Mr. Norbet’s music really ministered as I was growing up. Although I am not musically inclined, the sounds of the monks singing resonated in my soul. Their chants and singing touched something deep within me and helped me through their melodies to form a deeper connection with God. I always felt that way. When I was a rebellious teen, I would select my pouting/processing music depending on the situation. When my soul hurt, I would always turn to the monks. When I was upset with my folks, it would be loud heavy metal. When I was suffering from a freshly broken heart, it was Rick Springfield or (here it comes, Lisa and Lucy) Shaun Cassidy.
In today’s newspaper, there is an interesting article about how there is a movement growing to have people, who play the harp, minister to the dying. They come in, get a “read” on what the patients are feeling and then play music that can soothe them as they approach the end of their earthly life. It was fascinating. I am going to bring Mr. Norbet’s music to my Dad’s room. I will try to report back on the results.
The people who play the harp try not to play familiar harp songs because instead of being relaxed, the patients would try to search their minds for the words to songs or experiences they had in their lives when the songs were played.
I was thinking of the book 90 Minutes in Heaven when the author describes what he saw and heard when he was in Heaven for those 90 minutes. I am deriving incredible hope and inspiration now from that. I thought that it was interesting that Pastor Piper came back to life/consciousness while his minister friend was singing to him from the back seat of the mangled car. Thanks for choosing this book, Jonathon!
The other night, my sister-in-law Sharon was talking about how she feels that in America, our school system doesn’t seem to touch on the whole issue of death and dying. In other countries, it is seen in a much more positive and natural light. It is funny that she was talking about it because I had made up my might to not focus on this in my blog- yet, in reality, it is this death and dying process that is consuming my heart and mind these days. Ironic, isn’t it? What is it about death and dying that feels so taboo? Is it our fear of death itself or just sharing something so intensely personal.
In The Last Lecture, the professor shares the lessons he learns as he closes out the earthly portion of his life due to pancreatic cancer. In this book and the youtube presentation, he gives us an inside look at his life and his death… This was so magnanimous of him.
(*I am having problems downloading my pics... I will keep working on this!)
June 22, 2009- While I was twiddling my thumbs on the George Washington Bridge, the boys got a text that my Dad had gone to the Emergency Room. We had almost lost him back at Easter, but it seemed like he had rallied back. Once again…well eventually, we were headed to Dartmouth Hitchcock.
There are many things that I really adore about my Dad, but his dry sense of humor is one of my favorite things. No matter how he is feeling, he always seems to have some witty sidebar comments to make that really get to the heart of the situation or his perception of it anyway.
At this point of the summer, time started to slip away, but there are a couple of things that have happened that I wanted to share. For example one day, my Mom and I were just arriving at the ICU waiting room. As usual, we had to check in before going over to his room. The ICU waiting room receptionist was on the phone. His voice had a very pastoral quality to it. In what can be a sad, chaotic or even intense setting, the tone of his voice just immediately set me at ease; it filled me with peace. I looked at his name tag while he finished his phone conversation- it read Gregory Norbet.
The name immediately resonated with me, but I just didn’t know why. After his phone conversation was over, he escorted us over to my Dad’s room. As we were walking down the hallway, I asked him why his name sounded so familiar. He said that it might have been because he is a composer and that he used to compose music for a monastery at Weston Priory, while he was a brother there. (I guess that I must have been in slight shock at this time in that I almost rammed my Mom’s wheelchair into the wall, but I quickly recovered.)
Mr. Norbet’s music had always been a tremendous source of inspiration in my life, and here I was meeting the man who was the conduit of that. What a blessing to have had the opportunity to share that with him. Can you say quiet working music? He was so excited by my enthusiasm that he told me that he would have a little present for me on the next day. On the next day, you guessed it, he had a CD and a book of his sheet music for me. It is inspirational stuff exactly when I am needing it the most. I will explore both of these topics in my next blog…. Stay tuned!
I remember the first Christmas we were in Nebraska, Colin wore a red baseball cap with an R on it for the celebration with the extended Fallon Family. Uncle Dana thought that Colin was already a Rutgers fan because apparently, they have a similar logo to Randolph, Nebraska. Perhaps it was foreshadowing, and we didn’t know it yet. I guess that is what foreshadowing is, isn’t it?
