The old saying about the month of March: "In like a lion, out like a lamb" is not coming true this year. Today and the next few days will be quite cold in Boston. It makes training for the marathon less joyful to run in this blustery weather. The wind was whipping in Dorchester Harbor this morning, and when I went to Cambridge to say mass, it felt quite balmy because there was an absence of wind. It would have been pleasurable to train in the Cambridge microclimate.
As I pulled into the church parking lot, I saw a distraught woman topple over the statues of children near the Mary, Fatima, statue. I rolled down the window to take a photo of her as she was destroying the placement of the statues. I asked her to stop and she yelled, "My daughter had died." I informed the parish staff who said the woman was sitting there on the church steps with only one shoe. Certainly, I don't want to see those statues destroyed, but the poor woman is filled with such pain. I can imagine she is angry with God for taking her daughter away from her.
Mass was just what I needed and I think I hit the right notes in the homily because many people wanted to speak after mass. Next week, we will speak about the 20th anniversary of the Dallas Charter in which the US Catholic Bishops laid out standards and compliance issues for priests and bishops. Also, I mentioned that as Catholics were are to pray for both Ukraine and Russia as they are at war. The Pope on Friday consecrated the two countries to the Heart of Mary.
At the studio, I had a number of interesting conversations with all sorts of people passing through. As studio artists, we see a whole range of people with various behaviors and levels of social engagement. It is really fun when people stop, ask questions, engage, and speak about what they find intriguing. Well, I was sitting down on a sofa as I felt a little sluggish and I must have dozed off in the chair because the lighting was much different than when I sat down. I tidied up and went home to help prepare the evening meal and to get a run in before dinner.
Tonight, the Celtics have a chance of taking over first place; St. Peter's in Jersey City plays in the Elite Eight, and the Academy Awards are on. I just want a slow easy night before the week begins.
And so I went out for a run. I hated the thought of doing it. My legs were sluggish, the winds were whipping, and I had little time to get everything done. I could find every reason in the world not to run. I simply did not want to do so, but my first steps were refreshing, and I was glad I was on my way. I am noticing how many nice runners there are. By that I mean, they seem to be nice people. They are friendly, they wave and smile. Many times walkers can look as if they are angry or the world is bearing down upon them, but runners seem to have a connection with one another. I'm kind of enjoying that. I like nice people, and nice people make me nicer. I like being nice.
So, once I'm running, the weather doesn't seem to be as bad as one makes it out to be. I like those days when it is 60 and sunny, but even today wasn't so bad. It is not quite like Tony, the Tiger, who says, "They're Great." And may I'm a little like Simba who is growing into his ability to run, but I know I have to rely upon Aslan, the Johannine figure of the Narnia Chronicles. I guess March can stay as long as I have those companions with me.
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