Awake: 6:20am Temp 47 sleep 7+19 overcast overnight @ Mission, Texas.
8:10am: my brother calls to report that our 94 yr old Aunt Bertha has successfully survived Gall Blather surgery & is doing fine. He also reports on our 1st cousin Vince’s wake, funeral & luncheon activities in Northern Cambria & Nicktown.
Late morning, K & I drive the Suzuki over to the Bentsen Grove Resort (3/4 mile) to check on their campsites & vacancy. The sites are asphalt or gravel & they have (7) available today. We drive around looking @ the 7 sites, then return to the office & sign up for a week, starting tomorrow.
We leave early for 4:00pm Mass @ Our Lady of Guadalupe church. Kathy was doing a little grumbling along the way because we were going to be so early for Mass; then we see cars everywhere. We barely found a reputable parking spot that our little Suzuki could squeeze into. Walking toward the entrance of the church, we see a happy bride & her bridesmaids; aha, that’s why all the automobiles.
Not so fast partner! Time now: 3:35 & Mass is @ 4:00. We entered the church & that lower floor was filled to capacity…..standing room only. We couldn’t believe it! A nearby usher hinted to us that there are (2) empty chairs left upstairs. Up we go.
The usher was right; the upstairs was also filled to capacity, along with the choir & musicians. The fellow I sat next to told me that this Mass is always crowded. You have to come @ least 30 min early to get a seat. Do you know: this was the 1st time in yrs that I didn’t get into trouble for being too early?
This church is certainly different than the Basilica; it is small and old. Some unique things about this church: the priest has a real liking for dogs, his black lab accompanied him as he processed up the aisle to the altar where there are (2) statues of dogs, one at the foot of the altar and the other on the altar; the church was still decorated for Christmas, their tradition, decorations come down after Candelas day which is today. This is also the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple; while the Gospel was being read, members of the congregation, in costume, acted it out, portraying the people in the story. The priest kept his homily short focusing on “sowin’ love” as we share, celebrate, nourish and invigorate our lives together. He ended his homily by playing a recording of the country western song, “Sowin’ Love” by Paul Overstreet. I had never heard this song & for those who don’t know it here are some of the lyrics: I used to love to walk behind my Daddy
As he plowed our garden every spring
My little bare feet in the dirt would make me happy
As talked about what her harvest time would bring
He'd say "Son this whole world is like a garden,
and what you saw you're surely gonna reap
where bitter seeds are planted, hearts will harden
but a caring hand will make the harvest sweet"
CHORUS: He was sowin' love...for the family
He was sowin' love...he took a little extra time
Looking forward to a bountiful harvest
Like a good father does...he was sowin' love
How I used to love to sit and watch my Mama
Workin' with her needle and her thread
So patiently she'd listen to our problems
And we knew she heard every word we said
She'd say "Children this old world is full of scratches
and in your life you're bound to have a few
I guess that's why the good Lord gave us patches
so we could start each day out feeling new"
6:30 dinner: Filled peppers.
Late satellite movie: “In the Bedroom” with Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei, etc. An avuncular small-town Maine doctor & his wife, who teaches music in the local school, don’t approve of the “older” woman their son has fallen in love with……but no one is prepared for the events that then unfold. 2001. Starts out a little slow but hang in there for the surprising twist for the finish.
High temp=63 Lights out:12:37am
Leave a comment