I had started to complain last week about the hassle of preparing for vacation & even of flying to our desired destination, but tried to realize how blessed we are to be able to travel so far & to enjoy a vacation to begin with. And I am very grateful to have enjoyed Key West, along with the 20 or so members of my family. But permit me to resort to complaining about one hassle some of us experienced on the way home. We flew from Key West to Chicago where we had a late flight back to Cleveland which would have us home by 11:30pm on Saturday night. But the American Airlines flight to Cleveland had been canceled “due to weather.” Trust me when I say that there was no bad weather from Chicago to Cleveland that night. So either the airline was short on staff or short on passengers. They offered us no reimbursement (not even for luggage that was already paid for) and there were no hotels or rental cars available that we could purchase ourselves (let alone the airline picking up the tab for these). My brother-in-law & niece’s husband were, however, able to rent a large Yukon but it had to be for the week which cost nearly $1000. Hopefully my nephew will be able to make use of it for work as he needed to drive back to Chicago for work a couple of days after we returned home. As a result, I arrived back to the rectory Sunday morning with just enough time to prepare for the 8am Mass. It always takes me a few days to catch up on lost sleep so my energy will be low for a few days. So my apologies for the written complaint, but there is some satisfaction in pointing the finger toward businesses that fail to do the right thing for their customers (I’m looking at you, American Airlines!).
Now that I have that out of my system, I apologize that our live-streaming camera went offline as of last Sunday morning, so if you weren’t able to participate in the Mass online since then, you can have the chance to complain to Spectrum, our new online provider, as I’m noticing that they go offline more often than I want a donut (and that’s pretty often). Of course our IT people are working to get us back online as soon as possible, hopefully by the time you read this.
On a more positive note, I want to welcome the newest member of our parish family, Harrison Shepherd, son of Justin & Madeline, who was baptized on Saturday, July 3rd. A baptism is always a joyful event, but even more so for Harrison’s parents as he was born prematurely and so struggled with many health issues. But he has become increasingly more healthy and strong, thanks in large part to the love and devotion of his parents, whose faith is strong and who have sacrificed so much for their first born child. I am inspired by them and grateful to them for their loving witness as parents and for their courageous faith. May Harrison reward them both with a life dedicated to them and to God. Welcome Harrison!
Our sympathies go to Melissa McNamara and to her mother Dwan on the death of Melissa’s grandmother and Dwan’s mother, Joanne Griffin, who died unexpectedly. Melissa & her husband Ryan, who’s wedding I had here almost 2 years ago, are expecting their first child any day now. May God who gives life both in heaven and on earth, bring peace and joy to those who grieve with the hope of seeing their loved ones again in God’s kingdom.