From The Christian Science Monitor's "TechNewsDaily":
"The Terrafugia, a small airplane that can drive on roads and has been billed as the first "flying car," is now one step closer to becoming street- and sky-legal.
"The vehicle has cleared a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulatory hurdle for craft classification by weight. A full-fledged production prototype might be just around the corner, according to multiple reports."
For the complete article (including a video), visit:
Christian Science Monitor: Terrafugia flying car gets FAA clearance (29 JUN 10)
For more information about the company:
Terrafugia
A related story:
Christian Science Monitor: Flying car? Dept of Defense OKs new Jetsons-like vehicle (22 APR 10)
30 June 2010
Lowell, MA, Dispatcher Fired Over Fatal 911 Call
On Easter Sunday, a Lowell, MA, 911 dispatcher received a report that an elderly resident had activated a medical alert device and that officials at the alarm company were unable to contact her.
The events that followed over the next 66 minutes culminated in the 79-year-old woman dying (with two EMTs standing just outside her locked front door) and that dispatcher being fired.
For the full story, as reported in the Lowell Sun, visit:
Lowell Sun: Lowell dispatcher fired over fatal 911 call (30 JUN 10)
The events that followed over the next 66 minutes culminated in the 79-year-old woman dying (with two EMTs standing just outside her locked front door) and that dispatcher being fired.
For the full story, as reported in the Lowell Sun, visit:
Lowell Sun: Lowell dispatcher fired over fatal 911 call (30 JUN 10)
29 June 2010
Today’s Priests – An Unending Mission
Today’s Priests – An Unending Mission
by Gerald M. Costello, The Christophers
June 28, 2010
One moment made all the difference in the life of Maryknoll Father James Keller, founder of The Christophers, and as this remarkable Year of the Priest draws to a close it’s worth keeping in mind. I’m not thinking of 1945 and the start of the organization itself, as significant an event as that was. It goes back further, to when 17-year-old Jim Keller had temporarily withdrawn from St. Patrick’s Seminary in California, and was working in his family’s store while he thought things out. As he recalled it in his 1963 autobiography, To Light a Candle, Father Keller said he spoke to a priest who stopped by there one evening, “a Father Ryan”, about his tentative decision not to return, hoping to find a sympathetic listener.
“No,” Father Ryan replied instead, “I’m not going to take it on my conscience to tell you not to go back to the seminary! After all, in God’s plan there may be thousands of people whose salvation depends on what you may do for them as a priest.”
How prophetic those words were. Father Keller indeed touched lives, millions of them, with the inspiration he offered people both in person and through the ministry of The Christophers. Father Keller knew it, too. As he wrote: “I began to see that failure on my part to be an instrument of the divine plan could, in a minor way at least, deprive others of blessings that rightfully belonged to them and that were to be sent through one person like myself.”
I thought of this moment recently as I paged through another of Father Keller’s many books, this one about the priesthood itself. In The Priest and a World Vision, the Maryknoll missionary – for so he considered himself right up until his death in 1977 – wrote of the need to understand the priestly role as one of converting the world. The priest, he wrote, “is to be found ministering to souls in our parishes, teaching in our seminaries, colleges and high schools, and engaged in the official work of our dioceses. Without ever leaving the particular environment to which he is assigned, he can do much to step up the spread of Christianity over the world. For the priest is the key. The people must get a world vision from him.”
Whether he realizes it or not, this is a role that every priest can fulfill. He can do so dramatically, as did the hero-chaplain of Vietnam, Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno. It can be done humbly, in the style of the saintly Capuchin, Father Solanus Casey. Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York, did so with charismatic and steady leadership. And in parishes across the country and across the world, countless priests fill their missionary roles by simply inspiring people, day after day, to live better Christian lives.
The Year of the Priest recognizes all this. It honors a rare commitment, given freely, to devote an entire life to the mission of Jesus Christ. At the same time, it recognizes a challenge, one never far from sight. It was the challenge that Father Ryan presented to young Jim Keller, and the same challenge that Father Keller, in turn, presented through The Christophers. “We live in one world,” he said. “We have one faith to spread, both around us and in fields afar.” The key to it all, he concluded, lies in the person of the priest, the true missionary who will lead us on.
