A Lovely Story

Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace good will toward men

One late afternoon, phone call from John

-hi Kate, want to go to a movie?

-no, not tonight, how about some coffee here at my office?

-ok, chocolate cake or blueberry muffin?

-no, just coffee please, double mocha, thank you Johnny.

-ok, see you in a bit

they were both enjoying coffee and conversation in her office, very into the conversation he asked.

-if I remember correctly, you once said that your mom and dad were teachers?

-yes

-you're the only doctor in the family?

-yes,...that I know of,... both my parents were teachers, my sister Jen a biologist, also Steven her husband, my brother in law, and I'm a doctor, although my mom stopped teaching when she had us, she was a full time mom, but she did help us a lot with school things that we didn't understand and she always said about the importance of a good education,... you said your dad was an accountant?

-yes, my dad was an accountant my mom was a book keeper, that's how they met they worked at the same office, she also stopped working when she had us, but always was very involved in the church, when I grew up it was natural for me to enter the priesthood, my brother Tom is an accountant, he took over are father's business, he expanded the accounting firm very quickly, are father had a very successful local business my brother expanded to other cities, my father and him are the only accountants in the family

-you are the only priest in the family?

He paused a little and he added

-a distant uncle on mom's side of the family is a priest, I haven't dug around if there are more...now I'm curious maybe I'll start a family tree or DNA search.

my mother was very religious always helping in church, part of the church community, every night she prayed the rosary, she was very quiet with religion, she never forced religion on us, never tried to say you have to, or you need to,.....I remember always at night, before bed, were ever she was, at our house, at my aunt's house, on vacation she never closed their bedroom door completely it was always a little bit open, and you could see her, when you walk by their bedroom, you could see her sitting on her bed with her rosary then she turned out the light, no one disturbed her....

-what a nice memory of your mom, my sister and I, loooved going to church when we were little, we always dressed up nice for church, specially, on easter Sunday, then after church, breakfast, that was always every Sunday. We stopped when I went to college, but whenever we were together on Sunday we went to church.

I remember my sister and I saying GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN, after the first time we saw Charlie brown Christmas, that was our favorite part, when Linus had the spot light turn on to him, you could hear a pin drop in our home, that night we said it in our prayer I don't remember when I stopped, but I do remember when I started again, and I have never stopped since, ...the first night that I was in college, I was in my dorm, the girl that I was sharing a room with didn't come the first night, I was there felt so alone in a strange tiny room, I don't remember being scared, or nervous or anything I just started to pray before going to sleep, it was early maybe 8 or 9 I was already in bed and I started to pray, starting with GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN, AMEN. I remember really listening to that prayer, and thinking wow, it says it all, and every day from then on if I'm happy, scared or I'm grateful, I start with that prayer, it doesn't matter what I'm doing, I say it softly to myself, every single day at noon, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN, AMEN, you know you are the only one that knows.

-noon, is the hour of the Angelus prayer

He never forgot, he never called or send her a message around noon.