Rosemary's Blessing

Let us approach the feast of the Holy Spirit with the confidence and conviction that the Spirit of God who has brought us this far is always ahead of us, calling us forward and offering us what we need.

 

Let us ask for the Spirit’s Gifts of:

Wonder and Amazement at God’s faithful, steady, unconditional love for us in all the planned and unplanned times in our lives

Compassion for those who are suffering, isolated, hungry or unemployed

Deep Peace and Calm when we are in the midst of anxiety, worry or loss

Courage in conflictual situations that call us to speak the truth with love

Trust and Confidence that God is with us as God beckons us forward in ways unknown.

 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with your Spirit that we may do our part in healing and transforming our world into the realm of God ~ A place of inclusive love, unity, reconciliation, justice and peace.

 

Adapted from a Prayer and Refection by Sister Jean Amore, CSJ, Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, New York

 

 

Thanks to the Team

Music, Shonda & Ben

Readers, Tom & Denni,  & Buddy, the candle blessing

Eucharistic Prayer & Gospel, John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers, Mike & Ben & Becky 

Final Blessing for last day of May, Rosemary

 

 

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles, 2, 1-11, They were all together in one place.

Psalm 104, Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth

1 Corinthians  12, 3-7, 12-13, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same spirit

John 20, 19-23, Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you." 

 

Please Remember these special people:

For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery;   For Joe Hogan with cancer;  For Loretta's aunt Alicia;   For Ryan, Rosemary's nephew, who had surgery; For Bill Hammond,    For Sydney;  & For Sir Charlie;  Shonda's mom;   For Gilberto:  for Michelle;  For a friend, a neighbor, & a doctor, Karen, with brain cancer; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free.;    For Hue;  For John O'Donnell;    For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini;  Virginia Mattingly

 

SPECIAL NEWS:  I have a good friend who has joined us at Romeos a couple of times over the years.    His dad is 93 years old.  His dad was diagnosed with The Virus.  He was hospitalized.   Recently he was discharged and declared healthy!  Amen!

 

 

Birthdays: Ray (80), Christi Occhipinti (45), Zaile Ekes, Shonda, Brent (13, AA), & Mabel (88!)

 

 

Community Finances, May 31, 2020

Expenses: $2000.00

Outreach:  $150.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

Reading 1

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

        When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—and no one could tell where it came from.  It filled the whole building.  Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. 

There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world.  When they heard the sound, they came on the run.  Then when they heard, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck.  They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans?  How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues? 

        “Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;

        Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,

        Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,

        Egypt and parts of Libya;

        Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;

        Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works.”

Our word for today.

 

 

Reading 2

 A Reading from the first Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

        Sisters and brothers:  No one would say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.  God’s various gifts are given out everywhere, and are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit.  God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God is behind it all.  Each person is given something to do that shows who God is:  Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. 

        You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body.  Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body.  It’s exactly the same with Christ.       By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives.  We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say.  Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink.  The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful.

Our word for today.

 

 

 

The Lord be with you.       A Reading from the Gospel of John

          Later on that first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together. Fearful of the Jews, they had locked all the doors in the house.  Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”  Then he showed them his hands and side. 

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant.  Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you.  Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

        Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them.  “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said.  “If you forgive someone’s sins, they are gone for good.  If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

The Good News of John.

 

 

Pentecost Homily by Stack

We are celebrating The Spirit this Sunday and I have a question.  When was the last time you saw The Spirit?  Knowing you folks as well as I do, I would surmise that you have seen The Spirit often, but you may not recognize what you are looking at.  Let me tell you about 3 visits of The Spirit that I have seen.  See what you think.

First, say you are a girl about 10 years old.  May is your birthday month and with your mom’s help you always have had a party.  This year??  Your mom gets inspired.  All the girls you want to get invited will get invited to an afternoon party.  Each girl will come in the family car with her mom or dad or both.   Park on both sides of the street in front of the house.  

 

 

A street birthday for an eleven year old girl.

 

Instead  of coming into the house, each girl will sit in the car window or lean out of the sun roof or sit on the roof.  The birthday girl will walk up and down the lane talking with the girls on their perches.

