More on John Corapi And The New Chapter In His Life

I am very discouraged to see that the picture that I used from the photo service, Flickr, has been removed in my blog about John Corapi, as you will see a few blogs below this one. I am leaving it so you will see that in fact, there are more blemishes in our daily lives than we care to admit.

Father John Corapi - as we knew him - was an ordained priest of SOLT out of Corpus Christi, Texas. He was ordained by Pope John Paul in Rome 20 years ago.

If you do not know the story of John Corapi, briefly, he was a successful businessman in the Los Angeles area who hobnobbed with the entertainment folks who sometimes get into plenty of problems. He himself ended up a cocaine addict, broke on the streets of Los Angeles.

Originally from New York State, John Corapi's mother, a devout Catholic, managed to get letters to her son and finally sent him the one-way bus fare back to Hudson.

(I hope I am capsulizing this well for you without too much detail but with no mistakes.)

When John went home, he went to the local parish priest for a confession. He studied for about seven years overseas and was ordained at the approximate age of 40.

John Corapi has been speaking for many years and has a book (The Black Sheepdog) soon to come out.

We enjoyed watching him on ETWN network on Saturday evenings. His message was always one of perfect sense, based on biblical teachings and applying to today's life.

We are not Catholics, but John Corapi's message was one that just about anyone could benefit from.

The pages on Facebook dedicated to John Corapi - Father John Corapi and The Black Sheepdog have a lot of venom in the postings. This is not helpful to John Corapi, the Catholic Church or any individuals.

God Bless John Corapi and hopefully he will be able to open a new chapter in his life.

Happy Independence Day!

Amercian Flag, a photo by sfPhotocraft on Flickr.

Happy Canada Day 2011 - July 1st

God's Country - At The Top Of Yonge Street.

Stay a While, a photo by Paul.M.Gallaway on Flickr.

If you keep on driving up Yonge Street, North, out of Toronto, after about two hours, you will be in Muskoka, or "God's Country" as Pop used to call it.

It was just a little too long a drive for us today, but I thought about it a lot.

Elaine placed a yellow rose on the grave from the bouquet she placed in St.Mark's Church for me. What a nice thing for her to do.

Those chairs - yes, those empty chairs are together again.

Rest in Peace, Mom, the best mother-in-law a person could have.

Rain, LIghtning, Thunder? That Might Just Be BoBo Talking To You!

On the night Bobo, the Lhasa died, we were sitting quietly in the living room when there was a very loud clap of thunder. Fanny, a Shih Tzu was sitting beside me and I said to her, "That is just Bobo talking to us".

I believe that because I have taught this to my dogs they are not afraid of storms and generally come to sit quietly with me.

In Toronto, when I used to do PR for dog shows, I had the pleasure of twice being on a CFTO-TV program called Toronto Today with a man named Mike Ongarato. Mike was very attractive, had lots of charm and was cut out for an interview format show.

The first time I appeared I was very nervous and Mike was quite calm. I had two Shar Pei with me. I watched that tape often and so the next time, when I had three dogs, I was calm and it was Mike who was a little nervous. We had a Bernese Mountain Dog, a Cairn Terrier and my own Shih Tzu puppy, Sadie. At one point, Sadie - in full coat - had her backside to the camera and we had to lift and turn her. It is a great tape to watch! I tell you this to let you know that Mike's strong suit was interview. He had a knack for putting you at ease.

Now, when I came to Texas, I found that it is a pretty good training ground for weathermen. I have watched as their eyes glaze over when they are talking about major weather . . . and we do sometimes get some major weather, believe me!

Probably the most notable weatherman we had in Toronto was a fellow named Percy Saltzman on CBLT -TV who used to wind down his forecast by tossing his chalk up in the air and saying,

"And that's the weather tonight!"

I know they don't use chalk anymore, but that's what made Percy notable.

Well, back to Mike Ongarato. One week when the weatherman - Dave Devol - was on vacation, CFTO put Mike in the weather slot on the evening newscasts. It so happened we did not have very nice weather and mid-week, Mike stood before the camera, mentioning he had had a few calls about the bad weather. I never forgot Mike saying,

"I am just reporting the weather forecast. Please don't shoot the messenger!"

