By Steve Sticker

Columnist

 

Writing this on Thursday, May 1st – WHEW! It’s finally May, my safe month, May Day, month of miracles, month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Rosary, Mother’s Day, our Lady of Fatima, Ole Miss Commencement, my birth month…so thankful to make it on hands and knees for one more year, and birthday of two of my three older sisters.  Miss and love you, Pat, May 30.

After the death of my beloved, humble, Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, today, Wednesday, May 7, the Conclave of Catholic Cardinals will be locked into the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to vote for our new Pope, guided by the Holy Spirit, to be the 267th successor of St. Peter, Bishop of Rome, to lead we Catholics forward to do God’s will.  So holy, awesome!

On Saturday, May 10, I will celebrate another year of thankfully being alive and relive the Ole Miss Commencement from being hooded for my Ph.D., by hero Chancellor Robert Khayat on May 10, 1997, and delivering a speech in Tad Smith as President of the Graduate Student Association with my entire family, including three sons, three sisters, and Gert present.

And to our wonderful Ole Miss graduates who have survived upheavals, major changes in their life from the safety of home, high school sweethearts, roommates raised by wolves, new loves found and lost and found again, forever friends, successfully navigating their way around an Ole Miss prestigious degree – Commencement this Saturday, May 10 in the beautiful Grove – Well Done!!

On this Sunday, May 11, Mothers’ Day, I will joyfully pray for my hero mom, “Gert” at Mass and to thank God that she was my mother – the only person in my life to ever unconditionally love me (maybe son Stephen). Miss you so badly Gert. Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Then that forever, magical, wondrous May 2010 in Scotland with then Scottish fiancée, because of the Icelandic Volcano Cloud grounding all planes, spent a full month there, exploring every inch of Edinburgh,  and driving her, (our) mum and dad from Scotland to England for two days and back, my first lengthy wrong side everything adventure down the A1 to visit her wonderful older brother and family, awesome night in York, touring historic York Cathedral, hearing their renowned Choir, experiencing some swell pubs, great family birthday with champagne, touring all over London – been over and under Tower Bridge, then back via the M6 by the Irish Sea, night in the amazingly beautiful Lake District.

Since that fairy tale crumpled around my head, (thank you, God), pulled further inside my introverted, Catholic self, strong Catholic/Christian or no one, Mass every day, hero priest of 18  years reassigned, new one not, and this past year has been horrific with failing pacemaker battery, little energy, replacement pacemaker January 24, Cardiologist could not connect new third lead, so on February 18, alternative Cardiologist, another surgery, same place, barely healed, was successful.  But weeks later the new pacemaker had shifted twice, x-rays okay, but more stress.

Then this past week, professional scammers attacked me.  Succumbing early, knee-jerk reaction because of financial panic, combat wisdom allowed me to sniff them out, but so much stress to change all passwords etc. Then said a Rosary for “Frank, Edward, Christine” that God would change their evil hearts. Change your passwords etc. now.  You are wise and intelligent, but no one is above these scam jerks.  (2, TR).

Can you envision the intense spiritual energy behind the locked doors of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, the beauty of it, and the wonderment of the Holy Spirit so palatably present to elect our new Pope – my mind and heart are buzzing.  Wow.  I can barely fathom how God works daily in my life, his miracles, his guidance, his love – but this, this!  Waiting for that white smoke and so eager to know my new pope.  Pope, St. John Paul II is forever my all-time hero; Pope Francis his humility, cannot wait for what our new pope will gift us.

So – Happy Mother’s Day, Happy Commencement, Happy Birthday, Happy Well Done hanging in there through all the stuff life throws at us – and welcome the new Bishop of Rome, God’s choice, whomever you are! We go to this!  PEACE OUT

Steve is a devout Cradle Catholic, devout Ole Miss Ph.D., graduate and lives in Oxford.