April 2002 Updates on
Mary Beth's
Journey
Links to other pages: Home / Pictures / Mary Beth's Obituary March - 02 / May -02
Thank you for your patience during my one week sabbatical from updating this site and thanks to Todd Shore for informing everyone that I could not update it. This was not a planned event but rather occurred because a lack of convenient technology in the resort in the Dominican Republic over Spring Break. We all enjoyed the beach, sand, surf and friendship of each others company for the week of memory building. We arrived back in St Louis in time to attend the beautiful celebration of our Lord's rising at Pillar's 10 AM Easter mass. Happy and blessed belated Easter to all. During our absence, our friend Erin Wilson received news that her leukemia is regenerating. She and her parents are in Houston at the MD Anderson Cancer Center where she will participate in a clinical trial for a new drug that has shown encouraging results for cases like hers. Please keep her and her family in your prayers for healing and strength so that God may keep them in the palm of his hands during these trying times. God bless, As I read today's gospel reading about Mary of Magdala not recognizing Jesus as she stood at the entrance of the tomb, it reminded me of a simpler time in our lives in the mid 90's one day at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Brentwood. That day was the day Aunt Joanie married Uncle Jeff Teckman. It was a beautiful ceremony in a wonderful venue. Joan was one of the happiest brides I had ever seen. We were all so happy for her that she had found such a great husband who stood by her side and truly lived the words "in sickness and in health, until death do us part." Another smiling face in the crowd that day was Joan's goddaughter MB. Now they are both happy and smiling for eternity with Mary of Magdala and Jesus. God bless, We had our first taste of Take Me Out to the Ballgame this evening although we did not stay to sing this song during the seventh inning stretch. After five full innings, the Cards down by 5 runs and William asleep since the first inning in a wind chill of 32 we packed up and headed home. We are convinced with the lineup this year that we will be sitting in similar conditions well into October provided the team stays healthy. Speaking of health, please keep Sheryl Ricken in your prayers as she undergoes surgery tomorrow and recovers in the coming days. Sheryl and my brother Jim live in Haysville, KS with their two sons Andrew and Casey. God bless, During my drive home this evening I heard the national news report that the bells of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem rang quiet today. The bells did not toll because the bell ringer was gunned down in the Middle East violence in Manger Square on his way to ring the bells as he has for years. It saddens me to think of the violence and hateful war that is transpiring in this little town and in Jerusalem, the holy city for Christians, Jews and Muslims. When Sheila and I were there less than 2 years ago, it was a very peaceful time and was incredibly inspiring to attend mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, touch Mount Calvary and visit the birthplace of Jesus, the Church of the Nativity. Let us pray for an end to this violence which has so often plagued this region for thousands of years. May all who have differences live side by side in peace and harmony. God bless, When we go out and experience the new fad of smoking, it really makes me wonder what these young people are thinking. When I was a teen I was completely repulsed at the sight and smell of cigarettes. It seems that today the fashionable thing to do is to smoke to fit it. Perhaps it is the influence of Joe Camel or perhaps it is blatant ignorance upon the part of the youth who participate. My astonishment comes from knowing loved ones who have died in front of me while falling victim to diseases beyond their control while seeing perfectly healthy people smoke to promote disease in their bodies. Perhaps it is all in your perspective, but my hope is that if you smoke, you realize you are shortening your life span and are not using the gift of life you received from God to the fullest. God bless, First things first - remember to set your clocks ahead and change the batteries in your smoke detectors. William has officially entered the sports phase of his life. Today he participated in his first baseball game. It is coach pitch and is geared to assist the kids in understanding the game and achieving success. It was a lot of fun and reminiscent of watching his three sisters when they were beginning their athletic careers. The Stapleton family had their guardian angels with them and at work this evening as they encountered a huge tow truck coming for their van head on in the wrong lane. As they swerved to miss it, they were all safe but their van was inoperable. The truck ended up running over a fire hydrant and trees before stopping in someone's front yard. Don't forget to say a little prayer to your guardian angel because you never know when you will need them most. God bless, "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." In listening to these words of Jesus during the Gospel during mass, it struck me that we all occasionally mimic the behavior of the person he was addressing with these words, his disciple Thomas. We did not have