Sunday, April 18, 2010

All Things Bright and Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.


Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

 All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all
 
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one;
 
 
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all
 
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows for our play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day;





 All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all






  He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.








All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.


Words: Cecil F. Alexander, Hymns for Little Children, 1848.
Photos:  (c) Darby C. Fitzpatrick 2010

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Ten Cheap Dates

Admittedly, what attracted me to the list, Ten Cheap Dates, that I discovered about a year ago on the web site, For Your Marriage, was the word cheap used in conjunction with the word date. Perfect for me, an insufferable  (to some) romantic, and my husband, aka Frugal Fannie! Having been married now for 25 years, I'm always looking to spice up our relationship a bit - to keep it from growing stale. My husband, who is not very creative when it comes to wooing his wife (he wonders why he must keep doing this), is the more budget conscious spouse. Not that I'm a spendthrift, nowhere near, but you should see  hubby's face light up when he reads that Giant is having a two-for-one sale. O, the joy!

They say that opposites attract ... well, I don't know. I like to think that we're more like salt and pepper. We each add something different to the mix, enhancing our marriage with our own individual traits. Sure, sometimes too much salt ruins the soup! And too much pepper, too. Just the right amount of each makes for quite a pleasant and flavorful experience. Keeping it all balanced - that's sometimes the tricky part. And the subject of another post for another time.

Now, back to the list. I'm including it for you below. Some of the ideas are sound and could actually be a lot of fun. As a resident of the Washington, D.C. metro area, I particularly like # 3. There's so much around these parts that my husband and I have yet to experience. So, for us, #3 is a really good idea. But, a few of the ideas threw my husband and me into fits of hilarity. Consider #7 and #10, for example. I cannot imagine (with a straight face) Jim taking part in anything like what these ideas suggest. I'm sure anyone who knows us would chuckle, too, at the very thought of Jim painting my toe nails. O, my! And never would I ever attempt to give that man (I love you, sweetie!) a pedicure! Eww, gross! Besides, I have a  real problem with feet. Do not like them. Do not want them on me, near me or in my face. I should probably seek counseling for this problem - definitely some sort of phobia. And cutting out paper hearts, writing something lovely on them, hiding them? Sheesh. Again, I cannot imagine Jim taking the time to cut out little pink paper hearts, let alone attempt to dream up something romantic to write on them. It would take him a very, very long time. Besides, this activity is way too touchy-feely for him. Now, the heartfelt treat part? That we could do in a heartbeat!
Okay, so some of the cheap date ideas may not be suitable for Jim and me, but for other couples they may  actually help draw them a little closer to one another and provide an opportunity to reconnect.  To each his own! Perhaps some or all of these ideas will help add a little spark to your relationship with your own spouse. And in this economy, I'm sure most of us appreciate saving a few dollars and we could all use a little more romance. Without further adieu, here's the list ... and please, feel free to comment with your own ideas. Especially if they're not too touchy-feely!

  1. Plan a picnic. If the weather is cold, spread a blanket on the living room floor. Romanticize the occasion by adding some wine, a rose, and mood music.
  2. "Tech-free" night. Turn off your cell phones, computer, the TV, and the lights. See what's left to do without electricity. Sing old songs, have a pillow fight, recount stories of how you met, plan for the future.
  3. Be a tourist. Pretend you're a tourist in your own town. Visit a museum, a scenic overlook, or a quaint neighborhood. Discover something new together!
  4. Midnight bowling. It's more than just bowling! Some places have special music, lighting and gimmicks. Even without these, it can be a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously.
  5. Down memory lane. Look through old photos and tell each other stories of your childhood and families. If you feel really energetic, begin to put those loose photos in albums or on a disc. Your children will appreciate it one day.
  6. "Evening at the Ritz." Dress up and go to the lobby of an elegant hotel. Sit in the lunge and order a drink or snack. People watch and fantasize.
  7. Home spa. Create a home spa for the evening. Put on soothing music, light some scented candles, give each other a massage. Give your husband a pedicure or paint your wife's toenails, if you dare.
  8. Cheap gift challenge. Head to your local department store and challenge each other to come up with the most romantic gift possible. Two requirements: It can't cost more than $20, and it must be used that night.
  9. Shall we dance? Visit the local music store and pick up the latest hot dance CD (maybe your kids can help you choose). Buy a few snacks and plan your own party later that evening.
  10. Find-My-Heart treasure hunt. Cut out some paper hearts and hide them around your home. On each heart write an endearing statement about your spouse plus a clue to the next heart. At the end enjoy a heartfelt treat together.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Saga Continues ...

Again my mother has been pressured by a medical professional (a nurse) to have her husband's feeding tube removed. Why? Because he's too old and sick and the cost of his medical care is astronomical. My mother's husband, who for 25 years has been her constant companion, her helpmate and friend, has now become a burden. The message is clear - my mother would be better off without him. He would be better off dead. Put out of his misery like some ill-fated, broken-legged race horse. 

Is it true that my step-father may not fully recover from recent amputation surgery?  Yes. Is it possible he may have to endure further surgery? Yes. Is it likely he will continue to experience physical pain and suffering? Yes. Is death imminent? No. With the feeding tube in place, Ernest continues to receive nutrition and hydration. He continues to enjoy watching basketball and golf on TV. He is able to receive the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Resurrected Christ. And everyday he tells his wife that he loves her. Removal of the feeding tube will certainly put an end to all of this. And that is what they think best.

