It was nice to have a three day weekend. It was busy as usual but the busyness was spread out a little. I woke up about 5:30 AM on Friday with a sense of dread. I thought to myself, "My alarm clock will go off in 45 minutes"! I quickly had a wonderful realization when I remembered that I didn't have to go to work! I was taking a vacation day! With a sense of gratitude, I rolled over and slept a few more hours. Later in the morning I went to visit my Dad and to have lunch with him. In some ways visiting the nursing home is like visiting the monastery. When you enter both places you are walking into worlds where life is much slower. I found Dad in bed just before the attendants were going to get him up for lunch. Once in his wheelchair I took him to the dining room and fed him lunch. Almost everyone in the room needed assistance. Feeding Dad gave me flashbacks to my days as a young parent feeding my own children and to my older days as a grandparent feeding Chloe. Now Chloe sometimes feeds me. It's good practice for down the road. I may need her to visit and feed me someday. Dad ate everything on his plate. When I asked him if I was going too fast, he said "No, you're doing it just right". It felt like a sacred moment and I was happy that I was able to share this moment with him. Once he was back in bed I kissed him on the top of head and said goodbye. It had been a good visit.
After a brief stop at home it was off to the eye doctor. This also went well. I was happy when the doctor said there appeared to be no detectable negative effects from my diabetes. Of course the rest of the day I felt like I was underwater whenever I took my glasses off. My pupils were extremely dilated from various drops put in my eye during the exam. Later my wife, son, and I went to buy new glasses. Purchasing glasses is almost as complicated as purchasing a new car. By the time you get out of there you have no idea what you have ordered. Anyone else's glasses would be ready the next day. Not mine, of course! Since I wanted to keep my old frames, mine involved some kind of "special order" and will take approximately two weeks to get them. As a result I must temporarily wear some old frames I got sometime in the past.
Finally my activities ended with the seminarian picnic. It was held on the farm of a local priest's parents. It was very nice and many other people were there including our new Archbishop. It was my first time meeting him. He is a very nice and extremely friendly man. Right now everyone loves him. As with most things in life, however, he is still in his honeymoon period. Sooner or later he will be faced with difficult decisions that will make some people unhappy. I am impressed with him because he actually takes the time to visit my son in Indianapolis and to email him on a regular basis. The seminarians in this Archdiocese seem to get lots of support from the Archbishop and local priests.
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