In Remembrance of Donna De Solis

This post is in honor of what would be the seventy-fourth birthday of my dearly departed friend, Donna De Solis, who passed away on June 25th, 2015. In the picture directly above she can be seen at the bottom of image and I am standing directly behind her. It was taken in 2014 and we were on a pier at the Hudson River, celebrating my birthday. 

Little did we know it would be the last time I celebrated mine with her, for she died the following June two months before my birthday in the year 2015.

Donna was the office manager at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament (my parish).

Over the many years I knew her, I was honored and privledged to be a guest at a number of the Christmas parties she held in her home and to go with her to various events happening in NYC. 

Moreover, she came to a couple of exhibitions that featured my photography. In the next picture, Donna can be seen with a yellow sweater over her shoulders and yours truly is standing behind her. 

We are at an opening for a 2002 art exhibition that I was featured in (with two other artists who are not in this photograph) at The New York Gallery Building (on West Fifty-Seventh Street in NYC). The art piece which is behind us is one of my kaliedoscopic images titled Rocks By Strawberry Fields. 

At the time our picture was taken, my kaliedoscopic photographs could only be printed on photographic papers as wall art or rendred on to note-cards.

Howeover, over the years, with advancement in printing processes, my kaliedoscopic works (as well as all of my other photographs) can be rendered (by Fine Art America AKA FAA) in an aray of sizes on to various surfaces for wall art including, acrylic, art paper, canvas, metal, poster-paper and wood. FAA also has framed options available and they can render the images on to note-cards.

I think Donna might've found it cool that FAA can print my kaliedoscopic images (and my other ones) on to items for personal use such as totes, week-ender bags, pouches, note-books, stickers, cell-phone cases and jigsaw puzzles; as well as face-masks.

In any event, I'm certainly thinking of Donna as well as those family members who survived her including her husband Tony as well as her son, Bryan, who shortly after her death, requsted that I create a video in honor of memory, which I did and it can be viewed on Vimeo as well as You Tube.

Remembering "DD" (10-24-1947-06-25-2015)

In honor of my dearly departed friend, Donna De Solis's (DD), I'm posting a video (from my Vimeo Library) that I created in her honor (in 2015) at the request of her son.

The video description on Vimeo reads: "Remembering Donna (The Wonder of DD), pays a small tribute to Donna De Solis who was born on this day of October 24th in 1947, and died on June 25th 2015. This video was shown to her son privately, before being "aired" at a reception after her memorial service, which was held at The Church of The Blessed Sacrament on July 15th, 2015. Donna had worked for this church for nearly forty years. It is located on Manhattan's Upper Westside, which is an area where Donna lived most of her life."

It's Saint Francis's Feast Day!

Today's entry is not part of the regular posting schedule I announced this past Monday, rather it is an extra posting which I mentioned might be something I will do from time to time.

My reason for today's entry is honor Saint Francis of Assisi. Today is his feast day! One of the ways I'm honoring the day is by sharing the cartoon by Patrick McDonnell that is posted atop this entry.

Among many things, Saint Francis is often remembered as the patron saint of animals; especially birds. I have a small statue of Saint Francis above my desk (seen in the image directly below).

His statue the one standing at the far left and serves as an inspiration for me to persevere in my work to help others learn about the needs avian community through my book series, Words In Our Beak.

Remembering the Dearly Departed

IMAGE CREDIT

The cartoon by John T. McCutcheon which is posted atop this Blogger entry, is featured within prior entries here on Blogger. It was initially published in the year of 1900, with a caption accompanying it stating: "You bet I'm goin' to be a soldier, too, like my Uncle David, when I grow up."

As most of you know, the 2019 Memorial Day holiday took place (in the United States) this past Monday; as it is currently celebrated on the last Monday in May. Prior to it being celebrated on the last Monday in May, the traditional date for Memorial Day was May 30th.

May 30th 1954 when Memorial Day was celebrated is also the day Warren Tangorra was born and he died on March 8, 2010. I never met the man but he was a friend of my dear friend, Donna DeSolis (DD) and at her request (in 2010) after he passed from this life; I produced the video posted below as a favor to her.

Five years later DD died.

Remembering Donna DeSolis (b 10-24-1947)

In honor of my dearly departed friend, Donna DeSolis's (DD), who might've been celebrating her birthday today with me had she not passed from this life, I'm posting a video (from my Vimeo Library) that I created in her honor (in 2015) at the request of her son.

The video description on Vimeo reads: "Remembering Donna (The Wonder of DD), pays a small tribute to Donna De Solis who was born on this day of October 24th in 1947, and died on June 25th 2015. This video was shown to her son privately, before being "aired" at a reception after her memorial service, which was held at The Church of The Blessed Sacrament on July 15th, 2015. Donna had worked for this church for nearly forty years. It is located on Manhattan's Upper Westside, which is an area where Donna lived most of her life."

It's National Grandparents Day!

It's National Grandparents Day! The holiday falls each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It was initiated at the grassroots level by West Virginian Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade (seen in the image atop this entry) with the behind-the-scenes support of her husband Joseph L. McQuade.

