Dad’s Prayer, April 27, 2018 Daily Reflection

I want to be just like my Dad when I grow up

Yesterday, my Dad drove to me to Sacred Heart. He was dropping me off to meet some friends to leave for an out of town conference. He said, “Do you mind if I tell you about a prayer that I pray over the people I visit in the hospital each week?” I replied, “I am happy to listen. I am a spiritual director now!” The internship helped me to learn to listen in all parts of my life. As he spoke the prayer my heart was moved. He spoke about each patinet’s life journey, with no guarentee of a pain-free life, but the promise that God would always be with each one of them. He was holding back tears as I watched him go into that moment in the hospital. He has been a befriender for five years, it is a ministry that visits people in hospitals. He said, “I always ask the patient’s name and make the prayer personal. Once a patient said his name was Bubba!” He laughed as he said the name and glanced over at me as he slowed to a stop at the traffic light. He spoke with honesty and his pace would slow as he recounted his empathy for each patient.

Listening to my dad, my mentor, and my best friend, pray for and with others brought tears to my eyes. There in the driver’s seat sat the man I have emulated all of my life giving me one more reason to want to be him when I grow up!

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