The Boat in the Storm

I went on a retreat in the mountains where the theme focused on projecting peace, so we read the story about the apostles when they got into boats to cross the Sea of Galilee. As they crossed, the weather turned ominous, and the storm threatened to capsize the boat. Of course, if a person doesn't know how to swim, this seems life-threatening. Meanwhile, Christ slept through it! I can sleep through much, but a storm in a small boat? They awoke Him and asked him why he was not worried that they would perish. He rebuked the storm: "Peace! Be Still." He then asked them, "Have you still no faith?" (Mark 4: 35-41)

We are so often doubtful and fearful in our "storms" in life, and we may wonder where we might find the Lord. When He helps, we are surprised, but then we remember He helped us through the last storm. Does he then ask us each time we worry or have doubt, "Have you still no faith?" I am reminded of the mustard seed.

Following that first session of the retreat, I had time for reflection, so I went to my room to settle in. On the chair was a book I brought along that my sister had given me, Mary: Reflection of the Trinity and First-Fruits of Creation by Sr. Rosa Lombardi. I wondered if it addressed peace in any way. I found the following on the first page I turned to:

"If you find yourself drifting in the sea of this world, if you seem to be sailing amid gales and tempests instead of walking on firm land, if you want not to be tossed by storms, then do not take your gaze from Mary, the gleaming star that shines over this vast sea of darkness, brilliant with merits and examples" (St. Bernard, Homily 2 on Missus est)

An amazing coincidence? I think not. I then sat down to read the reflection from our session. It read, "Imagine yourself sitting with Jesus in that boat after it has been pulled up on the shore after the storm. Ask him how your heart may become more like His in projecting peace into your surroundings."

God provided the answer before I read the question!

I now return to the boat. Jesus is always in the boat with us, but we forget. We let the chaos of storms be inside us, but we must be as Jesus, and project peace, "Peace! Be still!" I am then reminded of the words of a dear Sister of St. Francis, "God is not in the wind. He is in the gentle breeze." The storms are never storms if we allow ourselves to trust in Him with faith and prayer.

Reloading with Penzu

I used to write quite often back in the day with paper and pen--in cursive even. Then life happened. But because life happened, I'm finding myself in desperate need of writing...I stumbled upon Penzu last week and I haven't looked back. Actually, I stumbled upon 750words.com at http://www.fuelyourwriting.com/ through Evernote's Trunk, and that led me to Penzu.

It's an online diary and personal journal that fits my techno-freak-geek love of digiworld. It's free, and for 20 bucks a year, I can upgrade to sweet enhancements including mobile journaling with my Blackberry (also through iPad, iPhone, or Android). Very clean, simple to use, and a very necessary part of life to unload to reload. Thanks a ton Alexander, Michael, Simon, and Alex..."If I didn't have puke breath, I'd kiss you, eh."

Evernote Gets Things Done

     Let me see if I can explain how I have applied Evernote to Getting Things Done. First of all, Evernote's mission is to remember everything. That is well and good, and according to GTD, those memories or things to remember are saved in a "Reference" notebook. I tag those files as work or personal, but I also tag them with tags specific to the item saved.
     GTD advocates NOT making a To Do List because they are too difficult to achieve. We are too inundated with life to expect to get our To Dos done. If it gets moved to the next day, it meets with things on a new To Do List. Thus, GTD advocates for a Next Actions file. The idea is to have a place to store our actions, and to maintain them. I have again tagged everything in the "Next Action" notebook in Evernote with one or more of the following tags recommended by GTD: Delegated, At Computer, At Home, At Office, At Work, Calls, Calls - Work, Errands, Read/Review, and I have three Agenda tags: one for my boss, one for my staff, and one for other. I keep track of items I need to discuss with these people with these tags in the "Next Action" notebook. 
     Also, I put a number, starting with "0", in front of each tag, so my tags are in an order I like. Thus, they are listed numerically rather than by Evernote's default which is alphabetically. Lastly, if I have initiated a project, say, with a phone call, but I must leave a message, that particular action can be moved to my next notebook, "Waiting On." 
     Thus, when I am in my office at my computer, I pull up everything tagged with At Computer, and I can begin to chip away at those Next Action items within the time limit I have set for myselt. I can then move on to phone calls. Again, I bring up everthing tagged with Calls - Work. I can do the same thing at home. If something is more pressing, I can go to that particular action item and knock it out first. The idea behind GTD is more about knowing what needs to be done and having a place to keep it.
     The Next Action items are generated from a projects list. When I have a project, I save it to the "Projects" notebook in Evernote. A project is too big to be listed in the Next Actions notebook because each project has a series of specific actions that must be accomplished to complete that project. These more specific actions are what are placed in the Next Actions notebook.
     Another GTD notebook I use is the "Someday/Maybe" notebook. Here I collect ideas I have for projects in the future or things I would like to accomplish. It may be for next year or for when I retire.
     The last GTD notebook is the "Tickler." This notebook is used for action items that must be done on a particular date. I have created 12 tags with each month of the year and 31 tags for each day of the month. I first used the tickler for things I would like to accomplish that day, but found it to be much like a ToDo List, and I was unable to accomplish all of them. The Tickler must be used for action items that must be accomplished on a date, or in case of the month, an action that has a deadline in that month. If it isn't used this way, it becomes as useless as the ToDo List.
     I have also created two more notebooks specific to my industry that I use more as reference files. I have  also thought about creating another Reference notebook for personal items to distinguish them from work, but I hate having a long notebooks list on the side of my screen, and the Tags work just fine for that task. 
     Lastly, because it feels good to accomplish tasks, I have a "Completed Tasks" notebook I keep just to see what I accomplish in one day. If I were disciplined enough, I could add the spontaneous tasks to this file that come up that interrupt the "best laid plans of mice and men" for the day.
     All my notebooks are also numbered starting with "0", so they are listed in order that I prefer and can relate to. I think that is the key to GTD using Evernote. Set it up in a way that works for the individual. It takes discipline to follow, but my desk is much clearer, and I feel much better about what I need to accomplish. However, it must be reviewed weekly, or with some notebooks, daily, for it all to work.

"Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain

"I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others need no preparation and got none."  – Mark Twain

Few know Twain dedicated such great devotion to this book. I include pieces of his work.

Consider this unique and imposing distinction. Since the writing of human history began, Joan of Arc is the only person, of either sex, who has ever held supreme command of the military forces of a nation at the age of seventeen.

Joan of Arc, a mere child in years, ignorant, unlettered, a poor village girl unknown and without influence, found a great nation lying in chains, helpless and hopeless under an alien domination, its treasury bankrupt, its soldiers disheartened and dispersed, all spirit torpid, all courage dead in the hearts of the people through long years of foreign and domestic outrage and oppression, their King cowed, resigned to its fate, and preparing to fly the country; and she laid her hand upon  this nation, this corpse, and it rose and followed her. She led it from victory to victory, she turned back the tide of the Hundred Years' War, she fatally crippled the English power, and died with the earned title of DELIVERER OF FRANCE, which she bears to this day.

I was her playmate, and I fought at her side in the wars; to this day I carry in my mind, fine and clear, the picture of that dear little figure, with breast bent to the flying horse's neck, charging at the head of the armies of France, her hair streaming back, her silver mail plowing steadily deeper and deeper into the thick of the battle..I was with her to the end; and when that black day came whose accusing shadow will lie always upon the memory of the mitered French slaves of England who were her assassins, and upon France who stood idle and essayed no rescue, my hand was the last she touched in life.

Remembering A Living Saint

August 12, 2010. Twenty years ago today was a Sunday. I know this because I was preparing myself for a road trip home to my house in Burlington where I was teaching and coaching. Two-a-days started the 13th (Monday), so I had to make the four-hour drive home to settle in and prepare for the season--and to prepare for my second year of teaching at Burlington High School.

But I was very hesitant to go for good reason. You see, I was looking down into the beautiful brown eyes of a living saint. I was giving comfort to an Irish leprechaun with a fiery temper who had given her life for the goodness of anyone who wished to receive it. I was looking at the face of my mother on her last day on earth.

She had been in the hospital for two weeks with complications as a result of a lifetime of faith in God whom she had prayed to that He would let her live to see her children grown. My mother battled rheumatic fever as a child, and as a result, weakened her heart.

After bearing four children, three in three years, she developed a heart condition that left her near death. Following the birth of my little sister, she underwent three open-heart surgeries in four years in the late sixties and early seventies. She battled various surgeries following that over the years--from pacemaker replacement to colostomy surgery. All the while, she prayed she would live to see her children grow.

Fast forward to May, 1990. My little sister graduated from college, and two months later, my mother found herself in the hospital--thank God, for the last time. For two weeks she struggled to hang on. I attended summer school, my little sister watched over her day after day, and we all took turns staying with her at night, since her medications made her delusional. Somehow, after all these years struggling in and out of hospitals, something was different. We didn't want to admit it, but it was.

I looked down into her peaceful face and told my mom I'd skip coaching and stay with her. She said, "Joey, you need to move on with your life. I'll be okay. You go home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my boy. You need to go."

"I'll come back up Saturday and see you."

She responded with a gentle smile, she raised her frail hand to my cheek, and said, "I love you."

With that I left with all the confidence in the world that I would see her in six days.

The four-hour drive home was not easy, but my dog Zach kept me company as I thought of my sickly mother and the tasks before me.

When I reached home, I called my dad at the hospital to see how Mom was doing. A nurse answered the phone at the station, and was caught off guard. She stumbled trying to find words, but she finally put me on hold and suggested I talk to Dad.

It happened. Just then...it happened.

"How is she, Dad?" Silence. A choking comment...

"It's over...I said, 'Sugs, I'm going to leave the room...just let go. You've suffered enough.'"

Lulu Skerjanec was a living saint. She realized early on she was blessed with only a short time here on earth. We didn't know this, but she did. She lived every syllable as if it were her last in the way God has called us all to live.

She reserved nothing for herself, and she gave everything to everyone. She prayed constantly. Her relationship with the Blessed Mother is one we can only imagine. She prayed the Rosary at least once per day (some days many), and she prayed for everyone she knew as she did.

Lulu Skerjanec asked only for a simple life on earth, so she might live a life of eternity in Heaven with the Holy Father.

How fitting that she was buried August 15, 1990--the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. May God bless her especially this day, and may He bless all who knew her--a living saint.