The Journey to Discovery- An Advent Mini series (chapter 14)

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 The next couple of days passed quickly.  My grandparents called to say they would be coming into town a few days early in order to beat a predicted snowfall.  It was great having them stay with us.  Between my school schedule and their travel plans, it had been awhile since we had been together and we had a lot of catching up to do.  Before I knew it, it was Christmas Eve.  We always went to mass on Christmas Eve and this year was no different.
  As we entered church I was happy to see Father Jerry and the Deckers.  We exchanged handshakes and hugs as I introduced them to my grandparents. "Father Jerry it is wonderful to meet you.  Eric speaks very highly you.  You have made quite an impression on my grandson," said my grandma.
  Smiling, Father Jerry said, "Eric has made quite an impression on me as well.  You should be very proud of your grandson."
  "Oh, I am," my grandma answered back.
  "Eric, I'm glad I ran into you.  I was going to try to stop by after mass.  I have something for you." said Father Jerry.
  "Oh, definitely come by after mass.  We would love it if you could all come over," invited Mom.
  "Are you sure we wouldn't be intruding?" inquired Mrs. Decker.
  "It would be great to have you guys over," I said.
  "Okay we'll see you after mass, " replied Father Jerry.
  The six o'clock mass was always crowded because the children's choir sang.  Looking around I gave a wave to lots of familiar faces.  There is something special you can almost feel at a Christmas mass.  Everyone is warm and friendly and eager to sing and participate in the mass.  I especially enjoyed having my grandparents next to me, it reminded me of my childhood.  I don't know why, but I was surprised to see Father Jerry celebrating mass with my pastor on the alter.  It made me smile. Tonight's mass just felt very special.
  Shortly after we arrived home, Father Jerry and the Deckers came over.  Mr. Decker seemed to be in a very good mood tonight.  He was very excited to tell my grandparents about his backyard surprise.
  "You know, I have had to call Eric every night since, because somebody has heard about it and wants to see it."
  "Oh, I know," said my Grandpa, "I'm usually the guy that helps him turn the lights and candles on.  I couldn't believe it myself, the first time I saw it.  I imagine seeing it from a horse-drawn carriage would really be something."
  "It was a wonderful surprise!" added Mrs. Decker.  "We have visited with more neighbors these past few days than we have the past year.  It's been a lot of fun."
  It was nice to see the Decker's enjoying themselves.  Mom and Grandma were busy in the kitchen and it wasn't long before they had a fantastic meal on the table.  Father Jerry brought over a large crockpot of lamb stew that he had started earlier in the day which was as equally delicious.  We all sat around talking and eating and laughing for a couple of hours.  My grandpa is an amazing story teller and he kept us entertained with his stories about the cross country road trip he and Grandma had taken.  Somehow my grandpa always seems to encounter people with very colorful and amusing experiences.  
  After dessert, Mr. Decker handed me two small Christmas bags.  "You didn't have to get me anything," I said.
  "I know but we wanted to.  This one is from Shirley and me."  Inside was a canvas picture of the Decker's backyard with all the lights.  "I asked one of my friends that came over to take some pictures  for us.  This one's my favorite."  On the back was taped a note that said,  "Thank you for reminding us to count our blessings!"
  "Thank you, this is great!  I'm going to hang this up in my dorm room!"
  "The other one is from me, Eric, but do me a favor don't open it until tomorrow," insisted Father Jerry.

  Christmas morning began with the smell of Grandma's special cinnamon rolls.  After breakfast we all sat around and exchanged gifts.  Mom loved the pearl rosary bracelet and it fit perfectly.  She was so grateful for the Rosary meditation book.  She had a tear in her eye as she thanked and hugged me.  "I can't tell you how much these gifts mean to me.  It was really thoughtful, Eric, thank you so much."
  "Your welcome, Mom.  Father Jerry recommended the book. He said it was really good."
  "I can't wait to read it then.  Hey, why don't you open the present from Father Jerry next."
  I found the Christmas bag Father Jerry convinced me to put under the tree. Inside I found a red, leather journal with a note inside.

  I showed the letter to my mom.  "So, can I call Father Jerry and tell him "YES!?!" I said unable to contain my excitement!
  "That is an incredibly, generous gift! A once in a lifetime experience-of course you can go! Yes, go call him!" Mom urged.
   I punched in Mr. Decker's number and listened to the ringing.
  "Merry Christmas, Eric!  Did you open the present?" inquired Mr. Decker.
  "Yes, I did!  Can I please speak with Father Jerry!"  My heart was racing as I waited from him to come to the phone.
  "Good morning, Merry Christmas!"
  "Merry Christmas!  Yes!  My answer is yes!  I definitely want to go!  Thank you so much!.... And I really like the journal!  Do you think I could borrow a couple of your quotes and prayers!.....  I'm so excited right now I can't even think straight! You can't see me but I'm jumping up and down.  Thank you so much!"
  "Good, I'm glad you like the present.  Give me a call tomorrow and we'll talk more about it!  Merry Christmas Eric!"
  "Merry Christmas Father Jerry!"

  I got off the phone and told my grandparents the good news.  Needless to say, we were all very excited.  I showed my grandparents the Divine Mercy picture Father Jerry had given me.  I decided that I would attach this picture to the first page of my prayer journal.  
  "What's going on the next page?" Mom wondered.
  "I'm not sure yet.  I'm going to give it some thought."
  Later that evening, I sat for awhile just looking at the Christmas tree, in particular the lights.  I thought about Father Jerry's comment on how we all have little moments in our lives where we have the opportunity to let the light of Christ shine.  I tried to think about different moments in the past year..... I looked again at the tree.  It takes a lot of lights for the tree to look really good.... I reached for my prayer journal under the tree and opened it to the second page.  I sketched a string of Christmas lights and then colored it in with colored pencils.  Underneath I wrote a note to myself.

      This year's goal:  Add as many lights to this strand as             you can.

