Happy Thanksgiving!
100 Thanks
2014
1.
My
brother
2.
My
brother's heart
3.
My
brother's heroism
4.
My
brother's charm
5.
My
brother's smile
6.
My
brother's laugh
7.
My
brother's reckless abandon
8.
My
brother's comrades and friends
9.
My
brother's son
10. My brother's life
11. My mother's faith
12. My father's peace
13. My sister's strength
14. My brother in law's courage
15. My best friends' presence
16. My family's resilient spirit
17. My brother priests holding me up
18. My faith in the eternal
19. All of my friends' prayers
20. Honor guards
21. Fire trucks
22. The American flag
23. Happy Memories
24. Crazy Memories
25. Peace
26. "What's Next?"
27. Quiet time in prayer before the
Blessed Sacrament
28. Celebrating the Eucharist
29. Confession and Absolution
30. My new parish
31. My new parochial school
32. Having students again
33. Hearing "Fader Manny, Fader
Manny" from tiny voices again
34. Having Friday School Masses again
35. Giving this Thanksgiving List
assignment again ("Seriously, Father? 100?")
36. Reading what 13 year olds give
thanks for
37. Friday Recess Kickball and
Football Games
38. Teachers: Brilliant, Creative, and
Selfless Teachers
39. Parents who trust teachers
40. Carnivals
41. Tailgating at the carnival
42. My staff
43. Memories from my last parish
44. Good Friday Processions
45. Griterias and taking it to the
streets
46. Overflowing Noon Masses
47. Monday nights
48. Sunday Night Dinners at Latin
49. Christmas Eve with the cousins
50. The Peace of San Damiano and
Assisi
51. St. Peter's Square at night
52. Mass near St. Peter's Tomb
53. Il Duomo
54. Gelato in Padua
55. The Basilica of St. Anthony of
Padua
56. St. Mark's Square in Venice
57. The steps of St. Paul's
58. The unexpected joys of London
59. Football Football Football
60. Our Dolphins
61. Our Head Coach
62. Pacing the sidelines nervously
during close games
63. Post game prayer
64. Victory Mondays
65. Wade County
66. 4 straight Junes of joy
67. The crack of Giancarlo's bat
68. The pop of Jose's fastball
69. The fact that I don't have to pay
either of them
70. Seeing Derek Jeter play one last
time
71. New York City with my father
72. Central Park, Little Italy,
Washington and Union Squares with the Little Girl
73. Captiva
74. Fishing from the shore
75. Key Biscayne
76. Fishing in quiet places
77. Staycations
78. Keyrats
79. Random texts and group conversations
with Keyrats scattered all over the world
80. Many mothers
81. Families in Broward
82. Weddings in Coral Gables (and with
couple that actually "get it")
83. Our beautiful bell tower
84. Old stories from our founding
parishioners
85. My regularly scheduled Monday afternoon
phone call
86. My nephews
87. Playing video games with my
nephews
88. Refusing to grow up (I'm not 40
yet!)
89. My godchildren
90. Dinners with old friends
91. Friends that keep me grounded
92. Those precious few moments of
silence after receiving Communion
93. The exhilaration of preaching a
Sunday homily
94. The joy of absolving a penitent in
confession
95. Being able to anoint and commend a
soul on their way home to the Father
96. Being loved and forgiven
unconditionally by our God
97. Transmitting that love and
forgiveness to others
98. Being trusted with so much while
deserving so little
99. Striving each day to reach what
seems to be, but isn't, the unattainable gift of holiness
100.
Writing
this list on the Dolphins Charter at 30,000 feet and being so very close to my
little brother
