March 8,
2017
Really not
much has been happening to tell about. Pretty normal.
I have
been back and forth to St. Francis College to try to get a child that has
serious Diabetes, but , because of her condition (Grade 8), most hostels are
reluctant to take her. She can have and episode at any time. Thank goodness,
her mom found a place not far from where she lives and works in Durban.
There are several students who have
approached me for help to pay off their student loans. They can’t move forward
or are not given their results unless they pay up. You guys have helped a lot
with your donations. Without an education, there is just no hope. Even with an education
it is not easy.
I spent a lot of time getting quotations
for the jumper cables and electric tire pump, but don’t think that the
insurance is interested. We shall see.
Do you remember when we were kids how the
sisters would make us protect our books with wrapping paper. Well, I did one of
those on my SA ID. It was in tatters and
I just recalled my old skills and used an old paper bag to do the trick. Like
new. Except for the picture. I am afraid to show it. It looks as though I just
walked out of an Al Kaida training camp. Angry, and a kind of get-out-of –my-way
look, or I’ll make you history. Ha. Must have gotten up on the wrong side of
the bed that day.
I had Mass on Sun. the 26th at
an Indian Parish called Our Lady of Vailankanni. It was the 40th day
remembrance of the death of Neil Gabriel, the one who passed away a few hours
after fixing my brake light. It was the ordinary parish mass with a special
remembrance of him. A lunch was served by the family afterwards. I met his wife
and daughters who are still trying to absorb his passing. He was never sick a
day in his life, never been in the hospital, never saw a doctor. I guess it
emphasizes the need to remember the old Boy / Girls Scouts’ motto…always be
prepared.
Because I feel so vulnerable now, the car
standing outside in front of our house, I had an alarm put in and an
immobilizer. I used some of the money that you had given for the needs of the
poor. I hope that that is OK with you all.
Once the Insurance company approved of it,
I had another radio fitted in that has a built in hands free. Wow. Not only
that but I can now pretend to be a taxi, pull up along side some innocent
driver, and, with my window open, turn up the volume and blast him sideways
against the curb. Ha. It is toooo powerful.
I had two masses on Ash Wednesday, one at
the hospital (full crowd but not that many Catholics, but they all came up to
receive the ashes) and the other at Savannah park around 6:30 when people get
off of work. That was also crowded. Even a good number of men. Holy Moses.
On Feb. 2nd, day after Ash
Wednesday, we had a special Mass at the hospital in remembrance of one of our priests,
Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, who died of typhus in Dachau. He is considered a martyr because
he volunteered to look after the inmates who had typhus, caught it himself, and
died, shortly before they were liberated. He was made a blessed a few months
ago, the last step before being canonized. We are asking him to look after Fr.
Guy and use his influence on the Lord to restore his health and get rid of his
cancer. I hope he is listening.
I also, finally, picked up some jumper
cables and then later an electric pump
(this one you connect to the battery). Both necessary if you are traveling in
the bush.
Sat, March 4th, was the feast
of St. Casimir, we say, my feast day. No big fuss because it is in lent. My bad
luck. However, I gave myself an exemption and had a glass of Scotch that
evening to celebrate. I don’t’ think the Lord minded.
Also, on that day, Bishop Lobinger , a
fellow 89yr. old inhabitant of our old folk’s home took me to a place called
Giba Gorge, about 20 minutes from here on a part of what used to be the
original Mariannhill Farm. Amazing. This is where they have the bicycle jumps
and there are also a few firms operating there. I have been around here for 50
yrs. and had no clue that it was there. Google it, GIBA GORGE, South Africa,
and see what you get. If you come this way, I will take you there and we can
have a glass of wine and some delicious home made pizza.
I have been doing a lot of work in our
garden (If I can find a way to attach a picture of two I will do it). It is
more a wilderness than a garden. I gave up cutting the grass for the time being
till I can get things more under control there. Lots of work with a bush knife
and huge clippers, and, occasionally the axe and pick, to dig out the left over
small stumps that kill the weed eater ‘cause you can’t see them in the thick
grass. But it has been really hot, late 89’s and 90’s even up to 99F. Plus the
humidity. I hang the shirt on the back porch to dry out in the sun and wind.
I have been bothered with my left knee
which complains if you don’t treat it right. It is willing to work but lets you
know that it is tired. The right knee seems to be as good as new. So today I went to see the Orthopedic surgeon to ask
him what’s happening. He had me get an x-ray, and then discovered that the
cartilage between the two big bones is completely gone. ( I guess that I am
starting to fall apart) so the bone is grinding on the other bone. I said I don’t
really feel unbearable pain but I just know that something isn’t right. He said
that he can go up with a scope and some other instrument to clean out the
debris ( like sawdust, or detritus from the grinding) and make it nice again
for a while. Maybe it will last a couple of years. Then he showed me the
artificial knee that they put in for those whose knee is totally finished. Holy
Moses. It is all ready to go. All you have to do it to connect the top part to
the upper bone and the bottom part to the bottom bone and bob’s your uncle. All
the rest is pre-made. But lot’s of work and bloody expensive.
Because of the longevity of my family (grandpa died at 97 and my aunt Rose in
Chicago celebrated her 90th birthday last month. She’s the one who
Skypes me and also send an email, sent, as she says, from my I-Pad.) At
least I know now what is happening with
the knee. We shall see as time goes on. I still have lots of work to do and the
doctors say to go for it, but to let him know when the pain (there is no real
pain now, just a kind of discomfort) gets too much and then he will do his
thing, but not the replacement, YET.
One of these days I will get around to
letting you know who you all helped and how much we spent helping people in
different ways as the economy is really killing. Among other things, we were
able to help a family get off the hook with a huge water bill. I am sure that the
meter was never read but the bill was just a thumb suck.
So , that is life. I will try to be a bit
more faithful with this blog in the future, but I am sure that my way to hell
is paved over with years and years of good intentions.
We are slowly but surely heading for
winter. It is dark now when I go for Mass to the hospital, but still very hot.
Oh, I have been reading a few books. “Man’s
search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl, a
Psychiatrist who managed to survive a concentration camp, and a book by Kuebler Ross, of Death and Dying
fame. I am using some of her things in my sermons. She was a fantastic woman. I
have two other books that I am going through at the moment, when I get time.
Oh, one last thing, very unusual. It was
very very hot last Sunday, so after I came back from my Mass at Savannah Park,
I rested for while (it was after lunch) and I had no energy at all. I t was
just sucked out of me by the heat. So I went down to the TV room and watched
two Rugby games then got into some movies and was touched by a movie named War
Room. Kind of religiousy but not overdone I thought, and I was surprised that
our secular society would even allow such a film to be shown. You just never
know.
Stay well till next time. Cas.
