A Bohemian Bike Night?

Tonight was a prelude to tomorrow's Bohemian Night but it was also fused with Westgate Bike Night which makes me think that it's a small world, or at least a small town.

Last week I met Mary, the coordinator for the Bohemian Night and we are getting to know each other through the PoetAz page on Facebook which she maintains and through our blogs. So this afternoon I got a text from her where she said there were lots and lots of bikers where she was and asked if I was there. No, not yet is what I told myself as I was still performing market shopping duty with my mom.

Of course I was heading that way, tonight was the opening night for Westgate Bike Night and I even ditched choir practice to attend. I got there and found her along with two other friends I met last Friday (both of them great poets) enjoying some drinks at Margaritaville, I was asked to joined them and the next two hours were spent in conversation about music, poetry, and bike noise, lol. Yeap, the place was so packed that I didn't even make it in to park on the street but had to go and park along a lonely wall next to the "cops only" parking. lol I kinda hoped my bike would not be towed away from there and luckily it wasn't.

The more I talked to this ladies, the more I became excited about tomorrow's performance. Oh, by the way I am now listed in the program so I guess I can't back down now. I was thinking maybe I will do three songs and go find me a corner to hide afterwards but I was told to start thinking more like a five song set. So, a five song set it will be I guess.

Card for Friday performer's, I am excited now.
If my niece goes with me tomorrow I may pull her to give me some singing support, specially since our choir main guitar player will also be there. Oh, man this is sounding better and better by the minute. We will see.

Vicky (Poet), Mary (organizer and poet)and Blanca (poet and MC)
But more on the Bohemian Night tomorrow.

Well, for sure they were having a kick with all the bikes and bikers there, I certainly was too so let me share with you what I consider poetry of a different kind. Poetry on two wheels, loud, exciting, and beautiful.

A case of the nonstop grins

On Saturday I'm going to do something I've never done before. A big boost out of the rut where I seem to spend most of my time comfortably wallowing.

I've been jamming with a group every Friday for the past nine months, playing guitar and singing. It's one of the high points of my week, confirming what I've known for a long time: that making music with friends tops the list of things that make me happy. Living the dream, you might say.

I've been lucky in that it's a particularly congenial group of ten men and women, all snowbirds except me. We have a lot of laughs and none of us is obsessively picky or tries to manage the group. Four of us have played together for years, onstage and off, though they've never played for money. We have seven singers, four guitars, a mandolin, an accordion, a percussionist, a slide guitar and an autoharp.

I feel profoundly blessed to be allowed to participate in this group. Sometimes when we're doing a particularly entertaining song, I get a case of the nonstop grins and a rush from my toes to the roots of my hair.

Most of the time we just play for fun, each in turn calling for a favorite tune we do only once, for better or for worse. But when the San Carlos Canine Refuge organized a benefit show and invited us to participate with a half-hour set, we had to get a little more focused. There will be at least 200 people in our audience, probably more.

We're one of five opening acts for the star performer, Jeremy McComb (pictured here, isn't he a cute pup?), who's flying down from Nashville to headline our show.

In the last week we've added two extra rehearsals, spent a lot of time sorting through dozens of songs to come up with nine that we feel are ready for prime time, and tweaking introductions, solos, arrangements, harmonies... Though occasionally the higher expectations plus a deadline have altered our usual laid-back atmosphere, I think the process of refining our music has been good for us. Especially for me,  the most junior of the guitarists.

And that's my challenge: I have never before played guitar in front of an audience. None of my cohorts is aware of this, and I don't plan to tell them until after the show is over. (None of them reads this blog, so I'm safe in confessing here.) When all this is behind us, we'll only have a couple more Friday jams together before everyone heads north for the summer.

We'll be doing country/western songs, in keeping with the Nashville theme.  If you're curious, here's our songlist. Each of us has at least one solo/lead, and mine is "I'll Fly Away."