Monday morning, June 22, 2009 dawned beautifully in preparation, I am sure, for our trip to New Brunswick, New Jersey campus of Rutgers. (Ian, the workout master, made us all work out at the gym before we headed to New Brunswick, but then we were free to go.) The campus, which consists of five colleges/campuses was enormous. We arrived at the admissions office, and there was quite a crowd. They began loading us into a luxury bus; this was a first, but it was rather nice for such a large tour. New Brunswick was a larger city than I imagined. After the tour, we attended the information session. The largest selling point for the Rutgers’ program was the Fast Track, where students, if accepted, can become a MD in six years. Wow! Rutgers packs a powerful punch. Colin said that he liked the feel of this campus. Poor Colin (and Matt)…we all were pumping him for his feedback and analysis of the various colleges and universities as we made our way around the country this summer; he really loved Rutgers though. Visit their site at www.rutgers.edu/
To further process the visit, we went to have a quick lunch at a nearby juice bar called Namaste. Check it out at www.namastejuicebar.com/. What an experience we had. We learned a lot from the toxins that can be in tap water to all about the slow food movement (www.slowfoodusa.org/), and the food was delicious. It was fascinating to watch our host prepare all of our meals and drinks by hand. Nothing was arranged ahead of time; it was prepared to order. The food came in its purest form. I had the sunshine burger, and, although it tasted like a Big Mac, there was no meat in it. I couldn’t believe it! The smoothies were astonishing too.
Soon it was time to head up the turnpike to Vermont. My nemesis, the George Washington Bridge, was about to strike again. Is it just me or does everyone get stuck on the George Washington Bridge no matter what time of day or night I try to drive over it? Two hours we were to sit in this same position. Don’t be deceived by taillights that look like they are brake lights in the picture on this page. These cars were not going anywhere. The funny part is that whenever a car from Vermont or Nebraska would drive by, I would wave, but I think Colin and Ian just slept. I never saw an accident or a toll booth, so I have no idea why we were stuck there for so long. Perhaps another piece of foreshadowing of things to come…
(pic of Bruce from monstersandcritics.com)
Red Bank Action
June 21, 2009 We started off the day with Church in Toms River (shouldn’t there be an apostrophe?). It was such a blessing that after almost two weeks of traveling across country and looking at colleges, the Pastor’s message was about teens (and fathers) finding their vocation. He eloquently talked about teens using their strengths and gifts to serve the Lord and His people, and how by trusting in His calling, teens can find fulfillment. There is much work to do in the Kingdom.
The Pastor also discussed fatherhood as a vocation. He talked about how fathers try to find that balance between permission and restriction in the hope that their children will develop into independent, strong and principle-centered adults. Wow! I also recalled Father Loseke’s vocations talk during Catholic School’s Week this past year that was so powerful. Many of us feel humbled or overwhelmed by all that there is to do, but after the past two weeks, the boys and I had so many ripe examples to learn from. I was inspired. This church had so many vibrant ministries: college Bible study, Meals on Wheels, Deacon Blood Drive, Job Fair, Choir, Book Discussion groups, vacation Bible School, Reel Faith Film Discussion Group and all sorts of fundraisers (i.e. Raft for Africa Weekend). It seemed like folks got involved wherever they could in a variety of ways. This sermon seemed like the perfect send off or a denouement for Matt, I thought. Involvement, empowerment and vocation…Amen!
After a quick brunch, we were on the road to the Newark Airport. Now, Newark was one airport, I had never visited before. We would rendezvous later, minus our Matt, at Jack’s music store in Red Bank, NJ. When we arrived at the airport, Matt checked in without incident. Did I mention though that his cell phone had broken back in Chicago? Eek….I was a little nervous about sending him off, but he would not hear of Trak phones or such foolishness. We watched him walk through security, and when we could no longer see his head over the x-ray equipment, Colin and Ian told me it was time to go. With a couple of, “He’s fine, Mom”s, we were off.
Now downtown Red Bank, New Jersey has always been a cool place to me. (www.redbank.com/ ) There are so many neat shopping experiences, so for someone like myself who is NOT a shopper, it feels funny to want to shop and explore. Jack’s is always the hub though. Jack’s is kind of an old fashioned record/cd/music store, and in this age of the mega music store, it is rather refreshing… albeit cramped! (www.jacksmusicshop.com) A couple of purchases later, we were on our way. The rain showers had threatened again, on and off, but we eeked out a couple of nice hours. Now would come the ceremonious opening of the cds and reading/discussing/debating every word that came in the stuff that accompanied them. It is a Fallon tradition and reading comprehension at its zenith!
We arrived at Dana and Wendy’s house, and they immediately began to plan our visit to the beach. They welcomed Matt, in the pouring rain, but slowly the clouds began to part, and we headed out. After the heartache and disappointment of a cancelled flight, at least Matt would be able to see the Atlantic Ocean before returning to Nebraska! The night was filled with Springsteen irony! Although Springsteen’s music always is the soundtrack for our trips to Jersey, with the move to Nebraska, it has actually become the soundtrack of our lives. It should have been playing on the beach that night. A carnival was in full operation just down the shore, and I felt like I was in a Springsteen video. Colin and Ian broke our guest in by playing in the waves and later playing sand football. Wading in the waves never gets old. It is funny each time the waves come crashing in and soak us as we stand there silenced by nature’s majesty. Wow! As the sun began to set and the football became too dark to see, we climbed back into the van covered in sand and surf. I said a silent prayer in thanksgiving for a day that started out rather wackily (is that a word?) and ended magically. Springsteen’s refrain echoed in my ears as we made our way back to the house. “Baby, we were born to run!”
