Thanksgiving Mass Haiku

Thanksgiving Day Mass -
a shaft of sunlight stretches
toward the altar

Pax et bonum

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving Eve.

Pies baked. Squash cooked. Turkey ready to go into the oven tomorrow. Other foods can be prepared after Mass in the morning.

it's a day for family and food - and, yes, football.

But even more, it's a day set aside to give thanks.

Yet for me, it's just one of many such days.

I thank God each day for things like the moon shining down as I walk the dog, the stars twinkling between the clouds, a rabbit on the neighbor's lawn acting as if I can't see him, birds gracefully circling above a field, a squirrel clinging head down tail twitching on a tree, the sound of a child's laughter, the first taste of newly-opened beer, a familiar song on the radio.

Or even just the fact that I am able to enjoy such things.

Thank you, Lord.

Pax et bonum

Tis the season

Last night I attended Santa School. The new company running the Santa program at the mall required all of Santa's helpers to attend. Tips, checking out costumes, signing some documents, etc.

This year, I will be able to be a natural-bearded helper for the first time - the school where I'm teaching now has allowed me to grow my beard out enough.

I'm excited. My first shift is Sunday.

A Mall Santa's Prayer

As I hold each precious child
let me treat each one
with the love and care I'd show
Your most holy Son.

Pax et bonum

A 40 Days Surprise

I arrived at the Planned Parenthood clinic to do my regular Saturday morning hour for 40 Days for Life, when I got a pleasant surprise.

Usually when I arrive no one is there. I generally spend most of my shift alone. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, a person who is scheduled for the shift after mine arrives early - or someone with a spare moment stops by - and I get to chat and pray with another person.

Today, I arrived to find 8 women finishing a set of Mysteries of the Rosary. They were there from a Catholic study/prayer group. Several of them were first-timers.

Brief introductions, then some of them had to leave. Others stayed and we said the Glorious Mysteries. I love to say the Rosary by myself, but there's something wonderful about saying it with others.

We got a lot of thumbs-up and positive shout-outs from people driving by or going to the vet's across the street.

After the Glorious Mysteries most of the women had to leave, but a college student - a first-timer - remained with me. Turns out she's planning to be a teacher, so we chatted about that. She said it was nice to hear someone talk about teaching positively. I recommended a book to help with classroom management. We talked a little about music - she's planning to be a music teacher and I'm a guitar thumper. We discussed the pro-life cause, being involved in it, and touched on some safety issues. And then we discovered we had a mutual friend, a woman religious whom I knew long before she joined an order and with whom I'd played in church groups, and we talked about her.

The hour passed by quickly. A new group had arrived - praying down the street right in front of the clinic.

We both had to head out. I wished her well.

Those women - and particularly the young ones - give me hope.

Thank you, Lord, for that Saturday morning gift.

Pax et bonum

40 Days haiku

outside the clinic

a prayer for each child lost

fallen leaves

Pax et bonum

Maureen Madonia, SFO, Rest in Peace

Maureen Madonia, a gentle woman and a true Franciscan, passed away October 12 after a battle with leukemia.

She was the treasurer of our fraternity. Her husband, Joe, is our formation director.

She was a delightful person to know. She did so many thoughtful, kind acts.

I will miss her.

But the good thing is that I now have another saint I can ask to pray for me.

Pax et bonum

Haiku Fun

This afternoon I went to the Haiku Poets of Upstate New York meeting. A great group.

They helped me revise a couple of haiku I was working on. I hope to submit those to some magazines. At the least, I'll use them with my writing class to show my students how even "grown-up" poets revise and seek input from others.

We also had some fun.

The presenter gave us a printout with 100 haiku regarded as classics. After we talked about our favorite ones on the printout, he suggested that we write haiku "inspired" by some of them - more than just parodies, but certainly with a bit of of humor.

I wrote two.

Original:

under the vast sky
I have no hat on (Hosai)

Mine:

into the vast sky
the hat no longer
on my head

Original:

beneath the tree
in the soup, in fish salad
cherry blossoms (Basho)

Mine:

on the table
in soup and salad bowls
dog hairs

Okay - my fellow haiku poets found them amusing!

Pax et bonum