my sorrow and pain
best to go somewhere. and so
i write. and peace came.
Monday, November 29, 2021
Saturday, November 20, 2021
My nephew chichos
The eulogy I delivered November 15, 2021 during the service for my nephew Charlton or Chichos Lucas. I added the link to the songs.
Good evening or good morning
.. I am Lourdes or Ondes or Lulu Lucas Herold.
Chot
is my brother and Chichos is my nephew.
I am representing the Lucas clan which includes my sister Josefina or
Bebeng or ate, my brother Benjie, our youngest sibling Menchie and my late
brother Anton. ‘We and our families convey our condolences and love to Erica,
Zander, Molly, Sam, Minnie, Minette and their families. And especially our beloved brother Chot.
I
learned a lot on what Chichos was like all grown up when he attended the Lucas
clan zoom meetings last year. He
attended the children’s cooking classes with molly and zander and the 9 day
novena for pinky , the late wife of my brother Benjie .
I
saw him blossomed to this caring, sensitive, assertive, cheerleader and
motivator. qualities that he manifested
in the videos of these meetings. Esp day 2 of the novena for pinky. I promised Chot I will keep this eulogy to three minutes so I will spare you of stories related to the videos. Instead allow me to use three songs which I
will relate to the life and death of our beloved Chichos.
The
first song is A Million Dreams from the movie the Greatest Showman. The poster of Hugh Jackman actually reminds
me of Chichos who is a showman himself. Wasn’t
he?
I am
pretty sure Chichos spent sleepless nights lying in bed dreaming a million
things as the lyrics say. But chichos was
a doer and fulfilled most of them. But
best of all he continued to dream.
The
second song is The Dance by Garth brooks.
I thought at first it was a break up song of two people whose relationship
had gone awry. It turned out Garth and
his producer decided to present it in the video as a homage to those famous
people who died young and at times tragically.
Chichos has now joined their ranks.
The lyrics
of this song beautifully explore the significance of not knowing how our
choices will end. Because if we did, we might not take chances and miss the
pain and miss importantly the dance. But
our beloved Chichos did not miss the dance. He bravely danced.
We
are free to interpret songs. And that is
what I am going to do with the third song, Rainbow Connection by Kermit theFrog A Peruvian proverb says in death there is a
convergence of heaven and earth. When
somebody dies we feel the presence of God more strongly.
As
we see a rainbow, my hope is we see that behind it is the other side where
chichos is now. When my mother died I
found comfort in the words that my friend wrote in the card she sent me. "As people of faith we know we shall see our
loved ones again". See you chichos on the
other side of the rainbow. We love you.
Friday, November 19, 2021
during this pandemic
i rested. relaxed.
healing. my contribution
to humanity.
Note. inspired by Cynthia Comiskey's presentation during the Memorial Day Recollection at Baden November 6, 2021.
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Friday, November 12, 2021
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
chichos day 2 novena
In moments like this which is hard to understand, let us call on the Lord our Shepherd.
The Lord's My Shepherd - Stuart Townend - YouTube
Novena Prayer Day 2
paula's prayer meeting 11/10/2021
Holy Mystery - YouTube by Monica Brown
Praying What Is
I am a child of the universe,
Thought materialized into human
form,
Word made into mortal flesh.
I am in the cosmos and the cosmos is in me,
manifesting as pure genius,
creative energy, infinite potential.
Mind-at-Large broadcasts Intelligence
day and night
and I am its receiver, its
vessel and transformer.
Through my words and actions
I turn thought into things
and the reality I
encounter.
I turn nothingness into something
by thinking it so and saying it
so.
I am a co-creator of the Universe I
belong to.
Creation is inside me, longing for
expression,
bound by nothing but the
thoughts I hold to.
I am saturated with
Divinity, connected to everything,
my atoms forged at the beginning of
time.
The Universe inside me fuels my
desire.
It is Love on fire, Love expanding,
Love attracting.
As I fold myself into the unfolding
Cosmos,
I receive its power, its
consciousness, its endless support.
Powers to heal are mine.
Powers to create are mine.
Powers to bring peace are mine.
I give thanks for my life,
and use it for the benefit of all.
All praise to the Unknowable Mystery
that permeates everything.
Alleluia and Amen.
Jan Phillips
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Buffalo Chickpeas with Sun Dried Tomatoes Over Mac and Cheese
Caution Addictive. Try it to believe. This was inspired by a vegan dish I ate during the food truck event organized by the Divine Mercy Academy in Monroeville Pa. The delicious dish was prepared by Veggies N'at that specializes in vegan soul food. It is a catering and food order company in Pittsburgh. (see their version below).
This is a close version and just as alluring. The buffalo chickpeas can be placed over nothing or mac and cheese or chili. You can adjust the heat level and other flavors. I love adding sun dried tomatoes for added texture and flavor.
I prepared it two ways, raw or cooked. As far as taste is concerned the easy raw approach is sufficient. The color is anemic but still addictive. (see photo below)
To approximate the color of the Veggies N'at version of the dish I resorted to a second mode wherein I heated the mixture of ingredients and then added tapioca starch as thickener. I prefer to add the chopped sun dried tomatoes at this point.
Buffalo Chickpeas with Sun Dried Tomatoes Over Mac and Cheese
Inspired by what I ate prepared by Veggies N'at at a food truck event
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas
1-2 tbsp each hot sauce and sriracha
1 2 tbsp vegan mayo or vegan yogurt
1 tsp maple syrup optional
2-3 pieces Sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp tapioca or corn starch (if using cooked version)
Prepared Mac and Cheese (see recipe)
Instructions
Raw version
Mix all ingredients from chickpeas to sun dried tomatoes and place over prepared mac and cheese.
