My Grandparents, My Role Models

Who Do You Learn From?

July 23, 2020

As we continue through the month of July, and the Church has finally opened and people are starting to come back, one thing has been on my mind: which people in my life serve as examples to me? You could interpret this in many ways. Who do I look to for advice? Who taught me how to work hard? Who taught me my values? These past few weeks though, my question has been who are my faith examples? 

A few weeks ago we opened our Churches and began opening for one hour before so the faithful could have some private prayer time. One afternoon, as I was sitting in the back of St. Michael's in Whittemore, someone tapped me on the shoulder and said hello. It was my Grandma Pat. She arrived shortly after the doors open, said hello, and moved to her spot in the front of Church. For the first 30 minutes of this private prayer time, her and I were the only people in the Church. As I looked up from my breviary, I became so distracted by her kneeling in prayer. Hopefully she is okay with me writing about her in this blog (I guess I will find out)!

My Grandma Pat lost her father when she was 14 years old. When she was 55, she lost her husband (my Grandpa Pat) of close to 35 years, to cancer. Sixth months later she lost her mother. So it is safe to say that she has been through some tough times in her life. But never in any of those things, has she stopped praying. She is one of those people who I am convinced has God's direct line in prayer. When she prays for something, most of the time there are positive results. She has been a solid role model for our whole family in what it means to be a strong Catholic with a healthy prayer life. 

An important part of anyone's faith journey is learning from people who lead by example. All of my Grandparents lead their lives to the fullest and provide great examples for their families to follow. My Grandpa Jim and Grandma Judy lead by example. They are generous, honest, and hard-working, and while they are not always quick to talk about their faith,  I have always been able to sense something deeply spiritually in both of them. The way my Grandpa farmed the land and the way my Grandma cared for all of us, showed that they had faith in God and that they trusted in his will for their life. 

As I grow older and continue to embark on this journey through seminary, I am beyond grateful for the example I have been given in all of my grandparents, as well as my parents. So I guess the point of all this rambling is this: thank those role models in your faith for all they have given you, pray for them daily, tell them you love them, and cherish every moment you have with them because you never know which one will be the last. 

I dedicate this post to all those role models I have, most especially Grandpa Jim, Grandma Judy, Grandma Pat, and Grandpa Pat! Thank you for being you!

Peace and Love,

Jake