I saw it, folks, really, while walking Aviana with Rosemary one afternoon.  For real.  There must have been 10-12 girls perched on their family cars and the birthday girl was walking up and down the lane.  I felt privileged to walk that lane.  Since then I have heard about other street parties in our Preston Hollow neighborhood.   Recognize The Spirit?

 

 

The Spirit also surprised me one other morning when I was walking Aviana.  I noticed that some yellow yard signs with red script  had sprung up. 

For instance.

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.  (yes, that's Aviana blessing the property)

 

 

I can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.

 

 

 

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.

 

Catch the spirit?

 

 

My third example of the presence of The Spirit.  My parents have lived in this house in this Preston Hollow neighborhood since ’75.  Rosemary & I have lived here since 2005.  Never in this time have I seen so many families walking with dogs and little kids.  I’ve seen lots of little kids practicing to ride their learning wheel loaded bikes.  Rosemary knew personally most of the people who walk their dogs.   Now days, after the tornado destruction and the Virus, there are so many new dogs & dog walkers that we are overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed with delight!

Where is The Spirit in your life?

 

 

 

 

A Note from Becky: Song books will be available in the front office of the school in case anyone would like to come by and pick one up so they can sing along.

 

 

Readings:    

Jeremiah  31, 7-9,   Shout with joy.

Psalm 126,   The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy.

Hebrews 5, 1-6,   Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God.

Mark 10, 46-52,  Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the road begging. 

 

Jeremiah observations:

Who:  one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much. 

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message.   Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.

When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 575 before Christ  (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).

Remember, too,  that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.

Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed?  Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 575.

Why?  The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians.  They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry.  Three special laws were established: 1.  male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.

The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law.  They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days.  Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest.  So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians.  It worked, even down to today.

Subject: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.

Today: Beautiful message of peace and consolation.  It is coming.

Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia

Leo and Cole

 She Danced through Life

Rosemary & I had the privilege and the honor Thursday to attend the funeral of another noble woman & friend, like Joan, Colleen Romero. 

I calculate that Rosemary & I have known Colleen and her husband for ten years.  We certainly knew them for a couple of years before we got married in 05/05/05.   You will never guess how we met them.  Dancing.

 Somewhere along the line, a group of us noticed that Plano Parks provided a whole variety of adult classes, among them dancing.  So Rosemary & I, Gilberto & Bernadette, Beth & Rob , and some others, we all decided, “Let’s go learn to dance.”  And so we met Colleen and Fred.

They were our teachers.  They were elegant, charming, and fun.  I danced with Colleen a number of times.  I would ask Fred how I was learning some special dance.  He would laugh.  Then Colleen would guide me to a point where I got it.

 This is the first thing I see when I remember Colleen.  She danced through life, charming, elegant, smiling, and having fun.  She and Fred were even running dance classes at St. Gabriel parish for adults who had Parkinson’s or coordination problems. 

A  second aspect to Colleen I saw recently.  It was a few weeks back when I got a notice that Colleen was not doing well and was in the hospital.   We had not seen her and Fred for months, maybe a year.  She had been struggling with various joint problems for some time, but this was supposed to be serious.

So, I called her straight up.  She answered.  She sounded groggy and stressed.  In fact, she was experiencing nausea.  So I made it quick, saying I loved her and sent her all my support.  She said this may be her time and that she was okay about it.

A few more days go by and I get another note saying that the word is this really is it.  This time we get in the car and go visit her at Medical City Plano. 

I walk in and find her looking and sounding great.  However, she says this is truly her time, that she wants no special treatment, and that she is totally ready.  She was in that acceptance stage we talk about in stages of dying, the stage of peace.  

Colleen was not like Mark’s Bartimaeus today.  She was not blind.  She could see.  She danced her way through life and when her time approached, she accepted it. 

Like I asked with Joan, how have you been blessed by people like Colleen?

 

 

Readings:  Wisdom 9, 13-18; Psalm 90, In every age, O Lord, You have been Our Refuge; Philemon 9-10, 12-17 (expand, 4-22); Luke 14, 24-33

 

Philemon observations:

Author: Paul in prison in Rome.

Time: around 60 C.E.

