The word March comes from the Latin word, “Martius”, meaning ‘of Mars’. Mars was the Roman god of war. This March the god of War seems to be returning to America. It looms just over the horizon. I read that some predicted it would begin in this month that of the war god. The month has a few other meanings for most of us. The winds of March blow us right into Spring and April. The basketball fans think of it terms of the “Final Four”. The Irishman thinks of it as the month, which brings St. Patrick Day parades. It is the day ‘everyone is an Irishman’ and some actually believe that to demonstrate their allegiance they must get bombed. In Ireland as I understand it, it is a holy day. It is the day they celebrate with Mass and devotions honoring the patron saint of the country.
Some trivia I learned about “St.Patrick” are, he is not officially a saint since he was never canonized, just one by the way he lived. He is alleged to have chased all the snakes out of Ireland, and I suppose that’s why there are none now in Ireland, but the historians say, ‘No, there were none there even when he was there”. The best I ever read about the work of St.Patrick was in “How the Irish Saved Civilization” by Cahill. His starting of monasteries and their copying of ancient writings preserved many classics from being destroyed or lost during the Dark Ages.
The first full weekend in March, the 7th through the 9th, we held what is called a “Discovery Weekend”. It began on Friday evening, ran all day Saturday, and ended on Sunday around 2 PM. I was the leader but with the help I had it was hardly a task. The team of some twenty people was formed over the months beginning September 2002. Once formed we conducted meetings regarding our tasks. Once organized we did a lot of praying and publicizing.
The concept of a ‘retreat’ – a pulling back to regroup from the battle – is an old one. Christ did it. He went away to some quiet place to regroup his thinking and sometimes took some of his workers along. American capitalists do it. They recommended it and in some cases the professions require it. In Pennsylvania to continue to practice law you had to attend and receive credit annually for attendance at courses of review. Others hold conferences for educating their employees and executives, updating them on the latest developments and ideas in their chosen field. Such is a retreat – a personal spiritual review. This one included good food and fun. The participants sit at a round tables usually about six per table. They discuss the topic just given by the speaker. The lay talks cover several aspects of the life of the spirit and include testimony of the speaker and his walk in faith. The discussions enable the participants to see that they are not unique in their faith struggles as they learn similar things from the others around the table. Such discussions engender friendship with them and the social parts like meals add to that nurturing. The table as a unit presents a skit on Saturday night after dinner. It is based on their table’s ideas from and about a particular talk. It is a great time to pick on the leader, a.k.a., the boss. At the conclusion of the weekend each select a table representative to tell what they believed they have gained by the work of the weekend. They usually refer to the making of more and better friends and of a closer spiritual awareness of what life is all about. One businessman attendee referred to the many self-help and business oriented conferences that he had attended. He noted they were created to improve the participants’ employment skills. He saw them as arid compared to the subject matter handled over this weekend. They , he recalled, dealt with the frills and coverings of life, but this conference – or retreat if you like– went right to the core of ‘what is life really all about’. The reward for the team, its leader, and the months of work, are seeing others faith enlarged, friendship and community created by people who may to some extent have felt left out.
Son Paul arrived late Thursday night. His sister, Sue, and her children arrived late Friday night. They picked up her husband Tom on Saturday at Tampa and were off with Paul to a ball game in Dunedin, the Blue Jays summer camp. I had the pleasure of hosting the nearly nine year old Colleen for lunch at the top of the Pier, and then we went home and practiced drawing and such until Colleen’s Mom, Dad and sisters got home. She made the point of buying her sisters, Kate and Meg, rings of sea stones at the aquarium on the pier. I thought she would in interested in the fish, but she spent more time looking over the seashells and stones gathered there for sale. She fed the pelicans and loved it. That evening we all went to a great Italian restaurant in downtown St. Pete’s called ‘Grazzi’s’. The girls got restless between courses and went outside to view the live music being played. We were on the same level as the band who played from that spot out to rest of the mall below and across from them. After dinner was finished Mom and Dad, Grandmom June, Paul and I went out to look for the girls. We saw two standing behind the trio playing, and then noticed up in front and to the side of the trio, was Colleen, playing a tambourine. We learned later that she had asked if she could join them and they said yes, so there she was keeping the rhythm with the tambourine. She is certainly, as she would refer to herself on occasion, ‘something else’! The way I understand this expression came about is that she once heard her parents referring to her that way to others, so when someone asked her “Who she was?” She would respond, “I’m something else!” The gang went off to another game on Monday and I had the pleasure of spending St.Patrick’s Day afternoon with her at the beach. She loved the water like a fish, but the waves were even more fun. There was a strong wind. It raised waves not often seen in the Gulf water. It was so strong that we could not put up an umbrella. We had lunch by the sand and water at a luncheonette like shack right on the beach. You placed your order than went to sit while it was prepared. They then announced your name over the loud speaker so you could go and retrieve it. Naturally we left the name “Colleen”, since it was her wish and it was St.Patrick’s day. She was pleased to hear it spoken so loudly that it went out over the Gulf of Mexico. The evening meal was a joint celebration of the Irish day and Colleen’s almost birthday. She would be nine on March 21. We had of course cake with “Happy Birthday” on it, candles to blow out, and ice cream. Shortly after the meal Sue, Tom, and the gang packed the car and headed for Jacksonville.
