Ælfgifu (also called "Elgiva") is credited with miracles that began soon after her burial at Shaftesbury. The historian Aethelweard reported that miracles had taken place at her tomb up to HIS day. (He died in 998.) Subsequent records include her as a saint.
Historian William of Malmesbury (c. 1095 - c. 1143) reports that Aelfgifu would secretly "redeem" those who were condemned to severe judgment, she gave costly garments to the poor, made many prophecies, and had the power of healing. Apparently, she was likely in her 20's when she died. It is remarkable to see the degree to which her powers were developed for such a young person.
I feel inspired to ask for her intercession for healing for myself and others, for several reasons in addition to her being my ancestor. She was ill for several years before her death, and as someone who suffers from chronic illness and pain, I know that she would appreciate my situation. Also, one of her miracles involved the healing of a blind man who came to her tomb shortly after her death, which speaks to my struggle with macular degeneration that has mostly blinded me in my left eye.
It delights me to be descended from many queens and saints. I would like to think there is a chance I may have inherited some of the good qualities of these people in my DNA!
CONTEMPLATION ON THE SAINTS
Throughout my day, I keep my "saint of the day" in mind and feel a connection with her or him, taking them with me during the day and feeling their presence, which influences me. Brother Lawrence and St. Teresa of Avila both used to say that they were as much in tune with the Divine while involved in the manual labor of the institution as if they were in the choir stall.
Other religious traditions say likewise, and the Buddhists have a walking meditation that reminds me of this contemplative practice.
CONTEMPLATION IN MOVEMENT
I am not a big "talker" when it comes to prayer, preferring to surrender my will to God and being present and open to Him throughout the day. Unless saying specific prayers such as the rosary, I will say prayers consisting of only a sentence or two at most. "Lord have mercy!" is a favorite. At times, I will ask for something specific, but I do try to stay focused on the job at hand while staying established in the mood of contemplation in the same moment.
CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE OUTSIDE A CONVENT
Apartment living for the city hermit presents challenges because, while I may be "immersed in thoughts of the Divine," few of the people by whom I am surrounded are likewise inclined! For instance, a couple nights ago I was disturbed in my prayers by a woman visiting my neighbor who came knocking on my door to tell me that although she knew that I "don't like it" when she blocks our cars with hers, she was going to park in the traffic lane (marked as a "no parking" zone) ANYWAY because she was only going to be there a few minutes. I asked her to park in the visitor parking but she refused, and she stayed for two and a half hours in the traffic lane. Consequently, I was unable to get out to do an errand I had planned. This is a common occurrence.
You may well ask why this woman came to my door to announce that she was parking where it is not allowed and which she knows causes me physical pain when I am trying to wrench my recalcitrant steering wheel this way and that in the tiny space I have in which to navigate. Why, after I have explained this to her does she come and announce she will do it anyway? I haven't a clue.
LIVING IN A HOSTILE CULTURE
The aggression and selfishness of a good number of our citizens has me wondering what has happened to our society. Many of you have noticed this on social media where some folks seem to be haunted with a perpetually hostile mood that causes them to attack others in conversation threads. Often, when a stranger on Facebook discovers that I am a religious person, they sail into a diatribe against The Church, ascribing all kinds of character defects to me, based entirely upon whatever prejudice they have about religious people. It happened twice yesterday, apropos of no related topic in particular.
Yesterday I had to remove one of these people from a friend list on Facebook because she persisted in mischaracterizing my position on a topic, despite my having taken great pains to correct her several times.
The typical approach of these people is to say, "you believe X, therefore you believe Y, therefore you're horrible." I can tell them I do NOT "believe X" until I am blue in the face but they just continue to assert that I DO hold that belief. It is maddening, which is probably the point, so I 'brush the dirt from my sandals' and move on. There is no benefit in trying to reason with unreasonable people.
It is almost as if everyone is so distracted that they do not see me, nor hear me, nor do they understand my written word, no matter how simply written. I am invisible.
Most of my contact with other humans, however, is online - but my friend list on Facebook is fairly small. There are all sorts of people on it, from young jewelry designers to nuns and monks, but the one requirement I have is that they be, at least, polite and intellectually honest, which is a challenge for some folks. I have also noticed that the aggressive, disruptive people with the worst manners are usually women, and I wonder about that, especially when they get vulgar. But what can I do, when they just escalate out of control like little spewing tops that have been wound too tight? I bless them and release them, then move on.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the people who remain on my friend list are very special indeed. Every once in a while, I invite someone new to join us. Some stay and some go, depending on their temperament.
BEING PHYSICALLY COMPROMISED DOESN'T STOP ME
On top of an already compromised physical condition, I have been struggling with a back injury for the last couple of months, but I have been very lucky to have gotten some at-home physical therapy which will continue for another month or so and then they anticipate I will be "finished," according to the physical therapist's supervisor who visited yesterday to review my condition. I have been surprised at how just a few exercises can make such a pleasant improvement, and I am grateful for the help.
Despite this new back injury, and in addition to my spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation, I am working hard to become self-sufficient again, writing a novel and a collection of haiku poetry, as well as painting a miniature series of New Mexico paintings with acrylics and self-made frames and selling some jewelry that I've designed.
But until I am able to hit on something that creates reliable income that is enough to supply my needs, I continue to require some help getting food and supplements into the household.
There are a couple things you could do, if you would like to lend a hand:
DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
Several doctors have prescribed an anti-inflammatory diet, along with recommended vitamins and other supplements proven to retard the progression of my chronic illnesses. Although my monthly income is less than what many people are paying for rent alone, I am not eligible for any kind of assistance with food. Our food stamp program only helps people whose income is less than about $800 a month. Many people do not realize that our social programs are VERY sparse and only the bottom third of the socio economic strata gets any kind of assistance. I worked for more than 30 years but my retirement income is less than $2,000 a month.
If you would like to assist me with bringing nutritious food and supplements into the household, donating from my Amazon wish list would be the ideal thing. They have my address and will mail to me directly:
If you prefer to send money so I can choose the vitamins and groceries I need the most, you can use the PAYPAL LINK that is the "DONATE" button that appears underneath my picture, above right.
Thank you for accompanying me on my journey. May you all be blessed!
Silver "Rose"
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