the opportunity to witness the Resurrection but we believe. The human element of our being takes hold from time to time and casts doubt on our beliefs, especially when events are contrary to our prayer requests. When this occurs, let us have the strength to cast away doubt and hold to our beliefs with more conviction than ever. God bless, We would like to wish a very happy birthday to Grandpa Willie who entered his upper seventies today and still acts like he is in his twenties. As you know, Mary Beth had a tremendous sense of humor and she laughed a lot. If you can inherit such a trait as a sense of humor, even a casual observer would surmise that MB got hers from her Grandpa Willie. She would lead her sisters in playing tricks on him and he loved the attention. One of her favorites things was to sneak up behind him and tickle him on his sides right where his pockets start. He is so ticklish there that he falls to the ground whenever this occurs. Mary Beth had him literally on the floor laughing on more occasions that one can count. Thank goodness she passed this trick on to his other 14 grandchildren so her laughing legacy continues. God bless, Barbie passed her first test of lengthy night driving tonight as she chauffeured William and me around. She did very well and was looking for affirmation every time she made a turn by doing all the right things. I ended up being the only one to comment after a period of time because her little brother fell sound asleep. However, she really could not get much better affirmation than having her brother trust her so much to fall asleep. God bless, Please say an extra prayer for Erin Wilson today. Fell free to use Mary Beth's intersession for your prayers. She seems to be having a positive impact on events of late. Erin has been admitted to the intensive care unit of MD Anderson Cancer Center. She has been having fevers on and off since her Clorafex treatments began last week. Her health care providers are uncertain as to the source of her fever and are monitoring her closely while she remains in ICU in stable condition. Bret and Christy are both with her in Houston and her sisters Rachel and Emily are scheduled to join them tomorrow. Erin has overcome a great deal to date and we are confident that your prayers will assist her in her fight to achieve health. Thank you for keeping Erin and her entire family in your hearts and prayers. God bless, When I drove into Chaminade Park this evening, I thought it was the middle of June. There was a flurry of activity with neighbors out walking, working the yard, kids playing and riding bikes. Almost everyone was wearing short sleeved shirts and shorts. William was showing his friend Brooke where the baby bunnies usually hide in hopes of capturing one to raise as a pet - what a surprise! Spring is in the air with everything bright green and the flowers in bloom. Spring Fever - Catch It. God bless, It seems like it was just last week when we were all gathered together in Holy Cross Catholic Church in Overland Park, KS for the baptism of Heidi Louise Ricken. Tonight we all gathered together at Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church to witness the Confirmation of Heidi Louise Elizabeth Ricken. Heidi selected Elizabeth Ann Seton as her patron saint. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first American born saint and founded the Sisters of Charity. Additionally, she selected Elizabeth Gelpi, MB's best friend from Kansas City, to be her sponsor. Bishop Naumann delivered a great message to the young people tonight challenging them to be the light of the world. He reiterated the words of Pope John Paul II from his St Louis. It was a wonderful homily that should strike a chord with all in attendance. God bless, One of the rites of spring in our home is the first trip to Soulard Farmer's Market which occurred today. Since Grandma and Grandpa Ricken were in town, William and I played host to them on our visit to this St Louis landmark doing business since 1779. You can find virtually anything imaginable at this site, including live animals for sale. Call it a weak moment, but young Dr. Doolittle conned me into walking away carrying a box with his newest additions to our family. Mr. Vet-to-be William is now caring for a baby chick and a young duck. Sheila said it just proves that there is a reason I never accompany our children on shopping trips. Look for the "Fresh Eggs" stand coming soon! God bless, Beautiful voices filled the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis this evening as the Archdiocesan Children's Choir performed during 5:00 PM mass. Each time I visit this magnificent house of God, I see another mosaic not previously noticed. I guess that should not be a shock since this is the largest collection of mosaics in the world with over 41.5 million pieces laid in this wonderful art. It is staggering to think that construction began in 1907 and the last mosaic was completed in 1988. Heidi and her comrades performed admirably in their tune up to sing in our nation's capital next weekend. God bless, This day will be known in the Ricken family history books as the day that William lost his first tooth. He is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the tooth fairy with his first tooth safely placed in a zip lock bag under his pillow. The innocence of youth is better demonstrated with a picture than words.