At Carolina 14, there is a wonderful friend named Lee Ringer who can give you weather like he is telling you about Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. Lee came to our area out of college, so I guess this was his boot camp. He gets up to be at the station before the crack of dawn to make sure he has everything just so for the people getting ready to go to work, One of his favorite things to do is visit classes of school children. Lee is a natural.

So, as I sit here tonight with thunder, lightening and threats of worse around me, I think of all the weathermen. We have a fellow named Brad who just reports the weather and does it very well. It has been a terrible week for us because we have had forest fires - the worst ever in the area. So we have prayed for rain.

Now, tonight, the rain began and tree limbs were blowing down and the phone was ringing with the alerts that very bad weather could be coming.

Oh, yes . . . no rain to speak of this whole year and tonight . . . well, be careful what you wish for.

John Corapi: I Think A Smart Network Executive Has A Spot For Him!

Today, twenty years after his ordination, John Corapi is packing it in as a priest in the Catholic church.

This is very sad as this is a person who had such a fine message and so much to share with all of us, no matter our belief.

If the mainstream networks are “on the stick”, they will give this man his own program and hopefully in a time spot similar to what he had – 10:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday nights. (EWTN)

An anonymous person sent a letter of accusation against this man and in the Catholic church, the priests are now guilty until proven (if ever) innocent. This is a direct contravention of the American legal system.

It has been so long with nothing happening, that it is indeed time for John Corapi to now move on with life and help others as he has been doing all these years.

To listen to what John Corapi says himself, here is the link:

www.theblacksheepdog.us

There is a special John Corapi Facebook page, just put in The Black SheepDog at the top of FB.

So Letterman can retire and John Corapi will bring us some real solid programming. (In case no one has Saturday night open . . .)

God Bless!

Bone Marrow Doners - Do Read About this 15-year-old's Bucket List

Alice Pyne of Ulverston, United Kingdom is 15 and has already had a bone marrow transplant. Yes, she is only 15 and she has a bucket list.

Go to the link below to read about Alice and how she has the British House of Commons supporting her.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13742983

Happy Birthday, John Edwards . . . and a Few Others!

John Edwards, a photo by Llima on Flickr.

John Edwards is 58 today.

So? Not so surprising that this fact was stated in the People column that appears daily in the newspaper.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth is 90 today. He has done well for himself, the Queen and England. Nice and tall and always at her side.

My sister-in-law is . . . well . . . about 61 today. She is a great gal who has had some sadness in her life but has been true and loyal to family and friends. She is a great gal!

The President's daughter, Sasha Obama is 10 today. She and her sister have done well. They have a grandmother who watches over them because both their father and mother work, you see. I presume it was her sister who made the comment when showered with well wishes after the election by their classmates when they arrived late to school after a late election night,

"Well, THAT was embarrassing!" You gotta love that remark!

And as I said, it is John Edwards' birthday today.

We CAN learn from others' mistakes and we can learn that some of the simplest people are the best people.

Be very careful to look inside the person, behind the facade because that is where the real story of that person is . . .

Nothing Reminds Me Of Home Like Don Cherry

2008-12-15 Don Cherry, originally uploaded by thehour.

Now, generally, Don Cherry is wearing an outrageous jacket - really colorful, but I picked this picture because he is wearing a Canadian tie . . . or a tie with a Canadian motif.

Don Cherry at one time coached the Boston Bruins and has a wonderful program called Coache's Corner that is run when the hockey games are on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation TV. So, that is one thing I miss in Texas.

When I was a kid, Foster Hewitt used to commentate the games and he always opened with, "Good Evening Hockey Fans In Canada And The United States" on his own radio station, CKFH out of Toronto. After he died, his son, Bill continued the tradition.

Don Cherry, who at one time coached the Boston Bruins, started a program called Coach's Corner which was aired after games. He is known for his outspoken remarks and bright (well, okay . . . outrageous) outfits.

Don also has a string of restaurants where there is lots of sports memorabilia and good, hearty food. He also owned and showed Bull Terriers. (Yes, that would be his kind of dog.)

So, once in a long while we get to see Don Cherry but not very often. A wonderful fellow named Ron McLean plays straight man. (Somebody has to do it!)

