Sunday Homily 10-4-09, 27th Ordinary Time

Readings: Acts 10, 34-43; Psalm 118 (This the Day the Lord had made; let us Rejoice and be Glad); Colossians 3, 1-4; Mark 16, 1-7 (from Saturday night readings)

Acts: 

Author: Most likely Luke, who wrote the Gospel with his name and who followed and copied some of Mark's material. 

Date: ca. 70-100 A.D., therefore ca. 40 years after the death of Jesus. 

Subject: the ministry of Paul & the 12 Apostles after the death of Jesus.

        Chapters 1-8 deal with the Resurrection, Ascension, & Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

        Chapters 8- 28 deal with Paul's conversion & ministry.

Today's selection: Two visions/dreams have just occurred:

        1. Cornelius, a captain in the Roman army and a Gentile, has a vision in which he is instructed to go to a town called Joppa and talk with a man named Peter.

        2.  Peter has a vision in which a sheet held by its 4 corners comes down and is full of all kinds of animals.  A voice says, "Eat."  Peter refuses because of the law of ritual impurity, i.e., some animals are ritually impure and it is prohibited to eat them.  But the voice insists.  At this point three of Cornelius' people arrive and invite him to come to Cornelius' house.  This vision symbolizes that even Gentiles who are ritually impure are invited to the new Christian community.

Our selection takes up just after Peter arrives are Cornelius' house, finds a group of Cornelius' friends, is invited to speak to them, and he begins.  The following is what he says to the group of Gentiles gathered in Cornelius' house.

Meaning of the Word Easter: the origin of the use of Easter seems lost in history.  Probably not from Latin, which uses pasqua.  Probably not coming from a German goddess of spring, which some have suggested.  May have emerged from early Celtic converts (British Isles), who wanted to use their own words for Christian feasts, rather than Latin words.

The Easter Event Today

I think it was last Tuesday morning.  I had come out into the yard in front of our house to let Aviana do her business.  Suddenly around the corner comes a little black Prius which I recognize.  The window comes down and one of Aviana's favorite neighbors stops to give her a little loving. 

The neighbor who is so friendly asks how we are all doing and was I getting the spring weddings going.  I said that, yes, we had weddings for all the weekends of May except one and that one weekend we had two weddings.  I also mentioned that I was looking forward to a fun Easter Sunday with an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

She then mentions that Lent has passed by in a flash and that she has paid no attention to it and really did nothing special.  Am I hearing maybe some minor Catholic guilt?  I'm also thinking to myself that this woman is just terrific as she is.  She does not need to do anything special for Lent.  I mean she loves Aviana and she is friendly to me.  That in itself is extraordinary.  But she also goes back & forth in front of our house it must be a dozen times a day ferrying her 4 kids to numerous events.  On top of that, she teaches at SMU. 

I thought about this friendly lady as I started looking around in my daily life for a recent Easter event.  You know what I think an Easter event is.  It is something or someone which gives me greater peace and life. 

Initially as I looked back over the past six weeks since we started Lent, I thought of the week I spent in Galveston with the 50 kids from St. Bonaventure U. in Buffalo, NY.  That was a dramatic Easter event for me. 

Way back I had talked about making Lent a time of service and greater sensitivity.  I hit the jackpot with the Galveston trip.   The generosity and desire of those kids to donate their spring break to service gave me a ton of peace and life.  I still feel the effect of them in my life.

I am aware that I lucked out with the Galveston trip.  Just to be able to get away for the week.  Like Rosemary who is working now in downtown Dallas, the majority of you cannot walk away from your job for a week.  However, if Lent has passed you by quickly and you look back with any guilt, I would say, "Get rid of it." 

The sensitivity begins now. 

What is the Easter event in your life today?

AUDIO:  ttp://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-04-12.mp3

Picture 1:  Easter Mass with Noah helping

Picture 2:  Guess Who Made it!

Picture 3:  Second time ever!

Picture 4:  Good Friday Stations

Picture 5:  Good Friday Stations at the Robinson's house

 

Welcome in, Dearest Emma.  So nice to see you.

 

 

Readings: 

 

 Ezekiel 2, 2-5,  Son of Man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels.

 Psalm 123,   Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy

 2 Corinthians 12, 7-10, A thorn in the flesh was given to me.

Mark 6, 1-6, A prophet is not without honor except in his native place 

 

 

 

The Best Music thanks to Katie and David.