(This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column, written by Gerald M. Costello, of The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prayer For Priests (attributed to Saint Therese of Lisieux)
O Jesus,
I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way.
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen
by Gerald M. Costello, The Christophers
June 28, 2010
One moment made all the difference in the life of Maryknoll Father James Keller, founder of The Christophers, and as this remarkable Year of the Priest draws to a close it’s worth keeping in mind. I’m not thinking of 1945 and the start of the organization itself, as significant an event as that was. It goes back further, to when 17-year-old Jim Keller had temporarily withdrawn from St. Patrick’s Seminary in California, and was working in his family’s store while he thought things out. As he recalled it in his 1963 autobiography, To Light a Candle, Father Keller said he spoke to a priest who stopped by there one evening, “a Father Ryan”, about his tentative decision not to return, hoping to find a sympathetic listener.
“No,” Father Ryan replied instead, “I’m not going to take it on my conscience to tell you not to go back to the seminary! After all, in God’s plan there may be thousands of people whose salvation depends on what you may do for them as a priest.”
How prophetic those words were. Father Keller indeed touched lives, millions of them, with the inspiration he offered people both in person and through the ministry of The Christophers. Father Keller knew it, too. As he wrote: “I began to see that failure on my part to be an instrument of the divine plan could, in a minor way at least, deprive others of blessings that rightfully belonged to them and that were to be sent through one person like myself.”
I thought of this moment recently as I paged through another of Father Keller’s many books, this one about the priesthood itself. In The Priest and a World Vision, the Maryknoll missionary – for so he considered himself right up until his death in 1977 – wrote of the need to understand the priestly role as one of converting the world. The priest, he wrote, “is to be found ministering to souls in our parishes, teaching in our seminaries, colleges and high schools, and engaged in the official work of our dioceses. Without ever leaving the particular environment to which he is assigned, he can do much to step up the spread of Christianity over the world. For the priest is the key. The people must get a world vision from him.”
Whether he realizes it or not, this is a role that every priest can fulfill. He can do so dramatically, as did the hero-chaplain of Vietnam, Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno. It can be done humbly, in the style of the saintly Capuchin, Father Solanus Casey. Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York, did so with charismatic and steady leadership. And in parishes across the country and across the world, countless priests fill their missionary roles by simply inspiring people, day after day, to live better Christian lives.
The Year of the Priest recognizes all this. It honors a rare commitment, given freely, to devote an entire life to the mission of Jesus Christ. At the same time, it recognizes a challenge, one never far from sight. It was the challenge that Father Ryan presented to young Jim Keller, and the same challenge that Father Keller, in turn, presented through The Christophers. “We live in one world,” he said. “We have one faith to spread, both around us and in fields afar.” The key to it all, he concluded, lies in the person of the priest, the true missionary who will lead us on.
(This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column, written by Gerald M. Costello, of The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prayer For Priests (attributed to Saint Therese of Lisieux)
O Jesus,
I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way.
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen
28 June 2010
New Zealand Volunteer Firefighter Receives Award for Designing Rescue Tool
Warren Lauder, Senior Station Officer, Otaki, New Zealand, Volunteer Fire Brigade has received a posthumous New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Award for an invention of his, the Karrak 3000, that expedites auto extrications.
Unlike the Jaws of Life and other equipment that tears cars apart, the Karrak 3000 frees trapped occupants by using chains and rams to lock a crushed vehicle into position and then slowly pulling it back to its original shape.
Media Reports (including a video demonstration):
Kapiti Observer: Otaki invention a national winner (17 JUN 10)
MediaWorks TV (NZ): Volunteer firefighter receives posthumous award (22 JUN 10)
Unlike the Jaws of Life and other equipment that tears cars apart, the Karrak 3000 frees trapped occupants by using chains and rams to lock a crushed vehicle into position and then slowly pulling it back to its original shape.
