Light in the Darkness, a Journal by E.C.

By Eugene St. Martin JR.

This book is a collection of the old groundskeeper E. C.’s observations, reflections, prayers, and songs as he goes about his life going to church, to work, to teaching tennis, to playing tennis, and to visiting friends. He is a secretary recording the ideas that come through his life. For E. C. the ideas become a light in the darkness. Still he knows when he puts the ideas into practice, there will be more illumination.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781663218339

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Eugene St. Martin, Jr..

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical,

including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written

permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

844-349-9409

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed

since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do

not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1832-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1833-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021902842

iUniverse rev. date: 02/09/2021

15391.png

Light In

The Darkness,

A Journal by E.C.

15512.png

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my family, friends, students, co-workers, and the people I worked for. It is particularly dedicated to all the men and women who have given their lives to help us all stay safe and well ... all the medical workers, the grocery store workers, the truck drivers, supply personnel, the farmers, the police, the military, the teachers, the doctors, nurses, priests and ministers, recreation workers, and the news people.

There is a special thanks to the people at Christ the King Catholic Student Center, St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Our Lady of Mercy, the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, and Russell Blake. Thank you to the people at iUniverse and Fed-Ex. And thank you to God.

With love to all,

E.C.

15512.png

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

The Nativity

15512.png

Overview

This book is a collection of E.C.’s observations, reflections, prayers, and songs as he goes about his life going to church, to work, to teaching tennis, to playing tennis, and to visiting friends. He is like a secretary recording the ideas that come through his life. For E.C. the ideas become a light in the darkness. Still he knows when he puts the ideas into practice, there will be more illumination.

15512.png

Chapter 1

1.jpg

Now it was at the end of the year in December and E.C., the old groundskeeper and tennis teacher, began to get ready for the new year to begin. Oh yes, he needed to continually pass the broom through his home and simplify his clutter, his stuff ... to help clean out the negative energy and make room so the new energy of the new year could flow through his home and through his life. He had read once where people one time had a party at this time of the year and they passed the broom around to each other to symbolically sweep the old negative energy away.

At this time E.C. went to a book study class. The book that the class was reading was the Tao Teh Ching. Next to the bible this book is the most translated book in the world. It is a holy book. It is a Chinese book that was written Two Thousand Five Hundred years before Christ. E.C. loved to read this book. It calmed him down.

On this day they were studying chapter 77. The Tao Teh Ching has many layers of meaning. E.C. learned from a wise man in the class that Tao means the heavenly truth. And further Teh means virtue. And Ching means path...a way. In a way E.C. thought it is a holy path helping know God and be near to God.¹

Further E.C. learned that knowledge is proud and that wisdom is humble. Wisdom will let someone show you. E.C. thought it is wisdom that let’s one see the other’s point of view and to see their tennis stroke inside rather than my being proud knowing it all, forcing my tennis stroke on them. This is how E.C. thought of these things in relation to his life and teaching tennis.

In addition, E.C. learned that what one needs is enough and that enough is all one needs. E.C. thought of this idea and he remembered how often in church the priest has said that God gives us