or so I believe. I think that there is a book out there about just this very subject written by Fr. Benedict Groeschel. I am pretty sure I have a copy of it in my bookshelf.
This morning I was watching Sunday Morning on CBS and was amazed by two of the stories, well all of the pieces they showcase are amazing in one way or another, but these two were incredibly inspiring. One was of Luma Mufleh who took a wrong turn on her way home one day and came across a field filled with children who were playing. She could tell that they were not born here and showed up the next day with a soccer ball which the children flocked to. She went on to form the Fugees Family Organization which works with children refugees from war torn countries. The organization has now grown from just the children playing soccer to education and creating a life here for those child survivors. But what was it that brought Luma to that field 6 years ago? Coincidence? I do not think so.
The other story was about a man named Tony and his relationship with a firehouse, Station 1 in Lansing, Michigan. Tony is developmentally disabled and a senior citizen now, but at the tender age of 13 the firefighters invited him in for a meal and that is how the relationship began. Through all of these years the firefighters have fed Tony and now that he is older they do even more for him like helping him bathe, feed him all of his meals and take care of him like a family member. They interviewed many of the firefighters and when asked about Tony all of them said he was part of their family. Tony has his own home and a job but the majority of his time is spent at the firehouse. What a beautiful story and a true testament to how God works in mysterious ways.
Our family has even had a few of those incredible encounters. Just this past Friday we laid to rest the remains of my cousin Eric, a firefighter who died on 9/11. A friend of the family, Brother Dave, said the service for us. Brother Dave was good friends with Fr. Mychal Judge, who was the Chaplain for the New York Fire Department and belonged to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor. After 9/11 Brother Dave went and bought a copy of the NYTimes which had photos of the victims and of course included his friend. Looking through the photos though he said that he was drawn to the photo of Eric, his handsome face and very long neck, and he went and purchased more papers. He actually then went and distributed Erics photo to the surrounding firehouses who hung the picture. It was sometime shortly after 9/11 that his Friary, the Franciscan Center of Wilmington, DE, along with the McShane Bell Foundry of Maryland organized the remembrance bells project for the 3 sites that had been affected on that day - New York City, Arlington and Shanksville. The bells were to be used at the ceremonies of the first anniversary. Though the bells were completed, he was having difficulty finding a contact for the one that would eventually come to New York.
On the first weekend of October in 2001 there was a ceremony to commemorate the National Fallen Firefighters, who had died in the prior year. Brother Dave attended the ceremony, which was held in Washington because of the size of the crowd they were expecting, and stood near the bells. He noticed 3 buses pull up and first out of the closest bus came 2 tall men, one younger and the other older. As the 2 men approached him he noticed that the older of the men was wearing a badge that said Eric Taube Olsen. The men were Eric's Dad and his brother Todd. Needless to say Brother Dave was in awe and though he did not say it on Friday, I am sure that he saw Gods plan before his eyes and he now knew why he was so drawn to that one face out of thousands in the newspaper. Because of this encounter in Washington not only did Taube and Brother Dave become friends, as did the rest of our family, the bell reached New York and was used in the first anniversary ceremony. Brother Dave, the Friary and the McShane Bell Foundry were so grateful for my Uncle's assistance, that they made a smaller bell to commemorate the Viking Association firefighters that died. That bell was attached to a fire truck that Eric had owned, and a firehouse in Milford Township, Bucks County, PA restored over 2 years and with $12,000 in donated monies (that is another wonderful part of our family legacy). That was absolutely the hand of God bringing those 2 men together in a sea of thousands upon thousands of people in our nations capital.
You just never know when God is going to nudge you in the right direction; how your actions are going to affect someone else's life. How a wrong turn can make such a huge difference to not only someone else's life but your own life as well and how love is so easily given away and accepted. If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts. May you be receptive to the whisper that tells you to make that turn, do something for someone else and may God bless you on this beautiful day.
