Ceili Rain kindness lessons.

Ceili Rain. A ceili is a party, generally with live music and lots of dancing. Think of a Phish concert, only jamming to old Celtic tunes. Rain, it’s the stuff that comes from the heavens in buckets in Ireland, and this past season has caused some serious flooding. So that makes Ceili Rain a party from heaven. I fell in love with their lively tunes, and witty lyrics 6 years ago at an archdiocesan sponsored overnight rally held for the young people. What an event for the youth of our fair city. It truly was a weekend of many blessings, including some friendships I still have to this day, and renewed faith for many of those young people.
Since that fateful evening of praise, worship and Ceili Rain, I have gone on to see ceili rain only once more. My e-mail to the band consisted of begging and pleading for them to find a way for me to be able to attend their 21+ show at a local bar/venue. The leader of the gang, Bob Halligan, personally wrote me back and said; hey you can do merchandising for us, get in for free, and hang out with the band. What, I thought, I get to hang out with the band? What an experience that was.
I went up to their merch table yesterday to see if they had the latest cd that I do not own and I see Bob standing there. He greeted me and said his son will do sales mid way through their set and after. Then he gives me a look that says I know you. He asks me if he should know me because he remembers my face. I reminded him of his performances at the tin angel and he immediately remembers I was the underager trying to see them.
I thoroughly enjoyed there set and sang along to almost every song. I truly could listen to these wonderful folks all day. After the show I went down to snag the latest cd and I had Bob sign it. I then went in search of the other lads and managed to get every single current member of Ceili Rain to sign my cd. I was floating on air back to the car and home. Each one of them took time from the other folks they were speaking to and at least said thanks for showing up. Billy talked with me about how I grew to love them, and Matt seemed surprised I asked him to sign it (his skills are not on this cd, but should be on the one to be released in October). What an experience they helped create for me. One faithful listener they treated with great kindness. Truly a learning lesson

The Shrine

Wednesday I had another conference call, this time with Sr. Bernadette of the Cabrini Shrine. She is making a very special journey to Philadelphia to “pick me up” so to speak. She was gravely ill for a while and she wants to visit with the senior sisters in residence at the 67th and Callowhill home as well as participate a little in the events of the orientation. She has been recommended to me as a generous, kind, sweet woman who all people get along with and enjoy. My conversation with her was as good as the one with sr. jean. Sr. Bernadette wants me in my work with the shrine to get out and tell the story, not just do paper work and administrative duties. I think I have much to learn from her, as I would like to go out and be more productive.
You might wish to google the shrine, unfortunatly the webpage is seriously lacking currently.

paths

OK folks, I’ve been way more lax then I anticipated in this blog, yet the posts have had more substance and reflection put into them then my other online communities have ever had total put into them. I beg you to be patient as I first define my jobs and then proceed to orientation, and eventually actually go to the Mile High City. I am really eager to go to the Capitol steps and say that I am a mile above sea level. I think this goal is important to me because I need to keep my eye on the prize so to speak. I really want to be able to go to Denver fully confident of what my jobs are and my capability to fill the need that is there.
I had a conference call this past Monday with the delightful Sr. Joan of Annunciation School. A small, parochial, Hispanic majority school, it needs unique help. It seems I will work in 5th grade with a brand new teacher in his religion classes, and we may be able to jointly do some theater work as he hails from New York and I am told is an actor. 8th grade needs help with a service club, confirmation prep, mentoring, and tutoring.
I never thought I would be working in elementary school, but this one is going to be very special to me I can tell. Sr. Joan’s love for her students is very evident and I eagerly anticipate the next stepsdown the path of my journey.

