Going Home

Loyce Mae Lowry McGlone

May 11, 1925 to May 26, 2015

The Lowry Clan

Mom was the 4th of five children.  She told me once she was so glad when Aunt Clara was born.  She was no longer the "baby"!  Her dad died when she was just 18 years old.  And then the years passed and Mom was the last of the Lowry clan.  Her Mother, two sisters and two brothers had all Gone Home.  I asked her one day how it felt to be the last of her family to be living.  She said it was lonely but then she always had us.  "Who can be too lonely when so many who are here care about me."

Mom's Senior Picture

Janesville, Wisconsin

Mom and Dad were married on March 1, 1946 at St. Catherine of Siene Church in Denver, Colorado.  Mom joined two other families who loved here dearly.  She became a McGlone and joined the Catholic Church.  Daddy's mother had died when he was 13 years old and his dad died just 6 months after I was born in June of 1947.  But there were The Folks.  Aunts Mary, Rose and Ida and cousin Pat.  She dearly loved these ladies as they did her.  And growing up we all experienced the love they contributed to our family.

Mom and Dad just before my arrival

Summer, 1946

Daddy died in June, 1995 just before his 80th birthday.  Since Mom no longer had any family living near her we, her children, suggested she move near on of her children...not to be confused with living with one of her children as she never would have stood for that.  She moved to Versailles, MO.  Where she lived for 5 years before finally settling down in Billings, MT.  There she lived, happy in her Mission Ridge Community for 15 years.  Her friends were countless and her generosity and humor were renowned.  

Four Generations

 Mother, Daughter, 

Granddaughter and Great Granddaughter

Summer, 1999

And then just two weeks after her 90th birthday Mom went home to be with other family and friends.  I miss you, Mom, but I envy you the reunion you are having.

Home to the Father

A grand reunion begun

Celebrating life.

The consolation

Death becomes a whole new life

It's eternal JOY!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Spring, Glorious Spring

It Must be Spring

by May Fenn

Hush, can you hear  it?

The rustling in the grass,

Bringing you the welcome news

Soft, can you feel it?

The warm caressing breeze,

Telling you the sticky buds

Are bursting on the trees.

Look, can you see them?

The primrose in the lane, 

Now you must believe it-

Spring is here again.

The Bee

by Emily Dickinson

Like trains of cars on tracks of plush

I hear the level bee:

A jar across the flowers goes,

Their velvet masonry

Withstands until the sweet assault

Their chivalry consumes, 

While he, victorious, tilts away

To vanquish other blooms.

His feet are shod with gauze,

His helmet is of gold;

His breast, a single onyx

With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labor is a chant,

His idleness a tune;

Oh, for a bee's experience

of clovers and of noon!

Wishing all a glorious week filled with blossoms and bees, and the aromatic fragrances only Spring can supply!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I will also be joining Laura at I Heart Macro to day too.  Why not stop by and enjoy!

Floral Haiku

Lavender and pink
Air is filled with fragrances
Sweetest Aromas

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Hibiscus Beauty

Earnestly waiting

Hoping and praying for this

Hibiscus beauty!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Cats Will Play

Cats play with the yarn

All tangled, in disarray

Cats do this you know

Untangle the mess

This is inimitable

So NOW the cats nap

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy 

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

A Daffodil Day

The bee's are buzzing

Daffodils are blooming

Spring is all the rage!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Happy Easter!!!!!

Brothers and Sisters: Do  you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?  Clear out the old yeast so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened.  For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.  Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8

Easter Morning Liturgy

Happy, Holy and Joyful Easter!!!  

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Peace Lily

There is something so very beautiful yet simple about a Peace Lily.  It has beautiful blooms on strong stems.  It seems to have dignity.  It is a plant with a strong constitution.  How else could it survive in my house or any house for that matter when one forgets to water it?  But, it does.  It reminds me when its leaves fall limp, and they spring up again when fed just to say, "Thank you?"  It is so forgiving.  If real peace could be this simple.

~~~~~~

Peace Lily my friend
Offering so much beauty
Sadly less returned

What the remedy
I will show the tenderness
She truly deserves

~~^j^~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Butterflies and Flowers

Awoke this morning to 7 inches of snow in Indianapolis.  We drove 3 hours south and west, home to Newburgh to still frigid temperatures...I do wish it were spring!

So while waiting I'll just dream of those gorgeous blooms just waiting to "spring" forth!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

Spring's 'round the Corner

The years at the spring

And day's at morn;

Morning's at seven;

The hillside's dew-pearleld;

The lark's on the wing;

The snail's on the thorn;

God's in his heaven-

All's right with the world!

~~Robert Browning~~

I know that Spring is still three weeks away and the change to daylight savings time is not for two weeks.  You can accuse me of pressing my luck.  So be it!!  Just remember!  The Feast of Saint Patrick falls between both...There is Hope for Spring!!!  

