I could make a big hoot over this inaugural blog entry, but I'll keep the intro short: in spite of cringe-worthy memories of my self-absorbed days on teenopendiary (I'm glad I deleted all that!), I am finding that journaling is actually a pretty healthy outlet. If only I could open each entry as cleverly as Doogie Howser...
Basically I just want to share the things that strike me as I'm on this journey - which presently finds me a youth minister at a Catholic parish in a small Midwestern town. If someone else benefits from what I share, great!
So, to the good stuff: Last night I met up with Erin and Jan not far from where I live- there's a crowd of young adults that meet up for Tuesday night Mass and then hang afterwards for burgers and a beer. It's a solid group and even though it's a small hike for me to get there, I really enjoy being around chill and faithful people my age!
What struck me as particularly share-worthy about last night was a conversation I had with the father of an old friend. Years ago, I participated in Franciscan University's "Young Apostle" program (which has now been changed to Franciscan LEAD). That summer, that group of teens was incredible! I met some amazing people - Nic and Carolyn were two of them. Even back then I could sense a chemistry between them, but for the last 6 years they have been incredible close friends, and both have dated other people. This summer, however, the romance finally exploded!!! To my delight, Carolyn and Nic are now officially making a go of the relationship thing, and Carolyn recently moved to Texas to be near him so they can better discern where God is leading them.
So, last night, I struck up a conversation with Carolyn's dad, who is a Spirit-filled man SO much fun to be around I can hardly capture it in words. I asked how he was doing with the move, since Carolyn left so suddenly. His eyes brimmed with tears, and he spoke with raw sincerity to me about how much he misses his daughter but would "rather she be happy in Timbuktu than miserable in my backyard". He told me how it comforts him to know that Nic is a man after God's heart. THEN - he told me that in spite of being happy for Carolyn, he misses her badly enough that on a whim, he and his wife got in the car on a Thursday night and drove all the way to Texas just to see her face. The way he described it to me was like this:
"You know, if Jesus had a cellphone or we could Skype, it wouldn't be all that satisfying. That's why he gives us his True Presence in the Eucharist. It's the same with Carolyn -I can talk to her on the phone and it's okay, but nothing compares to being in her presence."
I just beamed listening to him, thinking to myself, "This man is so crazy with love for his daughter that he goes to ridiculous lengths to show it. That is the way God the Father loves us."
It may be cliche, but I find that I need constand reminders of how outrageous the Father's Love is for us. Hopefully this serves as a reminder to you, too.
