DaddyRoBlog

Beach Party, 1983

Sometimes people say, “Those were some of the best years of my life.”  I appreciate what is being expressed in that statement, but it’s something I’d have a hard time saying myself. 

The simple reason is that most every year of my life has been “one of the best years of my life”.  That is true for different reasons and in different ways depending on the year, of course, but there has pretty much always been something to be excited about, thankful for, and which gives enthusiastic cause for celebration. 

So when it comes right down to it, I’d have a hard time saying any one year was better than another—they’ve all been pretty darn good, better probably than I ever had a right to expect.

As a case in point, I loved the years when I was privileged to work as a full time Youth Minister.  I couldn’t believe I got paid for all the fun I was having (which, come to think of it, I often find myself still thinking.)  The kids were great, and the team of people I ministered with was an absolute delight.  I continue to value many of those relationships to this day, 25 years later.

So here is a picture for old time’s sake (I’m thankful that my Dad has resurrected some of these old pics and given them to me on a couple CDs).    This is our Beach Party in 1983.  Of course it was held in the dead of a western PA winter, with lots of snow on the ground and temperatures well below freezing!

That's My Girl

Joining the Cold Knights Club

My Fast Food Foray

Our church is taking four mission trips this year; we’re going to Belize, South Africa, Philadelphia, and Mississippi (different people go on different trips).  Typically, the church pays a portion of the cost, individuals pay a portion of the cost (if they have it; we give scholarships if they don’t), and we all work together to raise a portion of the cost as well.  This year we need to raise about $30,000.

As you can probably imagine, that in itself takes a lot of work.  Last night, for instance, one of our folks set up a deal with Chick-fil-A.  They  agreed to give us a portion of their profits during a 3 hour period in the evening.  We, in turn, encouraged everyone we could to eat there that evening, and Tom and I worked behind the counter filling people’s drink orders.

It was actually a lot of fun.  We got to know the people we were working with, and of course had the opportunity to interact with all the people coming in.  For what started out as a slow night (the manager,  a really nice guy who had done a mission trip to China, showed me the sales figures)  business really picked up as we absolutely filled the place.  I loved looking out and seeing everyone, young and a bit less young, gathered around the tables talking and laughing.

And I only broke the Lemonade machine once.  I turned the lever that controlled the flow the wrong way.  It broke off.    I couldn’t stop the lemonade that was pouring and so began frantically trying to fill additional cups before we were flooded in lemonade (and before Tom saw I had broke it).  Fortunately, one of the other workers saw what was happening and just snapped the lever back on and that was that. 

Culture Clash

I walked into the gym today and the owner, a nice guy who trains there and with whom I occasionally talk, immediately asked me if I had “plastered the gym with religious pamphlets.”

“It wasn’t me,” I said.

“You know the ones I mean?” he asked. 

“Not specifically,” I answered, “ but I think I know the type of material you are talking about.  We call them tracts.”

“They’d be kinda funny,” he replied, “if they weren’t in such poor taste. Anyway, someone stuck them all over the locker room.  I know you sometimes talk about your faith, so I thought it might be you.”

“I’d like to think I do it a little differently,” I responded.  “You’ve known me a couple years now.  We’ve talked about faith, but I’d like to think I’ve been respectful about it.  Besides, tracts really aren’t my style.  I’d rather talk about faith in the context of my larger relationship with someone. We’d probably been talking over a year before you even knew I was a priest.  We didn’t talk about faith until we’d first talked training.”

“Yeah,” he said.  “And speaking of that, I better get to it.”

“Me too,” I agreed.  “Work hard and have a good workout.”

Bringing Out the Best

I think one of the toughest things about being a parent is figuring out the balance between accepting our kids for who they are and pushing them to become who they can be.

I thought of this while at the funeral last Saturday.  The son of the deceased was one of the people who did the eulogy.  Though deaf, he spoke amazingly well.  He had an interpreter by his side just in case, but he never needed her.   His tribute to his mom was heartfelt and deeply affecting.

One of the stories he told was that as a kid who couldn’t hear, he wasn’t interested in words but in pictures.  He approached the world through his eyes and not his ears, so the books he loved were the ones with pictures.

One day his mom brought a book home for him—Black Beauty.  He saw the cover with a picture of a big, beautiful black horse on it, and was immediately excited to look inside the book for more pictures.  But when he started leafing through it, there were no pictures to be found.

