then Mikey and I went out into the garden. It was in need of attention since the heaving of the ground had toppled several statues and some decorative solar lights. I was concerned that a statue or two may be resting on some plants and I wanted them to have every opportunity to emerge from the ground when the time came. I was none too soon because there was one laying on new sprouts. All my day lilies are showing new spring growth. They are a hearty breed and I'm sure they will survive the freezes that I know will occur several times before summer arrives.
Supper time was upon me before I knew it and I heated up the Veil Marcella left over from Saturday's visit to Rocco's. It was just as delicious as it was then but without the appetizers and desert, which after my generous eating of the past two days, I didn't need. Tom called from the Kansas City Airport while he was waiting for his flight home. It was a one day business trip and he was eager to be home. Fortunately he was coming into Midway Airport here so it would be a short ride and he was traveling without luggage.
For those of you who would like to see what has caused our current monetary problems, Bob Clarke and Frank Schober both sent a good explanation. See Credit Crisis. It is long but it takes some time to explain something this complex. Although ... It all boils down to too much "leverage"... buying things with someone else's money. It also misses an important aspect which I believe may further impact the situation and that is unrestrained credit card borrowing. That shoe has not yet dropped for many.
After a dry day on Monday, Tuesday returned the rain. During the early morning hours it was constant followed by a lull and more later. Water, water everywhere. No problems right here but some areas of the city have big problems. A little good news arrived in the mail from our fire protection district. They have too much money and will rebate some of it by way of a reduction on the next tax bill. There will also be a check coming soon from the Village as a rebate on last year's property tax. Somebody in local government is doing something right. My new Packard Family contact sent a link to the site that has helped them trace their line of the family. It was no help to me. The problem is that the families were very large with a multitude of sons. Some left a trail that could be followed but others just faded away without leaving a trace.
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I exchanged emails with Jason. He is the St Julie webministry member who has been nibbling away at a new format for the parish web site. What he has done so far looks great and will make the updating of the web site much easier in the future and give us undreamed of features. The bad news is that he has been so busy with his job and his "private" clients that he has had no spare time for this "free" work for the parish. The good news is that he has been so busy with his job and his "private" clients that he has had no spare time for this "free" work for the parish. In this day and age it is good to be over-employed. Business has been so good with his private clients that he has given his notice to his boss. It is a rare case when a person can do that these days. In any case, he expects to resume work with us in the very near future.
Mary Moskal sent a link to a site which will tell you more than you want to know about your birth date and the Zodiac signs and numerology that goes along with it. It will tell you the day of the week and the phase of the moon as well as things like the fact that my date of conception was on or about 13 August 1930 which was a Wednesday and I was born on a Wednesday. I personally hold no stock in either the signs of the Zodiac or numerology but other interesting facts are included on this site such as the dates in other calendars on which a person was born. If you are curious, go to Birthday Calculator. It is my firm belief that the lives of people are governed by their genetic history, their environment and education, and the choices they make. These choices of course are in turn governed by their religious beliefs or lack thereof. The positions of the stars, or the effects of numbers as well as the possession of "luck", again in my opinion, are superstition and are incompatible with a belief in God. They seem to me to be a "cop-out", an attempt to deny responsibility for ones own actions and definitely, in my view, preclude the intervention of God in our lives. Yes, I know that there are those who will say that a belief in God and the supernatural are a superstition but I believe that is their problem, not mine. If they are wrong, they are in for a big surprise when they die. If I am wrong, I'll never know it but in the mean time I have a life of faith, hope and love.
I am particularly amazed by friends who send beautiful religious inspirational messages that end by saying I must forward it to 8 people within 8 minutes and something wonderful will happen to me. Does God work that way? Does he monitor our emails to see if we comply with these directives? What is magical about sending to 8 people and why the 8 minute time limit? Did God set these goals and limits? Superstition and God are incompatible. In many cases I may have forwarded those messages based on their merits alone. As Christians we are to evangelize. We are to give comfort and hope to others. But I will not do it when it is tainted with superstition. God wants us to do the right thing because we believe and live His way, not because we are coerced by promise of some magical benefit. My well meaning friends have taken a beautiful thing and distorted it with superstition. Why not just send it on with no strings or conditions, letting it's message work. Forget the stick and the carrot. Just do what your heart tells you to do. Then you send a powerful message.
I sent a copy of the above comments to the sender of the (offending) email and he replied the following day with: "If I had had this URL yesterday, perhaps I might have spared your sensibilities. {grin] " Attached was a link to Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries. The original email that he had forwarded to me was a rip-off of this beautiful site. It includes a very well done "Stations of the Cross" which can be used as a Lenten devotion if you wish.
Destiny is
not a matter of chance,
it is a matter of choice;
it is not a thing to be waited for,
it is a thing to be achieved.
