Time Capsule by

Egypt

megangage — 2024-02-03 05:57:36 UTC

"When I was a child, I was fascinated with Egypt. Since I loved horses, I dreamed of riding a horse at night by the pyramids with a full moon to light the way. In my early 20’’s, I had the opportunity to go to Egypt with a friend and it was like living a dream come true. Arrangements were made with a local Egyptian merchant to take a horseback ride at night where we would ride for several miles to a Bedouin Tent for refreshments and then ride back. We rode by the pyramids as a full moon presented itself."

Impactful Moment

megangage — 2024-02-03 05:57:59 UTC

"My life has been filled with happy, funny, and impactful moments whether it was with family or friends. One impactful moment happened in my late teens when I had the opportunity to work on a Dude Ranch in Wickenburg, AZ. The Dude Ranch catered to very wealthy people who visited from back East. At the Ranch, the guests ate “family style” at two main tables in the main lodge. My job was to put the food on the 2 large tables at dinner time. One night when all the guests were seated for dinner, there was a knock on the main lodge door which I answered. There stood a man, who looked like a “bum” who just got off a train. He said, “Miss, I am hungary, have you got something to eat?” I said “sure, I just put dinner on the table, c’mon in and have a seat.” I seated the man at one of the tables and suddenly the room went silent. The owner came over to me and said “Cathy, you have to ask him to leave”. I was appalled at the lack of empathy and concern for someone who was hungry and asked for something to eat. My response to the owner was, “okay, but he is not leaving without being fed”. I took him in an area in the kitchen and made sure he was fed the fine food that was being served that evening. Further, I packed him some food for him to take with him. I will never forget the look on his face and his very blue eyes when he looked at me and said, “Thank you, Miss, you have been very kind to me”. Then he left. I remember feeling so disappointed in the reaction the guests at the ranch had toward someone who was looking for a meal. It was my first “hard lesson” in a stratified society as my family always welcomed individuals at our family table who had nowhere to go at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. After the fact, some people from Wickenburg came up to me saying, “I heard what you did”. It was a lesson learned for All who witnessed this a man asking for food."

Wise Words

megangage — 2024-02-03 05:59:22 UTC

"Based on my experiences, life passes by quickly. Take advantage of those opportunities that come your way as they may never come again. Follow your passions and live your dreams. Be true to who you are and follow your heart wherever it takes you. Often timesblessings come in disguise but know that all experiences both positive and negative are your greatest teachers. Like my mom would always say, “there is a silver lining in every cloud"."

Catholic Culture

megangage — 2024-02-03 05:59:38 UTC

"The culture has dramatically changed during my lifetime. For example, growing up, we always ate our meals as a family saying before and after prayers at our meals. As a child, we were guided by the Ten Commandments and had to go to confessions weekly if we sinned such as disobeying our parents, or lying or whatever sins we committed that week. It’s a much different culture today than when I was growing up."

JFK Assassination

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:41:43 UTC

"The news story that had a significant impact on my life was the Assassination of the President, John F. Kennedy. I was in 8^th grade at St. Mary’s School. The nuns came into the classroom and announced that the president had been shot and that we would all go over to the church and pray. I remember feeling shocked, frightened, and sad. For the next few days, we were glued to the TV watching all the news coverage. This event changed how we viewed the world from then on."

Society

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:42:54 UTC

"Growing up in a small town in a very sheltered environment, one often looked at the world through “rose-colored” glasses. Major events did shape how you viewed the world. Basically, the world was vast and diverse in terms of culture, perspectives, mores, etc. The question one then asks is how to live with “diversity in unity”."

Ave Maria

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:44:23 UTC

"The “Ave Maria” is a very special song for me. It was sung at weddings, funerals, and special religious occasions. My Mom loved that song. The year after my Mom passed away, your Mom and Dad took me to see the movie “Titanic” on my birthday when it first came out. We were at the mall having a bite to eat before the movie started and the song “Ave Maria” could be heard as we ate. Your Mom and me both responded to it playing. It was as if my mom was letting me know she was with me in spirit on our shared birthdays. We were both born on December 21^st. Every year in some way she lets me know she is near."

