From the Deacon's Desk

I was cleaning out some old files and came across this reflection I wrote 15+ years ago:

Carol and I spent three days last week babysitting our grandson, Joseph, while his parents went out of town. He is eight months old now, so he is not just a ‘lay around’ baby anymore. He is mobile, crawling everywhere he can and pulling himself up to any piece of furniture he finds. There he will stand for a minute or two until his chubby little legs give out. He then plops to the floor and moves on to the next piece of furniture. He laughs and plays and has his own little personality now.

Mary, our daughter and Joseph’s mom, left us with a document she titled: Joseph Oscar Fuhs: A User’s Guide. In it Mary detailed the different facial expressions and noises Joseph makes and what each one means, what he does and doesn’t like to eat, and what makes him mad. It proved to be right on target. 

At 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, Joseph was crying from his crib. Carol and I agreed long ago that I am a happier morning person than she is, so I got out of bed to get our grandson. I opened his door and peeked in. Joseph was standing at the rail, tears in his eyes and on his cheeks. When he saw me, he immediately stopped crying, smiled a big smile and laughed. That warmed my heart.

Later that day, I drove Joseph back up to his parents’ home in South Bend. I knocked on the door and Mary answered. When Joseph saw his mom, his face absolutely lit up and he nearly leapt from my arms. Mary had tears in her eyes as Joseph wrapped his little arms around her neck. And they hugged a giant hug. I didn’t need a user’s guide to know what all that meant. That melted my heart.

I recognized as I watched this mother-son reunion just how blessed Carol and I are and how much we have for which to be thankful. We have not only been able to love our daughter all these years and watch her grow and mature because of that love, but also see firsthand its ripple effect. Mary has shown her gratitude to us by paying that love forward. Selfishly, I loved the smile Joseph gave me when he was crying in his crib. But it paled in comparison to the joy I felt in seeing how he responded to his mom. The ripple effect was far more satisfying.