Bless Me Father

I often reflect on my good fortune; my luck, my blessings. A recent peaceful walk on the beach provided the revelation that Geeg often prays for me; prays that my faith in God and church will grow. I believe her prayers have been answered.


I do have faith, though admittedly it is restricted by what I consider common sense and free will.


I did not even attend the baptism of my first borns, but now I willingly enter the house of the Lord on a more than regular basis, to reflect on ........well most of the time my blessings, but my mind does tend to wander.


(I still can't figure out who is going to play third base for the Giants next year. That lady in the first row reminds me of that stuck up old bitty from "The Andy Griffith Show." I wonder what Miles and Landon are doing now. That shirt I bought for a dollar at the thrift store sure has a huge collar. The Giants can't trade Matt Cain! What's for dinner?)


But when I am most attentive; when I am benefiting most from the experience of mass, I am counting my blessings.
And then I recall some of my favorite song lyrics.


When it comes to luck, blessings, I am reminded, by Eric Clapton, that:


It's in the way that you use it,
It comes an it goes.
So don't you ever abuse it.
Don't let it go.


So run with the guitar riff of "Slowhands" and shout with joy when the blaring trumpet announces the joy that is ours!

To be fair, mass is not a completely joyous ceremony. We are reminded of sorrow. And then I think of Joe Cocker painfully expressing the fact that:

Everybody hurts sometimes. Everybody cries.
When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone, When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on. Don’t let yourself go, everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes.

Still, the true message of the church is hope. No lyrical blog of mine would be complete without encouraging everyone to heed the following Bob Dylan suggestion:

May god bless and keep you always, May your wishes all come true, May you always do for others And let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung, May you stay forever young.

And so it goes..............