The Blue Church

As many of you know, I was raised Catholic. If you have ever attended a Catholic mass then you will know what I mean when I say that for a young person, the mass can leave quite an impression on you. To this day I can still remember sitting in the pews and carefully considering the priest in his long robes, the ceremony, the solemn nature of the proceedings, and oh, . . .the confessional.

My wife, Lisa, and I have a friend who recently received some news that they may only have a few months left to live. As we discussed this disheartening report we considered how sad it must / will be for the spouse who will be left without their loved one.

When I was young, I always marveled at how “old” old people were, and now I am fast approaching becoming one of them. When I was young, I imagined a thousand different futures for myself, and now I see that the choices narrow with each passing year.

Recently I was reading the story of an elderly couple who called 9-1-1. When the officer on the other end of the call picked up the phone, he learned that that “emergency” was that the elderly couple felt lonely.

A Correctional Officer with a typically stern face and few words passes a man in a maximum security prison. Eye contact is made just before the Officers emotionless face turns warm. “Merry Christmas” is heard and both parties go their own way.

In past years a cell phone provider used a commercial to tap into a frustrating experience that most of us have been subject to. In the commercial an actor was portrayed frantically moving around while talking with someone on their cellphone and repeatedly asking the question, “Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?”.

So….you have been in a long line of cars for about four minutes because traffic is heavy. Then, in your rear view mirror you see a car speeding along on the shoulder of the road, passing hundreds of cars and heading right for that tiny space in front of you between you and the next car.

Can you guess who this is?

Yes, there was a time when I had hair! Don’t I look cute with my little milk and turtleneck sweater? So, why am I showing you this and exposing myself to potentially great waves of ridicule? Well it all has to do with an experience I had this week during the early morning. I was in front of a mirror and for some reason I just studied my appearance.