 

Actors:

—Paul

—Philemon, a leader of the Christian community in Colossae ( in Turkey today), maybe a slave owner

—Onesimus, maybe a run away slave, maybe a brother to Philemon.  This letter was used for centuries by slave owners to justify slavery.  Right up to the Confederacy.

 

 

What is going on:  Paul is writing to Philemon to request a warm welcome to Onesimus, who, as slave or brother, has apparently run off with money or goods of Philemon.  When Onesimus ran away, he met Paul and they became close, with Onesimus helping Paul while he is imprisoned.

 

 

We’ll read verses 4-24 for a broader picture of the letter.

 

 

Wisdom observation:  a book of counsel on behavior.  Basically, be good thrive, bad burn alive.  Not written by Solomon.

 

 

Sources: Good News Bible; Christian Inconnect (on line); New Interpreter’s Study Bible, pp. 2147 & ff.

 

 

Hate My Parents?  Renounce My Possessions?

 

 

I would like to talk this morning about the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred bike ride in Wichita Falls last Saturday.

 

Approximately every ten miles of the HHH there is a rest station.  You can get water, gator aide, pickle juice, pickles, bananas, watermelon, and other specialties.  The pickle juice & bananas are for potassium to prevent muscle cramps, which I have to fight.

 

 

I stop at every rest station except the ten mile station.  Last Saturday I was at the 30 miles station, a favorite because the ladies there bake chocolate chip cookies.  Trouble is, I can only eat one.  Or I’ll throw up.

 

 

I had made a resolution to lie down at each stop for a few minutes.  So I lie down in the grass near my bike.  Almost immediately another rider says to me, “You okay?”  I was perfectly okay I told him.  Thanks.

 

 

This caring for one another really touches me and seems contagious throughout the event.  Other people have asked me how I’m doing (maybe they think the old geezer can’t make it) and I ask others. 

 

 

My buddy and mentor Hammond tells me another story of people helping people.  He goes by a girl with a flat tire.  He remembers her well because she was all in pink, pink jersey, pink pants & shoes, pink helmet & bike, long blond hair.  Bill said there were about 5 guys all helping her.  I asked him if shortly there was a sixth.

 

 

Bill said he was telling Greg Moldovan the story at the next rest stop.  A guy near them in the crowd said, “Hey, I was one of those guys and we were only three.”

 

 

I tell stories about caring for one another to broaden Luke's demanding  message today.  Hate my parents?  Maybe not so hard to do sometimes.  My brothers & sisters?  Renounce all my possessions?  Hey, I’ve done this, actually twice.  It ain’t the answer.  What is the healthy approach?

 

 

Three observations.

First, we have here the old Christian dynamic of infinite demand—coupled with infinite acceptance.  It is not meant literally, but symbolically.

 

Secondly, this infinite demand can be healthy & useful.  What about healthy detachment for a greater good?  High school & college football practice is in full throttle right now.  When I played a bit of high school football, in order to get in shape we did all sorts of conditioning exercises. We did pushups so often I hated them for the rest of my life.

 

 

To achieve a greater good I may have to detach from my parents & my possessions. 

 

Thirdly, I have 4 examples of the caring-for-others-way being a greater good.

a.  Paul’s care for Onesimus in the second reading.

b.  Luke’s very own story of the Good Samaritan.

c.  The guy asking me if I was okay.

d.  Greg Mortenson’s stunning book, Stones into Schools, about building girls’ schools in Afghanistan

 

Whom do you care for?

 

Picture 1:   Mass Begins

 

Picture 2:   Mass Ends

 

Picture 3:   Georgie & Zoe enjoy the celebration

 

Picture 4:   Normally the one taking the pictures, Jan is caught by the eye of the camera.

 

Pcture 5:   The Gang, Sandra, Mike, John, Chuck, & Geri

 

 

 

 

 

From John & Connie, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

Readings: 

Deuteronomy 26, 4-10,   He brought us out of Egypt.  

Psalm 91,  Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Romans 10, 8-13,    No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

Luke 4,  1-23,  Jesus in the desert for forty days.

 

 

Likewise from Jackie, "Come on in, Folks, & welcome to Day- light Savings Time."

