Finding God in the Rubble of Numbers

About the Book

As I thought of writing a second book my mind drifted toward a theme to draw out my thoughts. I don’t know when numbers** became the tool, the angle I’d use to tell my stories. Perhaps it was my frequent trips down Hertel Avenue that suggested the use of numbers. I would glance to the left at a small shop and memories of my dad and his watch repair shop would quickly emerge. Vivid pictures flashed in my mind’s eye- dad bent over his work bench or standing in front of the shop near a window marked “Jewelry Repair”. Today my eye rests on the number- 638…the same number, the address of the shop of my memories. The first episode I wrote thus emerged- “638 The Watchmaker’s Shop”. It was a deciding moment. I would reach into my life to tell the stories based on the numbers that would be associated with each. Thus I began to seek out those numbers. They might refer to dates, years, months, addresses, age, room numbers, school numbers, grades in school, a count of items or people….and on and on. The point- each provoked a story to tell. However, the real story- the story intended for the reader is hidden in the scriptural reflection that follows each episode. Here the reader is exposed to the Word of God. Here the reader will find the place for his story and is able to find God in the rubble of his own life and numbers if he but listen. ….. Although each episode is related to a number, they were written randomly. The reader will read them in numerical order beginning with “1” and ending with… “?” Something came to my attention as I was well into writing. I received an email that asked the question: “Do you know why 1 is “one”, 2 is “two”, 3 is “three”, 4 is “four”…. I enjoyed the logic that traced them 1-9. that attached number with its numeral. The answer is “There are angles!” Very interesting is: “0”! For a peek at numbers from this angle, for your information- be it fact or fiction, I have included pictures and internet info showing the primitive forms of numbers known as Arabic algorithms*** rather than roman algorithms. However the queen of internet encyclopedias- Wikipedia, debunks the theory as urban myth. For me, myth or not, as I reflected on my writing, I realized that I had been doing just that- checking out the angles associated with each number that told a story and finding God in the rubble of those numbers.

About the Author

My numbers break open the story of my life experiences. They are the revelation of who I am, this person who is the author of a second book. I enjoy being called an author. As such, I have chosen a style to tell each numbered -story followed by a scriptural reflection to carry on the theme. I am a Buffalo gal, born and reared in the Black Rock and Riverside areas- 14207- of the City. My family nurtured me in the tradition of our Polish heritage and Catholic faith. While schooling was important my parents themselves had limited educations. My dad was a blue collar worker in defense plants. My mom worked in a variety of factory positions. Both had avocations as musicians. Dad played the saxophone, guitar and other instruments. He and his brothers were members of a family band. Mom was a snare drummer in a marching unit and a great harmonica player. They often joined musical relatives for Saturday night “hoe downs” in our home. Unfortunately, this not-so-musical daughter was relegated to listening. My forte in my growing up years was art. It dominated my free time, my high school studies and my aspirations to pursue a career in art. The years before college found me involved in Church and volunteer activities. They found me working in a deli and at Woolworths. My interests were playing and coaching basketball, softball and ping pong and directing one act plays. I dabbled in skiing but fell out of love of the sport. In the early history of TV, reading remained my entry into other worlds and ideas. By the time I was in college art was becoming a weak avocation. Teaching was my interest and I graduated with a Spanish major. Later I would pursue post graduate studies in Spanish, theology and philosophy. During my d’Youville College days the librarian, a Grey Nun, had suggested that teaching was an avocation, that I should find my life “vocation”. That nudged me and a developing thought about becoming a nun. The day came with a decision. I would become a nun- a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart. Now my life would be dotted with a new variety of experiences- in education, in teaching, administration and in a variety of ministries… When I retired from Erie Community College-City in 2007, I had been a Campus Minister and adjunct professor of Spanish for 25 years. It was shortly before retiring that I began to write my first book, The Scoop on Ruth. The book left much unsaid, unwritten and begged for more pages. Thus the author, Ruth, adventured into another book and the place where readers may check “my numbers” to learn more about this unknown author- Me.!