Has it really been six years since I made a post here? It doesn't seem possible. Well, I don't really want to catch up with all the gory details since then, but the highlights are we moved, changed parishes. We are actually back at our childhood parish. Both David and I spent our formative years at the Cathedral Parish, so in some ways we came home. We are now living in my childhood, family home. That's a complex chapter or our lives too. My mom lived with us until two months ago. We have a 6 year-old daughter. We are in the final days of making it official with adoption day getting closer and closer. When that happens we will have her baptized.
What else? My pastor has left the church, likely is no longer in town and that was a sad event. But I think he's happy and living a different life.
Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. How did we ever predict that? We didn't. We couldn't and we are really suffering. However, some people believe in him. Many of my fellow Catholics believe in him and it's astonishing. See, Trump is not a good president. He's not really even a decent man, but he's got the conservatives in his camp. He has many (not all, probably not most) Christians in his camp, but enough to make it a fight. A fight for what? Well, it's election season so it's getting ugly.
But in a nutshell, racism is bubbling to a high point. People trying to come into America illegally (many escaping violence, hatred, poverty, and other political reasons) are being thrown in detention centers once they cross the border. Children are being torn from parents and placed in custody alone, scared and in what has been called cages.
People are protesting for all kinds of reasons. Mostly because of racial injustice. It's amazing that there has to be a "Black Lives Matter" movement, but there is because some people in this country don't see the brutality, violence and indignities done to our African American brothers and sisters. But it's happening in this country while we have a leader who just doesn't care.
Trump has turned back environmental protections, has fought tooth and nail with anyone who disagrees with him. He belittles and ridicules women, the disabled, the media, scientists and others who challenge his decisions. He lies constantly. He tweets up storms of attacks and has no sense of responsibility for anything. As president, he's allowed a virus, COVID-19 to run rampant in our nation. He called it a hoax, when nations leaders around the world took action. He did nothing. He said by April it would be gone. It's nearly September and over 170,000 Americans have died.
People believe him when he says it's not a big deal. Citizens of our nation, could and should take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Many do not. The simple use of a mask has caused outrage and anger among people and so they refuse to wear a mask or follow any advice proposed by doctors and scientists.
The governors of every state has taken action regarding the virus. Some better than others. My state is has been trying hard to flatten the curve, as it's called. Numbers of cases are decreasing, deaths are still happening but not in extreme numbers and we are doing ok. We can't gather in large groups. Schools are going online, Mass, is online. I never would have thought that the archbishop would have offered a dispensation for in-person Mass. That went into effect in March and continues to be the norm.
The economy is suffering. Business are closing and the world is different. People are complaining about not being able to go out for dinner, when people are dying.
Why am I rambling and ranting about this. Because it's an election year and supposed Christians and Catholic leaders are saying he is the pro-life candidate, a good man and should be re-elected. I find it all so disgusting. I find the selfishness of people disheartening and I"m just plain sick and tired.
Meanwhile, I'm full of anxiety and worry. I want the economy to get better, I want decency back in my government. I don't want to fear going out and i want my daughter to see her friends and have a normal life again. I fear nothing will be ever the same.
I'm trying to reconcile my spirituality through all this. My daughter wants to learn about God, the Church and that is helping. Still, it's all so weird. The world is different since I made my last post.
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