Thursday, June 18th:It was going to be a scorcher in North Carolina today.Matt and Colin woke up early and were off to work out in the fitness center at Michelle’s apartment complex.It was the perfect morning for to work out in air conditioned comfort and then swim in the nice cool pool that was surrounded by shade trees.After this leisurely start to the day, we headed north back to Gettysburg, PA.We were stuck in traffic outside of Washington, DC for an hour or so, but eventually we made it back to Gettysburg.The Neitz family welcomed many out of town guests that night because they had a wedding in Virginia the next day, but fun was had by all.Nothing quite like playing capture the flag in the dark in our old neighborhood!
Friday, June 19th after Mass and a visit with my old buddy Father Pistone, it was time to head down to Mount St. Mary’s again to pick up Ian.Luckily, HIS old buddy Danny invited him over for a sleepover, and graciously, we were all invited to stay for an amazing barbeque and a swim.We had so much fun catching up with the whole Lopes family.
Saturday morning, June 20th, I met my mentor Dave for what was to be our annual walk on the battlefield.I invited the boys along, but they were still snoozing.Unfortunately, it was raining buckets, and instead of battling the elements, we opted for breakfast at Friendly’s instead.We always have so much to catch up on, but instead of getting healthy while we gabbed, we added a little delicious meal to the mix!
When I returned to the house, the boys were ready to go.We stopped to pick up Ian and then we were off to the airport (Baltimore-Washington International Airport) in Baltimore, MD.It didn’t seem possible that we were saying goodbye to Matt already.I presented Matt with a scrapbook of our memories and activities over the past 12 days together.We had driven/ridden almost 4,000 miles and seen so many faces and places along the way.Traffic was cruising along with us all of the way to Baltimore, we could have never suspected what would be waiting for us.
We pulled into the short term parking and escorted Matt over to the terminal.There is something about an airport that I have always loved.The hustle and bustle have always intrigued me.When I was little, my Mom and Dad would take us out to eat on our birthdays, and we got to choose the place.I remember more than once, I chose the airport restaurant in Burlington, Vermont.At one time, I thought that my career path would take me down a different road;I wanted to be a flight attendant.Sorry…I digress just prior to recounting Matt’s minor emergency here.
So, Matt and I approached the electronic kiosk to sign him in and get his boarding passes.Where was the candid camera?This had to be some sort of joke right?He put in all of the appropriate information, and lo and behold, the kiosk displayed a screen that said something like…“We apologize for the inconvenience, but your flight has been cancelled.Unfortunately, there are no other flights to your destination out of this airport today.Would you like to fly out tomorrow?(Click yes or no)Please see a ticket agent.”
Matt and I sort of looked puzzled at one another, and after I comfortingly muttered, “Well, that can’t be right.” J I looked to our right and saw a long line of folks waiting to speak to a ticket agent.Now, I thought that we had arrived at the airport in plenty of time for Matt’s flight, but either there were a bunch of flights cancelled that day or many folks arrive 2 ½ hours before their departure times!COMMUNICATION FROM A KIOSK HAS MUCH TO BE DESIRED.I feel it is one thing to be checking in and to be given bad news by a human being.The nonverbal facial expression and the empathy that it conveys, in most cases, would soften the blow.Poor Matt!
As we made our way to the ticket agent, Matt explained the electronic message.She presented a variety of scenarios by which he could get home by…like Wednesday.He pleadingly looked at me and the ticket agent asked me where “we” live.I tried to explain that we live in Nebraska, were coming from Gettysburg and were on our way to New Jersey.She looked confused, and I couldn’t blame her.Matt offered to spend a couple of nights in the airport, but I wouldn’t have it!I asked the ticket agent if there were any flights out of Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.Joyous accomplishment washed over her face.She announced that she had one seat left on a flight leaving Newark, New Jersey the next day at 2o’clockish in the afternoon.It flew to Chicago first, but Matt wouldn’t even need to leave the plane because it would be flying directly to Omaha thereafter.We had her save the seat and hurriedly called Matt’s Mom for approval.In the meantime, the airline had called her to let her know about the cancellation.Cell phones are amazing things!
What a crazy situation!First the airline said it was bad weather in Chicago that had caused the cancellation.I called my sister-in-law in Chicago who said that it was sunny and warm in the windy city.Next they said it was a mechanical problem.Yikes!We couldn’t have that.We copied down all of the information, and we were “on the road again!”With the motto and firm belief that everything happens for a reason, we made our way to Jersey.To be continued…
