Dear Friends,

I am finding that I do not have the time and energy to maintain regular posts. At this point, I will keep the site running and add material whenever possible.

Peace,

Philip

Joshua's First Baseball Game

Joshua and I went to a Salem Avalanche game with members from the parish. We had a wonderful father-son outing. He was absolutely memorized.

Claiming Time

As I was driving to a funeral, I began to think about my children. Pictures of them flashed through my mind. I saw myself lying in bed with them this morning. One was all curled up, thumb inserted into mouth. The other lay quietly behind me gently rubbing my back. Every day has precious moments such as these. As I thought about my children, I thought of parents who seemingly blow past these glorious events. I thought of those who are so consumed with other pursuits that the days pass, their children leave home, and all of a sudden the parent turns around and notices the wasted, unclaimed moments that are now history. I thought of myself and how I try to spend every possible moment with them. I crave it. I structure my day so that I can claim it. I don’t want them to grow up, yet I know that is a father’s futile hope. Oh that I could lay in bed with them forever.

The thought brought me to tears and I had to control my emotion simply because it was getting difficult to see the road before me. I dried my eyes and continued on the road to the funeral where sons who had lost a father and a wife who had lost her husband would be crying. I thought of my children and how they will one day mourn my death. Perhaps it would be too soon as with the gentleman from our parish. As I sat pondering this family and my own, the weeping returned for I thought of God sacrificing his Son so that this man could have new life. The love that I have for my children must seem so pale in comparison to God’s love for us, yet I know that I could never give up my child. Oh how overwhelmed with emotion I would be could I but grasp a fraction of such love.

I dried my eyes again and gave thanks for speed control. I gave thanks for Kleenex. I gave thanks for my children and for the love of God for all of us. I sat back for the rest of the drive accepting that I would never wrap my mind around this unfathomable love of God in Christ Jesus. I attended the funeral and was reminded of his grace. I went back to the office and then finally to my home where four of the most beautiful gifts in the world were waiting. I can’t stop time, but I can certainly claim it while I have it.

Quote of the Day

Meditation:

"What is written in the Law?" [Jesus] replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers...
-- Luke 10:26-30 (NIV)


Quotation:
I know the road to Jericho
It's in a part of town
That's full of factories and filth.
I've seen the folks go down,

Small folk with roses in their cheeks
And starlight in their eyes;
And seen them fall among the thieves,
And heard their helpless cries.

The priests and Levites speeding by
Read of the latest crimes
In headlines spread in black and red
Across the Evening Times.

How hard for those in limousines
To heal the heart of man!
It was a slow-paced ass that bore
The Good Samaritan.
... Edwin McNeill Poteat (1892-1955)