Cooked version
Place chickpeas, hot sauce, sriracha, vegan mayo or yogurt, maple syrup if using in a small saucepan and mix. Heat mixture in saucepan to a gentle boil with stirring then add tapioca starch suspended in 2 tbsp water and mix with stirring up to desired thickness. Remove from heat and add the sun dried tomatoes if using. Serve over prepared mac and cheese.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Memories by the Tocador (Dresser)
One of my favorite memories from my childhood occurred by the so called tocador or dresser beside my bed in our house in Malabon. This furniture was designed to fit the corner of the bedroom I shared with my sister. It featured a huge square mirror measuring around four feet by four feet. with a table and escaparate or curio cabinet on the right and drawers on the left. A small bench was also furnished for it.
I slept relatively early then in my twenties since I was tired from the traffic I had to contend with to and from work. I slept definitely earlier than my late brother, Anton, who used to come late from his class and later from his first job. Almost all the occupants in the house were asleep when he came home and he wanted to relax a bit before he watched television. What he did was, sit in front of the dresser and talked to me while I was asleep. I might have opened one eye to acknowledge his presence but I usually did not talk to him. Sometimes he just sat there. He used to kid about how I love to sleep and how. One time I brought home a photo of me sleeping while I was on vacation in Baguio with friends from the University of the Phil graduate school. He said that photo was so me.
I also woke up late on days when my niece Jona and nephew Ditos, kids of my sister Bebeng, arrived at our house with their mother who worked at our gas station. They yearned for a playmate to play house with them and they would find me still in bed. I remember them feeding me with their pretend food while I continue to sleep.
There is a saying that those who wait also serve. I am changing that to those who sleep also serve. With my presence though asleep kept my late brother company and provided him a welcome when he came to a very quiet house when he came home. I also served as a live though immobile, life size Barbie doll to my niece and nephew.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
pray share chat 11/3/2021 a joyful mind
The theme for today's meeting is a joyful mind.
1. Meditation
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XeJ2vOHaATg
2. song
3. Narrative
Saturday, September 18th, 2021
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
From the Center for Action and Contemplation
Week Thirty-Seven Summary and Practice
Hell, No!
September 12 - September 17, 2021
Sunday
Your image of God creates you. This is why it is important that we see God as loving and benevolent and why good theology still matters.
Monday
Heaven is not about belonging to the right group or following the correct rituals. It’s about having the right attitude toward existence.
Tuesday
In the first five centuries of Christianity, many of the church fathers believed in universal salvation. It seems we were much more hopeful at the beginning that the Gospel really was universally good news!
Wednesday
The New Testament includes a hope-filled vision of the whole universe pervaded with divine promise. —Elizabeth Johnson
Thursday
God is alive. God is love. Love is pulling us on to do new things and we need to trust the power of God in our lives to do new things. —Ilia Delio
Friday
Maybe it’s not that there are two places beyond the door of death, heaven and hell. Sometimes I wonder if hell is just what heaven feels like for those who haven’t learned in this life what this life is intended to teach. —Brian McLaren
A Joyful Mind
St. Catherine of Siena purportedly said, “It’s heaven all the way to heaven,” and I’ve come to believe that “it’s hell all the way to hell” if we choose to make it so. If we can’t experience God and love and happiness and everything that matters today, in whatever moment we find ourselves in, we probably won’t experience it tomorrow either. It isn’t a matter of being “saved,” although that can be an ecstatic experience that gets us started. Rather, it’s a matter of getting in touch with the grace-filled reality that is always available to us. I appreciate how Carlton Pearson puts it:
Getting born again is something we need to do daily as we discover more of our own souls with each new life encounter. For the true Christian, evangelizing should begin with oneself, being born again with each new day, conveying the message of hope, and re-creating this world as a place of love, compassion, preservation of beauty, respect for nature, and peace—peace and love above all else. [1]
I invite you to practice finding your way to “heaven” by engaging this day with a joyful mind. What might a joyful mind be? In my book The Naked Now, I offer some suggestions:
When your mind does not need to be right.
When you no longer need to compare yourself with others.
When your mind can be creative, but without needing anyone to know.
When you can live in contentment with whatever the moment offers.
When your mind does not need to be in charge but can serve the moment with gracious and affirming information.
When your mind follows the intelligent lead of your heart.
When your mind is curious and interested, not suspicious and interrogating.
When your mind does not “brood over injuries.”
When your mind does not need the future to be better than today.
When your mind can accept yourself as you are, warts and all.
When your mind does not divide and always condemn one side or group.
When your mind can critique and also detach from critique.
When your mind can wait, listen, and learn.
When your mind can live satisfied without resolution or closure.
When your mind can forgive and actually “forget.”
When your mind doesn’t need to complain or worry to get motivated.
When your mind can find God in all things.
[1] Carlton Pearson, The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God and Self (Atria Books: 2006), 260.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (Crossroad Publishing: 2009), 178–180.
4. prayer
Celtic Blessing (An ancient prayer for happiness and joy) May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
Read more at: https://www.lords-prayer-words.com/prayers_before/prayer_for_happiness.html
5. meditation
6. song 2
blessings
Blessings - Laura Story (with lyrics) - YouTube