 Cowboys Of Baja

 Folsom Prison Blues

 I’ll Fly Away

 Throw Another Log On The Fire

 Kansas City Star

 Gold Watch and Chain

 In Spite of Ourselves

 Someday Soon

 Jambalaya

Happy Birthday to Diego

It was early but I had to be there at 8:30 a.m. my new and expensive glasses were ready for pick up. On my way back I called my daughter and asked her if she was ready, well as usual she wasn't but this time she did not make me wait too long. The plan was for me to go down to the stereo shop to drop off my car as it was about to get it's brand new stereo and she would pick me up there. Then from there it was off to buy all the things we needed for Diego's eight birthday party.

So, last week I had a date with my Nikki and Laila and this Saturday was Michelle and Atalie. How can you go to the store on an empty stomach, that's right you can't so a stop at Denny's for an awesome stake skillet was in the agenda. Again I only left a fry and my skilled didn't even have fries in it. Ummm how did that happen? Atalie was so well behaved that our server even brought her goodies.

After a good hour or so we headed back to my house to start cooking but it had been invaded by not one or two nor three or four, five, six, seven or eight, or even nine, ten, elenven nor twelve yes thirteen of my fifteen grandkids were there plus two honorary grandkids as well. Oh boy, that was fun. I cooked the beans and my daughter did the hot dogs.

Little by little all the guests started arriving and all the kids played outside in the front yard. Unfortunately for me I got worried that the shop was scheduled to close in half an hour and they still had not called me about my car so my son and I headed that way and had to wait for it to be finished for close to an hour. By this time cake was cut, presents were opened and the party was pretty much over. For what I heard, Diego made out like a bandit.

As an added bonus for me more than him he spent the night and went to church with me the next morning. We normally leave an hour and a half before mass starts because we have to practice the songs we will be singing, he loves being there and is a member of the choir. He has yet to sing but he definitely moves his lips and lipsinc many of the songs. All the choir members love him as they have known him for a year now and before going in to church we sang him his Mananitas and Happy Birthday. He had a simple yet fantstic birhday party which he totally enjoyed.

Report from Sendai

This eloquent email is from a woman who teaches English in Sendai, Japan, the epicenter of the disastrous March 11 earthquake and tsunami, sent recently to friends and family to let them know she's all right. I'm sharing it as a guest blog. Reading it brought on a tectonic shift in my own priorities and concerns.

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.

Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another."

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun.

People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend's husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

Cindy Burke

My stance on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the US military

Brethren, recently I had to attend a mass briefing regarding the impending repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy banning declared homosexuals from serving in the US Armed Forces. You may access one such briefing here. I find these points important and valuable:

• There Is No Expectation To Change Religious or Moral Views
• Good Order And Discipline Will Be Maintained At All Times
• Chaplains have both the right to serve and conduct religious services according to their faith, and a duty to perform or provide religious support.
• Free exercise of religious expression, within law and policy, remains unchanged
• Maintain beliefs
• Discuss concerns with commander/chaplain
• Treat all with dignity and respect
• Follow all lawful orders
• Free exercise of religion and duty to care for all remains unchanged
• In the context of their religious ministry, chaplains are not required to take actions inconsistent with their religious beliefs
• Same-sex partner does NOT qualify for benefits (as long as DOMA remains the law of the land)

Given the above assurances, as a military leader, I will support the new policy and back up the law. I do so on the basis of Catholic doctrine as expressed in our Catechism, as follows:

Chastity and homosexuality

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,¹⁴⁰ tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."¹⁴¹ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

I believe that the key statement here is: “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” Congress has decided that banning homosexual persons to serve openly in the military is a form of unjust discrimination. We may disagree – I in fact do – but my conviction has been defeated in the democratic process and now I must enforce it. In fact, what Congress asks of me is to uphold the law and treat everyone with dignity, which is not too far from accepting homosexual persons “with respect, compassion, and sensitivity as the Church teaches. Therefore, the repeal of DADT does not, by itself, do violence to my core beliefs and adherence to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, I am gratified that both Congress and the military services have promised to respect individual conscience and the right of free, religious speech of all military members, because I also pledge that, if someone were to approach me in my individual capacity as a Catholic believer and were to ask me what is my stance regarding homosexual acts, I will not hesitate to repeat that “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,¹⁴⁰ tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."¹⁴¹ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”

Because that’s the Truth, and no sovereign, no man-made law, will ever stop me from proclaiming this Truth. For there is no Love without Truth, and no Truth without Love.