  I suppose if anyone else saw my sketch it wouldn't make any sense.  But I wasn't writing to anyone else.  This book was going to be between me and Jesus.  I wanted Jesus to know that something changed in me this Christmas.  I can't really explain it, but I somehow see things a little differently now.  And even though I'm sure I would be helping Mom put away all the Christmas decorations in a week or so, I wanted to remember the strand of Christmas lights.  The light of Christ shouldn't be something you display only for the month of December.  I decided, this year I was going to try to carry it with me all year long. I turned back one page and said, "And Jesus, I trust that you will help me with this.  Merry Christmas, Jesus!"


-Susan

The Journey to Discovery- An Advent Mini series (Chapter 13)

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   "I can't wait to show you everything.  It really turned out good," said Eric as he and Father Jerry began their walk into the backyard.
  "How in the world did you come up with this?" wondered Father Jerry.
  "Well after we had lunch yesterday I started thinking about what you said about this being the year of Mercy.  To tell you the truth I had no idea what that meant, so I decided to Google it. I saw this one quote by Pope Francis that said, "Mercy is the best thing we can feel: it changes the world."  I don't know, I just kept thinking about it.  Mr. Decker has always been really nice to me and I felt bad that he had to go through something like this.  That picture of Jesus you gave me  kept popping in my head.  I felt like I should do something to make him feel better.  But I didn't know what.  I just kept having the same thoughts in my head-Christmas cheer, change of scenery, change the world.  I was listening to my mom singing in the car that one song..'sleigh bells ring are you listening.....beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland, and then all of a sudden I knew what we had to do.  I told my mom first and she loved the idea and then we just called everyone to help us.  It was a ton of work, but I think it was worth it.  I think he really liked it, don't you?"
 "Eric what you did was absolutely incredible! He definitely loved it!  I mean look around you this is awesome!  How did you know where to put everything without us even seeing you do it?"
  "Oh I probably know Mr. Decker's property better than  he does.  I spent my childhood playing here. I knew you couldn't see anything past the evergreens from the house.   I used to build forts in these trees.  My friends and I used to have these huge nerf gun fights.  We would start off in my yard, but we always ended up over here.  There were more hiding spaces.  I never really asked Mr. Decker if he minded, I just figured it was ok, because sometimes I would find small piles of of all our missing nerf bullets.  I was pretty sure he was the one who found them all."  As we continued to walk I pointed everything out to Father Jerry.  "See that picnic table we put there, that was one of my favorite places to hide." I said smiling. "And see how we hung the lights across the trees over there? Don't tell my mom, but one time my friends and I tried tying a rope from one tree and swinging to the next.  We all ended up with cuts and bruises after that great idea."
  As we walked towards the nativity seen I could tell Father Jerry really liked it.
  "Would you mind if we stopped here for a minute, Eric?"
  Father Jerry got very quiet.  He sat down and closed his eyes.  I was pretty sure he was praying, so I tried to remain very quiet as well.  After a couple of minutes, Father Jerry opened his eyes and said, "This is my favorite part, do you want to know why?"
  "Sure."
  "While we were growing up my mom always made a big deal about putting out the manger.  It was her favorite Christmas tradition.  She used to surround it with candles and poinsettias in a very similar way.  I'm sure Charles would have thought the same thing when he saw this. I remember how my mom used to give baby Jesus a kiss and then say "Merry Christmas"! This is definitely more elaborate but it reminds my of childhood Christmas'  ....... I just had to stop..... and tell God thank you.... I had to thank Him for answering my prayers tonight.  Did you know that you were the answer to my prayers?"
  "Me?  What do you mean?"
  "You brought back my brother's smile.  For weeks I've watched Charles struggle with his pain, and his anger, and his disappointment. I tried everything to cheer him up, and I kept praying for a way to reach him.  Tonight you reminded Charles how much love was in his life. He couldn't believe you and your mom would go to all this trouble just for him.  He was so touched that everyone came tonight, I could see how much that meant to him.  I don't know how I will ever be able to thank you."
  "You don't have to thank me,  I should be thanking you.  Reading your prayer book.... it changed something inside me.  I don't even understand it, but it's like you said, putting all your trust in Jesus is a game changer."

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The Journey to Discovery-An Advent mini series (Chapter 12)

