Backyard Grotto

As soon as I got the backyard of our house in Hawaii cleared of brush and other objects, I took an older crucifix and placed it against a large rock. This crucifix will be there until our statue of St. Theresa of Liseaux arrives, and is placed in this grotto. Karol has a deep devotion to "The Little Flower" as St. Theresa is known. The nearby parish to which we belong in Mountain View is also named after St. Theresa!

New Haircut

As hot as it gets in KC, I need to keep my hair short and cool!

Crisis Intervention Training

This past Wednesday, I spent an hour at the County Jail talking about the importance of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). I was part of the "family panel" with Larry Aron (facing the camera in the picture) as we gave personal testimony about mental illness.
If the policemen who came to my house on November 11, 2002 had received CIT, I firmly believe that my son, Aaron, would not have been shot and killed that day. I'll talk 'till the cows come home anytime anywhere about the value of CIT.

Taking Shape

Things are starting take shape at DeLaSalle with a new roof, and a new sign announcing the new charter!

Ominous Clouds, Thunder, Sirens (and Mercy)

I returned to work in my downtown Kansas City office on Friday, August 20, and spent most of the day ensconced in my office that has no windows. Around 2:30 pm, I thought I'd step outside for a minute and see what was happening.
I was surprised to see dark clouds and to hear the rumbling of thunder, accompanied by a wailing siren. I have been used to foreboding clouds in Hilo but not thunder and certainly not a possible tornado!
Whenever things look this ominous, I'm reminded of the times in which we live and God's justice.

The Four Angels of Holy Rosary Church in Ke'eau

They are each unique, with individual expressions and postures.
These four angels are positioned at four pivotal stations within the small Catholic church in Ke'eau, about 8 miles down the mountain from our house.
The two angels holding the sanctuary candles (top two pictures) are at either side of the front of the church, facing the altar and tabernacle.
The two angels holding the bowls for holy water (bottom two pictures) are at the back of the church facing one another.
Angels have a special role in our faith as Catholics and Christians.
They were created by God for specific purposes and functions, and have characteristics associated with one of the nine different "choirs" to which all angels belong.
These choirs, in descending order of rank, are as follows: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
It is only my guess, but I think these angels are of the Cherubim rank, as it would be their duty to be celestial attendants and to praise God.
All of us have a Guardian Angel, whose rank is that of angel. Their role is to deliver prayers to God, and God's answers and blessings to us, as well as to care for us.
May your angel guard and protect you all the days of your life!

Chores

One of the chores I had to do before leaving was to help Karol with her garden and plants.
It was pretty mundane, but I really enjoy working outside for a change.
I will return to Kansas City soon and go back to desk work, so I need to soak up as much outside energy as I can!
I was pretty worn out after kayaking and gardening, but I knew that last night was a special night.
It was one of the key nights of the annual meteor shower know as the Perseid, peaking every year between August 9 to 14. Because this annual "shower" occurs around the August 10 feast of St. Lawrence, a early Church deacon martyred for his faith (roasted over an open fire on a spit), it is sometimes referred to as "the tears of St. Lawrence".
It is so rainy and cloudy up here on the mountain, though, that I thought I had little chance of viewing it.
Before I went to bed, I did see Venus, Mars and Saturn arrayed around the crescent moon, but the rest of the sky here was clouded over.
I looked out my window at midnight, and there were no stars.
But at 3:30 am, I could see that stars were filling the part of the sky visible from my window.
In spite of the lure of my warm bed, I went outside and it was remarkable: every inch of the sky was full of stars! I saw the Milky Way and Venus was now directly overhead. I watched as several meteors streaked though the southern sky!
It was cold, perhaps in the upper-fifties, so I went back inside to put on my sweatshirt and windbreaker and spent the next thirty minutes watching the sky in awe. I was filled with wonder, thrilled with the enormity of God's creation.
I recalled the words that God spoke to Abraham, when He called him out at night and made His covenant with him, promising Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars that filled the sky that long-ago night.
Last night, I felt God's promise to me reverberate deep within me. I had a locution more than 32 years ago that God would be with me in my suffering. I felt Him say to me that long-ago night: "I will take care of you." He has, and He continues to care for me, and console me, so much. I know and believe that God is faithful! But with my depression and failures, I do not always feel that way.
I am certainly not worthy of God's promises or gifts, yet He gives them.
I have been so blessed, and so touched by the miracles of creation, by the depths and power of the sea, to the enormity of the solar system and stars, to the fires and heat of volcanoes and magma.
How can I keep from believing in You, my Lord and my God?!