 

 

Sunday Homily, Mike Carrell, 3-10-19

 Lent is preparation for Easter, so the words spoken over those who desire ashes are more appropriately the choice given by the Church from the Mark gospel, ‘The time is fulfilled; the Kingdom of God is at hand; Repent and Believe in the Good News.’  

 

 

 

Welcome, Ana-Patricia & Alicia, from the old 10:30 cafetorium Mass at St. Marks.

 

Last Sunday, led by our musicians, we responded together from the Psalm 92, ‘It is good to give thanks to the Lord.’ That psalm reminds us to begin and end each day saying, ‘Thank you Lord for being with us, here and now.  Thank you Lord for the seed that you have sown into our hearts along with a the desire bear good fruit. Let us be led by your Spirit to be Love in this world.

 

 

And while we are at it today, welcome to more 10:30 cafetorium Mass goers, Cathy, her daughter, Katy, and Katy's marvelous fiance' Enza from Uganda, no less.  But he does not speak Swahili!

 

 

Here and now, in every moment of the day, we are the body of Christ in the world.  Our mindset should constantly be that we are meant to be Love, in everything we say and do.  So,‘In everything give thanks for that is God’s will for us in Christ, Jesus.’ 

 

Not to long ago, I was in a waiting room while Judy was being seen by a doctor. There were a hand full of children’s books among the magazines on a table there. They usually have a good intended meaning, so, I took the liberty of choosing Aunt Grace and her nephew about to give birth to a garden. I smiled, and said to myself, ‘With a name like ‘Aunt Grace,’ this is got to be good.

 

 

Hi, David, Hi, Caroline.

 

Before they took a step into what would be their garden, they started with a prayer. Then they began to remove the weeds, cans, bottles, sticks and rocks. When that was done, they broke open the soil and used a wheelbarrow to cover it with an abundance of new mulch, to provide the garden with good soil.

 

 

The Most Reliable Jan making sure everyone can go to communion.

 

 

This sounds a lot like Lent doesn’t it; with each of us refreshing our garden, and why John has a Sunday each year when we grant God’s loving forgiveness to each other.  Lent is a time to be more aware of the people we meet everyday.  With goodness and kindness, we can smile more; say thank you more; and you are welcome, more.

 

 

The Bona Responds Team on site in Wilmington, NC, to help people with recovery from the Hurricane Michael last Fall.

 

 

We can do lots of little things like letting the car and its occupant get in front of us without honking at them. Let’s be aware of the mother with small children. We can help her put her groceries in her car, and to push her cart back for them. Let’s have a neighbor or two, or three over for coffee.  Practice makes perfect.

 

 

From our community, Connie & John Bresson, David Dinsmore, and, of course, Bill Hammond.   From St. Bonaventure University, the man behind all the recovery work so many in our community have volunteered for over the years, Jim Mahar.

 

So, what was it that Aunt Grace and her nephew sowed in their garden? Of all things, Potatoes. She taught her nephew how cut up potatoes that were covered with eyes into pieces, so that the eye of each piece could and would be placed in an upright position within the good soil, looking up to the heavens with faith that this would bring forth a bountiful harvest, that they could share with their neighbors.

 

Our journey through Lent has just begun. Who might you invite to journey with you?

 

 

  What a Team!

The Feast of the Holy Family, Fr. Tony

 

The Church for the Feast of the Holy Family is generous in offering us several readings to choose from.  I have selected for our First ReadingFirst Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28, and the Letter to the Colossians 3: 12-17 as our Second Reading, the Gospel is from Luke 2: 41-52.

 

The story in our first reading about the birth of Samuel to Hannah and her presentation of the boy Samuel to the priest Eli happens at a time of great change for the Israelites.  The time is around the year 1000 BCE. 

 

Remember that after the People had been lead from slavery in Egypt, passing thru the desert with Moses and then coming to the Promised Land, they had basically invaded the place under Joshua.  After this they had continued their worship of Yahweh as a loose Confederation of Twelve Tribes.  They would meet each year at Shiloh, which we shall hear referred to in our reading today.  But external forces were beginning to invade. 