 

 

Ezekiel observations:

Who:  Ezekiel is one of the Big 3 prophets.  Why?  48 chapters.  The other 2: Isaiah & Jeremiah.  These 3 have lots of chapters & material.

Ezekiel was born into the priest class.  He later was considered a prophet.  He got The Call from God.  When he was about 25 he was swept up in the Babylonian captivity, around 590. 

When: It covers the period of the Captivity, 600-550 before Christ, which Ezekiel lived personally.  But the work is composed toward the end of the Captivity, around 550.  This is Ezekiel’s material, but it has been saved and edited by his fellow priests.

 

 

 

Thanks, CC, for lighting our candles and thanks, Georgie, for reading the Blessing of the Summer Candles.

 

Message:

1. Ezekiel criticises the people and warns them that their bad ways will be punished, for example, by being defeated and led into slavery and the Captivity.
2. He promises comfort and a brighter future for the captive people, especially envisioning a restored temple (which then lasted until when?  The year 70, when the Romans finally destroyed the temple & the priestly cast ceased to function, to this day).
3. An amusing vision: The Dry Bones, chapter 37.

Today’s selection:   Ezekiel gets The Call or invitation from God to go tell the Israelite people that God sees what is going on.  Which means, tell them they are behaving horribly and they will pay dearly for their misbehavior. 

 

 

 

The Dinsmores at work, David with the music, and with the offertory, DarbiAnna, Dana, Donna, and Dawson. 

 

4 Reasons why I am (still) proud to be an American

I am still celebrating July 4^th this week.   And I’m still proud to be an American.  What got me reflecting on this was what happened in our neighborhood July 4 morning.  But, as I reflected, other events came to mind.  Let me give you 4 quick stories.

The first took place when I first went to work in Africa on a one year contract.  I was directing spiritual retreats mostly for nuns, often with another Jesuit friend from PA.

 

 

 

July 4, let the Parade begin

 

Before I went over to East Africa I was scheduled to give a number of programs in Nigeria.  There was an old veteran Jesuit who had a house in Lagos, the capital at that time, Joe McKenna from NY.   I used that house as my base.

I used to fly out of Lagos, give a number of programs, and fly back.

Every time I returned I had to take a taxi to get to his house in the suburb of  Sirulere.  He would ask me how much I paid.  It was always too much.  “5 Naira only,” he would say.

 

 

 

Training wheels welcome.

 

So, I’m returning one day determined.  I walk into the terminal where there are numerous taxi driver, beginning with the richest.  I pass them all and pick a raggedy guy outside the terminal.  “5 Naira to Sirulere,  “ I say.  Okay.

Hanging onto my bag I get into the back seat of this old contraption.l  I could see through the floor to the street.

 

 

 

The annual Preston Hollow parade is on.

 

By going over medians and across sidewalks we arrive in like no time.  I give him 8 Naira.  “No,” he says, “We agreed on 15.”

We go back & forth until I get out.  We are in a cul-de-sac, fortunately in my mind.  He gets out.  We argue. 

Suddenly he grabs my bag and attempts to jump back his taxi.  We have a physical tussle right there in the street.  He is a big guy, but no muscle I discover.  No contest.  I take my bag and walk to the door of the house.  McKenna is inside chuckling away.  It is dinner time. “I am going to kill you for this, McKenna,” I think to myself.

 

 

 

If you are nice you might find space in a wagon and somebody will pull you.

 

The guy follows me and is screaming.  I don’t know what more to do and am nervous that he will gather a group of fellow Nigerians and they will join him.  In fact, the contrary takes place.  The little guy who is the house cook comes from around the back of the house , screaming himself that this guy has insulted a guest.  Neighbors gather and all say the same. 

Finally, a young Nigerian Jesuit novice rides up on his little motor scooter and takes the guy off.  I think he actually give the guy 15 Naira.  By now I could care less.  It was not worth all the drama.

That day I was proud to be both a Jesuit and an American.

 

 

The Refreshment Committee in action.  Want to know how success is measured?  22 dozen donut holes were consumed in an hour and maybe two more dozen could have found takers.   This is  plus cookies, grapes, lemon aide, and bottled water.

 

 

Three more quickies.