Here's hoping we get to see this Canadian icon tonight when Vancouver Canucks play Boston Bruins in Vancouver. The time is 8:00 p.m. Eastern on either CBC or TSN in Canada and tonight it will be on NBC in United States. Next week, Versus Channel will also carry it. You might get some extra there tonight as well.

In case you ever wondered, Hockey is Canada's national WINTER sport. Lacrosse is the official summer sport ! Try that piece of trivia with your Molson Canadian which might have a label tonight that reads: Molson's Canuck. No, I am not kidding . . .

Feeling Happy Today . . . and Younger, Too!

That picture was taken at our 50th St.Clement's Reunion in 2009, which means all of us are about the same age. Most of my class lives in the Toronto area, but not all.

Yes, that's me on the left, with Andrea on the right.

Andrea has kept in touch over the years and now she e-mails. She spends some of the year in Toronto and some over in England. A few of my classmates are not married, including Andrea.

So, this morning, Andrea sent a message that she and Brian went out to buy the engagement ring after she accepted his proposal of marriage. The wedding will be in October in Toronto, with another ceremony in England.

Wow . . . wow . . . wow!

I had an aunt whose sister was married for the first time a little younger than Andrea and I are when I was in my teens. Mother and I went to visit her and she had a girdle stretched around the back of a kitchen chair. I wrote about that once before when I was in the widownet.org group, so some some people have heard about that before.

I don't think Andrea will be doing that because I do not recall her ever needing to lose weight. You can see that she dares to wear a cream colored wool suit.

She comes from a musical family and I can imagine she will come down the aisle to "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring".

Well, after last year's five weddings . . . all brides in their 20s . . . and this years abundance of funerals, this news just makes me feel on top of the world today.

I am smiling so wide for you, Andrea! God Bless!

The Funeral That Was A Gift

Church window, cross and bible verse stained glass window., originally uploaded by Sans Soucie Art Glass Studios, Inc..

We have attended three funerals in the past four weeks. Our own minister says he dislikes performing funerals and one can hardly blame him.

When I was young, my Mother planned many of the funerals and I was quite used to the protocol. Of course that was in Toronto and visitations and funerals are a little different here in Texas.

A few months ago, I made the mistake of showing up in a dress. I was the only one and when I mentioned it to the person's sister, she gave me a good rule to go by:

"When in doubt, wear pants." That's what she said.

So, I acquired a new black jacket and a new navy jacket in my current size. So, I was ready this time.

A major difference between Ontario and here is that there is only one visitation, generally in the evening from six to eight at the funeral home. We used to have afternoon and evening visitations with the funeral the next day.

Here in Texas, people are generally more casually dressed than I was used to but I am afraid I have not changed much for that.

Possibly more of our funerals where I live are at the church rather than the funeral home. We often have hymns that the congregation sings as well.

Something that has changed and I imagine it is in Canada as well, is the wonderful Powerpoint presentation of family photos on a TV screen at the visitation. It enables us to enjoy the happier times of that person's life.

The recent funerals were very fine. One was for an older man from our congregation who had been sick for a long time. Yes, he was older . . . that would be about a year younger than I am now. I enjoy his grandchildren very much and his daughter works tirelessly with our youth.

He was a man who was generous with humor as well as money and way back when he was still fairly well, he liked to kid that the computer should say,

"Windows Are Closing." He loved to talk about once having lunch with Warren Buffett . . . who wouldn't? He was an accountant . . . that would be an accountant with a fine sense of humor.

The second man was also younger than I . . . about eight years younger and had had Alzheimer's for a long time. His wife and I scrapbooked together as well as attending the same church. She has two wonderful granddaughters who she likes to spend lots of time with and has made the most of the years her husband has been in healthcare. He was a psychologist/counselor, working in the government.

Yes, today's funeral was also for a man younger than I. He was 65 and probably succumbed to the effects of Agent Orange in combat. He was a musician who played church music on both the organ and the piano. He loved dogs and he loved music. He wrote for the newspaper and still loved to send in letters to the editor which were a joy to read. I did not really know as well as I know his sister and brother-in-law.

What I want to tell you is this. Last night after we were at the visitation at the funeral home, we were wondering if we really should attend the service today as we really were not as close to him as his family. I thought about it and suggested that there would probably be some very special music. Well, yes, we were there.

