C'est La Guerre

It's funny how the smallest things can keep you from tending to the largest things. I discovered a flat tire on Saturday, which has had me grounded until the local Tire, Bait & Bible shop gets two new ones on Wednesday. Meanwhile, "Joe" ("I'm The Hen", January Archives) had a major heart attack.

I'm trying to organize a Plate-A-Day food rotation among some of the other boys to keep his partner fed. "Tremaine", as he was called in this space earlier, is an insulin-dependent diabetic and isn't paying attention to himself while Joe is hospitalized awaiting 6 (SIX!) bypasses on Friday or thereabouts. I'll head to The City on Thursday and Friday to mother hen a little and try to distract. These are good people. As I've said, I know some good people.

I won't likely visit this space often in the next few days. I'm still not smoking (today at 7 a.m. was 14 days, unless you count....). I have a teensy headache from stress, I'm sure. I've delayed the bathroom remodel until next week to clear the schedule for taking care of The Boys. I'm just two tires shy of a Jewish Mother.

One of my favorite faces in our Friday night dinner group is a retired clown (no, really). He unwittingly reduced me to rubble today. Because everything I've experienced in the last week or so has been filtered through the screen of my faith, for some reason, he brought to mind The Widow's Mite. Now, I don't know if this man subscribes to any religion, faith or practice. But his kindness and generosity out of his need pointed directly to this example from the Gospels when I got his email:

Mark 12:41-44 41 And he sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than all they that are casting into the treasury: 44 for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Luke 21:1-4 1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all: 4 for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.

I live a comfortable existence without financial worries (today). But this man - and others - have offered out of their need to help these two guys in crisis. What they offer makes a mockery of anything I could give. It's humbling, to say the least. We all share a disease - some more advanced than others - and a name, to some extent. I guess it just strikes me as profound when the help comes from within the circle of affected people. Such a big thing (money) didn't keep him from doing the smallest thing (a plate of food), but my small thing has kept me from doing anything.

The French have a couple of sayings when things deserve little more than a shake of the head. "C'est la vie" is well-known ("That's life!"). I like the other one. It's a little edgier and evokes a lot more with a click of the tongue: "C'est la guerre."

That's war.