Media Reports (including a video demonstration):
Kapiti Observer: Otaki invention a national winner (17 JUN 10)
MediaWorks TV (NZ): Volunteer firefighter receives posthumous award (22 JUN 10)
27 June 2010
NFPA releases new fireworks video urging public to avoid consumer fireworks
Stressing the message that there is no safe way to use consumer fireworks, the National Fire Protection Association this past week released a new online video in advance of the Fourth of July holiday. “Every year fire departments and emergency rooms must respond to the devastating consequences of consumer fireworks,” said James M. Shannon, president of NFPA, in a prepared statement. “This video is a way to go directly to consumers with an important message to help prevent injuries and fires.”
Shannon said that the NFPA has had a longstanding position against the use of consumer fireworks, and the association urges consumers to attend professional displays of fireworks. NFPA established the Alliance to Stop Consumer Fireworks in 2002 to further that message. This new production is the latest video aimed directly at the public. It depicts headlines of fireworks tragedies from across the country and lists all of the consumer fireworks that cause fires and/or injuries each year.
In the meantime, during the previous week, Rhode Island legalized the sale of non-aerial fireworks (like sparklers and fountain).
The Rhode Island State Fire Marshal's Office advises that the following fireworks are now legal: ground and hand-held sparkling devices (“sparklers”). This includes ground-based or hand-held devices that produce a shower of white, gold, or colored sparks as their primary pyrotechnic effect; additional effects may include a colored flame, an audible crackling effect, an audible whistle effect, and smoke. These devices do not rise into the air, do not fire inserts or projectiles into the air, and do not explode or produce a report (a mild audible crackling-type effect is not considered to be a report.) Ground-based or hand-held devices that produce a cloud of smoke as their sole pyrotechnic effect are also included in this category.
The bill did generate a bit of discussion - lawmakers were reported as saying that selling small fireworks could generate roughly a million dollars each year, but safety officials countered that the potential income was not worth the risk of additional injuries and property damage.
To view the NFPA video, visit:
NFPA: Exploding myths: The dangers of consumer fireworks.
Rhode Island's updated fireworks definitions:
RI State Fire Marshal: Rhode Island Fireworks Definitions (22 June 2010)
Additional information from NFPA on fireworks:
NFPA: Fireworks
Shannon said that the NFPA has had a longstanding position against the use of consumer fireworks, and the association urges consumers to attend professional displays of fireworks. NFPA established the Alliance to Stop Consumer Fireworks in 2002 to further that message. This new production is the latest video aimed directly at the public. It depicts headlines of fireworks tragedies from across the country and lists all of the consumer fireworks that cause fires and/or injuries each year.
In the meantime, during the previous week, Rhode Island legalized the sale of non-aerial fireworks (like sparklers and fountain).
The Rhode Island State Fire Marshal's Office advises that the following fireworks are now legal: ground and hand-held sparkling devices (“sparklers”). This includes ground-based or hand-held devices that produce a shower of white, gold, or colored sparks as their primary pyrotechnic effect; additional effects may include a colored flame, an audible crackling effect, an audible whistle effect, and smoke. These devices do not rise into the air, do not fire inserts or projectiles into the air, and do not explode or produce a report (a mild audible crackling-type effect is not considered to be a report.) Ground-based or hand-held devices that produce a cloud of smoke as their sole pyrotechnic effect are also included in this category.
The bill did generate a bit of discussion - lawmakers were reported as saying that selling small fireworks could generate roughly a million dollars each year, but safety officials countered that the potential income was not worth the risk of additional injuries and property damage.
To view the NFPA video, visit:
NFPA: Exploding myths: The dangers of consumer fireworks.
Rhode Island's updated fireworks definitions:
RI State Fire Marshal: Rhode Island Fireworks Definitions (22 June 2010)
Additional information from NFPA on fireworks:
NFPA: Fireworks
Bridgeport, CT, Hit by Tornado
The National Weather Service has determined that an EF1 tornado tore through Bridgeport on Thursday (24 June). The tornado knocked down trees and power lines and heavily damaged several buildings as a powerful line of storms swept across parts of the Northeast. No serious injuries were reported.