In the Metro section of the newspaper this week, a lady from NY, Claire Scoville, late thirties, attractive, a film producer, dropped everything and flew into S. TX to help nurture the little kids.  Claire Scoville gives me reason to be proud to be American.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Paul.  Does Paul look like a man of 57 years?  Looks more like 59 to me.

 

Secondly, one afternoon this  week I am northbound at the stop light at Preston & Royal, going to give blood platelets at Carter Blood.  3 northbound lanes,  2 left turn lanes.  I‘m about 3 cars back. The light goes green for all of us.  Everyone   accelerates, when suddenly in front of us from the right comes an SUV slowly making a left turn.  Everyone had to brake.  In fact, I thought that SUV is going to get hit.  It made it, but, get this, not one northbound car honked.  No rage, no critical parent, Kindness. 

 

 

 

Thanks for coming to visit us again, My Dearest Kayla.

 

Finally, why I am proud to be an American: our annual neighborhood parade.   So many delightful young families.    Rosemary & I are the refreshment team, so you know it was good.    It was 22 dozen donut holes good.  Yes, I am proud to be an an American.

 

 

It is scary when former Jesuit students show up at the parade and say this year is 50 years since graduation.  Meanwhile, for me it is 60 years since graduation and entrance into the Jesuit order.  Scary??  Yes!!

 

 

 

Readings:

Deuteronomy 4,  32-34, 39-40  Moses said to the people.

Psalm 33,    Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Romans 8, 14-17,   Those who are led by the Spirit of God are people of God.

 Matthew  28, 16-20, The disciples went to the mountain.

 

Says Harper, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

 

Deuteronomy observations:

What:  This work is the 5th and last book of the Pentateuch/Torah.  The first 4 books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, & Numbers.  Deuteronomy has basically 3 speeches delivered by Moses before the people enter the promised land.  He reviews all they have endured the past 40 years and how Yahweh has shown his care and power to save them.

Author: Moses may have spoken some of the ideas in the speeches, but others have put the work together.  In fact, in chapter 34 the death of Moses is described.  Someone other than Moses probably covered this episode.

Date: 700 years before Christ.

Our Selection: the end of the first speech.  Moses is reminding the people of how Yahweh cared for them and why they must honor him for this as their one and only god.

 

 

And says Harper's grandmother, Cathy, and Jackie and Rick,        "Welcome Folks."
 

 

A God of Relationships

Want to know what makes for happiness?  Old Stack will tell you this morning.  I have talked about some of this in the past, but it is so good it is worth reviewing.  I do this especially on the feast of our three person god.  Our god is a relationship god and that is what I want to talk about.

The ideas this morning come from a study of 268 male Harvard students starting in 1937, a 7 decade longitudinal study that is almost unique in its breadth.  The identities of the students are secret unless the student identifies himself.  Ben Bradlee, the editor of the Washington Post did so, and it was deduced after he died that President Kennedy was one of the students.    This write up comes from a June Atlantic magazine.

 

                   Emma the Candle Lighter with Georgie's help.

 

The question was not how much trouble or how little they encountered in life, but how and to what effect they responded.  How they adapted and became happy -healthy or sad-sick people.  Psychiatrist George Vaillant has spent the last 40 years organizing the data coming from the study.

He has come up with the following suggestions taken from the lives of these 268 men.  Here are 7 factors that contribute to happy-healthy people:

 

                           Cupcake of The Week to Mabel at 83.

 

    1.  Education.  For you kids who just finished a long school year, it may feel so good to be out.  However, your education is a big factor in you being a happy-healthy person, in the future and even now.  I would include ongoing education.  We never cease to learn new things, even how to dance, yoga, languages, history, geography, and so on.  In Plano, look up S.A.I.L., Senior Active in Learning, an excellent program

    2.  Healthy & mature adaptability.  Vailant identifies 4 ways of adapting, from psychotic, immature, and neurotic, to healthy, like humor, altruism, forgiveness.  See the link to get his complete explanation. Try 3 things, laugh, forgive, and accept.  And try it on yourself to start with.

 

 

                    Cupcakes of The Week to Ray and Brent

 

    3.  No smoking.  Never too late to stop if you already have started.  You kids, you will end up looking uglier than me if you start the habit.  Beware of copping out on the electric cigarette.

    4.  Moderate use of alcohol & no abuse.  College kids and even high school kids get caught up here so easily.  The culture of drinking excessively.  However, a new phenomenon is emerging as our population ages, geriatric alcoholism.  A bench mark?  2 glasses of wine or two beers a day.  More than that and look for two results: alcoholism and denial.

