Joyce > Recent Status Updates

"I don't suppose we have any wolves in Cornwall?"

Frowning, he replied, "None in England, nowadays, I should think."

I'd always thought Jack more fanciful than I. ... The mine slowly crushed that out of him, though, and what the mine didn't crush, the drink finally drowned.

Our parents' passing had been different for me. In some ways, it had freed me; ...

her idea being that white tables meant she could do without white cloths, which would always be tea stained.

He was larger than life.

And sometimes … you just need someone who’s the same size as you.

The sun a milky smudge where the clouds come apart, and the sea a pebble-dashed expanse of dirty beige.

Soap doesn’t keep its scent for long - after four years, it will only smell of fat. The soap that Nick gave her was very intense in fragrance still.

(He describes a passerby as having wide eyes disproportionate to her face and elfin[?] body. He later refers to her as "Bambi girl", whom he envisions during intimacy with his wife.)

(oops ... forgot to add this update @ the time)

Uxorious: excessively fond of or submissive to a wife
(From Merriam-Webster.com)

Most wives do not appreciate this, as they feel smothered.

Not a receipt, not a peppermint, nothing. Even that is sign that something is amiss. Who the h#ll has empty pockets?

It’s their first Christmas without Paddy. They’re having beef because Paddy was the only one who could prepare a turkey as if it died for a reason.

Damian was supposed to have died in a water sports accident in the Philippines. He had brown hair back then - now he has white.

(So I guess this is Nick in a former life?)

I personally don’t like them [cats] very much. I hate how it’s up to them whether they like you or not. Like you should be grateful for their attention. It annoys me.

Damian?! Goodness … how many identities does this dude have?!

The salon, the contouring, the filters … good G0d, the filters. Even the good-looking ones aren’t as beautiful in real life as they are in their online photos.

I turn the phone to “flight mode”.

(Interesting… I’ve never heard that reference before - always “airplane mode”.)

What about your father?

He was a narcissist, a psychopath. I could blame him for everything, if I so choose. But I don’t choose - because that would give him power.

It has been a full turn of the cosmos since Paddy’s death. But 1 year isn’t so long - not after 33 years together: 28 years of marriage, two kids …

Easter is celebrated on first Sunday after full moon that comes on or after March 21st.

Method established @ Council of Nicaea in 325 AD - agreed that Easter should always come after spring equinox & never fall on same day as Jewish Passover.

Church uses calendar-based way of calculating particular full moon that year. “Paschal Full Moon” might be slightly different from actual moon in sky.

According to legend, little brown bird moved to pity upon seeing Jesus’ suffering on cross. As bird struggled to remove thorn [lodged in Jesus’ head], drop of Jesus’ blood fell on bird’s chest.

When Robin returned to nest, it noticed blood & tried to wash it off @ nearby pond. blood wouldn’t wash away - drop seemed to grow bigger & brighter.

Over centuries, people shared this as how robin got red breast.

Commands of “Fear not!”, “Have no fear!”, “Do not be afraid!”, and “Be not afraid!” … appear more than 100 times in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it appears 44 times.

Nowadays with news coverage we would have all the details. … But the Gospels have none of that. Anyone who had seen a crucifixion - and most had - didn’t need to be reminded of the gruesome details. All they needed to hear was “Then they crucified him.”

It wasn’t as though Roman soldiers had asked for volunteer and Simon [of Cyrene] raised his hand saying “I’ll do it.” He was simply passing by and out of the blue he was “pressed into service” to carry cross.

A lot of crosses come that way. Why this? Why me? Simon should be patron saint for these kinds of crosses.

Servant of God Archbishop Hélder Câmara of Olinda and Recife, Brazil (who did in 1999) once said, “When I helped the poor they called me a saint. When I stated to ask why they were poor they called me a Communist.”

Sometimes it’s hard to resist temptation to approach religion as fixed & finished … seems to involve less risk & less pain. That is the attraction of fundamentalism.

Our entire life is meant to be process of opening our eyes, widening our vision. We have to open ourselves to freshness as it is proclaimed in our times.

If hauled before a court for being a Christian, we would probably speak out courageously. It’s the “courtyards” of our lives, with the “bystanders” of our lives that it’s hard to live the Gospel.

That’s where we’re tempted to waffle a little and just go with the flow.

One day after fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, copper rooster found intact - currently on display at museum in Paris, France while new golden rooster adorns rebuilt spire at Notre Dame.

At some point btwn late 6th & early 7th centuries, Pope Gregory the Great declared rooster suitable symbol for Christianity. Rooster symbolizes Peter’s betrayal … call to repentance, and … dawn of new day.

It is believed pope’s comments initiated appearance of roosters atop weather vanes (a.k.a. weathercocks).

9th century, Pope Nicholas went further - decree all churches display rooster on steeples or domes.

The word “sacrifice” means “to make holy.”

Alabaster is a beautiful, translucent stone. Smooth, pale, and softer than marble - although not as expensive - alabaster was easier to carve and shape than marble, and that made it an ideal material for jars.

At beginning of movie “Brian’s Song”, voice says “Every true story ends in death. This is a true story.”