May the Lord grant me the words and wisdom necessary to deal with every situation and person as the need arises, the prudence to recognize His kairos, and may He defend me against those who may seek to trap me, as the Psalmist prayed (Psalm 140):

⁴ Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
   protect me from the violent,
   who devise ways to trip my feet.
⁵ The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
   they have spread out the cords of their net
   and have set traps for me along my path.

Amen, amen.

Noche Bohemia - Bohemian Night

"The concept of Bohemia is the coexistence, is to socialize with friends in an atmosphere of camaraderie, where music, songs, poems, anecdotes and all the spontaneity, are the main element."
"In a Bohemian all the guests can participate and be singing in the chorus, reciting or playing a musical instrument. And you do not know how to sing or play with virtuosity because"
"To be Bohemio just need to be in love, excited, passionate .... or deeply hurt"

Well I came home from work on Friday and after resting for a little bit I decided to get ready to attend my first ever Bohemian Night. I was told about this by a friend and co-member of our church choir, he told me that I would fit right in as I sing fairly decent and they are always looking for performers. Ummmmm, I got the idea right away that this is not karaoke so I was contacted by Mari the coordinator and she invited me to come in.

So I got there at around 7:30 pm and the place was empty, ummm I went in anyway and introduced myself, she in turned gave me a hug and introduced me to her husband and the few other people there, right away I felt totally welcomed there. She apologised cause nobody had showed up yet and I told her not to worry as I was not in a hurry to leave.

Sitting here with singer and song writer Guillermo Saenz.
In the next half hour the place, a local Salvatorian restaurant started to fill up to capacity and at around 8:00 pm the first performances started. So each performer in the card scheduled to appear does a set of four to five songs. Now these guys not only can sing but played their guitars like nobodies business which in contrast with me not only I don't play or sing as good as they do but I can't memorize lyrics which means I will rely on reading them.

So, I did stick it out and stayed there until the end, it was a night of hugs and hand shakes, these people really are a tight group and they all respect and like each other. It was a night of different nationalities coming together, there were people from all over South America and the love for each other's nationalities was evident.

There are singers, and there were also poets, so there were many poetry sets as well. Perhaps I will also write some of my wannabe rhymes and one day read them there.

So I was asked to come back and sing for them next Friday and I agreed, arggg that will be definitely different, I will arm myself with my music tracks and my trusty lyrics and hopefully I won't crash and burn.

I will let you know how that will pan out.

Images "borrowed" from Poemary of PoetAZ.

The Long Good Bye

Brethren, first, some news: I’ve completed combat training successfully and I am heading to my ultimate duty station to prepare to go on to Afghanistan. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

On the way I stopped at my father’s place and found out that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, that in fact he was diagnosed 8 years ago but decided to keep it from us until the symptoms became too obvious.

I was gratified that he remembered me and he does in fact looks OK, considering, although he has severe problems walking, diabetes, and a host of other ailments.

He also keeps his sense of humor and seems amused at the many contradictions and funny moments that his declining mental faculties afford him. He, in fact, laughs loudly and with gusto and I can’t help but laugh too.

Alzheimer’s has been called “the Long Good Bye” and with reason, as relatives observe their loved ones slowly fade away. Primary caregivers bear an onerous weight also.

All things considered, please keep my dad in prayer. He and his family are also Jehovah Witnesses and as such are indoctrinated to bear suffering with stoicism, but are either prohibited, discouraged, or uneducated to “offer up” their pain and sufferings by joining them to Christ, which would lighten their load and bring them some more joy in pain. May the Lord strengthen all of us in His Spirit, as we say our “long good bye”.

Tidbits Time

OK so Arizona or Phoenix Arizona to be exact is getting weird, first it was like really cold and then a couple of weeks later it wasn't then last week it was hot so I wore shorts all week long, then this morning was not cold at all and yet there was ice on the roof tops. I am so confused, what's next rain during the summer, oh wait that already happens.

Awww Jama and Diego, his angel up in heaven.
Well regardless of the weather this next Saturday we will be celebrating Diego's eight birthday, yeap you heard right, my little man is turning ocho. I know of an angel up in heaven celebrating with him from way up there. I really do believe that just in case you are wondering.