This was a funeral that truly was not a funeral but a true celebration. If you can understand that this man digitally recorded some music himself which was played along with some major talented others playing wonderful old hymns and classical music, then you can understand this.

Two ministers, his brother-in-law and a friend, gave the invocation and benediction. His nephew recalled some fond memories of his uncle and everything else was music.

One of his friends did step over to the keyboard mid-service and play "Tea For Two" which is something the man himself was known to do if a choir practice was getting boring . . .

Thank you, my friend for a wonderful gift that everyone there today enjoyed. I imagine you were looking down and smiling at such a non-traditional remembrance of you.

The music we heard was: Suite No. 5 in G Major, Amazing Grace; Balm in Gilead; Sheep May Safely Graze; It Is Well; Choral Prelude on Rhosymedre; Fugue in E-flat Major and Thine Is The Glory.

What a wonderful way to remember our friend . . .

Rogers Centre aka The Skydome, Toronto

Rogers Centre aka The Skydome, Toronto, originally uploaded by stephengg.

From Dome To Dome

Reliant Astrodome, originally uploaded by markhodgins.

You might be surprised to find out how many ways Houston and Toronto are alike!

Now, we do not live in Houston, but rather a hundred miles up the highway, but that is just about a two hour drive.

One of the features that makes me feel "at home" is Reliant Stadium where the Houston Astros play. Reliant Stadium was renamed since I have been here.

SkyDome in Toronto has also been renamed and is now Rogers Stadium.

Both covered stadiums have domes that open three ways and make for a better baseball experience in both cities. Toronto does not claim to have great weather in the early spring and Houston gets really hot mid-summer.

The Houston Astros are in the National League and the Toronto Blue Jays are in the American League so this weekend was the first time the Houston team visited Toronto to play. As Toronto has been doing very well this year and Houston has not, I was expecting The Jays to trounce the Astros. So, I was quite surprised to see the three-game series end 2-1 in game wins for Houston Astros.

We once attended a game in Toronto when the Texas Rangers (from Dallas) were playing and we really enjoyed it. So, Hubby has seen "The Dome".

[I was rather surprised that when they built a new stadium in Arlington (Dallas), they did not do a covered one, but I guess for everyone money is money and domed stadiums take plenty.]

In case you did not know, Reliant Stadium is not Houston's first covered stadium. The Astrodome was the first and I think the first in North America. I have been there . . . to a dog show where I saw Canadian, Dr. John Reeve-Newsom judge Scottish Terriers, a breed I should know a bit about.

If you have ever heard indoor-outdoor carpet called "Astro Turf", that is because the Astrodome had carpet rather than grass.

I think some indoor stadiums have real grass now to enhance the baseball experience.

When I first came here, I learned that former President, George W. Bush was one of the owners of the Texas Rangers and belonged to the consortium that built that team which is in the American League.

The Bush Family are ardent baseball fans. Laura Bush (George Jr.'s wife) has said how much she likes baseball because it is a sport you can watch while still enjoying the company of those you are with.

Barbara Bush, wife of President George H.W. Bush likes to mark her card at the Houston games and she and George Senior are still often seen in the front row, behind the hitter.

For me, baseball is a sport I can easily understand and so I really got the best of it all this weekend when the Astros visited Toronto.

I'd like to thank the announcer for his comment which was so typical of a Texan - off the cuff and casual - but it made me proud to hear it,

(We have enjoyed seeing Toronto) - "Canada does cities well!"

Oh, yes. And thanks for bringing it all into our living room this weekend!

Birthdays Past . . . Birthdays Present . . .

birthday cake alight, originally uploaded by janined.

Today I am thinking of the cakes Mom/Kay used to bake for our birthdays with a coin wrapped in wax paper in every slice . . .

When I was a youngster still at home, Mother ordered what I lovingly called "pass-around sandwiches" from Coles Catering on Eglinton Avenue near Avenue Road in North Toronto. There would be a cake and sometimes strawberries dipped in chocolate.

We brought in lilacs from the garden and oh, how festive the house smelled!

Lest you think all birthdays have been great, I do recall one from when I was about ten years old where they served canned macaroni. (Obviously their idea of festive was different from mine.)

