Generations Growing in Faith

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Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have your rise from them, O my people!

- Ezekiel 37:13




Some Words of Remembrance for One of Our Parishioners


Last month we celebrated the funeral Mass of Mildred Conley. Mildred’s niece, Karen Laake, gave the Words of Remembrance. She talked about how close her family was to Aunt Millie’s family. Aunt Millie became like a second Mom after her own mother died. She talked about Aunt Millie’s faith, her devotion to the rosary and the importance of Sunday and daily Mass. She talked about her cooking and all the other loving things she did for the family. She ended with these words:

So when we look back at Aunt Millie’s life, it really is about the simple things in life she taught us…How to be humble and kind. How to just sit and listen. How not to judge others. How to ask others how their life was going. She always asked how your wife or husband and kids were doing. Always remembered birthdays with a simple card. To have a sense of humor. To be there for others to support and celebrate life. To be there for your family when it could be easy to push aside one or another, or to take sides. To know what is right and wrong and to set an example by living the right life. To be firm but fair. How to appreciate. How to simply be kind. To know how important your faith is and to live by it.

So this I ask… Do we continue what Aunt Millie, Aunt Vera, Uncle Johnny and Uncle Leonard started for us? They put together a beautiful family. They taught us HOW to be a “Family”. What’s important about being a part of a family? Do we continue to build OUR family, the family that took over 60 years to establish?

OR Do we walk away when things don’t go as we want them to go, or when we have an argument, or a falling out? I’m not saying all families are perfect nor should we expect that. ALL families have drama. If there wasn’t drama, there wouldn’t be a Days of Our Lives or Dynasty on TV. But I do think we owe it to our parents to keep together what was so beautifully formed and built for us. Do we take care of each other? All it takes is a little effort. The grass is NOT always greener on the other side.

If we could try to reach out to each other, to support each other, to have a family get-together maybe once a year, to ask about our families, to call or text and just say, “HI” and, most importantly, to live up to what our parents would be proud of, and to have a strong faith, I think we could continue to build and nourish what was started for us.

I know it’s a different world than when our parents grew up and when we grew up, but we need to remember the IMPORTANT stuff. We need to show OUR kids how to put and keep family together. If you should lose your way or forget what’s important, I ask that you think of our parents. I think they seemed to have gotten it pretty right. They were not perfect nor are any of us, but they did lead by example.

They say we are living our own eulogies right now. Think about it: We are living our own eulogies right now. You write your own eulogies. What will your eulogy say about you? Aunt Millie wrote a beautiful eulogy for all of us and she showed us how to be a wonderful example of how to live a life with purpose and meaning.

Thank You, Aunt Millie, for your inspiring, incredible, splendid eulogy.

What a tribute! This is what successful living is all about! Mildred lived a successful life in the eyes of God and the eyes of her children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces. We trust that she is enjoying God’s life and presence now in the Kingdom of Heaven.
--Fr. Jim