Sunday, November 27, 2022 7:50 PM

Hello, welcome to the first Sunday of Advent.

 I went to Mass at the church of my family, in Maillardville, since 1930 & mine until I got married. Our dear friend Fr. Larry left our parish as assistant pastor to become the paster of Our Lady of Lourdes. Today, the Arch Bishop was celebrating Mass & blessing Fr. Larry to the parishioners and they to him. Upon leaving, Fr. Larry greeted me warmly & said he wants to go see Larry soon. The Arch Bishop said "Catherine, how's Larry?" First of all it amazes me that he remembers our names & secondly it caught me off guard & I started crying. He said to count on his prayers. There was the occasional tear, as the music was so beautiful & a young girl read from the book of Isaiah, as I have never heard anyone proclaim the Word of God before. Exquisite is the word that best describes it. I was incredibly moved at the beauty of it. I could have listened to her forever.

 Larry had been up & about in his wheelchair this morning, exercising his arms & legs. He rested after lunch, then we went for a walk in the garden. His nurse added a few blankets to be sure he'd be warm. (OK, I finally remembered! I'm hanging Larry's -20 degree coat on the door knob now, to take tomorrow! Excuse me just a minute!)  Back in the garden: We just missed the sun as the sky clouded over, but he managed to stay comfortable for a while before chattering teeth began. As we were strolling, there was a very young man quite immobile, dressed for a sunny spring afternoon. I asked "Aren't you freezing?" Smiling, he tapped on his computer screen & a voice spoke the words for him, including "Thank you very much for asking!" I introduced Larry & I and he introduced himself & his friend. He was so cheerful!  I found him very inspiring! I asked if he knew about the 'Lost Voice Guy', Lee Riley, who won Britain's got talent in 2018. His friend encouraged him to work on a routine & win AGT. As we left them, he tapped onto the screen & we heard. "Thank you Catherine & Larry, it was nice to meet you!" At a glance, one might think that this young man has lost so much, but that is certainly not what we discovered in our encounter with him. We were so comfortable together, I look forward to seeing him again, as he is down the hall from Larry's room.

 There is a large television in the recreation/gym room. Larry watched a soccer match this morning & was really happy about that. Our Syrian 'kids' came to visit at the time Larry's dinner arrived. A lot of kibitzing between Larry & them about the cuisine, accompanied by the thickened water. Larry shudders when he speaks of it. But he does have to drink more to keep his kidneys functioning well, without risk of infection. So we'll have to get creative about fixing him drinks that he enjoys, not just tolerates.

 I witnessed Larry's body being stronger & more coordinated today. We are really looking forward to the results of one & then two weeks of active therapy. The nurses sound excited when they say "Larry, you will be so pleased at how far you've progressed, at the 2 week mark!" I believe that.

 I wanted to make an advent wreath with Larry for his wall, & add a flame to a new candle each week. No time today! It always helps me think about what 'preparations' are important for Christmas. 'The reason for the season!'… The pure joy & peace that comes with celebrating the birth of Jesus! God bless you!