Dreaming of a White Halloween
On “Debate Wednesday” it was 84 degrees in the afternoon, and by the time the debate started the temperature had dropped so fast that I needed my down filled coat and ski cap when I went outside. [I didn’t want to watch the debate, so during the first part I walked around the neighborhood and prayed for Romney.] From what I’ve heard and read about the debate, the chair did a better job at the RNC than the POTUS, B.O., did in Denver. Of course, the chair had the advantage being at sea level and not in the rarified air of the Mile High City. I suppose we all try to come up with excuses when we do poorly, but some excuses are more plausible than others. How many times has the POTUS been in Colorado? Wasn’t the 2008 DNC here? Hasn’t he visited this battleground state many times since the campaign started? Wasn’t he here when we were having all the fires and after the movie tragedy? Wouldn’t one have figured out through all these visits that he needed time to adjust to the altitude? Anyway, it wasn’t the POTUS who came up with that excuse – it was the environmental politician who knows about things warming and now, apparently, about the air we breathe. I think all of this is a good lesson in being honest and not trying to justify ourselves or make excuses, even for others. There’s a reality for a reason.
Back to the weather: 84 on Wednesday, and today, Friday, I was walking through a heavy wet snow to go to Mass. I couldn’t believe it when I opened the door this morning and saw the snow. By the time I was walking home, the snow had stopped and it was beautiful with the snow on the trees. On average the first snowfall of the year in Denver is October 19th. The first day below freezing in October 7th. So we are a little earlier than usual this year on both counts.
Changing gears: My sister Barb is a cancer survivor and gets the magazine Cure. Each issue has a story about some cancer related experience sent in by a reader. In the fall edition there is a great article with the title “The Waiting Room”. I asked for permission to summarize and quote parts of the article, but the magazine’s policy is to allow the first 50 words to be used and then to give a link to the magazine, so I am going to do that in a moment. After following Jim & Jill (Vugteveen) Pogue’s account of their little girl Serena's battle with tumors behind her eyes, and their impressions of the great spirit that the children have at Shriner’s Hospital in Philadelphia, and the sometimes glumness of the adults, I especially enjoyed this article about a six year old named Elliot. Here’s the 1st 50 words and then the link – I really hope you’ll read the rest and see the great picture of Elliot.
“Today we are in the waiting room of the hospital’s oncological radiology department. Elliot has had radiotherapy every other day for the past two weeks, at about the same time every day, so we see many of the same people in the waiting room. Elliot has on his superhero costume,”
http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/1988
I think we’re up to about 3rd gear now. If you want to follow the Seton soccer and volleyball teams, you can do so on MaxPreps. Just google that and then click on state links and then click on Virginia. Then you’ll be given sports under boys and girls headings that you can choose from. For soccer you will be given a list of all schools – click on Seton. For volleyball you will be given a choice of divisions or leagues. Click on Division II, then Seton. Both teams are ranked in the State: Soccer 4th and Volleyball 8th. There’s a picture of the soccer team and roster. Almost all the players are siblings or sons of alumni.
Now 4th gear: I was surprised when I saw on this website the link to the Denver Catholic Register and to “Nun of the Above”. The quiz that I have been writing since March has been demoted to a filler status – the number of questions used depends on the number of advertisements for that page. Of late, the ten question quiz I submit has been reduced over time with its low point this past week of six questions on Colorado’s Catholicness. Not making the cut was a question of what town has the distinction of being the location of the first Catholic church built in Colorado. The answer: Conejos. “Conejos” means “rabbits” in Spanish. I picture a little church with lots of jack rabbits running around. [Do you know that jack rabbits get their name from "jackass + rabbit" because of their long ears?] Starting with the next issue of the DCR on October 10th, I am submitting 10 questions each week on the Catholic Catechism as part of an observance of the Year of Faith. It will be interesting to see how many questions run. The full quiz can be found at the www.seton-school.org site beginning with the October 11th issue as part of the Sentinel. Once on the site, click on news and then on the issue date you want to view. The Sentinel comes out every Thursday. I could post the quiz here, but instead I will just give the link each week because I think it is good for us to keep up with what the Sentinel has to say. For example, I found out from the last Sentinel that Bob and Bea Pennefather’s young son, Charbel, has a constricted artery in his brain, and they are asking for prayers. I am grateful to have learned this and to join them in prayer. The Sentinel, minus the quiz, is just two pages each week and doesn’t repeat articles.
You may be wanting to ask, “Hello, Country Bumpkin, how’s the frost out on the pumpkin?” Nephew Dave has a good number of pumpkins growing and, looking outside, I can see that they are doing quite fine –the snow has already melted off them. So, the frost is gone and things are ripe for All Hallows Eve.
Post Script: Don't you just love Elliot!
Jezu, ufam Tobie.