For me, tomorrow is Thanksgiving... for those of you in the U.S., you have to wait another day and a half. Last year I wrote about the Thanksgiving traditions of my family, namely the annual bowling outing started by my late maternal grandfather, Vincent Burkard. And, of course, let's not forget about the Thanksgiving gumballs my sister sent with me to Africa. As I recall, the cranberry sauce one was the best. The roasted turkey one was the funniest!! This year, I have a new story of thanksgiving for you, something that just happened today.
My father's mother, Josephine, was a very religious woman. She was so sweet in her way of living... humming songs while doing work, writing notes about not forgetting to breathe to herself, giving to others so joyfully and always, always speaking of her love for her King. You might be thinking that she was referring to her amazing husband, Bob, but you would be wrong. Although Bob was the true love of her life, the true love of her heart was Jesus Christ, the King of Love. Everything she did was for Him, and her simple and caring way of living reflected that love. Josephine died on April 21, 2006 peacefully in her bed surrounded by her husband and her 8 children.
Josephine and Bob's youngest child was named John, my uncle and godfather. John moved home for many months after my grandmother died to care for my grandfather. John was a one-of-a-kind person. I have met many caring and sensitive people in my life, but I think John was one of those extra special humans that go above and beyond normal caring. He had a lot of his mother in him, I think. John was raised Catholic, and although he did not practice the faith, he had genuine love for others in the way Jesus taught of. John died nearly a year after his mother, on March 30, 2007 of a sudden heart attack at age 48. He is monumentally missed!
My grandfather requested a mass said for John after he died, and my brother, a new priest at the time, said the mass and asked me to read the first reading. I didn't want to do it. I thought I would cry through the whole thing. But Mark told me just to read it slowly, say a prayer before I read it and it will be fine. I remember asking my grandmother for strength. I got through it, but I will never, ever forget that reading. In fact, although it is one of the most beautiful passages in the bible in my opinion, it is never easy for me to read it. I usually always say a prayer asking my grandmother to give me strength to read it. It usually makes me tear up to read it.
Well, today, during morning prayer, I read the reading, and it was the passage I read at John's mass, Romans 8:35-39...
"What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness or peril, or the sword? ... For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor present things nor future things nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord."
When I saw this and realized I would have to read it, I thought again, I won't be able to read this without crying... so I asked my grandmother for strength. And I read it, thinking of my uncle and his loving ways... of God and His merciful heart and of my grandmother and her unconditional love. And I continued to think especially of my grandmother all day.
It so happens that I received three packages from home today. One from my mother containing Christmas and birthday presents with a note with instructions not to open until the respective days... and I didn't open them, yet, one package from my sister Margaret, containing the same, but with no instructions, so I opened them, :), and one package from my sister Linda. Linda sent me my grandmother Josephine's rosary. A few weeks ago, she never could have guessed that today of all days I would be in what my Uncle John would call a "blue funk", feeling sad and missing him and my grandmother. Never in my wildest dreams would I think she would send me such a treasure... I didn't even know she had it. It is a blue rosary made of thick yarn that she used to wear around her wrist, and the yarn is blackened in places testifying to the constant praying she must have done. What a balm to my saddened heart this was!!
So, this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my grandmother who gave all of my family a beautiful example of how to live life lovingly, I am thankful for my Uncle John whose respect and care for each person he encountered was evident in his demeanor and the way he treated us, I am thankful for all of my family and for Linda who didn't have to give up such a treasure, and I am thankful to God for His Guiding Holy Spirit who knows what we need before we even have an inkling we need it.
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!! Enjoy your families and your meal, togetherness with joy. xxoo