 

Cupcake of The Week to Renee for coming home with her degree after 5 years at Kansas State.

 

    5.  Exercise.  Want some exercise next week?   Come with me to the J tomorrow morning, 6:30 spin class.  Make it fun, make it daily.  At least a few times a week, like take a walk.  

    6.  Weight control.  My visit to McDonald's.  Kids loading up on layers of fat, salt, and sugar.  A very seductive place.  

 

 

               Cupcake of The Week also to Zaile, a week late. 

 

    7.   Relationships: loving and long term.  Vaillant suggests that this is the factor.  Loving is life-filling, it is motivational.  Because I love another, I exercise, I study, I approach life with moderation and spirit.  After all the data he has evaluated, Vaillant states that a relationship of love is the only thing that really matters in life. 

How are you doing with these 7?

Who is the person you love most in the whole world?  

 Source, Atlantic,   http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/

     

Not a cupcake to Kevin, but, from The Community, a $550 gift and a standing ovation for not only his high school graduation, but even more for his years of faithful, reliable help each week.             The Best to you, Kevin, because you are The Best.

Readings: Acts 14, 21-27; Psalm 145, I will praise Your Name forever, My King and My God (1st stanza, my favorite: the Lord is Gracious and Merciful, Slow to Anger and of Great Kindness); Revelation 21, 1-5; John 13, 31-35.

 

Psalm 145:

The book of Psalms is the hymn book and prayer book of the Jewish Bible. 

Composed over centuries, before Christ's time and probably assembled after the Babylonian Captivity, i.e. ca. 550 BCE

Authors: many.  Not just King David

Psalm 145: this psalm has one of those lines that is a special gem, a glimpse for me into a reality that I find a mystery.  The nature of God.  Something I can only approach by analogy and projection. 

I read the Bible and encounter a god who is jealous, merciless, and demanding payback.  I don't buy this.  I do buy, however, the image presented by the first stanza.  I even change it a bit to say, The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and is full of love.

Known Because we have Love for One Another

I would like to talk this morning about the Collin County Adult Clinic and how we all got involved with it.  You probably know that Julia Grenier was the founder of this clinic, but you may not know how she came to do it. 

I talked with her Thursday and got the story.  It started about 30 years ago, so in the early 80's, when she was hired by Elizabeth Seton Parish to be the parish nurse.  Julia just celebrated 50 years as a nurse.  This was a new position for a parish to have and Julia made it more unique in her special way. 

She ended up getting involved with PISD kids and with day laborers in the area.  At one point she was even working as a volunteer at the Day Laborer Center somewhere in Plano.

She told me that during this time she would meet with people who needed significant medical help.  She could handle the first aid cases, but she had to take the more serious into clinics and emergency rooms.  She said you could not get a patient looked at, say at PrimaCare, without a $100 up front payment. 

Julia paid these expenses out of the savings she and Al had put away.

 

The expenses mounted and so did the number of patients Julia was treating.  Enter St. Marks and Fr. Duffy.  There was an obvious need for a clinic.  Julia & Duffy worked out an agreement where St. Marks would let Julia use some space gratis and get help through Catholic Charities. 

They opened on a Thursday night in 2003.  Julia said 15 patients showed up the first night.  All the staff, doctors, nurses, support, all worked pro bono.  The second week twice that number showed up.  And then the word spead and the numbers soared, making it impossible to carry the load at St. Marks. 

Jerry Weis informed me that at this time Collin County set aside some money for health, did not really know what to do with it, and gave the clinic in 2004 about $50,000.  They banked it and banked another $25,000 the next year while they looked for a larger venue, which they found on Ave. K & Park.

A builder with Rotary named Jerry Huffman said he could put the space together for $275,000.  He finally did the job for $150,000 and the clinic opened in late 2005.  The patient load now on Thursday evenings was 70 to 90 every week. 

 

Meanwhile, Julia's health was deteriorating.  In 2008 she had to retire.  I remember thinking that this might be the end of the clinic.  Instead, the staff pulled together, hired a full time, paid director, John Ernst, and even expanded the service to Tuesday night.

Julia told me on the phone that she spends many week days in their home here in Plano, but weekends she & Al have a small horse farm in East Texas, which is why we don't see her on Sunday mornings.  She may make it for Mother's Day next week.

