100 Thanks 2022
1. My family
2. Talking about the spiritual and the divine with my mom
3. Fishing and golfing with my dad
4. Broadway shows with my sister
5. Any conversation with my nephews
6. Quiet drinks with my brother-in-law
7. Old Fashioned’s prepared right (Wow, this list took a boozy turn rather quickly!)
8. Sitting on a terrace overlooking Florida Bay in the Keys
9. Going maskless on planes
10. Fried Oysters in the Big Easy
11. 8th grade Thanksgiving lists (allow me to share a few…)
12. “Sunsets, when someone passes in my life I tend to look at the sky and appreciate the heavens above. The sunsets are all different colors and the unique thing about them is that they are never the same. When someone dies, you have that hole in your heart and sunsets make me feel better like there’s a sense of joy and they made it to heaven and they paint the skies for us.” –written by a 13 year old student
13. “The Carmelite Sisters, everyone thinks nuns are weird and scary but those are the people who don’t know them. Those who know the sisters really know that they are one of the best people in our lives. These special women have impacted my life. Every day they strive [to help] me to grow closer to God and to always do His will. They are living saints sent down to teach me, and all young kids that our faith is important.” –written by same 13-year-old
14. “The fact I don’t pay taxes (yet)” –written by a 14-year-old, but this priest unfortunately has to be pay taxes
15. “Grateful for the Eucharist, because the Eucharist reminds us of Thanksgiving and how we need to be thankful for everything we have” – written by a 14 year old who has a better understanding of the Eucharist than most adults
16. “Praying and then God answering your prayers.” –written by a 13-year-old who gets prayer
17. Reading the 8th grade list to my students on the day they leave for Thanksgiving break
18. That one kid whose list was so deep this year that made my list look like the work of a 1st grader (no offense to 1stgraders)
19. 11:15am on Thursdays
20. Real estate lawyers
21. “Executing” a contract
22. Closing days
23. Dedication days
24. Dairy Queen ice cream runs with Carmelite nuns to celebrate little victories
25. The wisdom of Venerable Mother Luisita (seriously check out her biography “Unleashing Hope” which is an excellent read)
26. Golf carts
27. Having an imperfect golf game that makes me foolishly keep playing such a frustrating sport
28. That I’m even playing a sport!
29. That I get to play with my best friend (even though in less than a year he went from novice to soundly beating me every time which does not sit well with me)
30. The “August National” of Colombia (the 6 iron was definitely not working that day)
31. Masters Sunday
32. Early morning World Cup matches
33. Cafeteria Chocolate Chip Cookies with sea salt
34. Unexpected phone calls from New York
35. Spiritual direction over the phone/Facetime/Zoom (and sometimes in person) that goes to a late hour
36. Karaoke in Comber Hall
37. Movie nights in Comber Hall
38. Duffy’s on a Monday night (burgers are half off…This Thanksgiving list is brought to you by Duffy’s Tavern: “Where the Elite Meet to Eat”)
39. Hearing the Marines sing the Marine Hymn at the top of their lungs on the Marine Corp Birthday
40. Teachers! And their Happy Hours especially on the last day of school
41. Reliable WiFi and Internet
42. FPL trucks (especially when you’ve been without power for 18 hours)
43. Podcast microphones
44. 9am on Monday mornings
45. When we have to start a podcast over again because one of us can’t stop laughing about something ridiculous the other said.
46. Meeting that one person who listens to the podcast (I’m kidding, there’s more than one, but it’s amazing what this medium does for spreading the gospel)
47. Satisfied
48. Friday nights in backyards by a pool in a place I used to call home
49. When you get to the section of the list that will be exclusively movie/TV quotes or song lyrics with each one encapsulating various amounts of gratitude
50. “Early each day to the steps of St. Paul’s…”
51. “On that glorious morn, when we’re finally reborn, and we’re all of us human again!”
52. “Never tell me the odds.”
