click here to read chapter one
There was only one more week before Christmas and Eric needed to do a little Christmas shopping. He drove downtown to hit a couple of his favorite stores. Eric went in and out of a couple of stores looking for something special for his mom. He was hoping to find something different this year, but really had no idea what he was looking for. As he walked towards the large department store he noticed a new store in the corner called "Forever Faithful". As Eric walked in he immediately saw an antique table with a silver plated tree. Beautiful crystal rosaries hung from the branches and underneath the tree were pearl rosary bracelets. Eric smiled as he picked up one of the bracelets. "Mom would love this!" he thought.
"Hi, Eric," said a familiar voice.
Eric turned and was surprised to see Father Jerry. "Hi, Father Jerry. How's it going?"
"I'm doing well. This is a great store. Do you come here often?" Father Jerry inquired.
"Actually, this is the first time. I think it's new. I've never noticed it before."
"Oh, I discovered it a few days ago. I decided to come back and pick up a few more Christmas gifts."
"I was thinking about getting this rosary bracelet for my mom. I think she would love it! She is really into praying the rosary."
"Is she? You know they have this great book on rosary meditations over there that I would recommend if there is still money left in the budget."
"That would be a really good idea. Can you show me which one?" Eric asked.
"You bet. I was going to pick up the book for one of my friends. It's a great read. I think your mom will really enjoy it." Father Jerry lead Eric to the book. Eric picked it up and flipped through the pages. It definitely looked like something his mom would like.
"This is perfect. Thanks for telling me about it. I'm actually very excited to give this to her. I wanted to get her something special this year. I think she missed me while I was as school."
As Eric waited in line to purchase his gifts, he watched Father Jerry pick out a couple more books. Eric was glad he had run into him again. Suddenly, Eric had a realization. I should do something nice for him. After Eric paid for his gifts he went back to find Father Jerry.
"Hey, I was going to grab a bite to eat next, would you like to come? It will be my treat."
"Sure, I could do lunch, but you don't have to pay."
"It would be my way of saying thanks for saving me," Eric said with a smile.
"Saving people is kind of my thing," Father Jerry said as he laughed.
Eric shook his head. "I'm guessing that's what your friends would call a 'Father Jerry' joke."
Father Jerry continued laughing, "Yep, my jokes are pretty weak."
After Father Jerry purchased his items, Eric took him to his favorite burger place. "Have you ever eaten here? Their burgers are the best!"
"No, I haven't but it smells delicious."
Eric and Father Jerry sat down and ordered the house specialty which Eric recommended. Eric was again surprised how easy it was to talk to Father Jerry. It was as if he had known him for years instead of just a few days. Eric talked about his friends stopping by and how he had noticed some changes. Father Jerry nodded and listened. He wasn't at all surprised. Then Father Jerry told Eric about his work in Philadelphia and the many people he helped. He also was involved with a young adults group. Most of the group was in college.
"I've been saying the prayer on the image," Eric mentioned.
"I'm glad to hear that." said Father Jerry.
"It really is very easy. It doesn't take any time at all, except now I have added to it. Every day it's a little different."
"That's good. I was hoping you would give it a try especially since this is the "Year of Mercy"."
"It is?"
"Pope Francis declared 2016 the Jubilee Year of Mercy. He has said that mercy is "the Lord's most powerful message."
"I guess I'm going to have to look into that. Hey did you see Pope Francis when he came to Philadelphia?"
" You bet. I was right there on Benjamin Franklin Parkway enjoying the World Meeting of Families Conference festivities and then the mass on Sunday. It was an amazing event. I'll never forget it. Everyone was so excited when Pope Francis came into town. It was great to see everyone just charged up and excited about their faith. Pope Francis made quite an impression on everyone, in fact it just fueled the fire to encourage my young adult group to participate in World Youth Day. Have you ever been to a World Youth Day?"
"No. "
"It's like going to a rock concert with people from all different countries and the Pope is the main act. It's an awesome experience for the youth of the church. "
"Wow it sounds pretty cool. "
"It really is and this year it's going to be in Poland. That's where St. Faustina is from. You know the image I gave you? St. Faustina is the nun who had the image painted and who was instrumental in spreading the message of Divine Mercy to the world through her diary. I'm really looking forward to the trip. I just hope Charles' health begins to improve. I would hate to be that far away if he needed me."
"Is Mr. Decker okay?"
"He's been through a lot lately. All that stress can really take a toll on a person both physically and emotionally. I think he's going to eventually be fine, it's just going to be a slow process. It's difficult to accept you suddenly have limitations that interfere with your everyday lifestyle. It's been an adjustment for both Charles and Shirley. They are either stuck in the house or at a doctor's appointment. A change of scenery might help both their moods, but right now that's not a possibility."
"I feel bad. I had no idea he was going through all this. Is there anything I could do to help?"
"I don't know....let me think about it ....hey would you want to come over and visit, maybe bring a little Christmas cheer with you? That might help."
"I guess I could. I'm sure my mom would want to come, too. I could ask her if tomorrow would be good."
"I think tomorrow would work. Do you want to come for dinner say 6:00?"
"Ok. I'll have my mom call if that doesn't work for her."
"I think this is a good idea. I think running into you today was quite a blessing."
"Well it's not everyday I hear that."
(to be continued)
"Is Mr. Decker okay?"
"He's been through a lot lately. All that stress can really take a toll on a person both physically and emotionally. I think he's going to eventually be fine, it's just going to be a slow process. It's difficult to accept you suddenly have limitations that interfere with your everyday lifestyle. It's been an adjustment for both Charles and Shirley. They are either stuck in the house or at a doctor's appointment. A change of scenery might help both their moods, but right now that's not a possibility."
"I feel bad. I had no idea he was going through all this. Is there anything I could do to help?"
"I don't know....let me think about it ....hey would you want to come over and visit, maybe bring a little Christmas cheer with you? That might help."
"I guess I could. I'm sure my mom would want to come, too. I could ask her if tomorrow would be good."
"I think tomorrow would work. Do you want to come for dinner say 6:00?"
"Ok. I'll have my mom call if that doesn't work for her."
"I think this is a good idea. I think running into you today was quite a blessing."
"Well it's not everyday I hear that."
(to be continued)
