MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

We've had a lot of over night guests at the St. Sebastian rectory as of late.  It's been a lot of fun having a full house.  It can also be a lot of work at times but it is worth it both for me and for the parish community coming in contact with so many wonderful priests and seminarians.

One of the things you give up (as anybody in any kind of relationship knows) when you invited people into your life is total control.  For example, Marcy was in the kitchen the other morning asking, "What is THIS doing in THIS drawer?"  I replied, "Yeah.  It made sense to somebody.  If you can't find that for which you are looking just keep going.  It will turn up somewhere."  Better these little triflings than to be living by myself in this big house with a fern.

So you do your best and try to fix what you can and so I headed up to the room to set things right (trying to save the parish a few bucks.)

 I turned off the lights, and started shutting the windows . . .

And yes it did stink in there.  Badly.  I was thinking that I may have to have a talk with the person in the morning about hygiene and communal living.  But, as it turns out, I would have had the conversation with the wrong lodger.

In another room, a good buddy of mine was taking something of a retreat.  He moved in for a few days to enjoy the rectory, con-celebrated Mass and take advantage of the quiet in the house and the good food at table.  I thank Monsignor Zwisler, the founder of the parish and the man who built this rectory, that he made it nice and provided us with a number of suites so that we could be hospitable to clergy who need a room from time to time.

Father didn't come alone however.  He brought a roommate; a chocolate lab who, by the way, turns one year old today!  Happy birthday buddy.  Anyway, he is a TRUE puppy and with enough energy that he probably makes a significant addition to global warming.  While an adorable, welcome and friendly dog, he is not quite as well trained (yet) as Sebastian and Chester.  It must be like having kids - when you don't see him and it is very quiet, you know something bad is happening.

Well, apparently he made his way into the the other lodger's room who left the light on and the windows open, climbed up on the bed and left a little (well, BIG actually) present.

THAT was the smell that I detected when I went in to close the windows.  I almost left without noticing the offending pile but something made me look over at the last second.  I got the owner and showed him what happened and we stripped, cleaned and changed the bed.  

Now mind you, it was already pretty late at night.  Going for the walk was the last thing I was going to do before hitting my mattress.  I wonder, what would have happened if the lights were not left on or the window left open?  I would not have gone in that room!  Further proof that getting upset and upsett worthy things is not always productive.  Sometimes it is God using unusual circumstances to bring attention to something that needs tending to.  What if that lodger had come in late, late, late at night (as he did) and just dove on to his bed to crash (which he did), what disaster would have taken place then?