The father of a dear friend of mine passed away last night.  As a loving son, my buddy (John Falconetti) shared the news with a heavy heart.  However, on this Palm Sunday, his words had extra meaning for me.  John loved his dad and his dad loved John…and his email below is proof positive that God loves us too.  As dads, take solace in John’s words.  Because of what we dads do and how we do it, our lives have tremendous impact on our kids.  Read how John’s dad impacted him and let that be an inspiration for all of us:

Dear Friends: It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that Dad passed away late last night, just before midnight. He lived a full life. He loved deeply, laughed loudly and gave generously. Dad was never one to go quietly into the night, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he fought harder and longer than any physician could have predicted. He was a true fighter, and touched so many lives in so many ways.

Seeing Dad fight these last few days, I have to believe that part of God’s plan was to take this loss and help us appreciate this coming Holy Week that much more. Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. In my heart, I think this is the day that Dad triumphantly entered into heaven, and rejoices in eternal peace. As we move towards Easter this coming Sunday, we will be reminded how Jesus sacrificed himself for the forgiveness of our sins, gave us hope for salvation and rose from the dead. This act is why I know Dad rests in Heaven tonight.

God bless, 

John

Hugh Michael and his best buddy enjoying a terrific day!

Here’s a post I wrote a couple of years ago.  Thankfully, the subject of this post is home safely today enjoying the holidays with her family.  However, not everyone is so fortunate.  Please pray for the children and their parents who are in the hospital today.  

I spent part of my Christmas Eve morning (2010) at the pediatric intensive care unit of a local children’s hospital. Hugh Michael’s best buddy has been there for two weeks with a respiratory illness…and is likely to be there for another week or so.

So for our little friend and her mom and dad, that means Christmas Day in the hospital…I sure hope Santa knows the way to ICU.

Christmas is made for kids. The lights, the presents and the laughter.

And the day is supposed to be spent trying out all the new toys…not worrying about oxygen levels, medicine and doctors.

Being there is the hospital today sure put things in perspective. I asked mom and dad how they planned to spend their Christmas Day in the hospital and what we could do to make it more enjoyable.

Their answer, while not surprising, was incredibly simple.

They said, “We just want a normal day. No drama, no excitement…just normal.”

So that’s my hope and prayer this Christmas.

Healing and recovery for our little friend…and an incredibly normal, hopefully boring, day for her parents.

Surely Santa can fit that in their stocking!

Peg-leg Pete appears as an arch-nemesis and the main antagonist in Mickey Mouse universe stories.

A couple of years ago, my then two-year-old son, Hugh Michael, and I were watching another episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I saw a character named Pete…the sometimes nice, sometimes mean antagonist of the show.

I asked Hugh Michael, “Is Pete nice or mean?”

He just looked at me and stared.

I realized that my son didn’t know the difference between nice and mean — nor does any other two-year-old. People are just people to them…and from a toddler’s perspective there’s probably some manner of goodness in everyone.

What a great way to see the world…no mean…just nice.

At the very least, Hugh Michael gets a smile out of most people. Some wave or wink. Still others come over and give him a soft tickle. Those closest to him make sure his every need is met…a diaper changed, a meal provided, a book read at night, a warm hug or a toy-filled bath.

Maybe we adults could learn a lesson from the expectations of a two-year-old.

What a place it would be if we didn’t distinguish between nice and mean. What if we saw every person as a benevolent soul who might, at the very least, offer a wave or a smile? What if we assumed good lurked around every corner, as opposed to fearing the shadows of today’s world?

What if, rather than hurrying past our fellow man, we found the time to encounter other humans as folks encounter small children? Offer a warm hello, a hearty laugh…or a meal or shelter to those who cannot provide for themselves.

We do very little of this because, over time, we became sceptics, jaded by realities or hurtful personal experiences. Stress and anxiety, and sometimes paranoia, have taken over.

Two-year-olds live with a sort of peace that I envy…because they take people as they come…no preconceived notions, no haughty expectations and no presumptuous thoughts.

We saw the world that way when we were young, so we have the capacity to do it again.

No mean…just nice…the way Hugh Michael says it should be.