Happy Father's Day

I was assigned to assist at one of our vigil Masses yesterday, and so find myself in the unusual position of being able to do virtually nothing on a Sunday morning. The fact that it's also Father's Day partially mitigates my sense of guilt for such slothful behavior. But despite this less than sincere mea culpa, I am enjoying the morning which inexplicably began for me at 5:45 a.m.

Adding to my happiness, my dear wife, Diane, gave me two wonderful, if unusual, Father's Day gifts: a selection of 10 international beers; and a rather fancy hummingbird feeder. Much like G. K. Chesterton and several other of my heroes, I enjoy an occasional pint of good beer. I have decided to pace myself and sample only one bottle per week, thus extending my enjoyment of this thoughtful gift throughout the summer. Diane also knows how much I enjoy watching the hummingbirds that occasionally flit about it our backyard searching for nectar. They are remarkable little creatures and I trust the addition of this feeder will cause them to flock to us in large numbers. Perhaps I'll be able to capture them digitally with my trusty Canon SLR and telephoto lens. I feel a challenge coming on.

One of my daughters gave me a gift certificate to the Olive Garden. (For those of you from other planets, this is a chain of Italian restaurants.) And so the other evening we and some good friends went to the local Olive Garden where I devoured several bowls of my absolutely favorite soup, Zuppa Toscana, along with a nice salad and glass of relatively good house wine. By any standard, it was a delightful evening.

Finally, on this Father's Day it is good to turn our thoughts and prayers to our Heavenly Father, whose love for us far exceeds that of any earthly father. It is He Who gave us our very being. It is He Who sent His Son to suffer and die for our redemption. And it is He Who has prepared a place for those who love Him and do His will. Thank Him!

Being is good. And a Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there.