So he will have an intimate family get together complete with cake, hot dogs, and I am thinking "frijolitos puercos" which I am planning on cooking myself. Ummm that will definitely be a first but I think I can pull it off. It will be here at the house and he says he is really happy. Well, this little dude deserves all the happiness and more.

Grampa and Diego.
On another note, I have been invited to a "Noche Bohemia" at a local restaurant and I think it will be fun to attend. It's a combination of poetry and singing with live music, not as in full musical groups but more like a guitar or two here and there. It should be very interesting and totally different from karaoke. So I'll let you guys know how that pans out.

OK, I don't have enough tidbits so I will cut it short right here.

This is what is all about

Brethren, I want to list again for you a number of posts that may help you live this Lent fruitfully:

• Examen of Conscience
• Plenty of Good Reading for Lent at Your Fingertips
• Catholic Spiritual Warfare Prayers
• How to Write a Personal Rule of Life
• Exercise your priesthood: Pray the Liturgy of the Hours
• Ten pointers for living in married chastity
• Our Home Shrine – Heart of Our Domestic Church
• The Gospel and Human Rights
• An Interview with a Lay Catholic Contemplative
• Practicing Benedictine hospitality while blogging
• How to fast during Lent - or for any other worthy intention
• On Mastering the Passions
• Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
• Prayerful Postures and Gestures

My heart and prayers go out to God for Father Corapi

Brethren, as many of you know already, popular speaker and author Fr. John Corapi has been placed on administrative leave by superiors within his religious order following recent allegations of misconduct, which he denies (More here).

Frankly, I believe the charges are bunk and the fact that no civil action has been directed at Fr. Corapi indicates to me that this is a willful and determined attempt to destroy his reputation, public image, and moral authority. Moreover, I consider this a satanic attack against a good priest.

Our priests – all of them – are under attack from the prince of darkness. We need to pray, not only for Fr. Corapi, but for all our priests:

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

"Little Joe's" First Birthday Party

Here's grandpa with the baby of the hour.
Woke up early on Sunday and got ready for church, showered and got dressed only to find out that the shirt which I had carefully ironed the night before would not button up around my neck. So, instead of a shirt and tie I just took a v-neck t-shirt, ummm and I think I pulled it off cause it didn't look too bad.

I am usually done at church by 1:30 p.m. which on this particular Sunday just gave me enough time to go back home and change into something more comfortable to go the the park where my grandson Ramon was having his 1st birthday celebrated. Ummm let me add that the weather was perfect for a day at the park, no sun meant no heat, but not cold or windy or rainy at all. It was just a perfect day for a most awesome birthday party for a most awesome boy.

The music was provided by my son's Bose I-Pod docking station which sounds totally awesome. My younger daughter Nikki said she wants one and had a conversation with my son that went like this:

Nikki: Juan my birthday is coming I so want one of this.
Juan: Tell Jen, she bought this one for me
Nikki: No, I am telling you, you are my big brother
Juan: That's right and big brothers are for protecting, not buying

LOL - I wonder if I had hear the end of that conversation.

So, we went to the same park we went to last week so it was a lot of the same except this time to celebrate a birthday and of course there were many more people, so with that said I will share a bunch of the pictures I took.

Enjoy!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Ramon
Happy birthday to you
and many more...
Awww here I am with two of my favorite nieces.
It's obvious that the cup cakes were a hit.
Is there any doubt the princesa loves me.
Yes, I live on Sesame Street and these three are my muppets.
Oscars!
Elmo: Hey, do you know what we are doing here.
Cookie Monster: I think we are the guests of honor.
And here is "Little Joe" with the guy I call "The other grandpa".
What do you mean "Which one is the cookie monster". Isn't it obvious?
Mis princesas!
Three amigos! Ehrrr I mean cousins.
Ummm I could be eating a raspado, instead I sit here looking dorky with my eyes closed.

The Spouse as a Way Towards God

Fr. Nicolás Schwizer

The meeting of two persons in God through prayer or shared religious experience is one of the best and most profound forms for meeting one another since we are already before God with the best which each one possesses.

