The Hope for Haiti…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

telethon was all over television last night. Certainly its a good cause, the people of Haiti need much and yet part of me is always cynical about these celebrity driven telethons. I wonder why multi-millionaire artists wouldn’t simply write a check from their largesse and quietly help good things happen. They could avoid delays, production costs, salaries, all the expenses and send their help quickly and efficiently.

Ah, but no one would know, and that makes all the difference. The sad part is once the show is over their reward is already in hand and it will fade with the spotlights, still valuable, of course for the people of Haiti, but lost for eternity.

Sometimes…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

I get lost on the road between St. Paul and LaCrosse, buried in the surroundings between here and there, captivated by the country outside my car.

Highway 61 passes quickly through the city and rolls through the hills above the Mississippi. At Red Wing it makes its turn to the valley and follows the river itself all the way to LaCrosse. Along the way small towns fill any wide spot between the bluffs and houses nestle along the river where they can. The hills are steep and penetrated by coulees cut into theirs sides by millenia of rain and the water that bubbles up through springs in the rock.  Trees hang on their slopes with a singular determination.

Unlike the flat lands suitable for farming there is mystery here, the sense that something is hidden around the next bend in the road or a turn onto gravel would take one into a different place and time.  There are towns hidden in the valleys with names like Zumbro Falls and Rollingstone and houses barely visible from the road. A wise person could live in natural silence just a few miles from town if they placed themselves well. Even as I drive by I notice and covet the possibilities.

I imagine myself sitting on a porch in a house set in a small valley, quiet in the morning and writing my thoughts. I think of music played with only the trees to listen. I ponder walking roads with neighbors true but few and far between. I hope for a place in the woods to pray.

Yet I know it wouldn’t exactly be that way. I’ve lived long enough to know there is always something. But even if only a part of it were true…

And that’s why my mind wanders on highway 61.

Overheard…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

on a local radio station doing an interview with comedian Carlos Mencia.”There are people out there in the world that are so hungry they look at our Food Channel like we look at dirty movies…”

A rough quote, but laden with truth.

Brrrrrr…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Minnesota plant gardens.

60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Minnesota sunbathe.

50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won’t start.
People in Minnesota drive with the windows down.

40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt.

35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Minnesota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20 above Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Minnesotans close the windows.

Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico .
People in Minnesota get out their winter coats.

10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Minnesota are selling cookies door to door.

20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Minnesota let the dogs sleep indoors.

30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Minnesota get upset because they can’t start the Snow-mobile.

40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Minnesota start saying….’Cold enough fer ya?’

50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Minnesota public schools will open 2 hours late