 

At this time they were under pressure from the Philistines and also the Ammonites.  The Tribal Federation was not proving effective in defending them.  In this period the People were ruled by a series of Judges and our boy Samuel turns out to be the last of these Judges.  He is the one who anoints Saul as the First King, and of course King David immediately follows Saul.  

 

 

And so the People move from this Tribal Confederation to a Monarchy.  One which was to split after the death of Solomon into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

 

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

 

The gospel reading today from Luke tells of an incident in the early life of Jesus.  It serves as a bridge between the Infancy stories of the Birth of Jesus and the beginning of His public ministry with His baptism by John at the Jordan.

 

The reading itself is interesting.  If we were to put it into today’s world, it would be like taking a trip from Dallas to San Francisco by bus.  Imagine the scene.  A couple, with their 12 year old, going all that distance in say a caravan of buses.  They spend a few days in San Francisco and then are heading back. The first overnight stop on the way back is in Salt Lake City.  The parents have been in separate buses and figure the kid is with the other!  To their consternation, he is still in San Francisco.  Imagine the dialogue as they try get back to the City. Imagine three frantic days of searching for a 12 year old!  And then in desperation going to the Cathedral of the day and finding him there.  I am not too sure my dialogue would have been as gentle as Mary’s, and I certainly wouldn’t have appreciated the comment about being about my Father’s business!! 

 

All families are different!  But they seem to have a common purpose.  A safe place for humans!  At least that would seem to be the current intended purpose.  I suspect in earlier times the purpose had much more practical terms, namely making kids who could become helpers in the fields so that we could produce more crops. 

 

I want to turn to the second reading though as a kind of recipe for a successful family.  In Paul’s time it was for a successful community, which indeed I feel a family is also.  I would like to think that our community here is an extended family, where we can care for each other and support, encourage, and share in success or cry with loss and failure.  Paul talks about putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, and then over all these put on Love.  What kind of a family would you have if we could follow this advise! 

  

As we begin another year, a time when we take stock of our lives, perhaps we can try to implement this behavior.  Imagine what it would be like.

 

 

Picture 1:  Tony Begins the Mass of the Holy Family

 

Picture 2:  Vivian Miller's baptism

 

Picture 3:  Vivian's family

 

Picture 4:  The Beautiful Zoe

 

: Great clip on the Nativity Drama (if pressing the arrow does not start the video, move the red dot)
 

 

 

Readings:

Amos 1, 1 4-7 , Woe to the complacent in Zion. 

Psalm 146,  Praise the Lord, My Soul.

 1 Timothy 6, 11-16,  You, man of God, pursue righteousness, faith, & devotion

Luke 16, 19-31,   The Rich Man and Lazarus.   (A good one.)

 

 

Says Victoria and her buddy, our gorilla mascot, "Welcome in, Everybody."

 

 

Amos observations :

What :  One of the 12 minor prophets, only 9 chapters.

Who:  the book presents the thoughts and observations of Amos, who was a sheep herder and a fig farmer.  He was born in the southern kingdom of Judah in a little town south of Jerusalem, but he is condemning the people, especially the rich, of the northern kingdom, Israel.

Time:  Amos was active around 755 before Christ, but his words and message were revised and edited down through the years, especially during the Babylonian Captivity, around 555 before Christ.  He lives just before the Syrians destroy the northern kingdom of Israel, around 700 before Christ.

 

 

And Genevieve says, ""Hey, I got a belly button.  You, too?"

 

 

Message:  prayer and sacrifice don’t make up for social injustice and oppression of the poor by the rich. 

Today:  God will punish you rich and prosperous for your abuse of the poor.  Amos may have seen the threat coming from the Syrians. 

Sources:  Good News Bible, New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia

 

 

Says Buddy, "Where did all this rain come from?"

 

 

7 Devils

I admit that the gospel today is so rich I would like to talk about it.  However, I really want to talk about our recent 10 day back packing trip in the 7 Devils region of central Idaho.  7 Devils refers to 7 mountain peaks in a straight row, very rough, vertical, probably needing technical equipment to climb.

There were 7 of us.  Beth and her swim buddy, Lynn, both excellent hikers and campers.   Mike, Bill, Ray, myself, and Andrew Sokolowski, a friend of Mike.  All these people are excellent, experienced campers and hikers. 