Before the Lord, we begin to detach ourselves from everything which normally hinders the encounter and we begin to assume – more objectively – an understanding, benign, and compassionate attitude of the love of God.

When two persons unite through the Sacrament of matrimony, a new possibility for supernatural love opens up for them: the spouse as a way towards God, as a place of encounter with God. In that solemn moment of the wedding, Christ says to each one of them: From now on, I am going to love you especially through your spouse, I am going to convert him/her into a Shrine of my encounter with you. With that I am left with the great challenge of seeking the Lord in the heart of the other where from now on He is waiting for me... of discovering the face of Christ in the face of my spouse... of embracing His love as a transparency and reflection of Divine Love. On the other hand, I should be Christ for the other... give him/her love, the light and the strength he/she needs to grow and to reach God. Thus, each one accepts himself/herself and gives himself/herself to the other as a privileged place of encounter with the Lord.

Therefore, God is there as a third person in each Christian marriage. He is a bridge and a bond of unity between the spouses. And precisely when God does not occupy that place within the marriage, then there is always room for “another” third person who destroys the marriage covenant.

Marriage is a saving community united by a supernatural attachment. The love of Christ and Mary seal our love. We are united like the vine and the vine shoots. Our salvation is united to the other and comes through the other.

My sanctity echoes in the other, and my sin does also.

This Covenant and this mutual knowledge of each other is so profound that the spouses would have to be spiritual directors to each other. They know each other so well that they can help each other on the way to sanctity.

This Covenant of Love develops among the spouses and from the spouses with God. Therefore it is a saving community... of love, life and tasks with Christ and Mary. We share their mission and together with them, we journey towards the Father God. In case the human partners fall into a crisis, the third partner sustains them. Christ sustains the marriage. After our consecration to the Virgin, She also begins to be an ally and helps us on the way. She also sustains us.

Now, what we said about marriage, that also goes for all the members of the family: parents, children, brothers and sisters... Each one is Christ for the others, a reflection and a transparency of the Lord. Each one is and should be for the other a way towards God... a privileged way of love towards God.

In that we find the meaning of the marriage Covenant and the meaning of the family Covenant: All together, united and as allies with the Virgin Mary, we journey towards God. All together, mutually loving each other as we love the Lord, we consecrate ourselves to Mary, and through her, we surrender ourselves forever to God.

Dear brothers and sisters, if we allow ourselves to be educated and guided by the Virgin Mary, then the Covenant with Her is like a great school of love. In her we learn to love in order to travel the ways of Divine Love and reach the heart of the Father. And it is in this way how the Covenant with God becomes a reality in our life.

Questions for reflection

1. Do we pray together as a marriage?

2. Do I see my spouse as a way towards God?

3. How do I receive his/her suggestions, criticisms...?

5 Reasons I'm Geeked About Revival Market

Revival Market, a rad new source for fresh local bounty, is officially ready to open—tomorrow morning! Here are five reasons to get super-excited, Houston.

1) Morgan Weber and Ryan Pera. These guys are going to make *great* neighbors. We already know that they’re kind to animals and good with a garden, but they’re also incredibly knowledgable and just plain nice. Wait, what’s that...? Oh — I think my property value just went up!

2) Fantastic meat selection. Revival Market was initially slated to be a butchery; it’s just our dumb luck that it turned out to be so much more. But the owners’ dedication to quality meats that are humanely raised and their expertise with cuts and preparation dictates that this place is gonna be a meat heaven-destination-party-place.

3) Awesome take-away food. Ryan Pera is a classically trained French chef who knows his way around a spice rack. Last week I sampled a fabulously simple local carrot salad and a dynamite-delicious Asian duck slaw (pictured below), both of which I can’t wait to add to my regular dinner rotation. They’ll soon have a full case of similar offerings, plus lunchtime grab-and-go sandwiches.

4) Locally sourced products. Local bounty abounds! Farmers now have a daily outlet for their goods, rather than relying solely on a weekly or bi-weekly trip to the farmers markets. They sell more and waste less—and we have better access to awesomely fresh local produce. Wins all around. It’s also an incredible repository for local products like cheese, eggs, honeys, jams, breads, and desserts.

