Holy Week

He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground…

Although the actual word is never used in Luke’s retelling of The Agony of the Garden, I’ve got to believe that Christ experienced a level of fear that no other human would have been able to handle. He knew that He had a very short time left, and that the next 24 hours were going to be simply brutal. He chose to spend his last evening with those whom He loved- his friends, the Disciples.

I’ve always felt that Holy Week is perhaps the most appropriate time of the year to reflect on your life and truly give praise to God for all of our blessings- I’m not talking about the jobs, the nice houses, the cool bright red mini-vans (as oppose to the boring Mustangs of the world)- but instead our family and friends. That’s where it’s at. Witnessing my little girl come into this world a few weeks ago has once again reminded me of what an awesome and precious gift life is- something that simply cannot be taken for granted.

Marie has come to the age where she really is becoming quite witty, for a 5th grader, and has a refreshing outlook on life- don’t sweat the small stuff (like getting a C in English - even though her dad is an English teacher!). She has quickly grown into a classy young lady who has pretty much adapted so well to all that life has thrown her way. She was the stabilizing force for me during my divorce, and even today I'm envious of Marie's strength and passion for life. I can't believe my little girl will be joining the ranks of Hoban in just 3 years!

Now Josh pretty much goes through life with a constant smile on his face. Joshua’s teacher shared with me the other day a touching compliment that he is the type of kid who simply wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s true. He’s an extremely sensitive little guy, and really looks after everyone to make sure that we’re all happy!

With little Sarah, I think the best part of being a new daddy is that you can hold your baby in your arms and map out their entire life in about 1/2 hour, and they never argue with you! They just look up at you with a goofy grin suggesting something like, “Hey, you want to get around to changing my diaper sometime soon?”

You can look into the eyes of an infant, a four year old, and an 11 year old and see your whole life unfold before you. Each one of my kids brings a special gift to our family, and I really don’t think that Cindy nor I could ask for anything more in life. My prayer for everyone during this holy week is that we all take some time to really appreciate the gift of life and realize it was all made possible by a man from Galilee so many years ago.