The Wedding of Elizabeth Randall O’Shaughnessy and Joseph John Friel

Wow, my brothers first words to my mother and I at the reception were amazement of the sacrament. Everything that had led up to the wedding, the decisions about flowers, dresses, hairdos, his uniform, the wedding parties, all the excess, and he was astonished at the sheer sacrament of joining together with Beth for their life in the future. They are currently in Ireland for their honeymoon (I plotted the places and gave suggestion of things to do!) and will be back in Illinois on Wednesday. The wedding was beautiful and exciting for all involved. It was the first for either side and I am so glad the Reilly’s made it all the way out to share with my family and my aunt. The O’s are wonderful hosts who shared so willingly with all of us Friels and basically anyone who came along. The best hosts I’ve seen in a long time I believe (next to my friend Sam and her parents)

It was interesting finding my place in the middle of the hectic goings on. I was there as the only young girl on the groom’s side and not a member of the wedding party. I was the reader and really enjoyed that, but I needed to be different from the other girls. Beth expressed remorse at not having me in her bridal party. The last thing I wanted a year ago was get swept up into this world of wedding craziness. I loved being able to participate in the “four day festival of the wedding” but I doubt I would have survived a year of it. I don’t think we would have become such good friends in the course of the “festival” either if we had it lingering that as the grooms little sister I was in the party. I am better at identifying where I need to be in situations like this though, so definitely a learning experience.

It reaffirmed my desire to get married in Las Vegas or some other justice of the peace related place. If I ever post a date, place and time and tell my friends to be there, I certainly hope they realize it will be my wedding. I can’t justify spending that much time on one day of my life. I still miss my sister who is on her way back, already she is in Thailand. I hope for nothing but the best on her return journey across the seas to San Diego.

Carnivals and Kites

I can’t for the life of me figure out how to post date this entry so it’s date should be july 4th I think.

Carnivals and kites never cease to amaze me. While attending to either joyous celebration you get to put aside the adult responsibility of the day and shoulder a lighter burden. I get to be transported to a place where the decisions consist of the gravitron or the sizzler next. The only work to be had is catching the wind or following gravity in circles on the tilt-a-whirl. Such simple things, yet to me very important because it is truly a stress reliever and safety net that becomes so necessary. I started working 4 days a week 8 hour days, commuting to and form said work and that has been nothing shdort of exhausting and tedious at times. Nothing like some good old fun with the dearest of friends however to brighten the prospects. The wedding is coming up and I eagerly anticipate the joys to come out of this event in my family’s life.

Colorado

So, what I should have told all of you, my non-existent readers, 2 weeks ago is that my placement is indeed Golden, Colorado. My "job" is working at the National Mother Cabrini Shrine on Sundays I think, and then working in a grade school, Annunciation School, in the more Denver area 4 days a week.
Red Rocks, Buffalo Bills grave, Mile high City, pseudo home of John Denver, four-corners state, here I come. It is kind of cool and ironic in my mind that the states motto, "Nil sine numine" means "Nothing without Providence." I am looking forward to these 10 months, but am also relying heavily on other people providing. Should be pretty cool, and educational to me.

My friend Phil used to do these amazing thought of the day quotes, anecdotes and musings. He is currently in The Gambia, Africa. His most recent post was in reference to the Fourth of July tomorrow. I will now unashamedly and blatantly steal from him.

I remember the first baseball game after September 11th between the Phillies and the Braves. Before the game they had a moment of silence before the National Anthem and God Bless America. I remember during God Bless America they had a picture of Larry Bowa's face on the big screen. His face was streaked with tears as the song played. After the game a reporter asked him why he was crying during the song. Larry replied " Because I love this country" Thats exactly how I feel. If you can read thank a teacher. If you can read in English thank a veteran. Ciao
Thanks Phil.
And thanks to my sister who just qualified for Officer of the Deck and stands her first solo watch of 5 hours on the USS Germantown this afternoon ( I think that is how it works out time difference from the Persian Gulf), and my older brother who gets promoted sometime this week to 1st lieutenant in the Air Force, and gets married Saturday, and anyone else who serves, has served, will serve, in the military forces, National Guard Units, State Militias, Fire departments, Police Departments, and remind us freedom isn't free in this day and age. Happy Fourth of July, thank the forefathers for their foresight!