Peace,
Mare
(Just click on the photos to see them enlarged)
This morning I was watching Sunday Morning on CBS and was amazed by two of the stories, well all of the pieces they showcase are amazing in one way or another, but these two were incredibly inspiring. One was of Luma Mufleh who took a wrong turn on her way home one day and came across a field filled with children who were playing. She could tell that they were not born here and showed up the next day with a soccer ball which the children flocked to. She went on to form the Fugees Family Organization which works with children refugees from war torn countries. The organization has now grown from just the children playing soccer to education and creating a life here for those child survivors. But what was it that brought Luma to that field 6 years ago? Coincidence? I do not think so.
The other story was about a man named Tony and his relationship with a firehouse, Station 1 in Lansing, Michigan. Tony is developmentally disabled and a senior citizen now, but at the tender age of 13 the firefighters invited him in for a meal and that is how the relationship began. Through all of these years the firefighters have fed Tony and now that he is older they do even more for him like helping him bathe, feed him all of his meals and take care of him like a family member. They interviewed many of the firefighters and when asked about Tony all of them said he was part of their family. Tony has his own home and a job but the majority of his time is spent at the firehouse. What a beautiful story and a true testament to how God works in mysterious ways.
Our family has even had a few of those incredible encounters. Just this past Friday we laid to rest the remains of my cousin Eric, a firefighter who died on 9/11. A friend of the family, Brother Dave, said the service for us. Brother Dave was good friends with Fr. Mychal Judge, who was the Chaplain for the New York Fire Department and belonged to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor. After 9/11 Brother Dave went and bought a copy of the NYTimes which had photos of the victims and of course included his friend. Looking through the photos though he said that he was drawn to the photo of Eric, his handsome face and very long neck, and he went and purchased more papers. He actually then went and distributed Erics photo to the surrounding firehouses who hung the picture. It was sometime shortly after 9/11 that his Friary, the Franciscan Center of Wilmington, DE, along with the McShane Bell Foundry of Maryland organized the remembrance bells project for the 3 sites that had been affected on that day - New York City, Arlington and Shanksville. The bells were to be used at the ceremonies of the first anniversary. Though the bells were completed, he was having difficulty finding a contact for the one that would eventually come to New York.
On the first weekend of October in 2001 there was a ceremony to commemorate the National Fallen Firefighters, who had died in the prior year. Brother Dave attended the ceremony, which was held in Washington because of the size of the crowd they were expecting, and stood near the bells. He noticed 3 buses pull up and first out of the closest bus came 2 tall men, one younger and the other older. As the 2 men approached him he noticed that the older of the men was wearing a badge that said Eric Taube Olsen. The men were Eric's Dad and his brother Todd. Needless to say Brother Dave was in awe and though he did not say it on Friday, I am sure that he saw Gods plan before his eyes and he now knew why he was so drawn to that one face out of thousands in the newspaper. Because of this encounter in Washington not only did Taube and Brother Dave become friends, as did the rest of our family, the bell reached New York and was used in the first anniversary ceremony. Brother Dave, the Friary and the McShane Bell Foundry were so grateful for my Uncle's assistance, that they made a smaller bell to commemorate the Viking Association firefighters that died. That bell was attached to a fire truck that Eric had owned, and a firehouse in Milford Township, Bucks County, PA restored over 2 years and with $12,000 in donated monies (that is another wonderful part of our family legacy). That was absolutely the hand of God bringing those 2 men together in a sea of thousands upon thousands of people in our nations capital.
You just never know when God is going to nudge you in the right direction; how your actions are going to affect someone else's life. How a wrong turn can make such a huge difference to not only someone else's life but your own life as well and how love is so easily given away and accepted. If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts. May you be receptive to the whisper that tells you to make that turn, do something for someone else and may God bless you on this beautiful day.
Peace,
Mare
(Just click on the photos to see them enlarged)
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| Remembrance Bell for New York City (larger) |
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| Viking Association Bell |
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| Erics Refurbished Fire Truck |
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| Close up of Viking Bell |
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