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  Father Jerry took one step towards the door when Eric grabbed his arm.  Eric shook his head "no" and mouthed the words "Don't answer the door."  Father Jerry threw Eric a confused look and then said, "Charles can you get that, I've got something on my hands."
  Eric smiled and under his breath said, "Boy, you are really bad at lying."
  "What's going on?" inquired Father Jerry very softly.
  Meanwhile, Mr. Decker slowly made his way to the front door.  He opened the door and saw a tall gentleman with a black dress coat and top hat.  "Yes, can I help you?" asked Mr. Decker.
  "Are you Charles Decker?" the man asked.
  "Yes."
  "Well I have been hired to take you and your wife on a ride filled with Christmas cheer."
  "What?  I don't know what you're talking about.  I didn't hire anyone.  Is that a horse in my front yard?" exclaimed Mr. Decker.  "Jerry come here.  We have some kind of a situation here."
  Eric quickly brushed past Father Jerry.  "Mr. Decker this is a Christmas present for you.  Do me a favor, I need you and Mrs. Decker to put on a hat, coat, and gloves and follow me outside. Trust me, you're going to like this." 
  The Deckers did as Eric asked and Mom and Father Jerry followed suit.  As they walked out Mrs. Decker shrieked, "Oh my gosh is that a horse drawn carriage?"
  "Mr. and Mrs. Decker your chariot awaits you," Eric said very dramatically.
  "Eric what is this all about?" questioned Mr. Decker.
  "Mr. Decker just get in and take your girl for a ride," said Eric with a smile. The Deckers climbed into the carriage and Mom ran and got the extra blankets and the picnic basket.
  Mom smiled and handed the blankets to the Deckers, "Ok, you two better sit close and snuggle up in these blankets.  Inside the basket is a bottle of champagne and some snacks.  We want you to go enjoy yourselves and celebrate the magic of the season."
  Mrs. Decker was giggling like a school girl as she pulled the blankets around both of them. Eric went up to the driver and said, "You've got the map right, Tony, you know where your going.  Once you get passed these big evergreens you'll see the luminaries, just follow their path."
  "Don't worry Eric, I got this.  We'll be back in about 30-40 minutes," said Tony.
  As the carriage pulled away Father Jerry was shaking his head in amazement.  "I can't believe what the two of you just did.  Where are they going?"
  "Well you told me they could use some Christmas cheer and a change of scenery. They will be trotting across their own property except we've made it look amazing!  Passed the evergreens we have placed a path of luminaries with lights everywhere.  I'll show you later but right now we need to go ahead with part two of the plan. Come on I could use your help."
  As Eric got part two underway, the Deckers rediscovered the beauty and love of Christmas.  Shirley snuggled up close to Charles and smiled. Charles kissed her forehead and said, "Did you know anything about this?"
  "No.  I am as surprised as you are. But what a great idea."  As the horse trot past the evergreens Shirley gasped, "Oh, my gosh it's beautiful!"  There was a path of luminaries leading towards the back of their property.  The trees were all glowing with strands of Christmas lights and the branches were decorated with over sized ornaments and sky lanterns were strung between trees.  In one clearing there were four elegant shimmering white deer.  Another area had an LED snowman with surrounding Christmas presents.
  "How in the world did they do all this? This is astonishing!" declared Mr. Decker. As they neared the back of their property, the horse began to slow down as they traveled through a narrow path of trees.  From these branches icicle lights hung down and a picnic table lit with flameless candle lanterns was nestled underneath.  
 Tony stopped the horse and said, "I have been instructed to stop here for a moment and suggest you might want to enjoy what they packed for you in the picnic basket."
  Charles and Shirley stepped out of the carriage and enjoyed their moments of light-filled bliss as they sipped champagne and enjoyed some cheese and crackers.  For the first time, in a long time, Charles forgot that cancer had taken one of his lungs away.  Right now he was enjoying this magical moment with the woman he had fallen in love with so many years ago.  When their glasses were empty they climbed back into the carriage.  As they headed back towards the house the horse slowed down one more time.  There in the clearing were probably fifty flameless votive candles in the shape of a heart and in the center were statues of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger.  Artificial poinsettias were all around baby Jesus.  It was breathtaking.  Charles gave Shirley a gentle squeeze as he softly said, "Merry Christmas!"
  As the carriage got closer to the house they heard singing. As they drew near, the Decker's were astonished to see and hear about sixty people singing in their front yard.  Father Jerry came over and told Charles and Shirley to relax and enjoy some good old fashion Christmas caroling.  As his friends and neighbors gathered to deliver the spirit of Christmas to the Decker household, Charles hoped no one saw him brush away a tear sliding down his face.
  After the singing, everyone came inside to enjoy some hot chocolate and a multitude of Christmas cookies and treats.  Charles enjoyed himself immensely.  He had no idea this many people cared about him.  It felt really good.  After an hour or so of celebrating, people hugged and kissed the Deckers and wished them a Merry Christmas as they made their way back to their cars. 
  "Eric and Ann Marie, I don't know how I will ever be able to thank you for everything.  This was an incredible night and completely unexpected.  I have no idea how you could have done everything you did!"
  "Well it was our pleasure Charles.  Eric came up with the idea and everybody wanted to help.  We know these last couple of months have been hard on you and we just wanted to let you know that we're here for you."  Mom smiled and gave him a hug. "You know,  you are actually a pretty popular guy."
  "Hey Mr. Decker do you mind if I take Father Jerry for a walk and show him what we did?"
  "You mean he hasn't seen it? Definitely go take him.  Jerry you have got to see it. I wish I could go with you, but I am really getting tired.  I need to sit down."  As Eric went to grab his coat, Charles signaled for Jerry to come over.  "You know since my surgery,  I have asked God every day what I did to deserve this?  Tonight I'm going to say the same thing, except it will mean something completely different."
  Father Jerry gave his brother a big hug.  "I think God inspired Eric to deliver an important message to you tonight.  You are definitely loved and you are not alone in this fight.  You have a lot of people who care about you.  You're a lucky man."
  "I know that now."

(to be continued)
  

The Journey to Discovery-An Advent mini series (Chapter 11)

  