~~~~~~

Spring's 'round the corner

Goslings and ducklings are born

Softness in down

Little lambs and calves

Nourished by their mother's milk

Spring's 'round the corner

~~^j^~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Retreat Postscript

Today is the day after...I've been on a high.  Yes, a high.  The two days at Saint Meinrad Archabbey each year are something I really look forward to.  Most years the weather is conducive to long walks and quiet.  But this year there was ice, sleet and snow, there was no walk around the lake or reflection at the Grotto.  You know, I did have time for quiet alone at the Abby Church, the guest house chapel and sitting quietly in the reading room watching the snow/sleet and thanking God for the Monks and their hospitality!  Thanks, too, to St. Benedict and his Rule.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Sunset to Sunrise!

I have found when writing this post that sunrise and sunset are really treasured gifts.  It makes no difference whether it a sunrise or a sunset.  No difference because they are both glorious creations of God our Father.  And gratitude should be given at the beginning and the end of each day.

Sunrise and sunset

Beauty in reds and oranges

Glorious jewels

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Ash Wednesday

Be sure that you first preach by the way you live.  If you do not people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.  ~~St. Charles Borromeo

This Lent, as all that have gone before, is a journey to prepare us for the REAL celebration.  The celebration of our Redemption.  

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Cat Expression

Simba sits there watching.  Calmly staring without blinking at me.  What is he thinking?  Is he preparing to nap? Is he getting ready to scold me?  His sister is playing with  his favorite toy but  he is not deterred.  I continue to knit and he continues to stare.  This goes on for some time.  (Long enough to get a couple of pictures that are all the same pose.)  Then, just as suddenly as he took this pose, he rises, arches his back to stretch, meows, and leaps from the sofa and off he went.

Perhaps, I should consider this a lesson to me from the sage, Simba, a lesson in calm, peace and tranquility.  And maybe what he is saying to me with those eyes that look so very stern, "Hear what I am saying, be quiet and at peace.  Relax, life is good, remember what I say!!"

Simba is the sage

The cat that's full of wisdom

His eyes say, "listen."

Tranquility his

Calm and peace the lesson

He wants this for all

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Looks like fun.  Drop by for a visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing all a Happy and Healthy 2015. My resolution for this new year is to remember daily the blessing I have been given and give thanks for them.  Blessings are never underrated!!!  Or at least they shouldn't be underrated.  

So I resolve to rise in the morning and thank God!  And I resolve to end my day thanking God for the day given me.

Best Wishes!!!!

Cathy

Celebrating 2014

It's nearly the end of 2014 and there is so much for which I am thankful.  This last winter was very cold, colder than normal, but that didn't dim the glory of the glorious sky.  

Spring brought the fun and excitement of traveling to Montana to visit Mom and attend my nieces graduation from Montana State University.  Oh, what a grand time we had.  There was the glory of spring flowers and the Montana skies.  Mom turned 89 in May and though she suffers from dementia she is so very healthy!  And she can still beat me at dominoes!!!!  Thanks be to God!

Our annual visit to Colorado to get our Rocky Mountain High... and no I don't need marijuana to get one.  We visited friends and family.  The "boys" played with the train and took some very realistic photos.  We had a friendly buck come as spend several hours with us and made himself at home.  Our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, as always, lifts the spirits.  And finally, our trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming to visit the railroad museum there was a high light for Ron as he was able to get pictures of a layout for his precious Argo Mill. 

Finally this year ends in celebration of life and family.  I retired the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and was surprised by Wes and Laura as they "crashed" the party at work and brought me to tears for their thoughtfulness.  I was also surprised by two special ladies, Christine and Jamie, with  whom I had the privilege to work.  Leaving Newburgh Family Physicians was hard.  I worked with an incredibly conscientious and compassionate doctor and a staff that has each and every patient at heart.  

Christmas brought the Keller Clan together.  I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to have all my children, their spouses and grandchildren all here!!!  Oh my what fun we had!!  We were able to have a family portrait taken for the first time in 10 years.  Time spent with family is always time well spent!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

Jingle Rail Christmas Collage

What fun we had yesterday at The Eitelljorg Museum in Indianapolis.  It is home to the holiday exhibit for Jingle Rails.

