Have you read Mark Schweizer's latest liturgical mystery?  If you haven't, you need to order it from SJMP Books.  Mark is also on Facebook.  If you're not familiar with his wonderful series, then you need to buy the entire series!!

Letter Writing

A few friends on Facebook having been writing about the art of letter writing - better known as "snail mail."  With the demise of cursive writing in the school systems across the country, letter writing has become a dead art. 

I love and own quite a bit of stationary, post cards and fountain pens.  It's time to start writing and sending real mail to my friends and family as opposed to always using Facebook, emails, and blogs.  Watch your mail, you don't know when I'm going to send a letter to you!

Thank you!

My sincere thanks to my family and friends for their warm birthday wishes and greetings.  It's wonderful to feel the love and friendship!

Memorial Day 2011

Thank you, LCPL Daniel Riley and all veterans of our armed forces on this Memorial Day.  I remember especially with love and gratitude SP5 Mark J. Lucia, my brother who served in Viet Nam.  Mark, I miss you and love you.  Rest in peace, dear brother.

Please, regardless of your position on the military or our current wars, thank a veteran and the members of our armed forces who currently service this country.  They truly serve and served with honor.

Fuch's Corneal Dystrophy

What the "Fuch?" was my reaction two weeks ago.  Fuch's Dystrophy is an inherited recessive gene from one or both of my parents. Since my parents are dead, I don't know which one gave it to me! And they might not have actively had the dystrophy.

In any event, it affects the backs of the corneas causing the cells to die.  I have the disease in both eyes.  The only "cure" for this is corneal transplant surgery.  The only question now is when will I have the surgery?  That answer I hope to know shortly when I visit the cornea specialist.  My eyes could stay the way the are for several years or I could wake up tomorrow morning and be blind. 

For those who know how much I love to cook, I'd rather not be blind, thank you!  Books on tape doesn't exactly trip my trigger either, but I could adjust to it.  But not cooking???  Perish the thought!

Any prayer lists or prayers you can send my way would be most appreciated.  Patience is NOT one of my virtues.  I'd like to have the surgery and get it over with quickly.

I've written about my chaplain days as a certified tissue/organ requestor.  It's something that I have always felt very strongly about when the time to shuffle off Mother Earth occurs. Now it's become a personal issue.  As the bumper sticker on one of my cars says: "Please don't take your organs to Heaven.  Heaven knows we can use them here."

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

I have read with interest the letters to the editor of my local newspaper that have been sent concerning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  SGM M's letter finally prompted me to write of my experiences.  The SGM opines that "soldiers who serve alongside the homosexuals do not all [emphasis mine] agree that this was a good idea." SGM, that's probably true.  ALL soldiers may not agree. But many soldiers/sailors/marines and air force personnel do agree!  I served in leadership positions in both the Navy and Army during the period long before "DADT" was even a glimmer of an idea.  I served with gays and lesbians in both branches and would gladly do so again today.  My biggest disciplinary issues in both services was the conduct of heterosexual military personnel and not gays and lesbians!  I would gladly exchange my heterosexual troops/sailors and all their sexual issues for gay and lesbian troops/sailors any day.  Those with whom I served with were "mission oriented" first and foremost.  They were not concerned about who to have a sexual relationship or who to flirt with while on duty! Furthermore, SGM, the last time I checked, gays and lesbians' blood bleed red just like yours and mine.

Prayer Request

http://danielcwriley.blogspot.com/

Prayers please for a most special young man.  Thank you for your service, Daniel.