Last November, I received a phone call from Joe. He sadly shared that his father had died of a massive heart attack at home. The paramedics did all they could to bring him back but there was nothing more they could do to save him. I was stunned and I am still in disbelief. He was like a son to me.
In his memory, I am launching the attached photography website to remember his gift and generosity to his family and many friends.
https://fathermattkawiak.myphotofeed.com/
At his funeral service, I shared this memory of Ken. He loved adventures and enjoyed traveling to new places and along the way doing some unexpected shenanigans. In 2017, we travelled on a Road Scholar trip to Acadia National Park. On our way to Maine, we stopped at a dozen lighthouses to take pictures. My hobby is as you will see attached is landscape photography,
Ken’s hobby is wandering, especially to places that say “no admittance.” For him that meant there must be something interesting to explore so forget the sign that says ”too dangerous, government restricted or detours.” His attitude was fearless or perhaps reckless, “let’s find out what’s on the other side.” As I am setting up my composition, he would be wandering, up and down the shores and rocky coves, collecting rocks and stuff to bring home to his beloved grandchildren.
When we finally arrived in Acadia National Park, we began our walking tour with a group of twenty people from around the country. We hiked the trails 5-9 miles each day. During the tour, you had free time to do your own thing. That was Ken’s opportunity to explore new adventures not in the itinerary and this would get very interesting for you never knew what he was thinking or where we would end up. So off we are driving from Acadia to New Brunswick, Canada. Ken would be the pilot and I was his navigator recommending landscape sites to stop along the way. Our destination was a lighthouse claimed to be the most photographed in the world. It is located in Roosevelt Campobello International Park in New Brunswick that can only be reached at low tide.
Ken surprised me with this crazy idea. He wanted to find a local Canadian grocery store searching for some unique candies that were only sold in Canada. I had no idea what he was plotting, but I got the shot of that lighthouse that he had enlarged and hangs behind his desk in his office. We are now searching for a local grocery store, in New Brunswick, nobody speaks English but he is determined to find a candy called “Smarties.
It's a candy like M&M’s, however different in that they have a sweet flavor from the coating, followed by an almost hot-chocolate-powder chocolate taste. Ken buys 20 boxes of Smarties, puts them in his backpack and we drive back over the border to our motel for the night.
The following morning, we rejoin our group and we are back on the trail hiking Cadillac mountain. Our group leader stops us for lunch. As people are getting their box lunches out of their backpacks, Ken starts passing out the Smarties boxes to all our fellow hikers. They were surprised and delighted to learn that this was a unique treat for them to enjoy. He shared the story about this candy coming from Canada, but I can only admire his desire to surprise and bring joy to our fellow hikers. Ken’s generosity and spontaneity to do these crazy acts of kindness made me smile to have such a thoughtful, generous friend.
In the past nine years, it has been my humbled privilege to travel to many national parks from Banff National Park in Alberta to Crater Lake in Oregon last September. In Ken’s memory take a few minutes to review the images of our adventures and if there is a photo you would like to hang in your home or office, simply email your selection to my attention and I will help you with an order.
However, this photo website is an invitation to support a wonderful volunteer group called “Volunteers4Animals.” I have attached their website and encourage you to make donations to support their special work to save kitties and puppies.
Please feel free to forward Fr. Matt Photography to all your FaceBook friends for their support.
https://fathermattkawiak.myphotofeed.com/
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and for my spiritual son Ken. At his funeral, I asked the congregation: Is God calling you from a too self-indulgent lifestyle to one of helpful concern for people who are less fortunate than yourself? Is God calling you to some generosity of time and gifts? From his kindness we have all received a blessing. In the quiet of our hearts, in our prayers, may we forever be grateful for Ken's love and kindness and promise to continue all his good works and be a blessing to one another. Amen.
NOTE: At the end of Fr. Matt’s Photography website is a “Contact Me” message. Feel free to give me your thoughts, order a print or send a message that you want to take me along on your travels to visit a national park.
https://fathermattkawiak.myphotofeed.com/