Jesus says in the Gospel this morning, "All will know you are my desciples, if you love one another.  I am amazed at how Julia took a small job and turned it into a large clinic because she saw people in need.  I am humbled at how Julia exemplifies loving others.

How do you show your love?

 

Picture 1:  Mass with Tony.

Picture 2:  Full service ministry at San Vino.

Picture 3:  David McKeon introducing the 9 couples renewing their marriage promises.

Picture 4:  Madge & Carl Smith renewing their marriage of 60 years, Carl with the tie he wore last on his wedding day

Picture 5:  Kim & Mike Burkhart (from Tuscon, formerly of St. Mark's) renewing their marriage of 25 years.

 

 

Readings: Isaiah 60, 1-6; Psalm 72, Lord, Every Nation on Earth will adore You; Ephesians 3, 2-6; Matthew 2, 1-12.

 

Isaiah 60: author, date, subject

 

Author: 3 Isaiah (responsible for chapters 55-66)

 

Date: ca. 400, after the Babylonian Captivity, ended ca. 550

 

Subject: lines such as, Rise up in splendor, the glory of the Lord shines, people from the east will come with gold & frankincense.

 

source: John Shelby Spong

 

 

The Great Debate: Myth vs Fact

 

I have just had an epiphany event in my life.  I was visited by an old friend, a wise friend, maybe a wise guy friend.  He says, "Stack, you are a fraud."  You folks have known this all along.  He says that the homily I gave before Christmas on the Partridge in a Pear Tree was not true.  Sorry to have to tell you this.  The history was wako, did not happen.  As you can imagine, I was quite deflated, but figured he was right because he is more of a researcher than I. 

 

So, folks, the old geezer fraud fesses up this morning.  I confess that I did not do any research on the subject.  Somebody sent it to me a few years ago, and I did not even save the name of the sender. 

 

 

So, using my friend's research and my own, I discovered that maybe the symbols were connected to the old Christmas carol ca. 1990.  Apparently nobody knows.  It was pointed out that these symbols did not need to be secret because of persecution.  The Elizabethan protestants shared most of the same symbols.  No secret needed.  Plus the carol may have come from France.  So, everyone, erase that homily and the history I gave you.  I blew that one. 

 

It struck me in the midst of this, could we be witnessing the creation of a myth?  100 years from now how many people will believe the version that I presented?  Could this be an example of what took place in the bible?  You have certainly heard that biblical scholars have determined that the nativity stories are the result of literary liberties taken by Luke & Matthew, not factual history.  I can give you two simple examples.

 

 

First, Bethlehem.  It is thought that Jesus was really born in Nazareth.  But Luke & Matthew, the only writers dealing with the nativity, wanted to connect Jesus with King David.  David was born in Bethlehem.  It is pointed out that it is a long way from Nazareth to Bethlehem, it was winter, and Mary was pregnant.  A woman researcher commented, "Only a man would imagine such a journey possible for a pregnant woman."

 

 

Why were people going to Bethlehem?  To be counted in a census of all the descendents of David.  David lived a 1000 years earlier, had many wives and mistresses.  His offspring would have numbered in at least the thousands.  No wonder there was no room.  And imagine how skitzy Herod would be with these thousands of potentially hostile subjects just a few miles from Jerusalem.

 

Why did the writers use such literary liberties?  They want to show that Jesus was special, he was the figure 1 Isaiah predicted, the God-hero, the wonder worker, the Prince of Peace.  They had heard so much about the adult Jesus that they wanted to make his birth a God-hero event.  So, connect him with the Great King David.

 

Finally, secondly, there is one small but significant mistranslation.  In Isaiah 7, 14, it is said, "A young woman will have a child."  Matthew, most likely intentionally to craft his point, mistranslates the word young woman as virgin, and says 'a virgin will become pregnant' (1, 23).  And so it has come down. 

   

There are three ways to respond to these studies.  One is to say, "No problem, God can do all that stuff.  He's all powerful."   The trouble with this is that the evidence is becoming overwhelming.  Like still saying the earth is flat.

 

Or I can simply toss out the whole and stay home.

 

A middle ground could be to recognize that literary liberties have been used.  And still celebrate the event.  The event, the Prince of Peace gives me peace and gives me a longing to share the peace. 

