Clown Corner

Our Sunday was in the 'no good deed goes unpunished' category. One of our parishoners is mentally disabled and he is a clown. I mean an actual clown in a clown suit. He makes balloon animals at the local mall. In the 'a lid for every pot category he also has a girlfriend. Sister St. Aloysius discovered that we were all headed in that general direction and offered to give them a lift. So far so good.

Traffic was unbelievable. There is a point on some Sundays where everyone is going to whatever thing is going on, and on this day, it was people going to meet friends to watch football, baseball, and a whole section of town was blocked off for some sort of charity/illness walk. So all of the big traffic that would have been big traffic in any case, became huge traffic all squeezed on one end of town.

The Lord's Day.

We dropped them off for the clowning and later we went to pick them up again. So we had to do this twice.

Normally, heavy traffic is a not only a good opportunity for suffering, but a good opportunity for at least one of us who doesn't have to concentrate on driving to get in a rosary. But with guests in the car that was not happening.

After successfully snagging them on a corner we drove home. I always think of that little poem, "Home again, home again, jiggetty jig!" Is there more to that poem? There must be. So glad to be back home on an early Sunday evening, for supper, a little prayer and meditation, some herbal tea.....

"My bag!" The lid had forgotten a plastic bag full of I don't know what at the pick up spot. We had to go back so that she could find it. At this point, the drop off and pick up and go back and come back home again of the clown and his friend had taken up pretty much the entire day.

I would rather do my suffering during the week and have Sunday off for a day of rest, but suffering doesn't work that way. Somebody up there likes me, because Monday was a lovely day from start to finish. Welcome to suffering. And welcome to a lovely day.

And then I got a message over at the shop from the mother of a little 5 year girl whose immune system causes the child's hair to fall out. She was looking for a patron saint and I hooked her up with St. Agnes and St. Bernadette. Of course, St. Bernadette has the added advantage of bringing Our Lady of Lourdes with her wherever she goes. And to my surprise, St. Agnes inexplicably had St. Thomas Aquinas on the back.

I can't imagine why. But the mother was pleased because St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of students and surely this child will have some challenges in school.

Then the mother sent me this article.

I am so pleased! Have I joined the scientific community? I'd like to think I have!

Things have been so hunky dory, I'll have to dig up some penance on my own.