The road to hell, and a pathway to "heaven".








Some of you may remember my references to Randie E, the wonderful Swedish born woman I used to  encounter in my morning walks..

I live at Glen Oaks Ridge, and Randie lived at the Glen Oaks Garden Condominiums.  

 Our serendipitous meetings were on the walkway around  the pond at Glen Oaks Manor.

I was drawn to her because she would "take time to smell the roses": that is that she would stop walking, and take a long pause to enjoy a tree in bloom, or an Osprey, Hawk,  or and Eagle high above.

She was never in a hurry.  Her walks were graceful and gracious times during which she fed her soul by a deep and careful appreciation of the natural world.

I visited her  a couple of times at her home, there to enjoy good coffee and fine pastries, with
profound conversation.

Came the time that Randie moved from her Condo to a Retirement Community, situated no more than two mies from my home.

I would pass this place at least twice a week, always with the intention to stop by and visit Randie.

But "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", and I never got to visit Randie.

I was careless, but "heaven" had other things in mind.

So it was that when I stopped by my local supermarket this afternoon, to pick up various bits and bobs, lo and behold, there was Randie with her loving gentleman friend,

We indulged in a "sniff-sniff, teary eyed" reunion.

Turns out that Randie has moved from the nearby Retirement Community to an Assisted Living facility some eight miles away.

But her loving gentleman friend is taking such good  care of her, to the extent that he had driven her to the supermarket which she knows well, even as they drove past three other markets in the same chain.

This is the fragile, serendipitous,  and elusive "pathway to heaven" via which Randie and I met again today,

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not remember the words “ar
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were able to get together a few
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur
Read more