 

 

Hi, Zoe, I missed you last week.   

 

 

Three observations about the trip and the group. 

First, there was a marvelous spirit of congeniality, fun, and joy among everybody.  This was evident always, but especially around 4:30, when we would have Happy Hour.  We begin this hour with an old tradition I learned the many years I went back packing with the Jesuits.   Everybody gets 2 oz. of Jack Daniels and a slice of cheese, Gouda, Muenster, or some other.

You can picture this.  We have been hiking during the day most often.  We have taken showers in the lakes or rivers.  Mike & Beth even swam in Shelf Lake where he measured the water temp at 52 degrees.  We are hungry and it is getting near twilight.  Mike and Ray have built a campfire.  Ray is cooking the freeze dried main course in a pot over the little stove.  Everyone is sitting around the fire on logs or bear canisters.    The camaraderie and joking around is the best.

 It is enchanting.  It is why I go every year.

 

 

Offertory with Claire & Ray & Bernadette & Bill (two of whom, campers.  Guess whom.).

 

 

Secondly, there is a spirit of generosity and mutual responsibility.  We have to purify our water.  So we take pots of water from the lakes or river, pour them into a 1 gallon plastic bag that has a tube with a filter.  The water runs through the filter into another 1 gallon plastic bag.  We get our drinking water from the second bag. 

This takes constant care and refilling.  Mike and Andy always kept the first bag filled. 

Every evening during Happy Hour Ray was cooking the freeze dried main course, chili, Chicken tetrazzini, and others.    Mike brought chocolate bars for deserts.

 

The Campfire, Beth, Mike, Ray, Bill, Stack, & Lynn.  Andy on camera.

 

 

In the morning I always knew when it was time to get up, even if it was dark.  Ray would be banging pots, while he filled one and heated it for coffee and oat meal, whatever each one brought for their breakfast.

Bill would be checking the maps to see exactly where we were headed that day.  He was always our guide on the paths. 

 

 

The Campfire again, Mike, Stack, Beth, Ray, & Bill.

 

And then there is the third.  Just when I think I am a pretty hot camper, I make a couple of small mistakes.  Humiliation.

We had pulled into this drop dead gorgeous campsite on the western edge of Shelf Lake. It had a beautiful fire ring, two, in fact.

The time was about 3:00 and the trail had been totally dry.  The campsite was even a bit dusty.   It was warm and sunny.

 

 

The Campfire again, Stack, Beth, Ray, Andy, Bill, & Lynn.

 

I set my tent up in a delightful little grove of trees.  I wanted the shade so I could take an afternoon nap after my shower.   We intended to spend 3 nights and 2 days doing day hikes out from the campsite.

The first day we cut short our day hike to get back to camp because it was looking like rain.  We had our usual Happy Hour and dinner.  I went to bed.  I had asked Andy to seam seal my tent earlier, so I was content.

About midnight a wind like a tornado blew in.  Dust everywhere, even filtering into my tent.  Then all out rain.  It stopped and then about 3:30 it blew again and it poured.  No problem, I went to sleep. 

 

 

Swim anybody?  Delightful, beautiful Shelf Lake, ca. 7 thousand feet, and a fresh 52 degrees.  Swim and you will look like Mike and Beth.

 

In the morning, yes, in the morning, I wake up.  I am on an island on my Therma rest air mattress.  Water had seeped up through my floor. 

Two silly mistakes.  First, I set my tent in a slight depression.  Secondly, since it had been so dry when I set up, I forgot to put hand sized stones around the tent under the edge of the ground cover. 

What had happened was that the water from a little trail in the woods near me emptied out near one corner of my tent.  The water jumped over my ground cover and settled under my tent floor, ultimately seeping inside.

 

 

Ray on top of the World.  We day hiked up here from Lower Bernard Lake.

 

 

Fortunately, the day was good and we were staying another night.   I dried my tent and moved to another spot.

30 years of camping, and I still can make beginner mistakes. Rather humiliating. 

Without emulating the mistakes, where do you find similar camaraderie, joy, and mutual support?

 

 

 

Cooling off in the snow before returning to the Dallas heat.