Faith

Friday July 23, 2010

An old friend from my past came by to see me. She used to live across the street. We were friends since we were little through high school & then in college our lives grew apart for some reason or another. Then her family had moved to the suburbs. Since she had moved away she had gotten married, had 3 children and had become a Christian. We had grown up Catholic together. We met each other a few years ago when her grandma died and again when our brother died.

During our visit, I learned a bit about her religion which is similar to my Catholic beliefs but some things that were brought up I had questions about. Like why she hasn't worn pants in the past several years. She mentioned that there were studies about pants but didn't go into details. They believe you go to Hell if you have any sin, no matter how small it is and that you can be saved if you confess. I told her that I believe in the Sacraments that we partook in grammar school and that included Confession. I told her that my faith in my religion is still strong. I may not have gone to church every Sunday but I say my prayers and before I go to bed, I usually Thank Him for the good day that I had. She had shown me Bible passages then had asked me if I wanted to continue to pray or if I wanted to socialize. I responded that I would read the materials that she gave me and but I'd prefer to socialize.

Then we reminisced, talked about how the neighborhood changed, what's new in our lives and she apologized for what she may have done in the past that might have hurt me. I told her that was the past & I had forgiven and forgotten that a while ago. We then went down Memory Lane, literally, back to the Hot Dog Stand (aka. the Maggot Wagon). It's located on Lawrence Ave. between Elston & Cicero. It's been there since we were little. Now they ask if you want plain or poppyseed buns, they didn't have that option in the 70's but they still have their tamales. I knew she had to leave soon so I called up Mother Hen One, she used to live next door & we all knew each other growing up, so they got to speak with each other for a few minutes.

Her mom was downtown with my friend's 2 youngest children. They made a quick trip to the house to see my brother & I. We showed her children where they used to live in the apt. across the street. We told them how their grandma had this big burgundy boat car, a Delta 88, that all the birds in the neighborhood used as a dumping ground. Once the car was so covered in bird poop, we went to a gas station, the attendants laughed so hard they asked her mom, "You're getting a car wash, right?" Just to spite them she said, "No!" You had to be careful when you opened the door & try not touching a dry sample. Her mom used to drive half of my family to grammar school. One time when the car was full of kids, another neighbor, who never locked up her dogs, crossed in front of the car, her dogs followed & we ran one of them over. That lady had the nerve to yell @ my friend's mom. If her dogs were locked up, that wouldn't have happened and the female dog wouldn't get pregnant every few months. She was the tramp of the dog world in our neighborhood. Before they left her mom told me she wants to see me again for a longer period of time. I agreed, I said, "See me now while I'm still here."

The hot 90+ degree weather turned gray & cloudy which turned to rain, thunder & lightning in the evening. I ended up watching The Boy in the Striped Pajamas with my niece. It's a powerful and sad movie. I recommend it. Then I watched the 1st episode of Dexter. The killer of serial killers. It's intriguing and I'd like to see more.

I just wish I could sleep better. I'm still tossing & turning, trying to find a comfortable position, my feet get hot then cold, I'm moving from the bedroom with the fan to the living room recliner with the air conditioning then back again. I finally had to put my dogs on the floor, they're hot. The tumor isn't settling well in my abdomen, my hunger kicks in, AHHHH!