 

 

 

I goofed up by not researching the Partridge in a Pear Tree.  Sorry about that.  What we may be seeing here is a myth process similar to the biblical stories.  Myth or fact?  How can I be an educated, intelligent Christian?

 

What do you think about all this?  What do you feel about it?

 

Sources: John Shelby Spong; Harvey Cox, Future of Faith; Catholic Encyclopedia on line; Snopes

 

 

Picture 1:  Epiphany Celebration begins

 

Picture 2:  Mass with Kevin helping

 

Picture 3:  35th Anniversary, Carol & Richard 

 

Picture 4:  Chloe dances (see video)

 

 

 

 

Sez Harper, "Welcome in, Everybody, I still have some Girl Scout cookies"

 

Readings:

Isaiah 8, 23-9, 3,  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Psalm 27,  The Lord is my light and my salvation

! Corinthians, 1, 10-13,  That you be united…

Matthew 4, 12-23, Come after me and I will make you fishers of men (people).

 

 

"Welcome in, Everybody," say Hue & Linda.

 

Isaiah reminders, again—

 Author: This is Isaiah #1, the composer of chapters 1-39.  Even though Isaiah #1 lives before the Babylonian Captivity, he still sees that a great, bright day will come to the Jewish people, despite Babylon. 

Isaiah 2: Chapters 40-55;

Isaiah 3: Chapters 56-66

 Date:  Ca. 555 before Christ, the composition.  The Jewish people of Jerusalem are about to be defeated and carried off into slavery.

 

 

The famous Sisters' Candle Team in action.

 

 Subject:  A great day will come for you Jews.  A special leader will be born.  You will be a beacon to others, glorious, and a light to nations everywhere.  You might easily recognize parts of this reading.  From where?  The Nativity readings and Handel's Messiah, a favorite of mine. 

This is the last week we will have these Isaiah readings which I love.  I will miss them.  Until next Advent.

 

 

Today's team in action.

 

80 Years of Blessings

When Isaiah says that a people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, I hear him speaking to me.  There are dozens of ways I see this in my life, all blessings & gifts.  I’ll mention 5, at least 3 of which you have heard me mention previously.

 

 

Today's Offertory Team, Sandra, Susan, & Tom,

 

First, the fact that I joined the Jesuits when I was 18.  Granted I joined up because I thought I was such a bad kid that I was obviously headed to hell.  I got that idea from the monsieur who was pastor at Christ the King.  When he told the congregation that if your friends are going to hell, you will go too.    Obviously my best buddy, Pete was going to hell along with my other friends.  That fear fell away when I was a Jesuit and life turned out to be an adventure.

 

 

The minor elevation.

 

The second blessing was my decision to accept an invitation to work in East Africa.  There was loneliness, but it was an adventure.  How else could I have scaled Kilimanjaro 5-6 times?  How else would I have ridden my motorcycle back & forth across Tanzania.  I discovered that I had a gift for languages and became fluent in Swahili.

 

 

Today's Communion Team, Patricia & Denni, Geri & Mike & Grace.

 

The third blessing was and is my marriage with Rosemary.  Did you people know that she waited 15 years to get formally married?  When I asked her to get married I asked her to wait until I was 65 and would have Medicare.  As a Jesuit I had platinum coverage.  As soon as I would depart, nothing.  I knew guys who married, had an accident, and ended up with an enormous debt.  This cinco de mayo is our 15^th and it has been for me (at least.  I won’t speak for her!) an unimaginable & enchanted time.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Mike.

 

The fourth blessing is the tree hobby project.   That project started with maybe 5-6 trees planted on the Jesuit campus where I was living.   Then it got bigger & bigger.  A guy who owns a construction company gave me a 800 gallon water tank & a 4 wheel trailer.  The community of St. Marks gave me the money to buy a pickup.  Mike Doran gave me the truck for 15K.  The last big project we did was Plano Senior High.  We planted in an hour 400 trees one sunny October Sunday.  

 

 

Welcome home, My Dear Carrie, or should I say My Dear Doctor Carrie.   Proud of You.

 

The fifth but not the last of the blessings is our community here. Do you realize that along with our 15^th anniversary of marriage, I am celebrating 15 marvelous & humbling years participating in our community?

I am most grateful.

What are your five biggest blessings in life?

 

 

One cupcake to you, Monique, for being such a good mamma.