Let me tell you what I want, what I really really want

Today is my dad's 81st birthday, and in honor of the occasion I am sharing the following conversation from a few years ago. Try to follow along and not get dizzy.

Me: Dad, what do you want for your birthday?

Nonno: I don't know. I really don't need anything.

Nonna: I know what he wants. He wants a wind chime.

Nonno: I want a wind chime?

Nonna: Yes, don't you remember when we went to our friends' house and they had a wind chime? It sounded so beautiful.

Nonno turns and looks at me.

Nonno: I guess I want a wind chime.

I look at him. I look at my Mom. And I keep my mouth shut. Later that evening I get a phone call.

Nonno: I've been thinking. I really would like a wind chime.

So Nonno received a wind chime. For his birthday. For Nonna. Or something. 

This reminded me of the time we were in Naples, Italy when one of the boys asked where Vesuvius was and, like an Abbot and Costello routine, my parents point in OPPOSITE directions. It was so funny that our boys got in on it too, pointing here, there, and everywhere.

My Piano Man

Happy birthday to my piano man, Dad’s sports buddy, and (since you’re in the middle) the best younger AND older brother. Two years ago you stood by Nicholas on his wedding day, and in two weeks he will do the same for you. Happy birthday Jono!

A Call to Prayer in the Garden of Answered Prayer

Today, Pope Francis is calling for prayers to counter "the diabolical force of hate, terrorism and war" and urging believers around the world to join Catholics in the Holy Land for a day of fasting and prayer for peace.

Peace. Oh, how we need it. But this morning, as I spent time in quiet reflection on ways to answer this call to prayer, I was also wondering if it will make a difference; after all, the problem is so vast and complex and ongoing that the good intention of a prayer seems like a grain of sand in comparison to the desert before us.

And then I was reminded of quote from the musical, Hamilton: “A legacy is planting seeds in a garden you don’t get to see.” While this quote refers to the legacy Alexander Hamilton wanted to leave our young country, I realized that replacing the word ‘legacy’ with ‘prayer’ is a way to see how every prayer is a seed, planted with faith and watered with hope as we wait to see what it grows into.

There are many answers to prayer—yes, no, yes (but in a different way), no (because it isn’t what you need), maybe (but you have to be patient), not now (there will be a better time)—just as there are also many ways for that seed to develop. It can blossom the way you envisioned, or bloom into something entirely different, or take root in ways you never thought possible. The key is remembering that the seed always turns into something.

There is so much we don’t understand about prayer, but if we acknowledge that God’s ways are not our ways, that his ways are more imaginative and always perfect, then we also need to remember there is no such thing as unanswered prayer. We must surrender to this truth no matter what. 

So we pray. Alone, with our families, in brotherhood with the world.

We may not always see the fruits of our prayer seeds, but the garden is still there.

Two Years

Happy anniversary, Nicholas & Lauren! I have always loved this photo from your wedding day: you are both smiling and headed together into the future, at your back are family and friends who will always be there to support you, and Nicholas is holding Lauren’s bouquet—because that’s amore!

Video: Arrivederci Jane

Video: An Evening in Palermo

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHT: 2022 GIRLS' TRIP TO ITALY (NAPLES AND THE SPLENDORS OF SICILY