Media Reports:
WTNH-TV: Massive clean-up underway after tornado (27 JUN 10)
Connecticut Post: FEMA tours Bridgeport's tornado damage (26 JUN 10)
WABC-TV: Nat'l Weather Service: EF1 tornado hit Bridgeport (26 JUN 10)
Connecticut Post: Tornado confirmed in Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
New York Times: In Bridgeport, Conn., ‘Deep Sigh of Relief’ After Tornado (25 JUN 10)
New Haven Register: WILD WEATHER: Storm fells trees through Conn., confirmed tornado leaves destruction in Bridgepor (25 JUN 10)
NECN: Confirmed: Tornado touched down in Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
NECN: 10 minute storm wreaks havoc in Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
WTNH-TV: NWS confirms tornado hit Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
CNN: Weather service confirms Connecticut storm was tornado (25 JUN 10)
Fireground Images (Keith Muratori): E. Main St. Tornado Damage (Bridgeport, CT) (24 JUN 10)
Fireground Images (Keith Muratori): BRIDGEPORT, CT - Building collapse at Knowlton and Congress due to possible tornado (24 JUN 10)
WABC-TV Photo Gallery: Strong storms in Conn. and on Long Island
Background Information:
City of Bridgeport Municipal Website
Wikipedia: Bridgeport, Connecticut
National Weather Service: Tornadoes . . . Nature's Most Violent Storms
National Weather Service: Thunderstorm Hazards - Tornadoes
Media Reports:
WTNH-TV: Massive clean-up underway after tornado (27 JUN 10)
Connecticut Post: FEMA tours Bridgeport's tornado damage (26 JUN 10)
WABC-TV: Nat'l Weather Service: EF1 tornado hit Bridgeport (26 JUN 10)
Connecticut Post: Tornado confirmed in Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
New York Times: In Bridgeport, Conn., ‘Deep Sigh of Relief’ After Tornado (25 JUN 10)
New Haven Register: WILD WEATHER: Storm fells trees through Conn., confirmed tornado leaves destruction in Bridgepor (25 JUN 10)
NECN: Confirmed: Tornado touched down in Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
NECN: 10 minute storm wreaks havoc in Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
WTNH-TV: NWS confirms tornado hit Bridgeport (25 JUN 10)
CNN: Weather service confirms Connecticut storm was tornado (25 JUN 10)
Fireground Images (Keith Muratori): E. Main St. Tornado Damage (Bridgeport, CT) (24 JUN 10)
Fireground Images (Keith Muratori): BRIDGEPORT, CT - Building collapse at Knowlton and Congress due to possible tornado (24 JUN 10)
WABC-TV Photo Gallery: Strong storms in Conn. and on Long Island
Background Information:
City of Bridgeport Municipal Website
Wikipedia: Bridgeport, Connecticut
National Weather Service: Tornadoes . . . Nature's Most Violent Storms
National Weather Service: Thunderstorm Hazards - Tornadoes
Five Disciplines of Discipleship
A good reflection on today's Gospel reading:
"Five Disciplines of Discipleship, " by Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC):
"The first observation for this Sunday's Gospel is that it provides a kind of remedy for the sappy portraits of Jesus that seem to predominate today. Such portraits present Jesus as the quintessential 'nice guy' whose main task was to affirm people, befriend the poor and generally be 'nice.' It is a true fact that he did affirm, he befriended the poor and did have some nice things to say. But it is also true that Jesus is firm and uncompromising in setting forth conditions for discipleship. In today's Gospel Jesus is clear in his own resolve and demands the same from those will follow him. There are to be no excuses and no postponements. He wants a decision. He is clear as to what that decision must be and he is not willing to wait for an answer tomorrow. This is no sappy or syrupy Jesus. He is serious and sets forth sober principles that he expects to be followed."
To continue reading Msgr. Pope's reflection, including the "Five Disciplines," visit:
Msgr. Charles Pope: Five Disciplines of Discipleship
"Five Disciplines of Discipleship, " by Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC):
"The first observation for this Sunday's Gospel is that it provides a kind of remedy for the sappy portraits of Jesus that seem to predominate today. Such portraits present Jesus as the quintessential 'nice guy' whose main task was to affirm people, befriend the poor and generally be 'nice.' It is a true fact that he did affirm, he befriended the poor and did have some nice things to say. But it is also true that Jesus is firm and uncompromising in setting forth conditions for discipleship. In today's Gospel Jesus is clear in his own resolve and demands the same from those will follow him. There are to be no excuses and no postponements. He wants a decision. He is clear as to what that decision must be and he is not willing to wait for an answer tomorrow. This is no sappy or syrupy Jesus. He is serious and sets forth sober principles that he expects to be followed."