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Mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon making phone calls, planning and then buying everything we needed.  Everyone who heard my idea loved it and wanted to be a part of it, and the more people who got involved, the bigger the idea became.  We decided to have as many people who were willing to meet at our house at 10:00 am.  This was going to take some work and definitely some time. I hoped and prayed that I could make all this actually happen.  My mom and I were exhausted by the time we headed for bed at midnight.  Although we were tired, we were really looking forward to tomorrow.  I had forgotten how fun it was to work on a project with Mom.  We made a good team.
  My alarm went off early the next morning.  There were still some details I had to attend to before everyone came.  Mom let me know that a few more people had texted her this morning to say they could help.  When 10:00 came, car after car pulled up into our driveway and in front of our house.  People got out of their cars with boxes and bags of things they thought we could use.  I was amazed at how generous everyone was.  Some people even gave my mom money to help cover the cost.  We were a small army of about 35 adults, teens, and kids with a big job a head of us.  I showed everyone the picture Mom and I had drawn so everyone understood what exactly we needed to do.  Throughout the day, more and more people stopped by to help bringing even more supplies.  By the time 4:00 rolled around we were all exhausted, excited, and completely done.  This had turned out even better than I had imagined.
  "Remember we need everyone to be at the Deckers by 7:30.  Make sure you park down the street and wait in your cars until I text you that the coast is clear. "  I walked over to my good friend Joe and said, "You know what to do right?  Have everything ready for 7:15."  Those were my final instructions before everyone left.  Mom and I both needed to take showers and get ready because right now we both looked a little scary.
  Mom and I were dressed and ready to go by 5:30.  Mom carefully arranged an assortment of her Christmas cookies on her favorite crystal platter.
  "That looks good, Mom."
 "Thanks.  Did you find those blankets we talked about?"
  "Yes and I have the basket ready, too."
  "I can't believe we are actually pulling this off."
  "I know, right?  I just hope Mr. Decker likes it."
  "Why wouldn't he?  It turned out amazing!"  Mom fussed with the cookies a little more and then grabbed a bottle of wine.  She looked at me with a big smile and said, "So are you ready to go have some fun?"
  "Let's do it!"
  We pulled into the Decker's driveway a little before six.  "I hope we're not too early, Mom."
  "Were fine.  We don't want to be fashionably late tonight."
  I grabbed the tray of cookies and the wine and Mom grabbed her leather bag with the blankets in it.  We rang the doorbell and Mrs. Decker almost instantly answered it.
  "Hi, come on in," said Mrs. Decker.  "Oh, those cookies look fantastic!  Here, let me take that tray from you.  Go ahead and leave your coats on that chair," Mrs. Decker said as she pointed to a very formal Queen Ann chair.  We removed our coats and followed her into the kitchen.  Mr. Decker was sitting with Father Jerry at the kitchen island as we walked in.  I hadn't seen Mr. Decker since early summer.  He looked like he had lost a lot of weight and appeared a little frail in his now oversized cardigan. 
  "Eric, Ann Marie it's good to see you both," said Mr. Decker with a smile. "Come on in and help us eat these appetizers Jerry made.  You know before he came to visit I had no idea he could cook."
  Father Jerry chuckled and said, "Well I don't have a wife to feed me.  I had to either learn how to cook or starve."
  "So how was your first semester at Michigan Tech, Eric?" Mr. Decker asked.
  "It was good.  My roommate and I get along really well and we are both in the computer engineering program and have similar classes.  He is actually really smart and has helped me out a lot."
  "Did Jerry tell you we had a good friend that went to Tech?"
  "No, not exactly. He did seem familiar with Tech though."
  "He should be.  How many times did we go up there, Jerry?  Mom and Dad wouldn't let me drive up there by myself so I always had to bring my little brother with me.  That was probably their way of making sure I didn't get into any trouble."
  "Oh, if I remember correctly, you got into plenty of trouble.  I always prayed mom wouldn't ask too many questions when we got home," laughed Father Jerry.
  "See, I'm probably the reason you became a priest-I got you into the habit of praying," said Mr. Decker with a smile. "You know Jerry wasn't always Friar Tuck, he used to be a lot of fun."
  "Hey, I'm still a lot of fun," said Father Jerry. "And don't make fun of my outfit, I've been told that brown is the new black."
  My mom and I started laughing.  It was funny to hear these two brothers tease each other.  Conversation continued to be entertaining right into dinner.  I offered to help Father Jerry get dinner on the table as the Deckers and my mom continued to talk.
  Quietly Father Jerry said, "Eric, I really want to thank you for coming over.  Charles was almost a little jealous when I said that you had invited me to lunch, but then he actually got excited when I said you and your mom wanted to come over for dinner.  He hasn't joked around like this since I've been here.  It's nice to see him smile like that again.  I think he enjoyed remembering his college days."
  "I have to admit, the two of you are pretty entertaining."
  Dinner was delicious.  Father Jerry really was a good cook, his lasagna was fantastic.  As we finished dinner I took a quick glance at my watch-7:00, we were right on schedule.  My mom and I offered to clear the dishes from the table keeping an eye on the time as we did so. 
  Father Jerry caught me checking my watch at 7:15 and followed me to the sink.  "Eric did you need to be somewhere?  I don't want you to feel you have to stay here all night."
  "No, I've got no where to go.  This is exactly where I want to be tonight." I said with a smile.  Just then the doorbell rang.
  "Who could that be?" asked Mr. Decker.

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The Journey to Discovery-An Advent mini series (Chapter 10)

click here to read chapter one

 Eric finished the rest of his shopping and then headed home.  He wondered how he could bring "Christmas cheer" to Mr. and Mrs. Decker.  Eric was surprised to see his mom's car in the driveway when he pulled in.
  "Hi Mom!  What are you doing home so early?"
  "Well we were supposed to meet with some manufacturing reps, but they canceled at the last minute and my boss said we could all start the weekend early."
  "Lucky you.  Hey I have something I want to talk to you about."
  "Sure, what's up?"
  "I was Christmas shopping downtown and I ran into Father Jerry.  We ended up having lunch and he told me how Mr. Decker was having a hard time dealing with his cancer."
  "Did it spread?"
  "No, I don't think so.  It sounded more like it was taking a long time to heal and he was depressed about it.
  "Oh, I feel so bad.  I wonder if we should try to help some way."
  "I said the same thing.  Father Jerry invited us over for dinner tomorrow at 6:00.  He said a little Christmas cheer might help.  Do you want to go?  I kind have already said we would."
  "Hmm... tomorrow night... that should work.  Does Father Jerry want us to bring anything?"
  "He just mentioned Christmas cheer.  I don't really know what that means.  I'd like to think of something cool to do...you know to cheer him up.  Father Jerry said the Deckers were either at the doctors or stuck in their house.  He said they could really use a change of scenery."
  "Maybe we could bring over some Christmas decorations and make it seem festive.  We could bring over some of the Christmas cookies I made last night."
  "That's a good idea.  What kind of decorations were you thinking about?"
  "I'm not sure.  Maybe a nice centerpiece with some candles or we could buy some Christmas lights and hang them up.  I wonder if they felt up to putting a tree up this year."
  "I don't know if they did or not."
  "Why don't we go to the store and look around for some ideas," Mom suggested.
  "Let's do it."
  Mom turned on the radio and put on the station playing continuos Christmas songs as we drove.  We were going to stop at the florist first to check out centerpieces with candles in them.  Personally,  I didn't think a centerpiece would cheer up any guy, but maybe Mrs. Decker would like it.  I was listening to my mom sing when all of a sudden a fantastic idea popped into my brain.  Suddenly I knew exactly how to bring Christmas cheer to the Deckers!  
  "Mom, pull over!" I said bursting with excitement.  "I just figured out what were going to do and its going to be awesome!  We're going to have to call in some favors in order to pull it off."
  "Oh, I've seen that look before, what exactly are you planning to pull off?"
  I told Mom my idea and she instantly loved it.  It was going to take some planning but I think it could be accomplished.  We were definitely going to have to make some phone calls and head towards downtown to pick up what we needed.
  "Eric this is one of the best ideas you have ever had!  How in the world did you come up with that?"

