Onward onward

After my dad passed last Spring things moved fast for a while. He had his physical ailments yes but it was a beautiful march toward his little Calvary.

He loved the gifts that God had given him of family and friends and above all Faith. I was driving home alone from Cleveland today and passed some of the places that we went together in years past on our occasional fun excursions. I will admit that it brought me to tears while I was driving but I knew that he would be wanting me to "move forward son!" Don't get stuck in the past.

The same goes for my mom. She told me a long time ago that when the time comes Dan, just go live your life and don't worry about me. She knew the toll I was taking physically and emotionally as a caregiver as I did my best to look after myself and them as well.

Then, God just took it out of my hands. We all had our Faith to help us joyfully move forward at that time and as comforting as my private memories of those years are, God is always there telling me to move forward as well.

That takes trust. It was hard for me to fail in so many ways as a younger man and I agonized about that for a long time because I didn't recognize the great gift the Lord was bestowing on me by allowing me to be there for my parents (believe me though, it was mutual) to witness their walks with Him.

I have stated elsewhere that I am a Christian with a background of Orthodox, Catholic and people that just know that they are sinners and rely on the Word of God, Christ for everything.

The labels have kind of fallen away for me personally. God the Father has been in my life as a child and a young adult and now as I am rapidly reaching forward for my 59th birthday soon.

If pressed for an answer I would state outright that I am a Catholic Christian. The worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist changed my life for the better as a young man.

Have there been hard times? You bet. But here I am sharing my love for God's Mercy and guiding Hand. An old Dominican priest once told me that the symbol of Catholic Christianity has always been the Crucifix.

It was there He died for us and then rose again to walk with us and ascend to the right Hand of the Father. God is Good. Don't let anybody tell you different.

The Holy Bible is The Word of God. It is the perfect Book. I pray the Holy Spirit moves you to find one and open it.

It is Light for the mind and the world. It will change your life for the better. It is full of sinners like you and me that need God's Holy Grace every day to move forward with Him.

Only God truly knows what awaits us and for that I am grateful. I know that I am not God and must trust that He knows what is best for me.