Sometimes there would be clowns and they would bring balloons. Everybody loves a clown; can't go wrong with that!

Now, people go to restaurants and some have the servers sing "Happy Birthday" off-key and the birthday person gets a free dessert. Hmm.

Some people do get great cakes . . . I see them being carried out of bake shops ever so carefully. Some are half chocolate and half white cake to please everybody!

It's a time to place cards lovingly on the mantle and enjoy a couple of phone calls from those who remember. But it is also a time when we realize that very little stays the same. That is when it is good to have great memories.

Peter Mansbridge: A Canadian Fixture Comes To Our Living Room

News Anchor Peter Mansbridge of The National at CBC Vancouver Open House, originally uploaded by susan gittins.

What a treat it was to watch Peter Mansbridge anchor the Canadian Election Results last night! It was a little bit of Canada right in our living room (well, it's called a "great room" in Texas).

Not much has changed about Peter over the years. He looks about the same, sounds a little more polished and delivers the news as straight as ever.

We received the CBC feed on C-Span 2 without any interuption. It was as though we were sitting in Toronto. A little bit of home always feels good!

The results were amazing this time with Bloc Quebecois only maintaining three seats and their leader losing his.

The interesting "wild card" was Jack Layton of Toronto who is leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party) who lead them to a historical first time Opposition Party. The Liberals did miserably. A new party, The Green Party, elected their first member of parliament (MP) from Vancouver Island.

Stephen Harper not only is still Prime Minister but his Conservative Party now has a majority.

We thoroughly enjoyed keeping up with my roots and just have one thought . . . Couldn't someone have delivered some Swiss Chalet to us? Swiss Chalet BBQ Chicken has been around since I was at Weller College at 19 years of age. Texans would think it rather bland, but to a Canuck, well, it is the best!

God Bless America and Let Us Pray for Peaceful Times Again

American flag, originally uploaded by gary718.

Today is a day to pause and reflect on all the days, months and years since 9-11 (September 11, 2001). Think about where we were at that moment. Thnk about what we were doing or where we were headed.

Until the last of our troops is back home safely, we cannot rest. We must always be vigilant.

Let us all pray today. Let us all display our patriotism and Lest We Forget . . .

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Peace At Last

GoldMarie - Magnificent Yellow Rose - C95-9-18-09_26394, originally uploaded by Cap001.

R.I.P.

Mom, Grandma, Aunt Kay

1918 - 2011

Special People In Our Lives

Some of the most special people in our lives are "family" and we never forget them. Kay and her daughter are exactly that.

The marriage to Kay's son lasted only 10 years but my friendship - rather relationship - to Mom has lasted all these years.

This picture was taken in October 2007 when we last went to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to visit. Yes, that's Kay with her daughter who really is a lot like Kay. Oh, yes - and she can cook like Kay too!

Kay has been family to me all these years and now she is 92. I am not the only one left who count her as family. This special lady has endeared so many people over the years and we all like that she has treated us like family.

Kay's meatloaf recipe is still in my cookbook on the pink telephone message slip where she wrote it. I make it often only I usually substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef.

She was widowed in her fifties - he smiled a lot and always reached out to lend help when he could. He was a gentle person and I guess she never even thought about anyone else.

Wonderful memories of important times and silly times - that's what I have to cherish and so do others.

You know I am sad that she is slipping away and so are many others. So let me give you a little smile: that hair really has never been colored!

Tonight Before Concert - Older & Slimmer

What Is It About Hats?

You don't see women wearing hats as often as we used to. My mother wore hats all the time and left a shelf of about thirty of them which were distributed among friends.

When I became an American citizen and we had a marvelous Citizenship Party with the Lufkin Community Band playing and I wore this hat. My friend, Bonnie brought it for me from California (probably San Diego).

Tonight the Lufkin Community Band is having a patriotic concert and yes . . . I think I will wear this hat. I have taken it from my patriotic shelf and dusted it off.

A "new friend" of mine come to find out is known as the "Hat Lady" so I hope I see her tonight as I watch Hubby play his clarinet with my favorite band.

As an aside, I will try to have a picture taken tonight as that was a few years ago and I am a little trimmer now.

Hats Off To Patriotic Music!