To continue reading Msgr. Pope's reflection, including the "Five Disciplines," visit:
Msgr. Charles Pope: Five Disciplines of Discipleship
26 June 2010
Saint Josemaria Escriva
Today the Church celebrates the memory of one of my favorite saints - Saint Josemaria Escriva. St. Josemaria is the founder of Opus Dei, a lay movement through which Catholics are encouraged to sanctify themselves through their (secular) work.
As a priest in the late 1920's, Fr. Escriva would talk about a universal call to holiness. While this is one thing the Church has always encouraged, it wasn't always put in those terms. Now one can often hear this term expressed.
I think one of the things that initially drew me to him was his outlook on the spirituality of work. He spoke and wrote about sanctifying work - working with the spirit of Jesus Christ, doing work well and ethically with the aim of loving God and serving others. In doing so, one sanctifies the world from within, making the Gospel present in all activities whether they be outstanding or humble and hidden. In the eyes of God, St. Josemaria would encourage, what matters is the love that is put into work, not its human success.
The spirit of Opus Dei focuses on the themes of Divine filiation (referring to the Christian being a child of God by virtue of baptism), ordinary life (“It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth, said St. Josemaria, "that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind.”), sanctifying work, prayer and sacrifice, unity of life (as St. JosemarÃa explained: Christians should not live “a kind of double life. On the one hand, an interior life, a life of union with God; and on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family life. . . . There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.”), freedom (acting with freedom and personal responsibility, respecting the freedom and the opinions of others), and charity
Many years ago I used to participate in the monthly Opus Dei prayer meetings at St. Sebastian Church in Providence (there is another term for the gathering, but it escapes me at this time). It was a good time, prayerful and reflective. The men in the group were a great group, who collectively had their priorities straight. Unfortunately, I had to pull back from this because I was somewhat overcommitted, but I do appreciate being part of the group for the period of time I was there.
For move information about St. Josemaria, visit:
Saint Josemaria Escriva
For move information about Opus Dei, visit:
Opus Dei
As a priest in the late 1920's, Fr. Escriva would talk about a universal call to holiness. While this is one thing the Church has always encouraged, it wasn't always put in those terms. Now one can often hear this term expressed.
I think one of the things that initially drew me to him was his outlook on the spirituality of work. He spoke and wrote about sanctifying work - working with the spirit of Jesus Christ, doing work well and ethically with the aim of loving God and serving others. In doing so, one sanctifies the world from within, making the Gospel present in all activities whether they be outstanding or humble and hidden. In the eyes of God, St. Josemaria would encourage, what matters is the love that is put into work, not its human success.
The spirit of Opus Dei focuses on the themes of Divine filiation (referring to the Christian being a child of God by virtue of baptism), ordinary life (“It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth, said St. Josemaria, "that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind.”), sanctifying work, prayer and sacrifice, unity of life (as St. JosemarÃa explained: Christians should not live “a kind of double life. On the one hand, an interior life, a life of union with God; and on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family life. . . . There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.”), freedom (acting with freedom and personal responsibility, respecting the freedom and the opinions of others), and charity
Many years ago I used to participate in the monthly Opus Dei prayer meetings at St. Sebastian Church in Providence (there is another term for the gathering, but it escapes me at this time). It was a good time, prayerful and reflective. The men in the group were a great group, who collectively had their priorities straight. Unfortunately, I had to pull back from this because I was somewhat overcommitted, but I do appreciate being part of the group for the period of time I was there.
For move information about St. Josemaria, visit:
Saint Josemaria Escriva
For move information about Opus Dei, visit:
Opus Dei
24 June 2010
USA Today: "Vatican Secret Archives hold tales fascinating ... and not"
Today's USA Today included an interesting article on the Vatican's Secret Archives.
