Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

I have been blessed in my life because of the friends that I have in my life.  I’m not going to bore you with a long list of names of people you don’t know, but suffice to say, without my friends, I don’t think I would have the bright outlook that I have in life today.  Friends are essential to my well being.  Let me just mention 3.

Chris Mossinghoff.  Chris is a like a brother to  me.  We met back in the summer of 1978 at a freshman orientation picnic at the high school we both went too.  We have never been absent from each other since.  It is through Chris that I have met many other close friends.  Chris was the best man at my wedding; I was the best man at his.  I am a God Father to one of his children.  It is through Chris that I joined a choir called the Young Catholic Musicians in 1981.  Big deal, huh?  In 1982, a young woman by the name of Sarah Schumacher also joined along with another young woman named Liz DaSilva.  If those last two name’s don’t sound familiar, try their wedded names…Sarah (Schumacher) Dorhauer and Liz (DaSilva) Mossinghoff.  It was because of Chris (and Kevin L. to be fair) and their insistence for me joining the choir that I met the love of my life and have been blessed with 8 beautiful children and soon to be 5 grandchildren.  Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

Sarah (Schumacher) Dorhauer.  It was by the will of the Holy Spirit that we ever met.  I, as I just mentioned, was pushed to join by a couple of friends, Sarah on the other hand was pushed into the choir by the Holy Spirit.  She was at singing competition with her high school choir and happened to see an add posted by YCM for upcoming auditions into the choir.  Sarah knew absolutely no one in the choir and it wasn’t in her nature to join a group where she knew no one.  Maybe it was because they were young, CATHOLIC musicians, that she felt comfortable enough to dip her toe into those unknown waters but she did, and to yada yada yada through 37 years of past memories, we are still loving life with each other thanks to the helps of friends and our strong faith.  Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

Jesus Christ – my Lord and Savior.  As I go through Advent and spend more time reflecting on things past, present and future, I know I am nothing without God the Son.  I don’t want to give the impression that God the Father and God the Spirit don’t play a key role in my life because they do, but what a friend I have in Jesus.  Hmmm, that’s rather catchy, maybe I could write a song about that.  I credit my full conversion to my faith through Him back in my junior year of high school.  We were on our annual retreat and Msgr. Jim Telthorst led us in a meditation late at night in the chapel.  It was during that meditation, Jesus came to me personally.  Msgr. went through some exercises with us to get us to relax and part of that was to imagine yourself in the most peaceful spot you could imagine.  So as I drifted into my meditation, I found myself on a bluff over looking the ocean.  On that bluff was a swing.  Not one like the kids have today, but a swing of old that you could get really high when swinging on it.  Why a swing?  I’m not to sure why but I can tell you we loved doing that growing up.  It was on that bluff, on that swing that I could feel somebody pushing me.  When I turned around, that is when I saw Him.  It was Jesus pushing me.  We had a conversation about nothing in particular, but I can still feel His presence from that simple meditation to this day.  He pushed me back then and He is still with me pushing me now.  Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

Do something great for our Lord today – enjoy His friendship; enjoy your friendship with Him and with all the other friends who bless your life everyday.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.  Compete well for the faith.