5) A kickin’ coffee bar. I have one cup of java daily. No more, sometimes less. I don’t need anything fancy, but I do like to splurge on weekends. Great — Revival Market offers a full coffee bar (open at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays) with beans from local roasters like Katz, Amaya, and Fusion, plus pastries from Kraftsmen. Eventually they’ll offer hot breakfast items, too—like steel-cut oatmeal and breakfast sandwiches. Yum!

You’ll find Revival Market at 550 Heights Boulevard (at White Oak) in Houston's Heights neighborhood. It'll be open weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (it opens a bit later and closes a bit earlier on weekends). Can’t wait to drop by and give those guys a spirited high-five or twelve... See you there!

Saturday (Remixed)

Today was one of those days where I wake up and have the need to tackle the world. My life is far from complicated but if you know me then you know I love to procrastinate and obviously I had a few things that needed doing but were undone. So got up, had some wake me up coffee took a shower and then I was out and about.

First stop the dealer ship, car was due for service, even though I got there fairly early, a little bit past nine the service shop was already busy, took less than an hour but the all you can drink free cappuccino machine provided me with two more tasty cups of coffee.

Second stop was Costco, allergy season is here and in full bloom so I had to stock up on allergy pills, Costco has some that are very inexpensive and effective. Can't just go to Costco and not walk around the whole place, so I did and practice the art of free sampling. Then I went across the way to Best Buys to scope a car stereo that I have been interested in but found out that the prices were way higher than the last time I went there.

Then back home to get some paperwork I forgot and then off to COX Communications to take care of some issues. That took a while but finally got taken care of. So now off to water mart to get some water and then off to see if there are any good movies for sale at the closing neighborhood Blockbuster.

Back home and hungry I decide to see if my daughter would cook for me. That was not to be as her fridge apparently was as empty as mine so we did the next best thing and we headed for Applebee's. Ummm that turned out to be quite a good idea. I had a stake and shrimp skillet that was mighty tasty, my daughter had pasta. lol




















Off to Kohl's for some birthday present shopping, and then finally back home again. By this time I was ready to take a nap as I had been out all day. Oh no my day is not over yet but I think I will take a little break.

Coping with the Devil

Author: Fr. John Hardon, S.J. | Source: Father Hardon Archives

The devil is called the god of this world not because he made it, but because so many people serve him with their worldliness.

There is no better explanation for the massive evils that are plaguing the modern world than to say that the devil is extraordinarily effective in seducing otherwise intelligent people with his deceptive snares.

Who is the devil? Why is he allowed to tempt us? And how are we to cope with his demonic effort to lead us away from God?

Who is the Devil?

The devil is one of the legion of evil spirits who were originally good angels created by God but who made themselves evil by refusing to obey the will of God.

Devils (diabolus - slanderer) are therefore fallen angels, whose leader is Satan (adversary). In both the Old and the New Testaments, Satan is the enemy of God, who brings about evil and tempts human beings to defy God’s laws. Even Jesus allowed Himself to be tempted by Satan in the desert.

References to the devil are frequent in the Scriptures. Their prominent feature is that a personal, malicious force is active in the world. It is deliberately bent on preventing the designs of God.

Why is the Devil Allowed to Tempt?

The final explanation of why Satan is allowed to tempt us is a mystery. But divine revelation gives us several profound reasons why God allows this.

• By our resistance of the evil spirit we prove our loyalty to God. There is such a thing as being tested in order to more deeply and clearly understand God’s providence in our lives.
  
• The devil’s purpose is, of course, malicious. But God allows the evil spirit to tempt us so that we may grow in our love for God.

As I Sit Here and Reflect

What makes life interesting? To me it's very simple the gift of waking up in the morning to tackle the challenges of a new day. While life could be a routine sometimes thinking outside the box and getting off the safety net just adds more excitement. I really think life is really interesting and so worth living. You all know that I was made aware of how fragile life can be and yet the realization that life goes on gives me the strength to carry on.

Then just when I start getting too comfortable with life as it is being dealt to I get another eye opener that puts things in perspective. Watching the news and seeing the devastation in Japan makes me appreciate the life God is allowing me to live, it makes me realize how blessed I am to have the best family a man can ask for, to enjoy the things I have achieved, and to be able to thank God for another day just before I go to bed.

