7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 63)

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An instant knowing  Last Friday, Kevin and I attended the wake of Dr. Martha (Marty) Muguira, a friend’s mother who had a very rough battle with cancer.  The evening and anticipation of it brought back a lot of memories for me as the funeral home was the very one where I with my dad and uncles at the age of eleven to give my nana one last kiss goodbye.  When I went in the room where we got to say our final goodbyes before she was cremated, as per her wishes, I knew immediately that she wasn’t there.  I was absolutely certain that her spirit, her soul, what made her my favorite person in the world was no longer in her body.  At the age of twenty-seven, I went into the same funeral home with my mom to say one last goodbye to my dad before he was cremated.  Again, upon entering the room, I knew in an instant that he was no longer there.  Just the shell, his body was left, but that he was no longer in it, that his spirit and soul still existed, though outside of their earthly physical form. 

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A Heavy Heart The anniversary of my father’s death was August 10 and his funeral was August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, so of course I would have been thinking about him anyway, but having reminders of the few years before he died and the hours leading up to his last breath, were that much more poignant and frequent over this past week. Kevin and I have both wondered what are we here for in the grand scheme of things, and it’s scary and depressing to think that my dad died at the age of 54, something none of us would have predicted. 

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A Strong Will to Live In thinking about my nana, my dad, my uncle Bob, Kevin's parents, and in hearing and reading about our friend Chris’s mother, Marty Muguira, I have seen and heard about people who have faced tremendous suffering in body, mind, and spirit, and yet who have fought hard to keep going.  I wonder about the timing of things, why some people live a seemingly short time and others live so much longer.  My grandmother has survived and thrived though she had the same life-threatening cancer that Chris’s mother died from.  She’s alive at 88, and still has a very strong will to live.  She’s a woman of faith and hopes to join loved ones passed in heaven ultimately, but she hasn’t given up despite unbelievable obstacles.  After being told she only had a number of days to live, she later was kicked out of hospice, because whenever the nurses went to visit her she was off playing cards or on a field trip, watching a movie, or something, so they figured she was no longer as sick as she had been.  She’s a miracle, but seeing her lately, I know that her body and mind are winding down even if her spirit is not giving up, and her will to live is as strong as ever.

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We’re in the bulletin! A dear friend of mine who is a professional actress and director as well as an aspiring Carmelite nun has written and will be performing a truly moving original play at St. Benedict's in the church Sanctuary at 3:00pm this Sunday and at 7:00pm on Monday called Teresita. She wrote and is performing this play in order to raise the funds to pay off her debt from getting her Masters in Divinity, so she can enter Carmelite Sisters by the Sea in Carmel, California, a cloistered community who has already accepted her as a postulant.  No reservations or tickets are needed.  Admission is free and open to all. A love offering will be taken up.

     This review I wrote of the play is featured in St. Benedict’s bulletin this week…This original one-act play written and performed by playwright, actress, and director Michele Morris is one you won’t want to miss! Read the whole review and get more info here.

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What did you just say?! A snippet of recent conversation with our friend Michele Morris over some really yummy ice cream.  The actress unplugged.

Kevin: Do you have his e-mail? I know it’s Celtic dodge something…

Michele: Bump-baaah-nananah!  Manah-manah! (Muppet style)

Trisha: Tom Jones (I add trying to jog Michele’s memory and bring her out of Muppetland)

Michele: Manah-manah…what?…huh?…I heard Celtic dodge…but you were just rambling.

Kevin: So I was the one rambling?

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Congratulations and celebrations are in order!  My best friend from high school Holly Moskowitz passed her boards this week, so now it’s official.  She’s a nurse practitioner.  I knew you could do it and that your hard work and dedication would pay-off.  Congratulations, my dear! 

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Saying Seeyasoon to our favorite brother in Christ.  It’s hard to believe that now is the time for our dearly beloved brother John to leave for seminary.  He’ll be moving in to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore to begin classes next week.  We’ll miss him lots, but we’re confident that this is how he’s being called to glorify the Lord and bring others closer to Him.    

Head over to Conversion Diary, to read Jen Fulwiler's wonderful tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday.