Catholic Dads » Darren

Mary and the Mantis

Darren — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:46:41 +0000

Took this picture yesterday as my students were being dismissed from school. It inspired the accompanying prayer/poem I wrote today.

Statue of Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary with a Praying Mantis atop.

Mary and the Mantis

Hail Mary, full of grace,
I sit atop this wonderful place,
The Lord is with thee!
Looking around at dismissal I see
Blessed are you among women
These parents, teachers and children
And blessed is the fruit
Smiling, laughing and cute.
Of thy womb,
I pray their minds will bloom!
Jesus! Holy Mary, Mother of God,
And as they pass I’ll simply nod,
Pray for us sinners now
With hands together my head will bow,
And at the hour of our death.
Praying for them with my little breath.
Amen.

Grease Monkey

Darren — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:39:00 +0000

I am not mechanically inclined. However, with the current state of the economy and a 12 year old Caravan, I have tried to become more so. My son has inherited my mechanical ability.

However, this past weekend, the brake pads on our “clunker” needed to be replaced. My 12 year old son wanted to help. I knew if I did the job by myself, it’d take me 3 hours. With his help, I figured another two.

To my admiration, and with very little supervision, my son jacked the van up and removed the front wheels while I worked on the brake pads. He fetched tools and was attentive. He even jacked it up a third time two hours later when we discovered one of the pads was grinding horribly.

I know we aren’t supposed to work on Sundays, but that time I spent with my self-proclaimed “grease monkey” was the best I have had all summer.

God Bless.

cross posted at MCR

Happy Thanksgiving

Darren — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:34:00 +0000

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise.

Your justice, love and mercy abound.

We thank You this day for all that you have given us:

For the Passion and Death of Your Divine Son, we thank You Father;

Through the Cross, He redeemed the world.

For the Church, we thank You Father;

It is our beacon for salvation.

For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to Your Son, we thank You Father;

Their witness to your Son is our inheritance.

For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us, we thank You Father;

Their love abides with us forever.

For loving spouses, we thank You Father;

Together we seek You.

For the gift of children, we thank You Father;

They are Your precious gifts to us and the world.

For the gift of our families, loved ones and good friends, we thank You Father;

Through them we see the reflection of Your Son.

For jobs, our homes and all that we have, we thank You Father;

Give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.

We thank You through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

prayer by The Holy Spirit

cross posted here

Good Catholic Son; Good Catholic Dad

Darren — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:18:00 +0000

This is my first post on this blog. I didn’t think I had much to contribute until now.

Recent experiences within the last eight months with my father-in-law’s surprise brain tumor has put alot of things into perspective; primarily the example I need to show my children through all of this.

My father-in-law, Bob, and his wife, Gail, are non-practicing Lutherans. My wife, Kathy, converted when we got married. I grew up Catholic and my kids, Nicholas (11), Rebecca (9), and Emily (7) currently attend the same Catholic Elementary school I attended.

Bob was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March. By this time, his left side was all but paralyzed. Within four days of its discovery, he was undergoing serious surgery to remove it.

We did not take the kids to the hospital that day.

Bob came out o the surgery fine. The neurosurgeon was pleased. Bob remained in the hospital for two weeks. He woke up a few hours after the surgery and was talking with all of us for the next two days.

We took the kids the day after the surgery to visit. They watched how Gail, Kathy, Bobby (my brother-in-law from across the US) and I interacted. It was awkward for them seeing their grandpa so vulnerable and weak. Before the tumor he was very active and stubborn – and he loved his grandchildren like nothing else.

Bob remained in the hospital for two weeks. He had a few seizures and went into almost a comatose state for six or seven days. Nothing to worry about, the doc said.

We brought the kids up every day to see him. It became less awkward for them. They continued to watch.

He eventually was able to leave the hospital and go to a rehabilitation center. He stayed there for three weeks and worked very hard to get his strength back.

We drove the kids 45 minutes everyday after school and on the weekends to see Bob. The center became a second home to them – and to us. I don’t think they watched us as closely then.

Since then he has had his ups and downs, but the kids have really rallied. They have such resilience.

He had a major setback last week. He reacted to some of his medication and his symptoms mirrored a stroke. Last Sunday evening we were all over his house for a couple of hours trying to prepare him to go to the hospital. We finally had to call the EMTs to transport him.

The kids watched and asked questions. I answered them as honestly and gently as I could.

We took him to another rehab center last night. The kids and I sat in his semi private room while he slept and Kathy and Gail were signing paperwork. We sat there for two hours, until 9:00 pm. They never complained. I was amazed.

The kids hadn’t eaten dinner. They were exhausted from visiting Bob the five prior nights until 8:30 pm, going home, eating, finishing homework and getting to bed late.

Why am I telling you all of this?

It dawned on me that I really shouldn’t be amazed at their behavior last night, or even in the last eight months. They only acted as they saw me act. As they saw Gail and Kathy act.

They haven’t had the best eight months either. With Bob’s ups and downs, they have frequently missed birthday parties, play dates, homework time, and our regular evening meal at the table. But I think they have gained something else – true empathy and respect for their elders.

Being a good Catholic dad means being a good Catholic son (in-law), and a good Catholic husband.

Keep us in your prayers.

Pax.