I watch the news in the safety of my home and can't even begin to imagine how thousands of people are suffering right now, how many broken families, how many broken souls, how many broken dreams, how many broken faiths, I sit here writing and saying I am blessed, and thousands over there are probably asking "Why me? God".

Yet, for us it's business as usual, it's a life goes on routine, it's a take care of business or it will take care of you, it's a wake up and smell the coffee. It could happen to us at any time so please take a look, an indepth hard look at yourself and make some changes gradually as needed. If at all it may make you feel better.

Prayers go to our brothers and sisters in Japan, and to those doing their best to assist in rescue searches and whatever else is needed there. If you so feel inclined to do the same keep them in your prayers too.

Eternal Memory

Brethren, I ask your prayers for the repose of Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos, late Ruling Hierarch of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese. He went home to the Father last Sunday.

Metropolitan Nicholas was a father figure to me and to my family. He always seemed to have time for me, despite his multiple duties and obligations. I believe the Sister Church he ruled will miss him greatly. I know I will.

Until we meet again, Vladika.

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Little triumphs

For about three weeks now I've been sort of fostering a litter of three puppies, which I guess would make them about five weeks old. Theirs is a sad story, if it's true. Reportedly their mom hung out with a bunch of undesirables down by Marina Real, and someone complained about the pack to the local Comisario. The police showed up and shot three dogs, one of which may have been Mom. This can't be substantiated, we only know what the Guaymas shelter employees told us when they delivered the pups to the San Carlos Canine Refuge, where I volunteer.

For the first week we fed them with an eyedropper. I took them home at night and fed them every three hours. Now they're used to a bottle and starting to drink out of a bowl, so I take them home only two or three times a week, to give our night employee a break. I've named them Dulce, Cleo and Bruno.

Dulce is arguably the smartest of the trio, while Cleo is the most affectionate and Bruno the quietest, and most docile. None of them resemble the others: Dulce is black and white with freckled paws, Cleo's pink and white coloring with a black and brown mask makes me think of a pit bull, and Bruno looks like a baby Rottweiler. My friend Greg took closeup photos of Bruno and Cleo during the Nuts for Mutts Walk two weeks ago, and they've already changed a lot since then: brighter, more alert, with more personality. We think they'll be fairly large dogs, which doesn't work in their favor among the majority of adopters who are looking for little dogs. What is in their favor is that they're going to be very socialized. After all, they think their mommy is human.

Our routine: I put about two ounces of milk in a double dog bowl and set it in front of their crate. Then I open the door and they pile out, wandering just a bit before gathering around the bowl and beginning their meal. Watching them connect with the bowl was a triumph that made me feel like celebrating.

Meanwhile I'm warming the formula for the first bottle. Last time I was in the States I bought one of those bottles with the collapsing plastic liner to reduce gas which was a serious problem the first week. Then I let two pups explore, wrestle and discover toys while I bottle-feed the third.  To clean up after them I carry the one I'm feeding in a football hold so the feeding can continue, and do the cleanup one-handed. After each is fed he is burped at least a couple of times and allowed to walk around, stimulating more burps. Baby wipes come in handy when their paws need cleaning. I get clean bedding into the crate while feeding the last one, and put the crate on the floor with the door open. This morning they all trooped back into the crate and went to sleep with no help from me. Voila! Crate-trained puppies!

Yesterday at the Refuge Dian,  a new volunteer showed up to walk dogs, and I asked her if she'd ever bottle-fed puppies before. "Uh, no." So I sat her down with Dulcie and the bottle. The look on Dian's face when the pup settled into her lap and latched onto that bottle was priceless. I'm thinking we could market the experience for people with hypertension, depression or high blood pressure.

The litter is at the perfect age for training volunteers; they take to the bottle with enthusiasm and burp without much difficulty. The feeding process is demanding, but I confess I'll miss it a little, when they no longer need it, which could be in another week or so. But then, there are always more puppies...

I've developed a profound respect for mother dogs who make themselves available 24/7 for the greedy little guys.  And mothers of triplets. How do they do it?