Notes for Dad [Christmas Memories...], 69: Kitiki #480
Take a Picture, send a card, go to church
“Good morning. Got your egg nogg?
I’ll like to collect our thoughts dads, about the next year as we pour over what the last few moments of this Christmas season was like.
Let’s see it through the lens of your camera, the cards you either sent, got, or didn’t send, and the church you cultivate for your children in the years to come.
A year still resonating that’s seen a new president, a new pope and finding out I was going to be a grandpa.
Camera: Many things were captured to include Jimmy Carter’s funeral which had Speaker Johnson refusing to have the flags flown at half-staff during the inauguration of the current president.
You had an audience full of mourners that included Biden and Obama. Captured for the world to see was Bishop Budde, in January, challenging the current new president to show mercy.[1] Less than three months later Pope Francis’ successor, Pope Leo XIV made similar overtures to the president. There were many moments captured that led up to Christmas, as a reminder that what you see sometimes, you cannot unsee, so be aware of what moments you leave for your children. Be aware if you see things and don’t hold people accountable for, you may wind up owning as they spiral out of control, whether they are redacted or not.[2]
Cards: Throughout the year you get reminders: to get well, as I did in the hospital; or celebrate momentous occasions like my 75th birthday. It’s nice when we take the time to actually write them rather than let AI handle them. Letting Artificial Intelligence [AI] send them out via tweets, posts, or emails is just not the same. We hear from people we’d not heard from since last year and makes you wonder, why they bothered. You don’t. It’s no longer your desire to keep up with the tradition or them. Those who are close to me know of my battles with my faith, my health and becoming a grandpa. Cards are okay, but nothing replaces knowing the people who send you cards.
Church: Church during this time is much like cards. It’s the only time you see some people and realize they are alive. It too is a tradition. We go to church for a variety of reasons; one is because we are broken and we value the tradition of comfort knowing healing can be found there. We find healing in the pictures we take. We find healing in the cards we send. We find healing in the God we know is there but also realizing whenever we choose to look for God, God has not moved.[3] Knowing the church is in our heart and we don’t have to look far in order to find our heart. We find the prodigal son.[4] We find the Good Samaritan.[5] We find truth. We find our neighbor, as I mentioned last week “those that come to our aid may not look like us and be despised by us…as so many immigrants have done without question, because it’s the right thing to do.”
Keep the faith, dads. Know that the pictures you take carry memories that will resonate long after you’ve gone. Keep those cards that remind you who remembered “where you were, where you are,” and help you to appreciate “you are where you are supposed to be.” And don’t forget, God never moves and the church is always there, in your heart, keep it beating for your children and their children too, long after you’re gone.
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[1] Bishop Who Angered Trump Speaks: ‘Not Going to Apologize’ | TIME
[2] The Epstein Files Have Fully Exposed the Right.
[3] Forgiveness 101, Part of Healing: Kitiki #38
[4] Eating Lunch with MAGA, talking about shame: Kitiki #476