Christian Comfort ?

(Not to be confused with Southern Comfort!)

Last December, as Woman “A” lay in the hospital and it was apparent to all that she could no longer live alone in her condominium; her children looked for a retirement home for her. Woman A, being a devout Catholic, said that her wish was to stay at the local, and only, Catholic retirement center in the area….

As she spoke to the director of the Catholic Retirement Center, she explained her situation….

She was a devout Catholic who attended church every Sunday for the past 70 years. She had also volunteered, every Sunday, for 30 years at the local church and after that, for the last 10 years or so, she volunteered at the chapel in the local Catholic Hospital. Here, she would show up almost everyday to assist the priest in his duties for the day and then she would also assist those of the Catholic faith and others in the hospital by offering them comfort and/or helping them in prayer to Jesus and God. She was so good at this and so in tune with the fragile souls in the hospital that she developed the ability to know when “it was time” for the priest to offer the final, comforting prayers. Many in the hospital were aware of and in awe of her mysterious ability. Even the priest stated that she was ahead of the doctors with her diagnoses! Anyway, the point is that she had long ago devoted her life to Jesus, God and the Catholic Church. This was her life and in the later years, this was her calling. It meant the world to her. It was her world.

The director, a woman in her 50’s, smartly dressed in the latest fashionable and expensive business outfit, peered down, over her designer prescription glasses, at woman A and said, “I am sure God is very proud of you; however, we have absolutely no room at the “inn” for anyone. I am very sorry. May God be with you.”

Woman A, with a broken heart, was shocked to hear this but nevertheless, silently and meekly left the office accepting the decision and her fate.

Later in the day, came another woman, Woman “B”, into the director’s office and sat down on one side of the very large, hand made, cherry wood desk. She, too, was looking for a retirement place and since she was also Catholic and had attended church on a semi-regular basis, when she had the time since she was always so busy, had also decided that this retirement home was the best one for her. Again, the director told her that there was absolutely no room at the center for anyone.

Then the women stated that she could pay $10K cash, a month, for a room.

Upon hearing this, the director quickly took off her Christian Dior (get it- Christian! Dior) designer glasses, straitened her fancy cashmere jacket and while fumbling around, typed hastily onto the keyboard of her Apple Laptop to “surprisingly” find that, lo and behold, there was indeed a room available in the center for “a women with such outstanding Christian values!” “God is with you”, she said proudly as Woman B smugly left the office, with her assistant by her side.


Meanwhile, Woman A ... still stubbornly living at home for the past year (it was the Catholic Center or none at all!) ... after an emergency operation in the hospital …. Died last week - one week before Christmas ….


And God said, ” the meek shall inherent the earth….”

jbm :(

Green Christmas

I know we are all concerned about the environment, so in the spirit of Christmas, I've enclosed the following article....

NOTHING says "Christmas" like the smell of pine in your living room on a winter morning! But is that smell really "green" or is it bad for the planet? Is it more environmentally responsible to buy a fake tree and use it year after year? What about keeping a live tree for Christmas? Let's look at the options one by one.

If you want a tree for the holiday, the experts at Grist and TreeHugger say it's actually better to buy a cut real Christmas tree than an artificial tree. Why? In a word, plastics. Fake trees are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Producing this type of plastic creates a lot of pollution, and PVC is difficult to recycle. Plus, lead has been found in PVC. According to a report (PDF) in the Journal of Environmental Health, lead levels are higher in older artificial trees. You've probably heard about lead in children's toys, so just imagine the kiddos hanging around lead-tainted branches of your fake Christmas tree. Not a merry scene.

Farmed Christmas trees are ultimately a renewable resource. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide, and after the holidays, the trees can be recycled into mulch. Check Earth 911 to see where to take your dead tree after the 25th.

What about a live tree? This is often promoted as the ultimate eco-friendly holiday option. Well, it's not that simple. First, you have to live in the right climate to plant a tree after Christmas. If the ground is frozen outside, you can't do it. Then, you can only keep a live tree indoors for a few days, either 4 to 10, depending on the type of tree. You can't have this tree up after Thanksgiving and around till New Years, or you'll kill it. Some types of live trees can be kept outside in containers for a year or two. Others grow fast and must be planted in the ground sooner. Either way, this isn't a long-term solution to your Christmas decorations -- what do you do the following year? Pretty soon, the tree won't fit in the house. Also, you must carefully consider how much space you have in your yard to plant trees. Remember, these trees may grow up to 60-feet tall.

So, the most practical solution for earth-friendly folks who celebrate Christmas is to look for a locally grown tree. Ask if the farm uses integrated pest management instead of tons of chemicals. If you can, find a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm. It's good family fun too.

By Trystan L. Bass Green.yahoo.com


Any other suggestions or ideas? Let us know ho ho ho....
:)