To access the article, visit:
USA Today: Vatican Secret Archives hold tales fascinating ... and not
To access the article, visit:
USA Today: Vatican Secret Archives hold tales fascinating ... and not
Train Robbers Down-East (from 1891)
An 1891 Maine crime event, from a link posted on the Wikipedia listing for Enfield, Maine:
Train Robbers Down-East
Train Robbers Down-East
23 June 2010
Earthquakes in New England
As demonstrated by the number of tremor reports from each of the six New England states today, earthquakes do occur in this area. This particular earthquake (magnitude - 5.0), although centered in Canada in the Ontario-Quebec border region, sent shockwaves throughout the region.
Most of the earthquakes that occur in this region are much smaller. Since the beginning of the year there have been eleven earthquakes centered within the region, with the largest of these being a magnitude 2.8 quake, which occurred almost nine miles south of Bangor, Maine, on 30 March. In addition, other earthquakes in Canada and New York have sent tremors into New England.
For more information:
New England Seismic Network
Weston Observatory: Why Does the Earth Quake in New England?
Most of the earthquakes that occur in this region are much smaller. Since the beginning of the year there have been eleven earthquakes centered within the region, with the largest of these being a magnitude 2.8 quake, which occurred almost nine miles south of Bangor, Maine, on 30 March. In addition, other earthquakes in Canada and New York have sent tremors into New England.
For more information:
New England Seismic Network
Weston Observatory: Why Does the Earth Quake in New England?
22 June 2010
Reminder: God Is in Control
Message (paraphrased) to me from a lady sitting at a picnic table in Providence's Memorial Park (along the Providence River) as I was walking by (she was reading a Bible, and spoke to me as I passed) : "God is making a path for you (meaning me) and guiding you through it. He is calling you to put your trust in Him."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
An interesting thing about this encounter (which is a strong example of the way the Lord guides the many threads that make up the beautiful tapestry He is working on - a tapestry we only occasionally get tiny glimpses of, but which will be revealed at the end of time): I was "guided" from the path I was walking to go past her.
I had some twenty minutes before my bus to East Providence was due, so I strolled from the Canal Street bus stop along the Providence River toward South Water Street. There is a boat landing at Memorial Park (the park that has the various war memorials), and this landing is set to go up and down as the water level rises and falls. I went down onto the landing to check out the low tide scenery up close.
My plan would have been to continue walking along the lower sidewalk (close to the river) after I left the boat landing. However, a rescue went over the College Street bridge, and the siren stopped shortly afterward. I altered my course and started ambling toward South Main Street. I had only gone a very short distance when I looked at my watch and reevaluated my decison - the time available was not enough to continue in that direction. I altered my course and headed toward South Water Street, this time on the upper sidewalk (near the memorials). This new route "happened to" bring me past the picnic table at which the older woman was sitting, and, for whatever reason, she was inspired to start speaking.
All in all, it was a strong reminder that God is in control of all that is going on in my life and in the lives of those around me. Thank you, Lord!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
An interesting thing about this encounter (which is a strong example of the way the Lord guides the many threads that make up the beautiful tapestry He is working on - a tapestry we only occasionally get tiny glimpses of, but which will be revealed at the end of time): I was "guided" from the path I was walking to go past her.
I had some twenty minutes before my bus to East Providence was due, so I strolled from the Canal Street bus stop along the Providence River toward South Water Street. There is a boat landing at Memorial Park (the park that has the various war memorials), and this landing is set to go up and down as the water level rises and falls. I went down onto the landing to check out the low tide scenery up close.
My plan would have been to continue walking along the lower sidewalk (close to the river) after I left the boat landing. However, a rescue went over the College Street bridge, and the siren stopped shortly afterward. I altered my course and started ambling toward South Main Street. I had only gone a very short distance when I looked at my watch and reevaluated my decison - the time available was not enough to continue in that direction. I altered my course and headed toward South Water Street, this time on the upper sidewalk (near the memorials). This new route "happened to" bring me past the picnic table at which the older woman was sitting, and, for whatever reason, she was inspired to start speaking.
All in all, it was a strong reminder that God is in control of all that is going on in my life and in the lives of those around me. Thank you, Lord!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