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(to be continued)

The Journey to Discovery-An Advent mini series (Chapter 9)

click here to read chapter one

  Over the next couple of days,  Eric seemed to be pretty busy.  Friends stopped by to keep him company as he healed and to exchange college stories.  Eric thought it was great to see everyone again.  It's strange how you can go to school for years with people and few things change, and then after one semester of college everyone seemed a little different.  Everyone was traveling toward the future, but each person's path seemed to veer off in a slightly different direction offering varying opinions about everything.  Eric wondered if his friends had noticed these changes as well.
  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)

The Journey To Discovery-An Advent Mini series (Chapter 8)

(click here to read chapter one)

 Father Jerry kept flipping pages until he found what he was looking for.  He removed the paper clip and handed me the picture.  "Do you have this picture of Jesus yet?"  I looked at the picture and shook my head no. "This is called the Divine Mercy image.  I'd like you to have it.  I remember you said you weren't really into praying, but do you see the inscription at the bottom.  'Jesus I trust in you'.  It's very simple and it's a life changer.  Pray this prayer every day, put all your trust in Jesus, trust in His Mercy and then let Jesus take it from there."
  I looked at the image as Father Jerry spoke.  "What are these rays coming from Jesus' Heart?"
  The heart of Jesus is a fountain of mercy.  When Jesus died on the cross,  His heart was pierced by the lance of a Roman soldier and His Blood and Water gushed forth.  Jesus asked St. Faustina to have this image painted. According to the Diary of St. Faustina,  Jesus told her "the pale ray stands for the water that makes souls righteous.  The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls."
  "Father Jerry, I appreciate you giving me this picture, but it sounds like it means a lot to you and maybe you should keep it in your prayer book.  I'm really not very good at praying."
  "How do you know your not good at praying?  Did God tell you that?"
  "No,  God doesn't tell me anything.  I don't think He even hears me."
  "Why would you say that?"
  "Because I never get what I pray for."
  "Eric, prayer isn't about God doing what we ask.  Prayer is the way we grow closer to God so we can do what He asks.  Do me a favor.  Just take this picture and put it in your room.  If you have a chance to say 'Jesus, I trust in you', that would be great.  If your not ready for that yet, then just hold on to it.  You may be inspired to say it some time down the road."
  I didn't want to offend Father Jerry.  I could tell this Divine Mercy picture was important to him.  I did my best to smile and then said, "Okay, I can do that."
  Father Jerry smiled back as if he knew some secret and then said, "Well I better get that prescription for Charles before the pharmacy closes.  Thanks again for locating my book for me.  I'm so glad I didn't lose it." 
   My mom walked Father Jerry to the front door and then waved once he got in his car.  She came back into the living room and said, "Well that was an interesting afternoon!"
  "I know, right?  See, he didn't even care that I read his book." 
   Mom rolled her eyes and said,  "You got lucky on that one.  He really is a nice man.  I like the picture."
  "You want it?"
  "No, he gave it to you.  I think you should put it in your room and think about it,  just like Father Jerry suggested."
  "Ya... I guess I could do that.  So...what were you thinking for dinner?"
  As Mom made dinner, I headed towards my room with the Divine Mercy Image.  I placed it on my dresser and was about to walk away when surprisingly,  I changed my mind.  I looked at the image of Jesus and I said, "Jesus, I trust in You."

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Looking For Signs Of Christ This Christmas- Guest Writer Claudia

Of all the seasons of the Church year, Advent is my favorite.It is a season of hope and anticipation; a season of remembering and embracing; a season of quiet solitude as we prepare our lives to accept the reality of our Salvation.  

Every year I have the opportunity to go on a retreat with folks from a small faith community with whom I worship.  Our Advent retreat this year took place at the River House Spirituality Center in Monroe, MI.  The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) transformed the former home of their chaplain into this wonderful place of prayer and it was in this warm and peaceful environment that we meditated on the theme of “Becoming Mary in a Martha World…”  

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. Mary has chosen what is better, and it won’t be taken from her.”

  This is exactly what I needed at this point in my life…I needed to be reminded to slow down and sit at the Master’s feet.  The busyness of family and work often pulls me in many directions and I realize I am becoming grouchy and resentful.  Why do you have time to relax?  Why can’t you help me with all of this?  The retreat made it vividly clear that God has me just where he wants me to be right now and that, as a disciple, I must put myself at the feet of Jesus to listen and learn from the One who loves me in all my imperfections.

Isaiah 9.1 reminds me…The people who walk in darkness  

have seen a great light. 

 This was especially poignant to me this year.  Our retreat began in the darkness of an incredible foggy day.  By afternoon, as the day brightened a bit and the fog lifted, I was reminded again that God’s love always shines through!

The Journey to Discovery-An Advent Mini series (Chapter 7)

 to read the first chapter click here

  "Eric can you get the door,  I'm on my conference call?" Mom yelled.  Mom was a little annoyed that I did not respond and there was more knocking at the door.  She carried her phone with her to answer the front door.  She smiled at Father Jerry and motioned for him to come in.  She put her hand over the speaker and said, "I'm sorry, can you give me like three minutes to finish this business call?  Eric must be sleeping.  Make yourself comfortable I'll be right back."
  Father Jerry smiled and nodded.  He saw Eric sound asleep on the couch and sat down in the lazy boy.  He was admiring the recently decorated tree when Mom came into the room.
  "I'm so sorry about that," Mom said.  "I didn't realize I had been on the phone that long and Eric had fallen asleep."
  "No problem.  Don't worry about it.  It gave me a chance to see how nice the tree turned out.  How's Eric feeling?"
  "Oh, he seems to be doing just fine.  No complications.  We actually had a nice morning talking and decorating the tree.  Let me grab your book, I left it the kitchen."  After a couple of minutes Mom yelled, "That's strange. I can't find it. I know I left it on the counter."
  Father Jerry was about to walk towards the kitchen when he noticed something red between Eric's arm and the cushion of the couch.  He smiled as he recognized his book.  "Annmarie, I think I found it."
  "You did?  Where?" Mom wondered as she walked back to the living room.
  "I think Eric must have been looking at it when he fell asleep."
   Mom's face blushed with embarrassment. "What?  I'm so sorry.  I don't even know what to say." As Mom went to grab the book she "accidentally" hit my arm and woke me up.  "Eric,  Father Jerry is here for his book."
  I repeated what Mom just said in my head, "Father Jerry is here for his book."  It only took about 10 seconds for the meaning of Mom's words to sink in and wake up my brain.  I shot straight up wondering where I put it.  My eyes started darting back and forth trying to locate it.  Why was I even sleeping?  I was so confused.
  "Eric relax for a minute.  We found it already.  It was between you and the couch pillows."  I could hear the annoyance in Mom's voice.  She was using her "I can't believe you did that" voice.
  "Hi Eric!" said Father Jerry.  "How are you feeling?"
  My first thought was "Well I feel pretty stupid for getting caught reading your book," but I didn't say that.  Instead I think I mumbled the words "I'm okay.  Just a little tired and sore."
  "I'm glad to hear your doing alright.  Hey were you reading my book?  What did you think?"
  I thought for a minute.  Was that enthusiasm in his voice?  Maybe...he's not mad?  I didn't really know him well enough to gage his response.  I decided to just be honest and beg for mercy.  I was still too groggy to come up with a believable lie.  "Father Jerry, I'm sorry.  I should have respected your privacy.  I was just going to take a quick glance, but you have some really interesting thoughts in there....I'm sorry....I was wrong...."  I started to shake my head back and forth and look down at my feet.  I felt like I was eight years old again caught in a lie with no way out.
  Father Jerry laughed and said, "Eric this isn't the confessional.  But I would like you to say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be."  I looked up at him and heard him start laughing really hard.  "I'm just kidding.  That's what my friends would call a 'Father Jerry joke'." Next I could hear my mom laughing as well.  "Eric I don't care if you read my prayer book.  Did I hear you say you thought  it was interesting?"
  "Ya, I did.  I've never seen a book like that before.  It's actually pretty cool.  How old is it?"
  "Well I started writing in this just before the seminary, so maybe 20 or 25 years.  Whenever I find something that inspires me,  I jot it down so I won't forget it."
  "There's a lot of pictures in there, too.  Do you travel a lot?"
  "I don't think I would say I travel a lot, but I've been to a few places.  I was blessed to attend a retreat and conference in Assisi.  That is one of my favorite places in Italy.  Here let me show you the pictures so you can see what I'm talking about."  Father Jerry, Mom, and I spent the next hour talking about the places he has been and the people he has encountered.  It was fun to listen to his stories.  I could tell he was just the type of person that really enjoys life.  He made everything sound so interesting-even praying.  I was going to ask him about that quote by Pope Benedict when his phone started ringing.
  "Hi Charles....yes I'm still over here....what's that?....oh sure I can pick that up.  Is it ready now?.....Okay I'll leave now...I'll see you soon.  Bye."  Father Jerry put his phone back in his pocket and said, "Well it looks like I need to get a prescription for Charles.  I've enjoyed spending the afternoon with the both of you.  It was fun.  Eric before I go I would like to give you something from the book."
  "Really?  You have something for me?"  I wondered what it could be.

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The Journey Towards Discovery-An Advent Mini series (Chapter 6)

Click Here To Read Chapter One

 

