Memories of My Father--from India to Chicago

My father died Dec. 10, the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto. I was hearing Mass, offering it for him, at the time of his passing. The Gospel reading from Matthew was so perfect: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." I have prayed and cried many tears for him to receive all the graces necessary to repent and choose our Lord. For I truly desire to meet my father in heaven and know him in his perfection. God-willing. 

On my way home I sang Mendelssohn's O Rest in the Lord (this is a most beautiful recording) and upon arrival home immediately sought out my copy to play on the piano. It brought me such peace to know that I can rest in the Lord and be at peace and continue to pray for the repose of his soul, trusting in God's unfathomable mercy and perfect justice.

O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him,

And He shall give thee thy heart's desires.

Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him,

And fret not thyself because of evil doers.

O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him.

Wait patiently for Him. 

It being the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto, whose little house in Nazareth was transported to Italy by Angels, I couldn't help but think of Bouguereau's Soul Brought to Heaven and the last movement of the Requiem Mass: in Paradisum. May the angels lead him to paradise... Music, music--what a balm it is to my soul.
 

I don't have a lot of pictures of us together because we were apart most of our lives. But I am grateful for what he has done--bringing me to baptism in our Lord, bringing our family to the US, and introducing me to folk-dance. He witnessed my marriage and I'm glad he got to meet my children a few times while they were growing up.

These are some of the oldest pictures I have of my father. He's here with his first-born. While I was visiting he spoke about him, how he was a great little man. He died shortly before his fifth birthday so I never got to meet him. But my mom always told stories about him, so I feel very close to him. The family picture was taken after the funeral of my maternal grandfather. My mom is carrying her second son...

This family photo was taken when my father returned from Germany. I have no memory of this, but my sister remembers being sad because she wanted to stand next to my mom. I was clueless. Only my brother was excited!

At my sister's place in Nebraska--her kids are all grown up now. And the day before my wedding at my in-law's place. I've always loved that I look both like my mom and dad and also my stepmother :) 

We lived in Belgium for a couple of years right after we got married. Michael worked for a Belgian machine tool company and I was at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne. My parents came to visit and we had a wonderful couple of weeks together sightseeing. My dad had done a Masters in Germany and has always loved all things German. He was so proud of me for doing my post-doctoral studies at the MPIZ. He was recounting my accomplishments when I came to visit. But the best thing I've ever done is to stay at home with my children--and my biggest achievement was getting them to take a nap at the same time!

We

We made a trip to Chicago to celebrate my dad's birthday (July 4th) with the kids and I just love this picture of Dagny with her stuffed cats. We had a great time swimming in the pool, taking walks, lighting fireworks, and opening presents. 

The summer before we moved to SC, my parents visited us in WA. It would be the last visit they could manage. Since then, we've made a couple of trips to Chicago.  

This is the last picture I have of my father, when my sister and her husband went to visit. Please pray for the repose of the soul of my father, and for his dear, devoted wife, who loved him best. They had 45 happy years together, but now she will face the future without him. However, in marrying my father, she gained a family. I look forward to the time when she can visit us in SC. Today is Gaudete Sunday: Rejoice in the Lord always!

My Mom's Death Anniversary

The years are flying by...and it's been 38 years since my mom died. I needed a picture of myself circa 1980 for publicity so I was going through my album and picked out these last few pictures from 1986. My sister came over in the fall with her little girl to help take care of my mom so that I could finish my undergraduate studies. What a joy it was to have this imp in the house. Our home was always filled with little ones because my mom started a babysitting business after her divorce. It would've been too sad if it were just the two of us trying to manage everything on our own. It made for a happier home life to have my sister and my little niece. My brother came home with his fiancée and they were married at home by the deacon. My mom was too frail to leave home. She died just a month later. I have so many happy memories of our time together, sad ones too, when we were exhausted, but what a privilege it is to accompany the dying. Now, I dream of meeting her and all the loved ones who've gone before me in heaven. Pray for us, Ai! Pray for us, St. Paul! 

