PROM DATE

Do you remember going to the prom? As a teenager I attended an all girl prep school. As was customary back in the day we had an affiliation with a "brother" school where we engaged in social activities. It was set up so Catholic youth could co-mingle under the watchful eye of the religious. Just recently a prom date from this time period contacted me via the LinkedIn app. It iwas a very bittersweet experience to hear from someone from so long ago. Yet, no matter how many years had passed between us, there is so much of that young boy that has remained the same. Our LinkedIn contact eventually led to an in person visit which was just so delightful! We laughed about our experiences with love, faith and family. We agreed how lucky we were to have come of age under such innocent times as part of loving families and great school systems. Our only major differences were mainly political and we laughed about this realizing that some things really do not change - he was always a conservative, and I was always a liberal. I feel so fortunate to have had this time with an old friend. Recently, I was able to complete work on a project for which he asked for my help. It's gratifying to know that collaboration between friends knows no time barriers or political biases. There is much kindness and hope in this world if only we remember to be "*curious and not judgemental". 

(*Ted Lasso character line).

INTER-OFFICE MEMO

Right after my 18th birthday, I quit college - Rosemont College. And of course, a boy was involved. My parents were less than pleased, and on my first day home I needed to secure a job by order of my father. That's when I met my first boss, Mr. Horace C. Rush. Mr. Horace Rush hired me as a travel counselor at the American Automobile Club. Prior to this I had no significant job experience other than part-time sales work at the Bamberger's Department store. But I did have an avid love of travel. Fresh off a phenomenal trip to the British Isles, and being a recent college dropout, I knew the travel business was for me! I also desperately needed a job if I hoped to return to college. Mr. Rush was a man of many talents but his real gift was the ability to give people in his charge confidence and unconditional support. He helped all his employees become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the job. Before office emails became the norm, people of my vintage will recall the use of these small rectangular pads with the title, "Inter-office Memo". Like the current use of office emails, receiving an Inter-office Memo usually meant more work, or worse, a critiqué of your work. To ease the tension of office stress, Mr. Rush would often send out extremely humorous memos which punctuated our office with fits of uncontrollable laughter! This man set the bar for what I would want and expect of all my future bosses. Under Mr. Rush's tutelage, I worked my way up to assistant office manager. And during those years I was able to both travel and complete my education. It broke my heart to leave the Auto Club for my first teaching job, but Mr. Rush and I remained life long friends until he passed away. His generosity of the heart remains with me. He was an important part of my young adulthood and significantly impacted my life. One of my sweetest and funniest memories of him was his sending telegrams to each of my hotels while I was on an overseas trip. The telegrams took the form of the Inter-office Memo. Each one stating a humorous quip with the proviso, "Have Fun. Return home. Your work is waiting for you!" I still have those telegrams❤️ And because of the working climate he fostered, I remain friends with each of my Auto Club co-workers from more than fifty years ago! 

HANDWRITTEN

There is so much I love about the technology of instant communication.  Yet, I still miss the handwritten letters people used to exchange with one another. I get so excited when I  receive a letter from a friend or family member. I love seeing their handwriting and knowing their touch was on the message. The loss of handwritten communication is hard for someone like me. I have saved letters and cards since I was about seven years old. I have considered every piece of personal mail a treasure. Sometimes I look through old birthday cards just to read what my grandparents wrote to me so long ago. I can still feel the enormity of their love in their written birthday messages. And then there are the encouraging notes from my mom and mother-in-law during the tough years of being a young mother. The postcard pictured at the top was written by my great Uncle Joe to his sister, my grandmother, during  the first World War. To just hold this card, that was sent from France in the middle of a world war, is to hold a piece of history. It is to hold a piece of timeless love of a young soldier for his family.  Even more significant is that Joe was born in Portugal but didn't hesitate to fight for his newly adopted country. So much meaning and love found in written letters like this will be lost to the future generations because correspondence is now stored somewhere in internet data heaven- never to be held or read again.  The fine nuances of handwritten conversations will be forever lost. I think this is just sad.

BTW *tongue in cheek use of text jargon *  I miss postscripts.

PS: write back soon.

PROMISCUOUS CATHOLICISM AND ASH WEDNESDAY

Author and poet, Mary Karr, once described herself as a promiscuous Catholic. She admitted to hanging out with many different church communities. When I first heard her say this I thought, my God, someone else gets it! Although her descriptions of Catholicism sound somewhat irreverent on initial contact, her observations are quite profound. She speaks of attending church as akin to attending a magic show. Really? But think about it. Who doesn't love magic and mystery? I get that this image might be found offensive by some. But for me the elements of mystery and, yes, magic, draw me back time and time again to the unknowable. Approaching the age of 70, spending twelve years in Catholic school, and 69 years within promiscuous Catholicism, I still feel the draw to the Lenten journey. I still feel the need to discover what's behind the mystery and the magic. I think in doing so I'll find my way home. Today the journey begins again.