"Meditation" After Using the Bathroom

Hello, everyone! Here's wishing you Happy Thursday! It's summer as its best over Hampton Roads, with clear, blue sky and plenty of sunshine. And humidity, too! Thanks to God, our new AC units is doing or functioning so efficiently well.

While in the bathroom this morning, I was reading The Valyermo Chronicle of St. Andrew's Abbey in California. I've read a couple of interesting, enlightening articles in this publication. (Periodically, I receive this publication since I started helping the abbey there. It's worth supporting them financially---the Benedictine monks and men of God. I pray, God, bless them always! May they continue to serve and love you in all that they do!)

After using the bathroom in our (Master's) bedroom (my wife is still in bed in deep slumber), I thought about this "Meditation" while already sitting on a Queen Anne's chair by my bedside. Here's what I've just written or composed:

Meditation 

alone 

(in my mind)

 in a quiet room

seeking Peace

in a turbulent world

where there's noise

too much to bear

(or to take or to handle)

all around, outside

my own world

here, I long

for that elusive Peace

always on my mind

for so long

I've been feeling

void and hopeless

confused and frustrated

so desperate to live

to love to live freely

without being alone

amidst living with others

in this crazy, noisy world

so here I am

alone

seeking Hope

that I may be hopeful

to continue living, breathing

and doing what He wants me

to be, to do

while looking and longing for Love

to love me more

than myself

in harmony with Peace

and Hope

leading me 

to my Salvation

and eternal Happiness and Life.

copyright 2012 by chris a. quilpa

Thanks, folks, for your time with me. Take care and Have a fun-filled and safe summer, everyone! 

A Fond Farewell to A Man of God Assigned to Another Parish as Pastor

This clear, sunny Wednesday morning at nine, my daughter, my sis-in-law, my wife and I attended a daily Mass at Church of Resurrection, one of the four clustered parishes in Hampton Roads that our outgoing Parochial Vicar, Rev. Fr. Jarek serves. As I understand, this will be the last Mass that he'll officiate or celebrate with us, parishioners, prior to leaving Hampton Roads for an assignment as the new or incoming Pastor of St. Jude Church in the City of Radford starting July, this year. To my knowledge, he did celebrate a Farewell Mass yesterday at 6:30 pm at Resurrection and followed by a Pot Luck Reception. (My wife and my daughter participated. I didn't go with them, although I should have. But it was my choice not to go. Reason? I don't know but I don't feel like going or being there. Not that I am anti-social. Or, am I? I don't think so.)

Anyway, I learned from the two last night, once they arrived home, that a lot of parishioners were there and that there were plenty of food, too. Lots of fond memories, felicitations, and greetings of thanks shared among those present including our pastor, Rev Fr. David who concelebrated the Mass. My wife mentioned that Fr. Jarek's Mom was there, too. I also learned that Fr. Jarek and a number of friends and fellow parishioners of St. Paul's were asking about or looking for me. I know, I disappointed them. But I don't know if God may have already a plan for me that afternoon because, unknowingly, I didn't expect a friend and former neighbor James to show up in my backyard to do some yard work yesterday afternoon at around 5:30 pm. (I thought he was trespassing when I saw him walking so freely in our backyard with his pruning and cutting stuff. Therefore, I followed him. I didn't know or was unaware, or it may have slipped from my memory, that my wife  and he had talks about him doing some yard work.) I did try to help him though. I did offer him some food to eat, and give his pay check, too. Before he left, I thanked him for doing those yard work for us.

Now, going back to this morning's happenings at Resurrection, with Fr. Jarek. After the Mass, we bid farewell to him, had pictures taken, with his Mom, and wished him the best and a safe trip to Radford. Definitely, we'll miss him! I know, he's such a down-to-earth person/priest, easy to get along with and well-loved by all parishioners he serves. Thank you, Almighty Lord, God our Father, and Jesus Christ His Son, for having sent Fr. Jarek as our parochial vicar for a year. With such a hectic schedule, he and we didn't have the opportunity to have brunch with his Mom. (I brought this idea up to him when I got a chance to talk to him. He said sorry, for he and his Mom will be leaving for Radford this afternoon and he hasn't finished packing up his stuff.) More pictures taken and some hugs, too. At that time, Jim, one of our active parishioners of St. Paul's invited us to say/pray the  rosary with his wife and some friends who were already sitting in a small room next to the chapel. But of course, we couldn't refuse and so we joined them. By that time, Fr. Jarek and his Mom have left the church building, I assumed. Fr. Jarek, God bless you always!