53. “Well over three and half centuries ago, strengthened by faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of pilgrims sought out a place in the New World where they could worship according to their own beliefs - and solve crimes!”
54. “Boy, I love meeting people’s moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they’re nuts.”
55. “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”
56. “Pero está…está es para Cuba.”
57. “Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’”
58. “To love another person is to see the face of God!”
59. “Get used to different.”
60. “In fourth grade, I stole my Uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play.”
61. My childhood best friend (and I miss our Saturday morning walks around the lake of my first parish while her kids went to CCD…while we’re at it, I miss our morning rides to school with Bon Jovi playing in the background, but our talks weren’t as good back then.”
62. ßThis is the number of home runs Aaron Judge hit this season
63. Tua! (I mean I expected a change but not like this)
64. The Dolphins having a winning record and leading the division while I write this list
65. A cheetah and a penguin walk into a stadium (more like sprint into a stadium)
66. Even in adversity, I am still thankful for the University of Miami football program and that a Cuban kid from Miami realized a lifelong dream and became our head coach
67. Instant replay that clearly shows that Max Strus was inbounds in Game 7
68. Jimmy Butler in the playoffs
69. The United States Men’s National Soccer Team in the World Cup
70. I Believe That We Will Win (well, maybe not the whole thing, but out of the group stage)
71. Tiger Woods walking, which is far more important than him playing golf, but I am thankful that I can watch him do that too
72. Winning the Presidents Trophy (hey I would’ve preferred Lord Stanley’s Cup but that pesky team in Tampa Bay has our number, and the Panthers had a season for the ages)
73. Watching my first MLS game in person
74. Watching a courageous girl sing the national anthem before said MLS game
75. We have an unspoken understanding
76. Second moms who I miss
77. When no one complains about anything after Mass
78. Dreaming about centennials
79. Staring at the church from my porch during golden hour
80. The view from the backyard of the Sisters’ new convent
81. That section of the list where I go to saint quotes and bible verses
82. “We should rest entirely in His hands, understanding that His eyes are always upon us, that He will see to it that we lack nothing and grant us anything that we need, if it is for our own good.” --Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament
“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you-for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… don’t listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love…” ―
84. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” John 14:1
85. Love consumes you, but it is beautiful to die consumed precisely as a candle that goes out only after it reaches its goal. Whatever you do will have sense only if you see it in terms of eternal life. – Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo
86. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7)
87. “Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.” –St. John of the Cross
88. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” —G.K. Chesterton (well, not a saint, but a sublime spiritual writer)
89. “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.” – St. Gianna Beretta Molla
90. "The best way to show your gratitude to God and to people is to accept everything with joy.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta
91. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
92. Meeting quiet saints in my ministry every single day
93. Reconnecting with 23 years’ worth of former students who have formed me into the priest that I am today. Just a text, a hello, and, if I’m lucky, a phone call, makes my day!
94. Redemptive suffering: because it brings us so very close to Our Lord and the weight of our sins he carried on the cross
95. Memories of my brother: because even after 8 years, I still carry him in my heart, and he awaits me on the other side of eternity.
96. The undeserved love that I get from the people of God for being a priest. If only they understood that I receive so much more from them than they can possibly get from this unworthy servant.
97. That after 20 years of priesthood, I still get nervous and am wowed by every single Mass. As St. John Vianney said, “If we truly understood the Mass, we would die of joy.”
98. The love and support I feel every day from our Blessed Mother Mary and from St. Joseph who moves mountains that seem insurmountable (seriously, pray more to St. Joseph for his intercession. Our Lord does not deny his mother nor his earthly father who raised him.)
99. Quiet moments in our private chapel before our Eucharistic Lord (and the endless struggle to spend more time before that tabernacle).
100. Cherishing every single Thanksgiving Day because we gather to give thanks to our God who never ceases to surprise us with his mercy, his love, his blessings, and his overwhelming generosity. So for all these things, only three simple words suffice on this Thanksgiving Day: thank you, Lord!
