Sunday June 8, 2008

This turned out to be an interesting day.
I went to my small RC faith community this morning and met Charlotte. I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks. After liturgy we went to the cafe across the street and she updated me on her story. She has not been able to find work after 1 year of unemployment. If you have a job available for a trained accountant, not CPA in the Chicago area; do let me know. She is under a great deal of stress.

She has been volunteering for the local politicians and collapsed at work on Monday. They took her to NWMH downtown where she was placed in ICU because her heart stopped. I found out her heart is enlarged because of childhood rheumatic fever. She has episodes like this before. She had to apply for Medicaid because she has no insurance. She will have to move. I know that she is proud and is alone. She had no one to call when she was in the hospital-till Thursday. I said, "Charlotte, why didn't you call me?" She said she didn't have my number.

I want to help her but my own situation is in transition. This economy is the pits. I asked her about her family-East Coast. She said, "We don't come to each other when in trouble. I don't like it when people fuss over me. I work to pay my bills." She couldn't believe it when I told her, "Let the community pay your hospital bills, you worked for all your adult life, you would be working now if jobs were available." "I can't do that" was her reply. Why not is my thought.

I think "I wonder where my journey as divorced woman at 65 will take me?" Who will I turn to in time of trouble? Where will I go? Very sobering questions after my divorce. Yet so many older Americans live alone. Our culture stinks. We should be in community, with family. This idiocy of "American individualism" is a horrendous fantasy bought into by Americans for the profit of the few. The social network has been dismantled. This country is "stuff orientated." Very sad as the economy will not let us any longer focus on "stuff I own." A major rethinking, re-prioritizing will go on, I hope. Family and friends are the most important. Our relationships make us human, we have given up relationships for stuff.

So after taking Charlotte downtown to Watertower, didn't ask her why. I headed home where my landlord came over to fix my back door lock. This is the city of Chicago folks and I haven't been able to lock my door for two days. Something in it moved. It took the landlord over an hour to "gerrymander" it back together. Wouldn't buy a new lock, duct tape came in handy for him. But now I can get in and out, that is all that counts. Oh and lock the door at night. I think, "My guardian angel must have gray feathers by now, protecting me." I think I am protected by the hospice patients I accompanied on their journey into the next life. I feel I have powerful saints to call on for help and protection. Actually I feel safe in this apartment and neighborhood. And since I don't feel 65, I don't "act old." My body may be getting there, but it isn't yet.

I spent not quite 2 hours talking to my aunt Theresa on the phone. We have these long telephone visits about 2 times a month. I really appreciate her. She is my godmother and the mother I never had. Aunt T is so very proud of all her nieces and nephews. So I wiled away the day between landlord and Aunt T and got no housework done.

Then it was on to WOC business. Met with the ladies who will be ordained this fall. The pope this week declared that anyone who is ordained is excommunicated. All those who help them be ordained are too. So...I am in deep do do and loving it. I said, "We must do this for our granddaughters sake." This is discrimination plain and simple. God is male and female and Mystery. We met for 2 1/2 hours and shared our stories. Kari just beginning the journey, Fran retired theologian who attended the first Women's Ordination Conference in Detroit, Laura pregnant with her third child.

We talked about resources and tasks to come. They want to have a Mary Magdala service in July. I will be away so can't do it. It is only 5 weeks away so we need to get planning. I think it will work. We need to invite the folks from CTA, Dignity, WOC, Corpus to meet the priests to be. Barbara wants to keep it under George's radar because I guess the NYC Cardinal put pressure on the Christian church where their ordinations were to be held and it had to be moved. Barbara said we have to have three sites, she has two churches that have volunteered but if they get pressure from George, we have to have a non-church back up also. This is in November so holding it outside is not an option. This will prove to be a very interesting time.

We will see what Sophia will put together. All we do is have to trust and do the work. So it was 9:30 by the time I got home, a really full day. Worship, ministry with the unemployed, chores, bringing the dream of Vatican II into the light of reality. To enflesh the dream of Sophia, that is what I like to say.