In my last column I shared a struggle that has plagued me all my life, and the response from Anchor readers was overwhelming. Thank you all for your prayers, support, sharing, and outreach. Thank you. I am a blessed man. Truly blessed.
On Ash Wednesday, my boss and friend, Father Rich Wilson asked me and parishioner Sarah Parker to bring ashes and Holy Communion to a nearby senior center. Sarah and I have become very good friends over the last year and we were both glad to accept the assignment.
We spent more than three hours sharing the Body of Christ, our faith, laughs and a few lumps in the throat, meeting and praying with the residents. Sarah mentioned to Father this week that was probably the last time some of those people had someone to pray with before the pandemic stopped the world. I am so grateful for having had that experience and I think back fondly on it.
Thank you to Father Rich for entrusting that task to me, and thank you to Sarah for becoming such a good friend, and partner in crime.
I’d also like to take the time to thank our priests, deacons, Sisters and Brothers for finding anyway possible to bring the Good Lord to all of us during this historic period in our lives. Your sacrifices, hard work, frustrations, and innovations are not going unrecognized by your sisters and brothers who used to occupy the pews, which have now become couches, recliners and kitchen chairs. Thank you.
A huge thank you to all the essential workers is not nearly enough to show my and other’s gratitude for putting it all on the line to keep us safe, fed and healthy. Thank you.
And lastly, I have to thank my family. One never knows what the next day will bring and I would hate to have missed an opportunity to say to them, “I love you.”
While Denise, Ben, Lauren and Emilie are so different from each other, we share one extraordinary similarity — our love for each other. Thanks to Denise for putting up with a hopeless neurotic for the last 42 years. That has to be so difficult. And thanks for making me laugh. Thanks to Ben for your texts and emails checking up on me and making me laugh. Thanks to Lauren and her husband Steve for making sure we are well stocked and cared for and for making me laugh. And thanks to Emilie for her comical IMs and her phone calls and making me laugh. None of you will ever know how much y’all mean to me, but I’m going on record right now to make it public.
Last Christmas, the last time we were all together, was one of the best days of my life — although it took days for my ribs to stop aching from all the laughter. I miss seeing all of you (except Denise — she’s stuck with me) and I hope we can all get back together again some day.
And lastly, thank You God for allowing me to see so much good coming out of all this bad. Our God is kind of an awesome God, isn’t He?