 "Oh, I found Father Jerry's prayer book last night when I went to get more ice," I said trying to sound causal and not guilty of reading a priest's prayer book.
  "Where was it?  I looked for it and I didn't see it anywhere," said Mom as she placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me.
  "It was on top of the fridge.  He got me some ice when we first came inside."
  "Well I never would have looked there.  We should definitely call him this morning and let him know we found it.  I don't want to be the one responsible for a priest not saying his prayers."
  "I'm sure he doesn't say all of them every day."
  "How would you know?"
  "Because the book is filled with tons of prayers and quotes and prayer cards," I said without thinking.
  "Eric did you read it?" Mom asked horrified.
  "I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it.  Don't you want to know what's inside?"
  "Eric,  I know how to control myself and respect someone else's privacy.  That was none of your business."
  "Ya, I know, but I'm suffering from a concussion.  I think I'm having lapses in good judgement."
  "Nice try, Eric, but I'm your mother and you better come up with a better excuse than that if you want me to buy it."
  "Ok, I was wrong.  It was really interesting though.  I thought it was going to be some secret Latin prayers that only priests get to know about, but it was just a lot of prayers and quotes that made some really good sense.  It's like a collection of all the best quotes and prayers and none of the boring ones. As I was reading it, I actually wanted to pray along.  Isn't that weird?"
  "Why would that be weird?"
  "Because I don't really like praying.  I think it's useless, but there were some lines in there that made me think differently."
  "Eric, I don't know if I should be happy or mad right now."
  "What do you mean?"
  "Well it was definitely wrong for you to read Father Jerry's book without his permission, but do you know how long I've been praying that your faith would become more important to you?  I've been dreaming of the day we would be talking about prayer together," Mom said half laughing trying to contain her joy.
  "Relax, Mom.  Don't get too excited about me saying I found a couple of prayers interesting.  I'm still the same person who doesn't really care one way or the other."
  "That's a shame.  I was beginning to think your accident might have been a blessing in disguise."
  "Mom you're the only person I know who could think getting hit in the head is a blessing."
  "Maybe God wanted to find a way to knock some sense into you," Mom said with playful sarcasm.
  "Very funny, Mom.  Wow you're a real comedian in the morning."
  "I was just kidding.  Maybe you're the one who needs to relax now.  Anyway, we need to let Father Jerry know his book is here.  Do you want to call him or do you want me to?"
  "You can call him.  That way he can't ask me if I read it."  I said with a smile. "By the way, thanks for breakfast it tasted great!"
  "You are welcome.  Now why don't you go take a shower and I'll clean up and call Father Jerry."
  "Sounds like a plan.  Hey don't you have to go into work today?"
  "I called my boss yesterday and told her I needed to be with you today.  She completely understood and agreed.  Everyone knew I was pretty upset yesterday when I said I had to leave to take you to the hospital.  I'm going to work from home today.  I just have to answer some e-mails and call in for a conference meeting later this afternoon. "
  As I headed for the shower I heard my mom exchanging pleasantries with Mrs. Decker and asking for Father Jerry.  A nice hot shower was going to feel good right now.  I glanced in the mirror before getting in and noticed the goose egg on my head had some nice shades of blue and purple around it and it seemed to match the coloring around the scrapes my arms.  My knees looked pretty banged up too.  "With the way I look and feel I am not going to even feel guilty for laying on the couch all day" I thought to myself.
  Shortly after I took my shower and got dressed, Mom let me know that Father Jerry would come by sometime in the afternoon to pick up his book.  He had already left the house to take Mr. Decker to a doctor's appointment and some testing.  He wasn't expected back for a few hours. As I laid on the couch to watch tv,  Scruffy jumped up and laid next to me.  I guess the idea of laying around and doing nothing appealed to both of us.  We watched a couple of shows together before I started to get bored.  Nothing seemed to catch my interest and Scruffy kept trying to take my spot.  I noticed Mom carrying the boxes of lights and ornaments and placing them near the tree.
  "Want some help?" I asked.
  "Sure, if you're feeling up to it."
  I started pulling out the strands of lights and testing them.  I couldn't help but think about Father Jerry's comment about the lights being like small moments in our life when we let the light of Christ shine through us.  I tried to think about different things I had done this past year to brighten the world.  Obviously I'm not a saint, but I do have my moments.  I did my best to help my mom with all the yard work this summer.  I finished a couple of projects around the house before I left for school.  I listened to my friend Erin cry about her boyfriend dumping her.  I helped Mark study for finals so he could pass his exams.  And I did talk the guys out of that binge drinking idea they had-nothing good could have come from that. And I remember when-
  "Hey you're pretty quiet over there.  Are you feeling okay?" Mom inquired.  "How's your head?"
  "I'm alright Mom, don't worry.  I'm going to start hanging the lights and then I'll let you do the garland."
  "I've almost unpacked all the ornaments.  Eric do you remember when you made this one?"
  It was a cut out green Christmas tree with a giant picture of my face.  It was the typical grin of a seven year old with missing teeth. "Even without teeth,  I was ruggedly handsome." I said jokingly.
  We spent the next hour talking and putting up the ornaments.  It's funny how many memories of past Christmas' are connected to the ornaments.  When we were done I rested on the couch some more while Mom made some soup and sandwiches for lunch.  Surprisingly, it was nice just spending time with Mom.  I could tell she really missed me while I was away at school.  I think it was hard for her to be by herself at the house.  It had been just the two of us for a long time.  I felt bad that I didn't notice that before.  I decided when I went back to school I would call her more often and fill her in on my life.  I think that would make her happy.
  After lunch Mom went to the den to work on some e-mails and get ready for her conference call.  I went to grab a couple of cookies off the counter when I noticed the red leather book again. I looked to make sure Mom was busy.   I grabbed the book along with the cookies and headed for the couch. I just wanted to read a little more before Father Jerry came to pick it up. I figured I could read for a good half hour and then put it back before Mom would notice.  I had no idea why I found this book so interesting.
  As I leafed through the pages, I tried to find the spot where I had left off.  He must have done some traveling because there were some really cool sunset pictures of the ocean and pictures from Rome and Assisi.  There was a hand drawn picture of Jesus laughing with a personal note by the artist thanking Father Jerry for his prayers.  There was a quote by Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan that said, "The greatest mistake is in not being aware that others are Christ.  There are very many people who will not discover it until their last day."  Next to that Father Jerry wrote: "Christ is as close as the person next to you." I thought about that before I turned the page.  I always think of Jesus as just being in heaven.  How do you see Christ in other people?  I closed my eyes and try to imagine seeing Christ in people I knew and as I did this I never realized I had drifted off to sleep.....and I never heard the knock at the front door.

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The Journey Towards Discovery-An Advent Mini series (Chapter 5)

 click to read the first chapter

 I couldn't help myself, I really wanted to know what was inside.  I opened to the first page.

  There was page after page of hand written prayers and thoughts and pictures. I could tell that some of them were his own prayers, too. There were lots of quotes from saints and popes. I recognized some of the bible verses. The way he underlined and high-lighted different words made me look at them a little differently. As I skimmed through the book, I wondered how old it might be.Towards the end of the book I noticed he had starred this quote from Pope Benedict. "It is the blessed world of faith to which we are called, to walk without fear following the Lord Jesus Christ. And sometimes it is a difficult journey, one that even knows trial and death, but one that is open to life, in a radical transformation of reality that only the eyes of faith can see and enjoy in abundance." I had to read that a couple of times because I had no idea what it meant. How can reality be transformed by what only eyes of faith can see?  "Eric are you okay?" my Mom asked. "Are you in the kitchen?"

  I quickly closed the book. "Ya, I'm fine Mom. I just wanted to get some more ice for my head." I set the book back on top of the fridge and headed back for the couch.
  "How's your head feeling?"
  "Not great, but not any worse. Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine. You can go sleep in your bed. You don't have to stay out here with me."
  "I want to be close so I can keep and eye on you. I was so worried about you today. I said a rosary for you while you were sleeping."
  "Thanks Mom. You know what?"
  "What?"