Music

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:45:14 UTC

"Music has always been a strong force in my life. My Mom was a classical pianist who filled our home with music either playing the piano or the organ. As a result, I have an appreciation for all types of music. I was forced to take music lessons and chose the flute as the instrument of choice. At the time I took lessons, I resented the fact that I was forced to play an instrument. However, later in life, I picked up the flute and discovered that if I had a song “in my head” I could play it on the flute. When your mom was four years old, we went on a 3-month camping trip to several national parks. I took my flute with me. We met several other musicians at the camp sites who played guitars or some other instrument. We would gather around the campfires at night jamming with our instruments. My flute became a great friend for several years. As far as songs, The Beatles songs were and still are some of my very favorites. “Yesterday” brings back so many fond moments at the time The Beatles came onto the music scene."

Pope John Paul II

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:47:12 UTC

"A person I would love to have lunch with would be Pope John Paul II. There are many stories behind the influence he had on my life with respect to “faith”, one of life’s great virtues. He was a man of great wisdom and love for the youth of the world. Both he and my mom showed up in one of my dreams and I distinctly recall him speaking to me asking “How deep is your faith?”. I have never forgotten that."

Horsebackriding

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:49:30 UTC

"If I could go back to any moment in my life, it would be the days of joy spent on the Sazama farm riding horses. I always had and still do have a love of horses and the thrills and joy that I experienced from being around and riding horses at 5 years old filled me up. It was a sense of adventure and freedom to ride in the countryside on an animal I so loved. It let me feel excitement, freedom, overcoming fear, while living my passion for horses."

The Present is a Gift

megangage — 2024-02-03 22:51:10 UTC

"My favorite period in my life is now! I get to look back at all that life has offered me and fills me with all that I am grateful for having experienced (both good and bad) and has shaped me into who I am. Mostly, I am grateful for a wonderful daughter, Jennifer and four grandchildren who I treasure! Kaitlyn, Avery, Megan, and Grant. Having you all in my life is the “greatest gift of all” and to go back to any previous period would deny me all the pleasure you all have brought me."

Grandchildren

megangage — 2024-02-04 16:46:25 UTC

Coincidence or God?

megangage — 2024-02-04 17:02:38 UTC

"Back in the 80's I worked for a large company and your mom and I lived by a lake in an apartment complex. I would go out and run around the lake early evening. One day I was running and I had gotten halfway around the lake and there was a white station wagon coming towards me with its headlights on. I heard a voice telling me to jump in the bushes. After I jumped in the bushes and hid, the car went past me and then turned around as it was looking for me. I went to work the next day and my boss told me about a woman who was abducted and murdered last night in Inver Grove Heights. The car was a white station wagon so I tipped the police best I could."

Canun Horror Story

megangage — 2024-02-04 17:06:22 UTC

"Me and your mom took a trip to Cancun and we had a ferry take us to the small island for the day. It was a great snorkeling spot so we went to check it out. There were no hotels so at the end of the day you had to come back to the main land on the ferry. At the end of the day we went to take the last ferry and it turned out there were too many people on it. Luckily there were some small fishing boats that were willing to take us back. At this point its getting quite dark and cold and the waves started to swell but we really didn't have a choice. About 25 minutes in the engine quit and everyone was drenched in gas. With about 25 people sitting on the back of this boat there were people getting sick left and right. One guy lit a cigarette and I leaped to knock it out of his hand before he could light it. We were out there for about 3 hours with 5 foot swells and all we could do was pray. Eventually they got the engine going again and we made it back to the main land safely."

Novina Prayer

megangage — 2024-02-04 17:09:57 UTC

"I had just graduated from college and I was looking for a job. As a woman back then you could really only get a job in PR or HR. After searching for a while and having no luck, I decided to pray over the matter. After you pray the prayer "novena", within 48 hours of the prayer it is said you will receive a rose. As it was getting towards the end of the 48 hours and I had not received a rose, I decided to go on a walk to look for a rose bush. As I was leaving my friend Pat pulled up on a motorcycle and told me to come with them to a bar. This bar had red checkered table cloths I will never forget. A woman walks into the door of the bar and walks over to me and hands me a red rose. Me and my friend sat there just laughing. The next week, by the grace of God, I got the perfect job I wanted."