Thank God

There are many reasons for me to give thanks to God. Getting out of Maryland is just one.

When I started this blog in January 2019, at that time I thought I'd formally retire in June 2021. My expectation then was to finish the 2018-2019 school year, teaching one more year (2019-2020) and earn a paid sabbatical for my final year (2020-2021), leading to my retirement at the end of that academic year, my 52nd in higher education.

My how things have changed. Within months of that first post, I accepted and offer to leave Loyola in June 2019, with a two-year buyout -- no sabbatical or paid leave -- making my retirement effective two years earlier than planned, and with two years of post-retirement pay.

That change of teaching and compensation plans accelerated our search for our next resting place, and Dena and I initiated a search of a wide variety of options, foreign and domestic, from east to west, from Charleston (SC) to Seattle, from Austin to Boise. It did not take long to realize that our best option was to move close to Abe and Jane, back to Dena's hometown, here in Appleton, Wisconsin. That decision firmed up fast. We found a builder in early April, signed a contract by May 1, and went into the ground by late May, with a targeted move-in date of late September.

Things moved even faster, hastened by the desire to spend two weeks in Scotland in early September, after Gaby had finished summer school and prior to her new school year. And Jane would be looking a a new job by September as well. As it turned out, Jane took a job while we were in Scotland, and we helped her negotiate her way through securing housing and a car in a matter of days, before we even returned to the States.

We had our final inspection in late September (2019), went home and finished packing. Peter drove the Acura to Appleton, via Indianapolis and Cudahy, and we closed on what would have been Paige and Ed's 72nd wedding anniversary, October 4, 2019.

The solitude of a new home and the new life that accompanied changed a bit with a pleasant family Christmas. The new year brought a job for Dena and February -- and then the world changed in a massive and unprecedented fashion that will forever re-define the American economy. The pandemic began with predictions of more than two million American deaths, to be adjusted back to 80,000, then it crept up to 150,000 and now 200,000 projected deaths. Depending upon your perspective and one's interpretation of the causes of death (almost all Covid deaths were accompanied by a 'co-morbidity' such as obesity, lung disease, high blood pressure and the average age of those dying 'with' Covid has been close to 80, with a large number coming from very ill, elderly people in assistant living facilities that have very high mortality rates under any conditions), the numbers have been quite small and massively large. For one perspective, it would look now that the 'worst case' will be one-tenth of the original estimate, and 'Covid' deaths may not even be the leading cause of death in 2020. And there are more additional deaths among males under the age of 35 from murder than there are from Covid-related complications. Even Floyd George's death was accompanied by a lung problem and a Covid infection.

In any case, we have very reason to thank God every day for our success in navigating this pandemic. We are healthy, solvent, safe and secure; those are blessings of the highest order. We are living a relatively normal retirement and Jane and Gaby have had some good experiences despite the pandemic restrictions, risks and challenges. We are all very fortunate to be out of Loyola, out of Baltimore, and out of Maryland. We are grateful that we can be near Jane and Abe. We are blessed to have a new parish -- Holy Spirit -- and a positive, spirited pastor -- Fr. Carl Schmitt. We have had a lovely summer and regular visits to see Abe and Jane. Food and all other household needs have not been a problem. Amazon, the internet, WiFi, smart phones, Zoom (more face time with family these past three months than I've had in the past ten years), video streaming and other modern amenities have made self-imposed isolation much more palatable.

We will continue to do our part to minimize the damage and to assist those in need. Our Kiva loan count has passed 800. We have helped Fr Carl fulfill several of his specific needs, and I have been able to advise him on management and personnel issue. I have engaged in regular Mass attendance, first online for almost 100 straight days and now often in person, at the Darboy church, with Fr Carl and perhaps 25 parishioners. I found a pleasing recitation of the holy rosary that I follow, usually each morning and sometimes as I walk. The rosary has replaced the Divine Office prayers I used for a few months. Each Thursday evening, I participate in Fr Hank's fireside psalms. This life of prayer has produced a need light in the jumble, and a real sense of serenity amidst the storm.

As Abe and I noted today, pithing this relative normalcy, a cloud of uncertainty remains, hanging over everything we do, every day, with every trip, with every get together. Our senses have become much more attenuated to the value and preciousness of life. The jumble is a challenge, but not a curse. There is not only a light at the end of the tunnel, there are lights among the jumble. You just have to look for them, and pray that they continue to shine.

Amen