  "I'm starting to think God listens to your prayers."
  My mom smiled, "I've never doubted it." Mom pulled the afghan back over me and kissed the top of my head. "I love you, Eric, get some rest."
 "I love you too, Mom." I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.
  The rest of the night I saw Father Jerry's prayer book go in and out of my dreams. At times it seemed to have a source of light coming from it. In my dreams I just kept carrying it around wherever I went. At one point in my dream it looked like I was lost in some kind of an underground tunnel and I kept yelling for someone to save me and they threw me the book instead. Oddly, once the book was back in my hands I easily climbed out of the tunnel.
  The next morning I woke up to the sound and smell of bacon cooking. My mom smiled at me as I walked into the kitchen.
  "How did you sleep?"
  "Pretty good I guess, but I kept dreaming about Father Jerry's prayer book."
  "You did? That's odd. Why would you dream about that?" Mom said with a puzzled face.
  I wondered for a second-truth or lie, which should I choose?

                                                                    

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The Journey Towards Discovery- An Advent Mini series (Chapter 4)

 click here to read the first chapter

  Eight hours later, we finally were able to leave the Emergency room.  The CT looked good, but the doctors said I did have a  concussion and mom should keep a close watch on me.  As we walked up to the front porch we noticed a note taped to the door.

   I hope everything is okay.  I made some of my famous chili for Charles and Shirley and have lots left over.  If your hungry just give me a call and I'll drop it off.
                 Father Jerry

  I looked at my mom.  Homemade chili sounded great right now, I was starving!  My mom smiled and said, "OK, I'll give him a call."
  Shortly after Mom placed the phone call, Father Jerry was at our front door with a casserole dish of chili.  "So how's the patient doing?" inquired Father Jerry as he entered the house.
 "I'm okay.  The doctor's want me to take it easy the next couple of days.  Apparently squirrel chasing will not be on my agenda for the next two weeks."  I said with a smile.
  "Father Jerry I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for Eric today.  I don't even want to think of what might have happened if you hadn't walked him home.  All I can say is 'Thank God!' you just happened to be taking a walk this morning.  It's funny but yesterday I prayed all day for God to watch over Eric and keep him safe as he drove home from school.  I'm glad God widened my prayers to include crazy tree roots and squirrel chasing!"
  Father Jerry smiled and raised his eyebrows and gave me an "I told you so" glance. I just nodded my head in agreement.
  "Well I hope you both enjoy this chili.  I'm kind of known for this back in Philadelphia," bragged Father Jerry.
  "It smells great and I am starving!"
  "Father Jerry would you like to join us?" my Mom inquired.
  "Oh, maybe another time.  I'm sure Eric needs some rest and I promised Charles that I would challenge him to a game of chess tonight.  I was going to ask if you by chance found a red leather bound book? It's my own personal prayer book.  I thought I had it with me on my morning walk and I can't find it anywhere."
  "I could look for it if you like," my Mom offered.
  "Don't go to any trouble.  I'm great at forgetting where I left it,  but eventually I always find it."
  "Well I'll certainly look around for it.  I apologize I have these boxes all over the place.  I thought Eric and I would finish up the decorating last night, but he wasn't quite up to it."
  "I noticed you had the tree up and I bet it will be beautiful once you get all the decorations on it.  Do you know what my favorite part of decorating the tree is?"  Father Jerry walked over to one of the open boxes of lights.  "It's the lights on the tree.  These tiny little bulbs of light are joined in a series just like the moments in our lives.  Throughout the year we all have these small moments where the light of Christ shines through us.  Day by day,  month by month, each moment makes the light of Christ a little brighter in the world.  Sometimes we don't even realize all these little moments have occurred until we stand back a little and take it all in. Just like when your putting lights on the tree.  While you're winding the lights around the branches you can't appreciate how pretty it looks until you take a step back and see the whole tree.   At Christmas I like to reflect on all those moments of generosity and love in my life, it fills me with hope and joy.  I think it's all those little moments that make a difference in each person's life, don't you?"
  "You know, I have never thought about Christmas lights like that before,  but I certainly will from now on.  You just put me in the Christmas spirit,  Father Jerry.  And after spending all day in the emergency room worrying about Eric, that is exactly what I needed to hear.  I think there is a lot of truth in what you just said."
 Father Jerry and Mom continued talking for a few minutes.  I felt a little guilty that I didn't help my Mom last night.  Maybe after dinner we could finish the tree.
  "Father Jerry, this chili is amazing!  Mom you have got to try this."
  "I'll let you two enjoy your dinner together.  Eric I'm glad you weren't more seriously hurt.  Let me know if I can help out in any way. Don't worry I'll show myself out."
  My mom and I devoured the chili in a matter of minutes.  It had been a long day and neither one of us had eaten lunch. "Mom, I'm sorry I blew you off yesterday.  If you want we could decorate the tree tonight."
  "Eric, we can put that off for another day.  I think you should just relax and get some rest.  Maybe we could find something good on Netflix to watch."
  "Sure, how about The Office?"
  "That sounds good to me."
  I don't even think I stayed up long enough to finish the first episode.  Mom had covered me up with an afghan and she was sound asleep in the Lazy boy.  I glanced at the clock. Was it seriously one am already?  I had been sleeping for hours. Without thinking,  I rubbed my forehead.  "Ouch! Did that bump get bigger?"  I remembered the nurse telling me to ice it tonight.  My ice pack from earlier didn't feel cold anymore, so I decided to get a new one.
  I was looking for another icepack in the freezer when something on top of the fridge caught my eye.  Since when did Mom start storing books up here?  I took the red leather book down and realized this wasn't my Mom's.  This must be Father Jerry's prayer book.   He must have set it there when he went to get me some ice. The spine of the book looked a bit worn, as if it had been well used.  I could see all sorts of different pieces of paper stuffed between the pages.  I wondered what sort of prayers would be in a priest's book?  They would have to be something special, right?  Priests probably have some inside scoop the rest of us don't have.  I really wanted to look inside.  I wondered....how big of a sin is it to look inside a priest's private prayer book?

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(to be continued...)