August 8 Friday: There are no coincidences

pictures don't do it justice

If I ever had a doubt that my life is guided from above I certainly 

had proof of it today.  I spent the night in the St. John's Catholic Church parking lot in Spring Green, realizing that this amazing structure simply had to have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I had missed mass two Sundays in a row and had been looking for a daily  mass somewhere along the way. The marquee gave Saturday and Sunday mass times only. But if only I could just get in to see the interior. As I sat on a bench outside, I noticed some people had gone in carrying flowers so I hurried over to see if perhaps I could sneak in with what I thought was a florist delivery only to find four or five people already quietly praying in the pews So after putting Sheba back in the Casita, I went back to join them in silent prayer. Suddenly a bell rang and in came a priest. By  sheer coincidence I was able to receive the Eucharist in an amazing church and have the main message basically say” let it go”. A message that I now find that both of my families need to hear and take to heart. No perceived slight or difference of opinion is worth losing family or friends over.

I called, my baby sister Jean to say I would not get there before 10:30 as I had been delightfully detained. Stitzer was only about an hour away through the winding endless corn and soybean  fields. I arrived to a very warm welcome  and we launched into a non stop chat marathon as only long lost sisters can have. 

We had lunch at  a favorite cafe of hers and her late husband (Dennis gone 5 years). Then back to the house ( grandma Fritz’s house many times remodeled over 85 years.)  Soon Alisa ,Jean’s youngest daughter, arrived who hadn’t been able to make it to the reunion. She was an equal delight and full of stories of grandma Aldeen. Another granddaughter who considered grandma her “special person “ and to whom she still confides and consults. Both she and her older sister Cindy have tattooed on their wrists “ Love you ,Grandma” copied in her own handwriting from birthday cards.She certainly must have been “Special”.  What a legacy to try to follow !!

We then gabbed and watched Sheba and Theo (Alisa’s dog)wrestle , play tease, chase and dance until Alisa had to go home as she had to get up at 3:00am to get to work at Land’s End. Sounded like a sadistic work schedule to me.

 Too late to go out for dinner so we sandwiched and I turned some sparkling water into Merlot with my pomegranate juice  And  then off Sheba and I went to the Casita, now delightfully air conditioned as I could plug it in.