Well, afterwards, we left the church building with a feeling of joy, and sadness at the same time. I thanked God for the opportunity to have known Fr. Jarek and met his Mom. (She's such a sweet, and always smiling, Mom. Thank you Lord, and Jesus, for this Mom for bringing and caring for Fr. Jarek to become a devoted and faithful/loving Man of God!) Someday, hopefully, before summer ends, we'll be able to visit Fr. Jarek in his new parish in Radford.

Lunchtime came. My wife, my sis-in-law, my daughter, and I decided to have lunch at a seafood restaurant. I thanked my sis-in-law for paying for our lunch. After an hour, we drove all around northern part of Hampton Roads, per my wife's wish or desire. We stopped by at Huntington Beach-Park. Then, on to Buckroe Beach and to a former Army military base. Quite a relief and invigorating, as far as I'm concerned,  to pass by areas where land and water meet. I feel lucky and contented with what I have seen and witnessed    this summer of 2012. I'm glad and thankful to be alive still. Thank you, God, for the nice weather we have today! Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings you've given us! Thank you, Jesus, for being in our midst all the time!


This is all for now. Until next time around. Thank you, everyone. And may God bless us always! Take care and have a safe summer, everyone!-chris a. quilpa, 27June2012

Summertime in the US and Elsewhere

(Note: I have been listening to the recorded version songs of American Idol 2012 Season 11 runner up, sixteen-year old Jessica Sanchez on YouTube while I started writing this post. Honestly, it's not that easy, for me, to forget the AI 2012, Season 11, show, especially the Finale and those performances by Jessica and Phillip Phillips, their duet, and that amazing and powerful duet of Grammy-award winner Ms. Jennifer Holliday and Jessica Sanchez. It's so unbelievable how come Phillip bagged the AI 2012 trophy and not Jessica! It's quite mind-boggling, to me. Really. But then I have to tell or convince myself that AI is a popularity, even if it purports to be a singing, competition. I just have to admit, finally, that the two are both winners in their own ways. Both have different styles in singing, as I've mentioned in my past blog post. Both will be successful in their musical career, no doubt. God bless them and their supportive families.)

Well, folks, summer has arrived here in the U.S. of A. and elsewhere in North America and Europe. That's undeniably and undoubtedly, for sure! Plenty of sunshine, humidity, hot weather, that is. But it's also the time for (tropical) thunderstorms especially in the East Coast. That's right, folks.

Actually, as I'm writing this blog post (it's been a while that I've not done so, I've been on hiatus, though), a severe thunderstorm just visited or passed by Hampton Roads area, specifically in Suffolk. Momentarily, we're battered with strong wind, rain, intermittent hail, lightning, and thunder. A severe thunderstorm warning has been in effect for almost an hour now, this afternoon, and what can we do but watch the TV for further information and latest/breaking news for any damage, etc.

Thanks to God, there's the calm before the storm! After an hour, that is. Local TV stations continue to broadcast and cover the latest news about the thunderstorm. Now, I learned that in some areas of HR there was power outages. Thanks to God that we have power, in our area. Hopefully and prayerfully, those areas affected will have their power restored. (It's been difficult to imagine not having electricity/power, especially this summer season in which we rely on the comfort of our house with our AC (air conditioning) unit. Thanks to God, our AC unit was replaced, and operational, in time for the hot season.)

Now, here's a minor damage done by the storm in our abode: our swing set outside, by our wooden deck, in the backyard was blown away and so were our thrash bins. Our swing got disassembled; some parts were scattered around our deck. When the rain completely stopped, my wife and my daughter went out to our backyard and found out about it. (I didn't go out with them, though. I just stayed in our bedroom. Resting. )

With that sporadic strong wind and rain, I'm sure there are trees that fell down and lower areas  floodedsomewhere within HR. Our fruit trees, as I see them from our bedroom, luckily remain standing tall, with their fruits growing intact, although a number fell down on the ground. (Hopefully, we've got some left for us when they're ready for harvest, since there are bugs, creatures roaming around our backyard.)

Okay, folks, this is all for now. Thank you for your time. May God bless you all, as always! Until next time around. Take care and have a fun and safe summer, everyone!-chris a. quilpa, 25June2012.

A Blessing for Fathers

May God bless you and guide you in your very special role as a father.

May it always be for you a joy and a privilege.

May you cherish your children from birth through adulthood as unique and precious gifts from God.

May you always love and forgive them, as God loves and forgives you.

May you be quick to praise and slow to find fault, and may you be wise in all your decisions.

May God reward you abundantly for all your fatherly love and care.

And may God bless all our fathers who have gone to their rest.

May they find comfort and joy in the arms of their heavenly Father. Amen.

Happy Father's Day!

(Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of Fathers, pray for us!)