Karen O'Connor

Santa Cruz Fire 2020

Thank you to all who have reached out to me. I am safe and my family too, though the smoke is such that we must remain indoors except for essentials.. The Santa Cruz Fairgrounds is just two miles from where I live and is currently being used as an evacuation center as is the parking lot of the church I attend.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,” Is. 61:1-3

I enjoy a good deal of privacy and time alone. I’m a friendly person but I crave time by myself, so when I get it (or take it) I’m very happy. This Pandemic is not as hard on me as on some people who are more sociable than I am.

Recently while walking the bluff above the Pacific Ocean near my home I realized, however, that sometimes privacy can lock me in–like this little private beach that is pretty difficult to get to and even more difficult to get out of as you can see from the steep cliffs that hold it in place.

I enjoyed standing above it and pondering what a task it would be to make the climb down and then up again. I was not about to try it!

I took this photo as a reminder to balance my life with private time and social time (even if I have to wear a mask in order to be with other people).

I need the words, the smiles, the laughter, and the perspective of men, women, and children to help me live a life that reminds me to question my motives and ideas and to learn from others.

A sequestered beach is lovely to look at from above but not one where I wish to spend time or I might get stuck there longer than I planned.

The words ‘social distancing’ have become a catch phrase. We know what it means. Don our masks and keep six feet from others–as best we can without carrying a measuring tape.

Recently, however, I read a new way of looking at those words, while reading one of the daily meditations from Father Richard Rohr: “In order to have the capacity to move the world, we need some ‘social distancing’ and detachment from the diversions and delusions of mass culture and our false self.” (cac.org)

What a powerful truth. Many of us are experiencing that very thing even if we express it in different terms. We are letting go of shopping, partying, minding other people’s business and focusing instead on our own business, so we can give some of our resources to worthy causes, smile more at strangers even behind our masks, sit quietly and pray or read or meditate, and notice how satisfying it is simply to BE.

Do you remember the song, “What the World Needs Now Is Love?” It was a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965.” (courtesy Wikipedia)

It became a commentary on/backlash to the Vietnam War. The anti-war slogan of the 1960s: “Make Love Not War” followed.

Today as we shed the ‘needs’ and ‘greeds’ of our pre-Covid lifestyle, perhaps we will have room for more love, sweet love. The world certainly needs it.

“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.” 1 John 4:17 (The Message)

Hi everyone:

Meet Chloe JonPaul, a new follower of my blog and a new friend to us all.

Chloe contacted me about my latest book, Laughing All the Way: Wit, Wisdom, and Willpower For the Golden Years. I was pleased to meet her and to hear she loved the book and that she posted a review on amazon.com. 😊

I found out Chloe is a fellow author. It’s always wonderful to meet another wordsmith who is also close in age to me. We exchanged a few emails and I learned something of her life and the ten lessons she’s discovered over the past many decades. I loved reading them and asked Chloe if I could share them with you. She agreed so here they are.

You can also find out more about Chloe and her published books on amazon.com.

TEN LESSONS I’VE LEARNED FROM MY LIFE EXPERIENCES

by Chloe JonPaul

1. God’s mercy is boundless.
2. Forgiveness has enriched my life, especially with members of my family.
3. Those “whispers” in my ear have been the voice of the Holy Spirit telling me what I had to do.
4. Having an “extended family” has brought me countless blessings.
5. Learning to use my God-given talents has produced 6 published books.
6. Carpe Diem on my coffee cup has encouraged me to “seize the day!”
7. Zest has taught me to enjoy the “bubbly of life”.
8. Learning to “fight fair” in 5 easy steps has saved me a lot since I learned to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
9. Some people come into your life for a short time and a few remain with you for a lifetime–and that’s okay!
10. Setting goals is important. I am grateful for the goals I’ve achieved: rising out of poverty, traveling the world – all 7 continents, becoming a published author, and above all, living my life as a *Secular Discalced Carmelite.

(*The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, is a religious association of the Roman Catholic Church composed primarily of lay persons.)

Thank you, Chloe, for sharing a bit of your life. God bless you.

A week or so ago it was quite windy–too much for my usual walk in the neighborhood so I decided to get my exercise in my yard. It meant pacing back and forth across and around but it was worth it to avoid being blown over. As I walked from one end to the other I saw a cute little lizard just lazing about on the concrete patio. I decided it was a ‘she’ so I named her Lucy.

I was quite taken by her relaxed position–spread out as though sunbathing–belly stretched and four paws/feet laid out as though she were settling in for a spell. I bent down to look at her closely and her little eyes rolled back and forth. I spoke to her for a few seconds.

“Hello there. Welcome to my yard. Please come anytime. We humans are in quarantine right now and I am feeling a bit lonely so I love that you stopped by. Please hang out for awhile and keep me company while I exercise.”

She stayed put, not making any movement at all. During my twenty-minute walk she remained in one position, as though on duty.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed having her there, how much her peaceful presence comforted me.

At the end of my walk I said ‘good-bye’ and went inside for a moment. Later when I stepped outside to water my flowers she was gone. This tiny angel had showed up for me at just the right time and in just the right place reminding me of the importance of simply being there for another creature when most needed.

I will not soon forget Lucy the Lizard nor the way God used her to let me know I’m never really alone.