May 1982, I was deployed to Diego Garcia with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SIXTY-TWO, when I get the MARS Gram ... "It's a girl, Jennifer Lynn Gassman, mom and child are well."
September 1984, I was deployed to Autec Island, Bahamas with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVEN, when I receive the phone call, It's a boy, Leo Joseph Gassman.
April 24, 2013, I'm waiting for a family friend to discuss her wedding plans. While I am waiting in my truck outside the restaurant a very pregnant woman and her (I'm assuming) husband came out. Something about the way they were walking and talking made me think, "Does he understand what is happening?" I mean really understand.
I know from my experience those two contacts changed my life tremendously. Jennifer is now 30 and Leo 28. I carry copies of their baby pictures and I love them now as much as I did back then. It is funny how our relationship with our children rides the proverbial roller coaster. Yet, as parents we love them so deeply no matter how rough it might be. If we are separated physically, emotionally, or because of differing points of view, we love them tremendously.
This is how I know God exists and that He came to be one of us in the person of Jesus, human in every way, willing to give His human life for our salvation. This is agape love. The kind of love we live out sacramentally as a married man and woman. We are graced with the ability to be co-creators with our God, by our ability to produce children through an act of love and we come to see God in the child who loves and trusts us unconditionally (until they are teenagers), then we come to know God's pain when we sin (turn away from Him). Yet, He loves us, calls us back, and mercifully forgives us.
This is the 5th Sunday of Easter. The Gospel calls us to love as Jesus (God with us) loves us. "This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Do You Hear Me!
A phrase I heard all to often as a child, a student, a military subordinate (I said it as a supervisor also), a husband, but today I heard it in a completely different venue.
I was out cutting the weeds at Habitat's new campus, once I shut off the brush hog it was about 6:45 p.m. The evening quiet was broken by a woman's voice coming from the woods. "I'm not going to live like this for the rest of my life! Do you hear me!
Homelessness seems to strip so much from an individual. There dignity and from a societal point of view their very identity.
I've seen the men coming out of the woods to the South of our new campus area, I can hear their moving about to the West of the campus. Curiosity beckons a visit, but respect for their privacy reigns in my mind. I am sure our paths with pass very soon as we clean up the fence line and eventually begin occupying our new campus. I am hoping once we are settled that I can partner with the Housing Authority, who owns the property, to build affordable housing so the homeless will have an opportunity to gain affordable housing beyond their tents.
I was out cutting the weeds at Habitat's new campus, once I shut off the brush hog it was about 6:45 p.m. The evening quiet was broken by a woman's voice coming from the woods. "I'm not going to live like this for the rest of my life! Do you hear me!
Homelessness seems to strip so much from an individual. There dignity and from a societal point of view their very identity.
I've seen the men coming out of the woods to the South of our new campus area, I can hear their moving about to the West of the campus. Curiosity beckons a visit, but respect for their privacy reigns in my mind. I am sure our paths with pass very soon as we clean up the fence line and eventually begin occupying our new campus. I am hoping once we are settled that I can partner with the Housing Authority, who owns the property, to build affordable housing so the homeless will have an opportunity to gain affordable housing beyond their tents.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
...and I'm not him.
In approaching the question of "identity" our pastor gave a very good sermon today concerning a short yet very profound concept that summarized the entire Bible in one sentence.
"God does exist, and I am not Him."
It is funny how many times over my life that I truly felt I was in control of my life. I've learned to laugh about this over time. In reality it has always been God in control.
I enjoy telling the story of how I came to Habitat for Humanity and eventually fully recognized and accepted my call to the permanent diaconate. "I" chose to join the Navy right out of high school and the trade "I" chose the trade of heavy equipment operator. "I" chose the move to serve as an active duty adviser to a reserve battalion in New York because "I" wanted to be stationed close to Judy and my families. "I" discovered and chose to pursue a career change to become an human relations adviser and "I" chose our retirement time to stay here in Florida (actually Judy did, but you get the picture "I" believe).
What "I" have come to understand is that God led me to move in each of these of these life events to prepare me for who I am today and what I do. 11 years in the construction field experiencing the many facets of the different trades as I was placed in roles where I needed to be very diversified and willing to learn on the fly. 11 years as a human relations trainer and adviser where I was confronted with my true self and experienced the diversity of God's people and allowed me to re-appropriate my faith as a Catholic Christian. God, using everyday decisions to introduce me to His chosen people who would guide and form me to be the pastoral leader of a Habitat affiliate and ordination as a deacon.
God does exist, and I really know now, I am not Him.
"God does exist, and I am not Him."
It is funny how many times over my life that I truly felt I was in control of my life. I've learned to laugh about this over time. In reality it has always been God in control.
I enjoy telling the story of how I came to Habitat for Humanity and eventually fully recognized and accepted my call to the permanent diaconate. "I" chose to join the Navy right out of high school and the trade "I" chose the trade of heavy equipment operator. "I" chose the move to serve as an active duty adviser to a reserve battalion in New York because "I" wanted to be stationed close to Judy and my families. "I" discovered and chose to pursue a career change to become an human relations adviser and "I" chose our retirement time to stay here in Florida (actually Judy did, but you get the picture "I" believe).
What "I" have come to understand is that God led me to move in each of these of these life events to prepare me for who I am today and what I do. 11 years in the construction field experiencing the many facets of the different trades as I was placed in roles where I needed to be very diversified and willing to learn on the fly. 11 years as a human relations trainer and adviser where I was confronted with my true self and experienced the diversity of God's people and allowed me to re-appropriate my faith as a Catholic Christian. God, using everyday decisions to introduce me to His chosen people who would guide and form me to be the pastoral leader of a Habitat affiliate and ordination as a deacon.
God does exist, and I really know now, I am not Him.
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