God bless, Things have not gone well for our friend Erin Wilson during the past few days. She continues to experience high fevers, rashes and her eyes have swollen shut on and off. The physicians believe she is experiencing an allergic reaction to the antibiotics she has been administered. They are uncertain which drugs are causing this and are working to rectify her discomfort. We ask that you keep Erin, her family, and her health care providers in your prayers so she receives relief to this suffering and discomfort and may continue her quest to a cancer free life. God bless, It has been five days since Will added to his menagerie of living animals and all of them are alive and well and living in our garage. In addition to his hamsters, chicken, duck and fish, he added a frog thanks to our friend and contractor Dan Meyer. Dan found a small frog while mixing the mortar for the bricks today and thought the most appropriate person to provide care was William. The frog escaped somewhere into the garage this evening when he was showing his neighborhood friends his petting zoo. Apparently everyone wanted to pet the frog and he had other plans. Interestingly enough, William was not at all upset that his frog escaped but told me he was probably better off to be free. God bless, When I was in high school, it really did not matter to me if I went to class or missed school for whatever reason. Luckily it was not an overly challenging academic environment. So far our high school aged children have loved everything about high school and could not wait to get there. Obviously MB missed a great deal of her first semester which was probably the hardest thing for her to endure and she still had a 4.0. Barbie is also a high achiever and had to miss a day of school this week because of illness. You would have thought the world was coming to an end as she insisted that she was going to school that day and cried because she was going to miss. Either kids have changed or school has changed, or perhaps both. At any rate, I am pleased to know that they are not following in their father's footsteps. The lesson to be learned here is to live each moment and love each moment because each moment is truly a gift from God. God bless, Heidi and I started our Washington trip with a very moving experience. We spent over three hours visiting the United States Holocaust Museum upon our arrival and were overwhelmed by the presentation. It is truly difficult to believe such an atrocity occurred in the history of mankind, let alone in the 1930's and 1940's. When you enter the exhibit you are asked to take on the identity of a holocaust victim and follow their life through the holocaust. Identifying with an actual person makes the experience so real. Let us pray that crimes against God's people cease. God bless, The only way I could think of spending a better birthday would be if we were all together as a family today. Heidi and I had a wonderful time today as she and her fellow St Louis Archdiocesan Children's Choir members performed at St Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington, VA. Additionally, the choir participated in the placing of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This experience was a very moving one as we reflected on the sacrifices of so many service men and women who gave the ultimate in defending our country. God bless, Today was another inspirational day of song and prayer as Heidi and the choir performed at mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The mass was a beautiful celebration in a beautiful structure which is said to be the largest church in North America. We spent the evening catching up with Russ, Sheila, Raymond, and Connor Rieling and reminisced about the old days at K-State in the DU house. Russ and I both concluded that our prayers are such that our children will not repeat the lives we lived while in college regarding reckless abandon. We are living proof that God is with us every step of the way. God bless, After a wonderful weekend in our nation's capital, Heidi and I returned home. We enjoyed our time there but are pleased to be home. One of the places we visited today was the Museum of American History. Inside were displayed the ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. When we walked in the door this evening, we were reminded of the words she spoke when she clicked the heels of these shoes together, "There's no place like home!" God bless, First things first. On the tooth watch, William is sleeping with his second tooth under his pillow this evening and is speaking the letter 's' as though it were a long 'th'. Before he went to bed he informed me that he wanted to, "kith my thitherth". Translated, "kiss my sisters." We all experienced a wonderful mass this morning celebrated by Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis. The all-school liturgy was held at St Joseph's Academy as a memorial mass for Mary Beth. We are all honored to have taken part in this celebration of MB's life and wish to thank Bishop Dolan, Sister Joan, Laurie Hart, and all the women, faculty and administration of St Joe for bestowing this honor upon our Angel Mary Beth. During the majority of mass there were tears flowing down my cheeks (I know - what a surprise!). This mini flood was prompted by several emotions, none of which were sadness. I was filled with an overwhelming feeling as I sat on stage next to Sheila and Bishop Dolan during mass and looked out over the sea of Angels with their supporting faces there to honor Mary Beth. To have this much