My Foster Dads

Some time ago, I had this problem of trying to dismantle mattress springs that were welded together with iron pipe. The frame weighed a ton and I wanted to take the frame to the recycling center, however, it would not come apart to fit in my truck. A sledgehammer would not budge the frame. God rest his soul, but Tony my 90 plus next-door neighbor came over to assess the problem. He returned from his basement with this special tool. He administered a few whacks in the right spots and the frame seemed to magically fall apart like a deck of cards.

Some men have all the rights tools. Advertisers know that men are more into their gadgets than flowers or chocolate. So Home Depot, Sears and Lowes are flooding their store shelves with every tool a man would want on their workbench. On Father’s Day, I like to offer my prayers for all the dads who have helped this “father” with their tools.

For Michael who patiently taught me the art of floral design, and Tom, who will bring a garden design to help me plant my first flower and herb garden. Then there are memories of Father Alex, who use to squeeze our thumbs and handout quarters during lunch break to all the children at St. Stanislaus. This was the same pastor who beamed with pride and stood by my side when I celebrated my First Mass at the altar.

I have been blessed with many “foster dads” in my lifetime, hard working farmers like Dick and Jim who taught me how to cultivate the land and Tom who taught me how to float and Jim for his help in surveying, and Ken for help in cutting the vines. Then there are the master craftsmen who know their trades: Rudy, Brad, and Mark who are masters in their trades and especially, Vince, the forester, who now is walking in the forests of heaven.

The blessings continue as other men have shared their spiritual gifts. I am humbled by my spiritual advisor, the professor whose faith and profound insights have fostered many reflections that show God is indeed by our side through the fears and pain of life.

My gratitude goes to Chet for his bread baking passion as I practice once a week kneading my pumpernickel recipe. There is Owen who took me under his arm decades ago and introduced me to the art of photography. It’s all about the light and not the technology, although I am grateful to Brandon, Louis, John and Glen who show me which buttons to push.

Then there is my dad who taught me that God loves all people without exceptions. A veteran with a passion to help his senior comrades and a faith that continues to inspire my ministry to bring comfort to the sick and hope to the dying.

Immanuel watches over us as we reflect: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” (Jeremiah 17:7).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine “foster dads” who have blessed me with their with amazing tools and talents. May these men know in their hearts that I am forever grateful for their unselfishness and care for their family and friends. One thing I ask of all my Sonshine Friends on Father's Day and that is to pray for all our fathers whenever we think of them.

Darkness Always Yield to the Light

A young man and a priest are playing golf together. At a short par 3 the priest asks, 'What are you going to use on this hole, my son?' The young man says, 'An iron, father. How about you?' The priest says, 'I'm going to hit a soft seven and pray.' The young man hits his iron and puts the ball on the green. The priest tops his iron and dribbles the ball out a few yards. The young man says, 'I don't know about you, father, but in my church when we pray we keep our heads down.'

Obviously, father should have kept his head down to make a better shot. When Jesus ascended to heaven, it appears the disciples were looking up. However, I prefer that we take this familiar story and take a moment to look within.

There are moments when we are in shock and disbelief. Imagine, Jesus is pulling away in a U-haul and our memories flood with the times we hung out together, sharing meals, shopping trips and life changing events. It’s more likely the disciples are crying their eyes out because their hearts are broken. Jesus can’t be gone. You can’t leave us again. It’s not fair. I don’t understand. How will I survive without you? You mean so much to us. And once again you are going to disappear out of our life. How dare you leave us! Anger, despair, frustration, what’s with this God.

Don’t you understand Jesus that we need you to “stay with us.” We miss your humor, your compassion, your encouragement, your wisdom and your profound insights about life. The disciples memories about Jesus would be unique and express their humble appreciation for everything that he brought into their life. But this leaving again is painful. “Stay with us.” I can more imagine the disciples screaming at Jesus as he lifts off the ground heading for the pearly gates. “No, no, no, you can’t leave us again,” as their sobbing becomes uncontrollable.

It’s more rational for me to think that the disciples would get upset, even angry that Jesus made this decision to leave. What’s so good about losing your best friend? The message is humbling and gut wrenching. We must surrender our need and trust that we will grow in the spirit of love. This surrender makes us more compassionate, more flexible, more understanding, more forgiving. We never like to let go of anything. We definitely want to be in control. The key message of this ascension is that it can increase our trust.

The Hebrew word “Ehyeh” means “I will be with you.” That is God’s name. That is what God is all about. God is the one who is with us. When we are faced with something that we don’t think we are capable of doing “living without our best friend, our spouse, our child.” God is the light shining in the darkness, and make no mistake there is darkness in the world. But God comes to reassure us that we do not have to be afraid of the darkness because darkness will always yield to the light!

Where do you think the impulse comes from to strike down your grief, to intervene on the side of the powerless? And who gives you the strength to do these things? It was because Lord was with you.

Immanuel watches over us as we reflect: “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” (Psalm 56:13).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine friends who have confronted the darkness feeling alone. Let your promise whisper within our hearts a voice to remind us that despite the hurt and pain God is always by our side to hold us up and give us the courage to know that all “darkness always yields to the light.”