~ William
Jennings Bryan
And so I invite you to go to the top of this page and click on the 3 Minute Retreat. Why 3 minutes? Just because it only takes that long. Why do it? Because you may benefit from it's message if your heart is in the right place. Why do I suggest it? Because I have found it to be something I find productive to my spiritual life and I want to share it. It may cause me to be a better person in the visit and in inviting others. If you don't click on it, nothing will happen ... and that's the rub. Nothing happens if we do nothing. I have since subscribed to the email version of this retreat so I could get it every day without coming to my web site.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ! wishes go to Dom and Anne Marie. My daughter writes: "I left Dom a note this morning....saying he has been married 31 years....half his life....no turning back now! Ha Ha! :)" Doesn't time fly when you are having fun? Being together for 31 years is only one indication of a happy and successful marriage. Even more substantial evidence is found in their offsprings, four great young men, themselves on their way to success. We celebrate with them ... lives well lived. Congratulations to Dom & Anne Marie.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes go to Kathy Kisel, the daughter of my sister Rita (Copeland) Barilla. May she have many more and may life treat her kindly.
There are
people who want to be everywhere at once
and they get nowhere.
~ Carl
Sandburg
An email announcement came today from my broker. I own some GE bonds and the company would like to buy them back for a nice premium over the book price. I'll bet they would. They pay over 8% and don't mature for another three years. I have a few weeks to decide but I'll make twice as much if I keep them since I plan to live at least another three years. I think I'll keep them.
After
a few weeks of leaf-growing, Biscus has returned to a period of
flowering. Each
day it greets me with one or two of it's huge bright red velvety flowers
spanning about 6 inches in diameter. On these unseasonably cold days
with morning temperatures in the teens and strong winds, my plant brings
a tropical atmosphere to the living room and a promise of springtime to
come. All it asks of me is to give it a generous ration of water once a
week, occasionally spiked with a bit of liquid Miracle Grow and a cheery
"Hi - Bsscus" whenever I walk into the room. He never complains (if it
is a "he" - but in Latin, Biscus would be a masculine name) If I
forget his water there is the melancholy drooping of the leaves and I
know he is sad. He is immediately restored to a more jovial state and I
am rewarded with flowers. He is never in direct sunlight but the room is
bright and cheerful when the sun is shining. He responds in kind. The
leaf growing periods are brief while he resides in the living room but
he flowers long and often. It is in the summertime while he lives on
the patio in full sun all day that his leaves are restored and there is
prolific growth of the branches. Click on the thumbnails for a better
look at my friend.
I believe
that a simple and unassuming manner of life
is best for everyone,
best both for the body and the mind.
~ Albert
Einstein
In his youth, Mikey would jump up on the arm chair near the front window in the living room. From there he could watch out the window and see the cars go by and the occasional person walking or jogging by. He especially watched for the neighbor walking a dog, sometimes two. That always initiates furious barking with his tail swishing to and fro with an energy that threatens to tear it loose and send it flying across the room. Now, going into his mature years, his little legs will not give him the spring needed to propel him up to his favorite seat. When I sit down on the couch with my coffee and light the candle for my morning reflections, he sits in front of me staring at me. When he has my attention, he glances at the chair, then back to me, repeating the plea for assistance until I get up and pick him up, placing him on the chair. Sometimes he curls up and relaxes with his head down and sometimes he lays with his chin resting on the arm of the chair surveying the world outside. When I have finished talking with God and Anne, he generally stays in his vantage point while I go about whatever needs to be done. Neighbors have told me that they always look for him there as they pass by and miss him when he is not there.
Mikey, Biscus and I have settled into a simple routine and as Albert Einstein suggests it seems to be good for the body and soul. I am still reading C. S. Lewis' God in the Dock and and feel I benefit much from his wisdom. I generally read one short essay each day from this book. Weekends are generally enhanced with family and the days are busy with a multitude of things. This page gets a paragraph or two each day and the email always has something of interest. And then, ... every once in a while a nap captures me and gives me repose. On the serious side, ... but then I even take my relaxation seriously, I am researching my financial strategies to cope with market and other changing conditions. That has been interesting and educational. You can't always change what is happening but with the help of God, friends and family, you can roll with the punches and cope with anything that comes along. I had thought that I would have to leave my beloved home sometime down the line and was preparing myself to cope with that. But I not only found a way to avoid that but to use the house to support me in the coming years. I am now confident that my lifestyle will continue in the comfort and security of my private retirement resort for quite a few years to come and I look forward to many seasons of joy in Grandpa's Guardian Angel Garden.
Lent is a time to renew one's self and this lent promises to be successful in that regard, at least for me. The following words continue to be very true ...
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I am blest |
Grandpa Don
Plefka
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Following the link is ...
the name of the person who led me to it.
Boogey through Life ... Alex Kapocius
Born Again
America ... Mary Moscal
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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