Sunday Thoughts

• Last Friday night, I went to a friend's house in Knightdale to meet with Fr. Mel Portula, whom I haven't seen since he left for the Philippines a few years ago. He will be in the US for at least the next month or thereabouts before returning to the Maryhurst Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines. It was really nice to see Fr. Mel, as well as Auring (the hostess with the mostest ;) ), Jesse and Joy, Rosemary, Dee, and Sean. It was a small gathering, but we truly enjoyed each others' company, as well as the food. We chatted until past midnight, when we finally left, as Fr. Mel had an early morning flight to catch to Texas (where he'll be spending the rest of his stay in the US). Dare we try to convince Fr. Mel to get a Facebook page? He's been resisting the idea ... but it would be an easy way to keep in touch.


• Maria, Gail, and I went blueberry picking early Saturday morning. Yes, I was sleep-starved, but for a very good reason. :) We went to Herndon Hills Farm (on Massey Chapel Road, near Southpoint Mall) early in the morning. Both Maria and Gail were expecting to crawl about on the ground. I didn't have any expectations as I've not gone blueberry picking before. They were pleasantly surprised when they saw trees from which one could stand whilst picking off the berries. So we spent an enjoyable hour picking berries, and watching others do the same. There were a lot of children present – their parents took them out for an early, but enjoyable outing. It was really nice seeing the adults pick berries from the top of the tree whilst the children picked them from the bottom. Truly a wonderful family activity. As I was picking berries, a sense of zen came over me: I am one with the berries. The tree puts forth its fruit for all to take. There were times when Alan Rickman's soliloquy on wine (from the Bottle Shock film) started playing in my mind. The same could very easily be applied to the blueberry trees: water, sunshine, and love created the environment in which others were able to enjoy. I didn't get a chance to do much with them yesterday, but I have plans: a friend sent me recipes for Blueberry Kuchen and Blueberry Buckle that I will be sure to try. We'll be going blackberry picking at the same place a fortnight from yesterday. It should be fun. :)


• Seen this morning at Mass at IC: a three-year-old child genuflecting in front of the altar, imitating his mother, who did the same. That was really nice to see. It reminded me of my nephew, who is now eleven-going-on-twelve. From a very young age, he had been able to chant the Lord's Prayer (the traditional chanted English version) even before he had spoken in complete sentences. And I recalled how much he had admired then-Organist/Choirmaster Peter Luciano, as he had "directed" from the pew in much the same style as Peter had done.


• Bear? What bear? A friend and I were planning to hike in the Duke Forest after my late afternoon service at Carol Woods. One of my Facebook friends warned me about a black bear and its cub that was found wandering around Durham's Museum of Life and Science. Then I received a phone call from another friend, giving me the same warning. It shows you how much I've been paying attention to the news (not), as I was completely unaware of it. According to WRAL-TV, it's been wandering since at least last Thursday. A map indicates most of the sightings occurred north of I-85. We'll be hiking at a point that is closer to I-40 than to I-85, but I certainly won't be complacent as bears are known to wander far and wide in search of food.


• My last thought: to those who attended the CNMC in San Antonio: it looked like a wonderful celebration with excellent speakers. I would have loved to be there. Hopefully, sometime in the future, I can be there as it would have been wonderful to have met those I got to know via the SQPN chatroom. I'm glad it was streamed live as the sessions were happening. It was a wonderful way to share with a world-wide audience. I wish safe travels to those who will be leaving (or have already left) San Antonio as they travel back to their homes around the US and the world.