I'm sorry, isn't that murder? 

If I could, I would ask this nurse just what the cause of death would be? What would she jot down on his chart? Murder by starvation and dehydration? Doubtful.

Please pray for my mother. She is weary and care-worn. She needs sustenance to continue to fight for her husband's right to life. The last thing she needs is erroneous advice from foolish health-care workers swooping down like birds of prey feasting upon her vulnerability. They always strike while their victim is weakest.

I encourage everyone to read (or reread) Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae. The Holy Father speaks eloquently and prophetically on upholding the dignity of life in a society that continues to embrace a culture of death. Unfortunately, with the current state of health care in  our country, i.e., Obamacare, I think we've only just begun to fight.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Christos Aneste! Alethos Aneste!

The following is part of an Easter message I received from a dear friend and priest. His words of wisdom and truth sum up, for me, what Easter is all about.

The eschatological dimension of the Eucharist is a reminder that "as often as we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord." Nevertheless we are receiving the glorified, risen Body of Christ. Hence we are progressively drawn into the mystery of the Resurrection and our own final union with Christ in Heaven. We share in His suffering when the "Bread is broken" and His resurrection when we "eat this Bread". What keeps us going from one stage to the next are the graces of the Sacrifice and Sacrament.

Christ is Risen! He is Truly Risen!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Because I Want Him to Live!

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the murder of Terri Schindler Schiavo. She was starved to death over a two-week period by order of a judge who ruled her quality of life as too poor to be kept alive. She would no longer be a burden to her husband or society. At the time, I remember feeling so powerless. As the tragedy unfolded we became merely ineffective spectators unable to save this poor woman.

My friend, Kathy, on her blog Faith on the High Wire thoughtfully shares her views about Terri and the quality of life issue. I encourage you to visit her post and read it, as I think she speaks for many of us who hold the highest regard for the sanctity of life.

The reminder this week of Terri’s death coincided with events a lot “closer to home.” My elderly step-father’s health is especially precarious right now. He has been battling a very painful bout of cellulitis resulting in the amputation of the toes of his right foot, including a portion of the foot itself. Additionally, he has endured gall bladder surgery, sepsis, and aspiration pneumonia caused by food and drink entering his lungs whenever he eats. Now that he cannot eat normally, a feeding tube as been inserted into his intestine. He has been in and out of hospitals and rehab centers since last fall. End-of-life concerns have weighed prominently on the minds of all who love and care for him.

The sick person in a vegetative state, awaiting recovery or a natural end, still has the right to basic health care (nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth, etc.), and to the prevention of complications related to his confinement to bed. He also has the right to appropriate rehabilitative care and to be monitored for clinical signs of eventual recovery.
I should like particularly to underline how the administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use, furthermore, should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate, and as such morally obligatory, insofar as and until it is seen to have attained its proper finality, which in the present case consists in providing nourishment to the patient and alleviation of his suffering.
Although he is not in any sort of ‘vegetative state’, my step-father is old – only two months shy of his 94th birthday. There are some who have questioned the wisdom of inserting the feeding tube, including a palliative care counselor who asked my mom accusingly, “Why did you agree to have the feeding tube inserted? I thought you weren’t going to do that?”
“Because I want him to live!” she replied.
My mom explained to the bewildered woman that the doctor had given her every reason to believe her husband could get well again; that he would return home to his garden and his beloved pet cats. The woman, shaking her head, gazed at her silently, incredulously and judgmentally. Fortunately for my mom, the woman is not assigned to my step-father’s case.

Even if my step-father has only weeks or months to live, he still deserves the basic human right of “nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth, etc.” What the palliative care representative, and other advice-givers, want is for my step-father to continue eating normally, ultimately resulting in his dying of pneumonia. There are some who suggest not feeding him at all. Just let him die. He has suffered so much. After all, what quality of life will he now have with a feeding tube and no toes? He has lived a good, long, happy life. It’s time, they say, to let him go.

Pope John Paul II continues,

In this regard, I recall what I wrote in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, making it clear that "by euthanasia in the true and proper sense must be understood an action or omission which by its very nature and intention brings about death, with the purpose of eliminating all pain"; such an act is always "a serious violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person" (n. 65).
Considerations about the "quality of life", often actually dictated by psychological, social and economic pressures, cannot take precedence over general principles.
If anyone understands the magnitude of my step-father’s suffering, it is my mom. She suffers right along with him and prays that it be lifted up to Christ’s own suffering on the cross. Like many of us, she is mystified by God’s ways, but she trusts Him and she knows that He alone is the final arbiter; the one who has authority over all.

This week we witnessed the miracle of my step-father’s reception into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, not to mention my mom’s and several others. There has been much rejoicing - here and in Heaven, I'm sure. If God had healed him physically, our joy would not be as complete or as fervent.

This leads me to wonder, what if my mom had decided against the feeding tube? What if she had decided to let her husband succumb to the pneumonia? What if ‘we’ decided, not God? I shudder to think of what may have been a lost opportunity and the eternal consequences of a decision based on what some deem "the right to die with dignity."

John Paul, the Great, pray for my step-father and pray, too, for us.


Darby Fitzpatrick (c) 2010