love in one spot focused on MB and our family put the tear ducts in overdrive. Immediately following mass, we gathered for a blessing of a tree planted in memory of Mary Beth near the chapel. With a purple ribbon around its trunk, this tree is a constant reminder of the eternal life Mary Beth is experiencing. God bless, Our friend Erin Wilson has been out of the hospital for the past few days awaiting re-entry for her second round of treatments. She has overcome a great deal with her bouts with fevers, rashes, swelling and she received encouraging news from her bone marrow biopsy of last week. While things are going better for her, we appreciate your continued prayers as she enters the next phase of treatment on Monday. We know that prayers are very powerful, so please put these tools to work for Erin and her entire family and for her healthcare professionals. God bless, Some days are tougher than others when you lose a loved one. The peculiar thing is that you never know when it will hit you or how you will respond. When we experienced Mary Beth's memorial mass and tree dedication earlier this week, it was truly a high point. Yes, there were tears but they were tears of joy and celebration of eternal life, not of sadness. We have heard form several people who were emotionally drained from this experience and have had a difficult time this week. Our family has not been immune to this roller coaster ride. Please say a little prayer for Mary Beth's siblings this week so they may find love, comfort and caring among their peers. They live each day with constant reminders of Mary Beth's absence from the point in time they awaken to the moment they fall asleep at night. God bless, We heard from Ann Beermann, director of development at St. Joseph's Academy, earlier this week about an encounter she had with Mary Beth on Tuesday night, the evening after MB's memorial mass and tree dedication at St. Joe. Ann worked diligently on acquiring the tree and ensuring it was planted prior to Bishop Dolan blessing it on Tuesday morning. At about 11 PM Ann was awakened suddenly and sat up in bed. She was sweating and made it to the bathroom to check her blood sugar as she is diabetic. Her sugar level was very low and she couldn't get her husband's attention because he was downstairs and she was very weak. She made it to the kitchen and consumed some food to bring her blood sugar level back into a safe range. She thought it peculiar that she was awakened so suddenly to determine her sugar levels were so low. She considers herself fortunate to be awakened to correct the problem. Then she thought about the dream she was having. Mary Beth, Sheila and I were all in her dream just prior to waking up. She and Sister Joan believe it was Mary Beth's way of saying thank you for her effort in the tree dedication. We also believe MB was providing her guidance to Ann. God bless, Today was a wet, overcast, damp and dreary day in St. Louis. It was the kind of day that one usually associates with feeling down and out. Just the opposite was true for us today as we learned that our friend Erin Wilson received very positive news from her bone marrow biopsy yesterday. Your prayers are having a positive affect in that the treatments are eliminating the cancer from her blood and marrow. While the doctors have not declared her in remission, they have stated that it is time to start the process for another transplant. This, of course, has been the goal of her current treatments. We want to thank you in advance for continuing to include her and her family in your prayers. God bless, One thing I do not do enough of in my life is to give thanks for all that I am blessed with. This thanks, first and foremost, goes to our Lord. However, I would be remiss in not thanking my family, friends and everyone who have supported me in my lifetime, especially during the times I needed it most. I will strive to show my appreciation more often and make this a part of conscience state. If I fail to thank you for a kind gesture, please know that I truly do appreciate it - and kick me in the back side for not doing so! God bless, We would like to wish Madonna Atwood a belated happy birthday. Her 29th(?) birthday was yesterday and we had the opportunity to wish her a happy birthday in person. Madonna is one of the best math teachers we have ever met and was one of Mary Beth's all time favorite teachers and friends. The two of them developed a special bond from the point in time they first met. Mary Beth loved attending class with her because they would invariably end up discussing a topic completely unrelated to the math subject at hand and would solve the problems of the world during math class. Happy birthday Donna and many, many more! God bless, We attended the Spring Musical this evening at Our Lady of the Pillar this evening and the kids all performed admirably. When we were there I thought about all the musical performances we have attended over the past thirteen years since Mary Beth was in preschool and I smiled. They have dressed in various costumes with numerous themes and there always existed the same pattern. The younger the child, the more into the performance they are and the girls are more interested than the boys in performing. Maybe it is the macho stereotype cast by our society or perhaps it is the shyness inherent with most pre-teen boys. Whatever the case, it will always bring a smile to my face when I see these performances and put myself in the shoes of the boys on stage. God bless,
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