Hello again. Thank you very sincerely for all of your good wishes. My brother and wife came down a few days ago and stayed with a retired telephone man who worked as their summer farm helper for several years and has had a trailer in Mesa, then moved to a motel when our brother's daughters arrived yesterday. They all gave me cards this morning as we gathered, plus one from nephew in Edmonton, who'd loved to have been here, for he loves family gatherings, and sister-in-law in Edmonton, as well. I worked in a bar 50 miles west of Edmonton for a few years in the early 80s and enjoyed visiting them ... brother had been killed in a vehicle smash a few years before that, when their young ones were teens. We went out to spend several hours at the Desert Botanical Garden, on the eastern edge of Phoenix ... and saw more varieties of cactus than anyone could conceive of being in existence, I think! Then went to a lovely restaurant in Mesa for dinner, to be joined by (step)sister and her companion, (and I brought home I think the biggest box of food that they had - wasn't sure which was the biggest - the box, or the pot above my belt. Then to sis and companion's trailer for birthday cake with 2 candles, an "8" and an "0" ... which I turned around to read "08", but they turned the cake back half way round. Actually, as most of them were on one end of the table, taking pictures, and I at the other, it did read "08" in my eyes, as I worked on the blowing out. Did someone suggest that a taste of second childhood might be blowing in the wind? dAUGHTER STOOD BESIDE ME, TO HELP WITH THE BLOWING, SHOULD i BE SHORT OF HOT AIR. So .. this smart-ass quickly raised his hands, clapped them over the candles ... and blew only one out - so I had to blow the other out by mouth! After some discussion, and calling some family members who were not present (brother's son in Toronto, recently married) ... we all went back to our lodgings for a well-deserved sleep. So - I guess that I'd better work on my beauty sleep, right? See you all tomorrow - we're going to Sedona, possibly Jerome (again). Will see whether I get re-inflated by an energy-vortex in Sedona. As for relaxing... I'll have 4 hours or so on the plane on Monday ... ... God willing ... and the creek don't rise. Oh, I forgot - they don't have many creeks around here ... well, there are some, but they are dry, most of the time. Actually, some of the cactuses can store over half a ton of water, they say - enough to last them for year or so. Even if I had a bath-tub full ... it wouldn't last me nearly that long. And I'm frugal! [Sorry - wrong forum]. ole joyful P.S. Have yourselves a happy, wonderful weekend, everyone. o j

Thanks for all your hard work Karen! Can't wait to read it in its entirety. Jodi-

I'm so sorry to hear that. She was a beautiful little dog. My cousin had two long-haired mini-dachshunds, sisters from the same litter, who lived to be 16, so I know what delightful and imperious, and loving little persons they can be.

Thanks for the words of (mostly) support. Here's an update: I decided to go to the source for information. I sent an email to the Archdiocese of Phila asking what the facts are on this issue. The next day I got back what I believe was a 'form letter email' if you will. It basically stated that at present there is no rule either way on the wedding procession and that there will not be until new Marriage Rite (from the Vatican) is published in english. I sent a follow up on an unanswered question - can an individual parish pastor decide on his own to forbid the father escorting his daughter - if that is her desire? I also asked if this practice is 'not a part of the Marriage Rite' in the future, will there be any wiggle room that would let the father and daughter walk together; or would it be a sin or invalidate the ceremony? I got no response for several days. Since the original query was answered so promptly, I decided that in case I was now being ignored, that I would resend the same email with a header ( second request, third request, etc.) every day until I heard from them. Well, after a week, I got a response, a personal one this time. The Marriage Rite is published with individual differences in different countries according to local practices / customs. Again, there is no current policy addressing who walks with whom; walking with my daughter is no sin and it would not invalidate the ceremony even after the Marriage Rite is published. I gave a copy of the emailed response to a friend of my wife. Her daughter is going through the same thing. It's my hope that she shoves the email right under my pastor's nose and calls him out on it, but I don't know how confrontational she is.