"The railroad changed the face of the West forever and Jingle Rails brings that story to life. The exhibit is a series of trestles, bridges, tunnels and trains that wind through detailed replicas of both the city of Indianapolis and Western landmarks. Eight trains wind through the elaborate landscape, including lighted passenger trains, trains with vintage posters and advertisements on their sides and freight trains."

Ron and Ainsley, Lindsey and Daniel had a grand time.  Well, so did I...The exhibit is made entirely of natural woods except, of course, for the rails and trains. There was the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mt. Rushmore, and Aspen ski resort.  There was even the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde.  And who could leave out the city of Indianapolis and the State Fair Grounds.  All in all it was quite an experience.

  

~~~~~~

After lunch at Sanatorini's, a Greek restaurant in Indianapolis, we bid the kids and grandkids adieu and returned home last evening.  It was, indeed a wonderful holiday experience.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

Joy In Completion

Today I join Meri for Share the Joy.   For I believe we need to find it in my life every day no matter the realities in which we live.  God is Good in so many ways even in times of trial.

Joy comes in many forms.
And this day has the potential of
being just as grand as
celebrating the treasures in
all that surrounds me.

I must be open to it!        

~~~~~

I just completed two prayer shawls.  There is such joy in finishing project.  There were times when prayer was more for me, because of a mistake I made several rows back, than for someone in need.  When you have finished there is also the anticipation of beginning anew.  And so today I begin again.

~~~~~~

Stitches of understanding
Rows of compassion
Prayer shawl made with love

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Gift Tags

I have paper and bags, tape and scissors.  All is ready to begin The Ceremony of the Wrapping of the Gifts.  All, that is, but gift tags.  I have boxes and boxes of wrapping paper.  Bags full of gift bags.  Tissue paper and scotch tape are in abundance, but not one single GIFT TAG!!!  Now I have to stop and go to the store and get them...What happened to all of them!?!

No, it wasn't the Elf on the Shelf.  He's too cute to be so devilish!  I guess I just used them all last year.  That is a first!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

It's My Birthday

Today I am 68.  Yes, I claim it.  It is mine.  I just retired after nursing for 46 years in different environments.  I have been privileged to serve many beautiful, wonderful people.  I have a wonderful husband, five remarkable children and children-in-law (is that a word?) and 12 delightful grandchildren.  

Life is good!!! Revel in it!!!  

And so this I pray.

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.  I do not see the road ahead of me.  I cannot know for certain where it will end.  Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.  But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.  And I hope I have the desire in all that I am doing.  Hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.  And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.  Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.  I will not fear, for  you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."  Thomas Merton

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

Christmas Shakers

I don't have many Christmas salt and pepper shakers...Thought about collecting them at one time but decided I didn't need ANOTHER collection so I stopped after these four sets.  Just the right amount to set a table.  

Wishing all a good week as we continue to prepare for that very special celebration, Christmas Day!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

Joy in the Memories

Today I join Meri for Share the Joy.   For I believe we need to find it in my life every day no matter the realities in which we live.  God is Good in so many ways even in times of trial.

Joy comes in many forms.
And this day has the potential of
being just as grand as
celebrating the beauty in
all that surrounds me.

I must be open to it!

           
~~~~~

It's been a number of months since I've ventured here.  But now that I am retired I am going to try to rejoin this community with eagerness and anticipation.  Joy comes to me in the strength and integrity of this tree on grounds of Saint Mary-or-the Woods, home to the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and, most importantly, the shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, founderess of the congregation.  This tree was well over a hundred years old when it finally had to be cut down.  There is sorrow in that because an old friend has passed.  On the other hand, the joy I get from the memories far outweighs the sorrow.  I am a graduate of SMWC and a Providence Associate. Walking the campus, praying with the sisters and gathering on retreat with Associate sisters and brothers is such a JOYFUL time.  So it is that I anticipate a weekend of JOY as I "retreat" to The Woods to gather in community of prayer and reflection!

~~~~~~

Strong and gnarled tree

Comfort for the weary

Shelter for us all

For those who labor

Shade from the sun and heat

Beautiful branches

~~~

There is nothing so beautiful as memories of times past and nothing more exciting than anticipating the joy in new memories!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

I will also be joining Weekend Reflections for the first time.  You might want to visit as well.