This photograph is from a web-page, which discusses a number of interesting facts regarding  National Grandparents Day; including the truism that "it's not a holiday invented to sell cards and flowers."

My Acquaintance Eileen

My acquaintance, Eileen, can be seen in the photograph atop this entry. Eileen Bransten Simpson is someone I've known since the early 1990's (through my then fairly active membership at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament in NYC).

I have seen Eileen a number of times at mass, including one for the Easter Vigil, when she converted from her religion to Catholicism. She went through RCIA to this, and sponsored by her husband, John Simpson, who died this past Sunday, August the 20th. Simpson's funeral mass was this past Wednesday, which I attended, and, of course, I saw Eileen.

The following day, someone helped me recall a story about Eileen, that our mutual friend, the late Donna De Solis had told us: Eileen is the daughter of Ruth McKenney, the deceased author of My Sister Eileen.

And Eileen Bransten Simpson is named for McKenny's sister. According to Wiki, "the stories were originally published in The New Yorker, which eventually inspired many other works: My Sister Eileen (a 1938 book), a play, a musical, a radio play (and an un-produced radio series), two motion pictures, and a CBS television series in the 1960–1961 season.

Remembering Monsignor Robert B. O'Connor (B: 12-20-30 D: 4-20-2016)

Today is the one year anniversary of the death of Monsignor Robert O'Connor. He can be seen in the photo atop this entry, which is an image I included in a comment to someone re my FB entry honoring the beloved man. In my comment, I reiterated what was written in Monsignor O'Connor obituary: "He was a passionate advocate for social justice, championing the poor, the homeless, the elderly, and all who were vulnerable in any way. But it was his extraordinary ability to minister to people individually that was his true gift. During his 60 years as a priest, he helped countless people, offering some comfort during difficult times, bringing some back to the Church they had lost, and providing others guidance when they had lost their way. He did it all with love, compassion and mercy without judgment."

This evening, at 5:30 PM, The Church of the Blessed Sacrament in NYC, will hold a memorial mass for the monsignor. See details (from the church's bulletin) below:

Remembering Steven McDonald

Today the city of NYC, where I live, hosted a funeral for Detective Steven McDonald. He died on January 10, 2017, at the age of 59, after suffering a massive heart attack that he suffered a few days prior. McDonald can be seen here in the picture atop this entry (it's from a web-page featuring a number of images of him).

Many New Yorkers, like myself, remember when McDonald was shot on July 12, 1986. The shooting left him a quadriplegic. However, the incident that left him paralyzed is not the only thing that many New Yorkers will remember about Steven McDonald. They will likely always remember how he forgave Shavod Jones, the boy (who was fifteen at the time), that shot McDonald.

Several accountings (including one that you may refer to by clicking here) state that McDonald maintained that he believed," the only thing worse than receiving a bullet in my spine would have been to nurture revenge in my heart. Such an attitude would have extended my injury to my soul, hurting my wife, son, and others even more. It’s bad enough that the physical effects are permanent, but at least I can choose to prevent spiritual injury."

A number of years ago, I happen to have had the opportunity to meet Detective Steven McDonald, at my then parish, The Church of the Blessed Sacrament. He came to give a talk on the power of forgiveness at a Lenten series that we were offering. It was very powerful.  May he rest in peace! And, may his widow, Patti Ann, and their son, Conor (who recently became a police officer) be consoled re McDonald's passing, and may they continue to thrive in their faith.

Wednesdays Wisdom: It's good to be with helmet and hose.

Folks are doing a number of things in response to the result of the 2016 presidential election, and most of those actions seem to be demonstrating or signing petitions.

Others are attending retreats to gain perspective, as well as to cleanse and renew their spirits. One such retreat was held on November 12th at Corpus Cristi Church in Manhattan. The retreat had been planed long before the political angst occurred in NYC (and throughout the world), but perhaps that was providential.

In any event, the retreat I am referring to was sponsored by the NYC Chapter of The Thomas Merton Society. The theme of the retreat was In Everything Mercy: Thomas Merton and Pope Francis on the Merciful Heart of God. 

Christopher Pramuk led the event, and all the while, attendees had the pleasure of Thomas Merton smiling upon us, albeit from the vantage point of being in a painting by James Nally, which can be seen atop this blog entry.

"Remembering Donna (The Wonder of DD)," pays a small tribute to Donna De Solis who was born on October 24th,1947, and died on June 25th 2015. This video was shown to her son privately, before being "aired" at a reception after her memorial service, which was held at The Church of The Blessed Sacrament on July 15th, 2015. Donna had worked for this church for nearly forty years. It is  located on the Upper Westside in NYC where Donna lived most of her life.

Tuesday's Truths WK 12: Blessings Of The Animals are always done on The Feast Day of Saint Francis

Earlier today, October the fourth, here on Blogger, I posted an entry in honor of Saint Francis, whose Feast Day is today. And now, before the day ends, I'd like to report, as part of my Tuesday's Truths series, that a number of institutions throughout the world host an event in which one of any denomination, or no denomination, can bring his/her animal to be blessed. The Church Of  The Blessed Sacrament in NYC is included in that mix, and the image above this entry features a flyer used to promote the event.