What had been predicted and reported earlier in these jotting is now a fact. American armed forces are attacking Iraq. The protests are loud and many. The pros and cons of the action fill pages of newsprint and email forwards. The attempt to unravel the reasons for the action leads only to frustration. The most difficult thing for me is to accept is the lack of open provocation– such as the invasion by Iraq of Kuwait in 1991. We have been asked to trust our President’s belief that we are in danger but we are not shown clearly where that exist. It has the ring of Vietnam and the domino theory of preventing the spread of communism. It would be so much easier if we had had a provoking to show our need to defend. Without it we must fall back on the belief that our President really is acting in our behalf and not some hidden motive. We have noted before that our confidence in our leaders so acting has been misplaced in the past so it makes doing so now even tougher. So we pray that we are not so disillusioned this time and until proven otherwise we will support our President. Faith in someone is often an unreasonable act but it is also sometimes necessary for sane living.
My reading of some of the lives of prior Presidents gave me a historical perspective on the failure of European nations to support the action. In 1801 President Jefferson suggested to France and other European nations that they join us in attacking the Barbary pirates of North Africa who indiscriminately raided sailing ships in the Mediterranean. They would steal the cargo, and enslave the seamen. The European nations, including France, paid the pirates off, a form of extortion, which incidentally didn’t always succeed. Jefferson suggested they send armed vessels and destroy the pirate ships. They decided paying off was easier. So he and America went alone. The 36-gun frigate the “Enterprise” defeated the pirate gunboat “Tripoli” near Malta. Later a force was organized of naval officers and marines, which lead a small, group over 500 miles across the desert “to the shores of Tripoli” and an American armada bombarded Algiers before the pirates finally surrendered in 1815. To maintain the peace, the United States established permanent Mediterranean squadron, the precursor of today’s Sixth Fleet. Later in 1904 Theodore Roosevelt had to send the fleet to rescue a rich citizen kidnapped by a Moroccan warlord. He too had tried to enlist the aid of the Europeans but failed. So American’s romance with Europe concerning Middle Eastern countries from the very beginning of our history has been to go it alone. Now every hundred years we seem to be warring on the Middle East and doing it alone.
The best news in March for me is that the miracle of reading without reading glasses continues. I kept thinking that it was just a temporary marvel but it’s continuing has confirmed that it is here for at least some good while. I returned to the Optometrist who originally diagnosed the cataracts way back in December. He confirmed that my vision has not only returned it is better. He found only the right eye slightly nearsighted and suggested reading glasses for close work. I found them helpful when I work on the number paintings. I still find myself on occasion when I pick up a book or go to sit at the computer looking or feeling my pockets for my reading glasses!
The other good news is that the weather as the month moved on became more like we know Florida. We discovered that the 5 years plus of our stay here has made us semi-Floridians when it comes to the temperatures below 60. We laugh and note when we see someone at that temperature and below it to say 50 wearing shorts that he or she must be from Minnesota or Canada. We go to the long pants and long sleeves when those temperatures strike us. But as March winds down we are getting days up in the 80’s and nights staying above 60. There are still exceptions but on the whole we feel we are back to real Florida weather. Until next time, Pax Tecum!