He complained bitterly to his mom, but she was resolute in letting him know that was the only book he was going to get until he read it.  So he dove in and read it, sort of, because he said only understood about 10 words.  But those 10 words were enough, and from that experience he began to fall in love with reading until he became a bookworm surrounded by books.  "It was all thanks to you," he said, looking towards his mother’s casket (he now teaches at a college in northern California).

As I said, it was a very touching story, but also one that made me think about my own parenting and how it is I might call forth the best in my kids as well.

Like Daughter, Like Father

When my oldest daughter was home over Christmas, she backed out of our driveway into the neighbor’s car (a nice Infiniti G35).   The only problem was that the way I found out about it was from her Facebook wall (basically a message board).  She then promptly kicked me off her wall, which I suppose I can’t blame her.  Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

Well, yesterday I backed into a car myself.   It happened during the funeral procession.  Remember I said I sat at the light watching in amazement as two cars proceeded to muscle around the hearse?

Well, actually I did a little more than just watch.  The hearse couldn’t make the turn all at once, so it had to back up to get a better angle on it.  That meant I had to back up too—right into the car behind me.  Did I mention it was the rental car of the son of the deceased who had just flown in from LA and waived any form of insurance?

When we got the graveside we got out and inspected the cars (being 15 years old, mine just got a new paint job as well).  Fortunately there was no damage to either vehicle, and the son and I both breathed a sigh of relief.

Just please don’t tell my oldest daughter.  Thanks.

In Quite a Hurry

I did a funeral today where we went to the cemetery afterwards for the burial.   That involved a funeral procession of maybe 10 cars.  At 2 different points other cars refused to yield to the procession and muscled right in.   

One of those points was at a light where a U turn was necessary to get back to the entrance of the cemetery on the other side of a divided highway.  While the hearse was making this turn, the light from the opposing direction turned green.  The two cars sitting at that light pulled to within inches of the hearse, trying somehow to force their way through.  I just watched in amazement as they managed to box the hearse in and squeeze around it.

As we pulled into the cemetery, I couldn’t help but notice those same two cars sitting at a red light about a fifty yards down the road…

Woods and Wonder

Linda and the girls got the day off school today due to a “non-event”.  We were supposed to have a major winter storm, but it never materialized.  Though there was a light glazing of ice at dawn, by 8AM the temperature was above freezing and the precipitation turned to a misty rain. 

That meant Linda and I had a chance to take a long and leisurely walk through the woods.  We saw several deer, and though I have been walking in the woods hoping to glimpse deer since I was kid  (and have probably seen hundreds of them), I never get tired of seeing them.  It still gives me a thrill to see their big white tails lifted high in the air, seeming to bounce up and down as they leap through thickets of briars and branches.

A special treat was that we also saw a big owl.  We heard it calling with that classic “wh-whooo” and knew it was close, but I didn’t really expect to see it.  But suddenly there it was, flying out of a tree right beside the trail.

I don’t think awe and wonder are ever too far away; we just have to make the extra effort to see them.   

A Night at the Gym

Tonight I went with my wife and a good friend to the gym.  They did cardio (my wife on a bike, our friend on the Stairmaster) while I did my workout back in the free weight area.  Then I walked them through various machines, explaining technique and the body parts the different machines work, and how the different machines could be combined to provide an effective workout.   They were enthusiastic learners, so it made it a lot of fun.

It’s always nice, I think, to share what we enjoy with others. 

And it’s even nicer still when they enjoy it too.

Keeping Company with Jesus

That’s the title of our Lenten Series this year.  It’s a look at the lives of 4 of the 12 apostles.  Our purpose in doing this isn’t primarily historical, however.  It’s to think more, in very concrete and practical terms, about what it means for us to keep company with Jesus now.

Despite a small snow storm just before the program began, I was pleased with how many people showed up and made “keeping company with Jesus” a priority. 

As I prepared to talk about the Apostle John tonight, I was amazed that even after studying the Bible all these years that I still learn so much from it, and that the fresh things I’m learning can still so profoundly touch my heart. 

It was also very encouraging to see people talking about life and faith and then praying together when they were done. 

All that and I still got home with plenty of time to see the lunar eclipse.  It’s been a good night.