Literature & Angels : M.D., Prayer & Living Years

Friday, February 2, 2018

M.D., Prayer & Living Years

I went in for my annual physical last Friday and saw this while in the exam room.

"My Daddy"

"M.D.Whenever Daddy signs his name he always writes M.D.

So that people will all know that he belongs to me

For M.D. means "My Daddy" or something just the same

And that is why he always puts these letters in his name.

Some letters in his name are small but these are not, you see,

He always makes them big like that because he's so proud of me.”

- Unknown

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Lab results were available by Wednesday. I’m doing well, no issues. My doctor’s comments, “all good.”

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My pick for Super Bowl LII are the New England Patriots. On Monday, January 30, Sporting News:

Point spread, Patriots -4 1/2; Total, 48 1/2.

It would have been more exciting if the game was being played outside, but I watch it from the warmth of our friends home, Pam and Tony.

The Fans

The Teams

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On Monday evenings I meet with my men’s Cursillo group. This week I brought in a copy of “Seeing and Hearing God” by Colleen O’Sullivan. The article was well received and provided a discussion on prayer and God. Afterward I got to thinking about the evening and decided I would follow up with an email to the group. This is what I wrote.

“Monday night’s discussion centered around praying and listening to God. (A copy of “Seeing And Hearing God” is attached.)

We discussed the places where we pray and how we are all similar yet different.

There were descriptions about hallways, rooms and types of chairs.

Prayers of silence and prayers of discussion.

What our expectations were.

Voices responding to us.

God whispers.

Silence, that isn’t necessarily the absence of sound.

At one point I talked about my place of prayer which is my hobby room. My description probably wasn’t quite as clear as it should have been. So, attached are two photos. The first one shows my computer desk because I do reading online and sit there almost every morning. (Remember that I’m a retired "IT Guy," so I use the Internet.) The second photo is my reading chair. It is here that I use my books and Mini-iPad. A different kind of praying. (Yes, the blanket is Notre Dame. It belonged to Dee's Uncle Tony. When he moved on to our Lord, his wife Mary gifted the blanket to me. An honor that I accepted and one which I will pass on to one of our sons.)

This is my prayer sanctuary, my Holy place.

Dee and her Mom respect and accept my time with God. I wish I could say that this has always been, but it isn’t. However, it is now part of my daily life.

There are days when something interferes with my schedule. Sometimes I’m able to pick up later that morning or in the afternoon or evening. But not always.

I know God understands and forgives.

Brother Paul”

Computer Desk & Chair

Reading Chair

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In July of 2013 I wrote a blog about me and my Dad. It was prompted when I listened to the song, “The Living Years,” sung by Russ Lee. The original version was written by Mike and the Mechanics and you can watch the video below.

So why am I writing about this? Well, I was thinking about the song as I drove home from my workout Monday morning. I selected it from my music list and began to sing along with it. However, memories of my Dad started to surface and I found myself unable to continue. So I just listened. It was not a bad moment, just a remembrance of my Dad and me. A God whisper, letting me know that he still watches over me.