July

July is the month of the Precious Blood and we remember at every Mass that when St. Longinus speared our Lord's Sacred Heart, Water and Blood poured out, bathing us in Love and Mercy. Yes, His Blood reconciles us to the Father. We are made white as snow, our sins forgotten. I can come confidently to the throne of the Father, knowing His Son has paid the price for me. 

We've just returned from a road trip for a family reunion in Texas and I've already had a chance to celebrate two wonderful saints--St. Maria Goretti (July 6), St. Benedict (July 11)--and excited about these feast days coming up. I remember the last time we made a road trip to visit my brother: to Memphis. We got to celebrate the Feast of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (July 29) at EWTN. Oh, thanks be to God for everything!

The End of an Era

I've not had the heart to talk about the declining health of our 16-year-old golden mix. She's been such a blessing to us--the best dog ever! We got her from a colleague of Michael's at Boeing the summer right before we started RCIA--the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults--and as the migraines worsened, she gave me the strength to take her on daily walks, no matter what. She kept me moving even when I thought it impossible. The kids named her Sunny. So many memories...come take a walk with me.

Sunny as a puppy, falling asleep after running about, learning to sit on command, waiting for a treat. 

How quickly she grew. Nearly full-grown at six months, enjoying her first snow. She loved going on walks with us, camping too! I still remember how worried we got when she wouldn't come back out of one of the glacial lakes...

Although our two older cats didn't like her much, they taught her boundaries, and toward the end of their lives, were often found relaxing with her. When we got a pair of kittens, they loved cuddling with her. We did too. She taught us all to be patient and to live in the moment. What a trouper she was, all of us, moving across the country to SC. 

We had such fun with her. She was up for anything, even ridiculous cat ears. 

Sunny was a cover girl in the local newspaper. This is what they said, "This photo is beautifully framed and captures the sun, the beach, and the dog in just the right perspective. This earned our top honorable mention vote and was the unanimous choice for the cover." The judges also said, "Although there is not a lot of action in this photo, all the judges agreed that Sunny was guarding the beach and ready to jump into action ... awesome photo!" Max took many more gorgeous pictures. 

She loved the beach. And oddly, even though she was mostly a retriever, she didn't retrieve balls or sticks after more than a couple of times. But she loved it best when we were all together. Her pack! Then came the kittens and she befriended them. And look how patient she is--taking the edge of her dog bed, while the little cat takes up half the bed! But as Sunny became old, she'd simply nose them off her bed and make herself comfortable. 

It was so great to be able to take her everywhere with us and accompanied us on Rosary walks, Stations of the Cross. 

She got to experience snow again! Sunny, like most dogs, was completely food-oriented and in our foodie-family, she had lots of treats. I love how focused she is on the meat. Now that's adoration! In 2020, during Covid-related lockdowns, we started buying our meat and eggs from a local farmer. And she ate all the bones from the bone broth I'd make. She was already showing some hip problems but within a year she improved. Of course, one cannot counter old age indefinitely--she was already well past the age most goldens live. 

This was one of our last good long walks with all of us together. And the next few photos were taken of her last days. She'd lost her appetite even for the yummy bones.  

  

All life ends but it was especially hard because Sunny deteriorated so slowly. She's had a tumor on her snout that I thought was a tick at first and nearly got my hand bitten when I tried to pull it off. Oy. The past couple of years, she'd knock off the tumor when it got too big. It'd bleed and grow back. She developed a second, different type of tumor on her neck this year. Our walks became shorter. For the past three months she was on daily painkillers and for the past couple of months, my husband had to carry her up the stairs. He was happy to do it, but how I feared that one day they'd both fall and break a leg. But now there's peace in her passing. Still, she leaves a big hole in our hearts. Goodbye Sunny St. Helen. May we meet again in heaven! 

When my first cat died, I took great comfort in listening to Fr. Mike Schmidt's explanation here: https://youtu.be/KDI0vn83Y-g But I especially love this CHURCH SIGNS DEBATE WHETHER DOGS GO TO HEAVEN | TheDogPress Enjoy!