For the first 20 years of my life I wanted nothing other than to be President of the United States. Then, after my first thought of being a pastor, I rejected this notion and went through about five years of personal and vocational crisis. Then God re-opened the door to the seminary and–all thanks to Him!–I walked through…

I have the very rarest of privileges: as a pastor at a church with a parochial school my children get to see and interact with me at work. Almost every day I commute to work with my children. Often, I get to eat lunch with them. Always we eat breakfast together and have morning prayers as a family. I see them on the playground, get to stop in and say hello in their classes. This year is the best of the best: they are all in the same building together. I just looked at my calendar. It appears that I have only 22 days left of this, where all four children are in the same building.

So, I’m taking a moment to count my blessings, to give thanks to Christ, who makes all things new and who–grace-upon-grace–has made it possible not only that I get to see my children so often, but that they also daily see me serve the Lord in a vocation that is truly a joy for me.