Inspired by Scholastica

This Friday Catholics celebrate All Saints Day and on Saturday, All Souls Day. It’s a day we remember   the holy women and men who have gone before us, especially our deceased relatives and friends.   It’s a time to recall with gratitude all those who have influenced our lives in some way. I remember my high school English teacher who encouraged me to write and to enter speech contests. I was a shy student, but she brought out the best in me. I once had the leading role in a contest for a play about an aging actress who was chosen to return to the stage. We did not win the contest, but the experience was great   for my self-confidence. Another influence in my life was a priest who was my spiritual director for a time. He helped me through a difficult time with his psychological insights into my struggles and problematic relationships.There was also a therapist whose wisdom and guidance assisted me in dealing with some past experiences.These people are all deceased now and

We have all been battered and bruised, hollowed out, maybe reached throes of despair. We’ve been overlooked, passed by, others get chosen even when we could do better, or so we think, life isn’t fair, but we have survived. We wear bandages to prove we have not been unscathed even if no one notices. Scars have made us stronger, more humble, more compassionate to those who still bear open gashes, who still struggle to endure, to overcome. Wounded healer is our call, our place in this dog-eat-dog, overpowering world we inhabit. We bring our warm touch, our tender embrace to the burdened, the forgotten, the broken-hearted. We lift each other up and become one.    

As the days grow shorter and colder, and we retrieve sweaters and coats, we look for places of warmth and light. Usually the kitchen is a cozy, bright space where families gather. I remember    when I was growing up, our kitchen was such a place. My mother was always baking bread or cookies, or cleaning vegetables, or darning socks, or ironing clothes -- always in the kitchen. And if a neighbor dropped by, she would serve coffee around the kitchen table. Back porches are also usually warm places in the fall. I used to sit on our back porch steps to read or fold clothes as the sun filtered through the clouds. Our back yard was quiet except for the birds stealing grapes from our arbor with gluttonous glee. Walkers like to catch a few rays of sun in parks that are usually filled with trees in brilliant autumn colors. Even when the leaves have fallen, it is fun to walk on the crunchy carpet. Fire places are also warm places to gather on the chilly fall days. They take the nip out

Women have come a long way both in society and politics. It's hard to believe they did not have the right to vote until 1920. And there were only a few serving in Congress until the late 20th century. Today women make up about 24 per cent of Congress and several have leadership positions. They are now serving in the military, many as superior officers. And this year six are in the presidential race for 2020. In the religious world women have also made progress. Many women are pastors in various Protestant churches and a few have been ordained bishops. In the Catholic church they now have more leadership roles. Women are the mainstay of most churches although they are often taken for granted and underpaid. But more and more women are making their voices heard. They are speaking out for their rights and the rights of immigrants, trafficked women, people of color, and other minorities. They are no longer looked upon as sscond class citizens, but as equals in most sectors of U.S. s

We cherish heirlooms, period art, antique furniture, classic literature, but often fail to find the beauty in old people. They are usually brushed aside, ignored, discarded.                                         All we see is faded glory, faces crinkled with lines of past joys and sorrows, successes and failures. Eyes a bit sunken and dimmed, straining to see who comes by, Hands now gnarled and veined but graced with aged loveliness. Age brings a new beauty that takes time to appreciate, requires patience to draw out the stories of years spent raising children, cooking meals acquiring knowledge, playing games,   praying rosaries,   going fishing, and becoming a beloved elder. Older people may be frail and slow, sometimes hesitant in speech, but they are unique individuals well-seasoned with the salt and spices of life’s experiences.