Norman’s Whereabouts
By Norman Searah
The hardwood floors are being worked on where I’m living and since I can’t get to my room without interrupting the work, I’ve been sleeping in motels and in my van. In fact, I’m writing this article from the driver’s seat. I camp out where I know other people are living in their cars, vans, or whatever and where I feel safe. I’ve found quite a few things to do such as seeing a couple of movies and have had a lot of time to think. I found myself going to a couple of out of the way churches where I could be alone to pray and to speak to God.
I realize that it may sound strange that besides praying to God, Jesus and Mother Mary, I also speak to God, greet Him each day in the morning, and thank Him before going to sleep. I often say a few words to the devil for I believe that as much as I am good, I’m also bad. I believe that all the good that I do comes from God and not all the bad comes from the devil, a lot comes from me.
I hear that the community will be buying the original Catholic Worker House at 713 Indiana Avenue for Richard Flamer’s Chiapas Project. It’s good to hear that Fr. Frank is recovering well from his heart attack. I hear that Fr. Frank and my buddy, Ed Bloomer, will be going to court in January for crossing the line at Offutt Air Force Base. They’re in my prayers and thoughts.
We’re going to have a new church in the neighborhood. They’re building on the corner of 7th and Forest. Along with that, there will also be a grocery store on 7th and University. Many houses were moved to different spots on our block instead of destroying them to make room to build the store. In fact, two houses were moved to the lot where we had a community garden, the spot where the DMCW celebrated it’s 25th anniversary last summer. I hope these empty houses become good homes for good neighbors.
I’d like to share with you some things I’ve been thinking about. Every time America goes to war with some country, we take in a lot of refugees. It might be just for a year or two. Mankind must put an end to war, put aside our greed, put aside control and power, and let others have some control and power over their lives. As a country with plenty to give, we give very little and take much more. We have people that come to our country after we destroyed a large part of their country, their history and their lives. So they come to America for a better life, a good job, a place where they’re accepted for who they are. They come here to work so they can send money home so their loved ones and families can live. At the same time, we have people coming from poor countries for the same reasons. In my lifetime, a large number of people have come to America due to wars. There was the Korean War, the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, the war in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, a large part of Central America , Panama, Iraq and now, Afghanistan.
It seems to me that our country treats leaders of other countries better than their people. Many American companies have moved to other countries for cheap labor and factories. They pay the people much less than those in America doing the same jobs. It would be good if these people in the poor countries like Mexico were paid a living wage from these companies that are opening nothing more than sweat shops and making local politicians richer.
I believe that if we are to survive as a world, we need to share more not just government to government but to people to people. We should not forget our own people like Native American Indians, the family farms that are being wiped out by large corporate farms, hog lot farms, bank and government loss of jobs. I find that every time a factory closes and the head CEO’s are paid for it like football players that get large contracts, they almost do the same amount of damage as those that bombed the World Trade Center. I wish you all God’s blessings. May Christmas bring you the many joys of the season and may the New Year
bring some peace to this world.
I often look at life, other people, and the world as both good and bad. They also change much like the neighborhood around the Catholic Worker. Just recently, I was surprised to see a large cross in the front yard of the Dingman House and understand that strawberry plants are to be planted around the base. Carla’s house (Lazarus House) keeps looking better along with the house Mike and Fran live in (Ligutti House) thanks to the good work from Richard and the people working with him.
Instead of blowing up buildings, they hurt people that had a future to pass on. Look at rural towns in Iowa and in your state. Look around, get involved like I do when I meet someone and think that they might be diabetic and don’t know it, which is a little off the subject.
