This past Thursday, Will graduated from high school.

The Early Birth

The invitations had been sent. We were all eagerly waiting for the birth of our first grandson. But God had other plans.

After a routine checkup with her OB-GYN, Jenny’s water broke on her way to the elevator. Will was due in early March, but on February 13, 2007, he came into the world via C-section at St. Joseph Hospital. Thank God Jenny’s sister Amy was already in town for the baby shower — she would become Jenny’s rock through everything that followed.

Mikos and I stood at the window watching as a nurse treated baby Will like a routine birth. But something was wrong. At four pounds, eleven ounces, his tiny lungs needed far more than routine care. Turning to Mikos, the words came quietly but surely: “Something is not right.” As the father, his instincts were on fire — he could see his baby struggling to breathe. He knocked hard on the window to get the nurse’s attention, but she ignored him. Finally, he had had enough and called a doctor in. We could actually hear the doctor reprimanding the nurse for her negligence. By then, Mike had arrived — and we all stood there watching little Will fight for his life.

Will was immediately transported to Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where he spent two weeks in the NICU. Because Jenny had undergone a C-section and was still under anesthesia, she had no idea of the trauma her son was enduring.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NABRE)

The Love of a Mother

Every single day, Jenny was at her baby boy’s side — watching over him, staying until Mikos arrived to take his turn. The two of them formed a circle of love around Will, and by the time he reached his proper birth weight, he was finally released into the arms of his family. In the meantime, little Maddie was in the loving care of her Aunt Amy and me. We took turns so Jenny could be where she needed to be — with Will.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NABRE)

Fighting to Live

When life begins with a battle, it can only mean one thing — God has a special plan for you.

Will has always been a fighter, and he has had to prove it more than once. From the very beginning, God gifted him with an athletic spirit and the physical ability to match. He played soccer, baseball, and basketball, and picked up surfing and snowboarding along the way. He excelled at every one of them — but basketball became his true passion.

He didn’t just show up and play. He sacrificed weekends, put in the hours, and gave everything to his craft. For years he committed to a club team, competing at a level that demanded real dedication. By his sophomore year of high school, his teammates recognized what everyone around him already knew — they voted him captain of the Junior Varsity team.

Sports and Politics

A coach can make you or break you.

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore — not good enough, his coach decided. It took persistence, a growth spurt, and a junior varsity season that turned heads before the world discovered what was really there. We all know how that story ended.

Will’s high school was serious about sports, and that meant winning came first — sometimes at any cost. Suddenly, six-foot nineteen-year-olds began showing up on the varsity roster. These are what people call “holdbacks” — kids whose parents chose to give them an extra year to grow, develop, and gain a competitive edge, both athletically and academically. They’re often bigger, stronger, and sometimes two full years older than the boys they’re competing against. Will could read the room. He knew the odds had shifted, and rather than fight a battle that wasn’t his to win, he made a smart, graceful pivot — to golf.

He never missed a beat. Because that’s who Will is. A fighter doesn’t quit — he adapts. And he has never lacked for people in his corner. He golfs regularly with his grandfather Mike now, and true to form, he’s excelling at that too.

“I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk, give you counsel with my eye upon you.” — Psalm 32:8 (NABRE)

Work Ethic

Will once said something that stopped me in my tracks: “You’re not always going to be the best, and you’re not always going to get picked to play.” For a young man still in high school, that kind of self-awareness is rare — and telling. It’s the kind of lesson that can only be learned from the inside out.

His parents have worked hard to pass something even more valuable than athletic talent down to Will and his sister Maddie — a genuine work ethic. Following in Maddie’s footsteps, Will started working at Porky’s Pizza at sixteen. For two years he was the dough boy, putting in the unglamorous hours that no one sees. Now that he’s eighteen, he’s out delivering pizzas — showing up, being reliable, doing what needs to be done.

Maddie, for her part, is carrying a full-time internship and still finds time to deliver pizzas too. These two didn’t fall into that by accident. They were raised that way.

So to all the Porky’s Pizza customers in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills — please be kind, and please tip generously. You just might be opening your door to two of the finest young people around.

The Grandma’s

A Family Celebration

Jenny’s family made the long trip from Minnesota to be there — all seven of them. That kind of love doesn’t need explanation. You pack a bag, you buy a ticket, and you show up. And show up they did, filling the room with the particular warmth that only family can bring. Our entire family was there as well, gathered around this young man who has given us so much to celebrate.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please watch over Will. Protect him — guard his heart and his mind, and lead him always toward what is right in Your eyes.

Lord, I pray not just for Will but for all who are graduating — for every young man and woman stepping into a world that will pull them in a thousand directions. Direct their paths toward holiness. Do not let them be swept away by every wind of doctrine, but anchor them to You — the King of Kings, the One who knew them before they were formed in the womb.

Amen.

Happy Birthday to our Church!

Pentecost Sunday

Fifty days after Easter Sunday and ten days after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, we celebrate this feast. Before Jesus’ Ascension He gave His apostles instructions to stay in Jerusalem.

When Jesus had spoken to his apostles about the Holy Spirit their minds and hearts were not spiritually prepared to take in all this holiness.

²⁶ The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.

This is exactly what the Holy Spirit does with me. When ministering to others I am reminded of Scriptures or certain stories in the Bible that relate to the subject matter.

The Ascension

In great amazement, Jesus’ disciples watched as He ascended into heaven. But now the apostles had to replace Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus. There had to be twelve apostles. The number twelve represents the twelve Tribes of Israel; it’s also the number of Divine Government and apostolic fullness (Gen 49:28; Ex 15:27; Mt 19:28). Matthias became the twelfth apostle. Now they could continue with their mission.

They were gathered in the Upper Room and for nine straight days: the apostles, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the other women prayed in one accord. “Praying in one accord” meant that they were seeking God and waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Our Catholic novenas derive from this holy feast.  The Novena to the Holy Spirit is prayed during the period between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday.

The Upper Room

The Upper Room In Jerusalem is entered through the Zion Gate. As you walk past the Jerusalem stone walls you are met by street vendors selling goods made of sesame, honey bars, and other products indigenous to the Holy Land. When the path splits into two, the walk continues toward the left until you reach a statue of David. The Jews frown upon this statue because they believe that it is an offense; Jewish culture does not venerate idols and considers this a graven image. Of the many times that I have visited, poor David has suffered amputated toes from the hands of Jews and, on several occasions, his nose has been broken

This area of the Upper Room is considered the Jewish section of the Old City. The Muslims consider this to be a mosque, but the Israelis believe the lower level of the old structure is the Tomb of David. As Christians we remain neutral; we visit the Tomb of David but spend most of our time in the Upper Room. This is one of my five favorites sites to visit in the Holy Land.

The Upper Room, also referred to as the Cenacle, is located in the southern part of the Old City of Jerusalem. In this room many historic occurrences took place that changed the course of Christianity: Jesus washed the feet of His disciples,  the Last Supper, the Resurrection of Christ, the post-Resurrection, Pentecost, and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

In all the times I have traveled to Jerusalem, our team would never miss the opportunity to visit the Upper Room. You can still feel the anointing in that room. Our team spent a lot of time in prayer there.

The Holy Spirit

Our son Mikos is a great planner.

The Plan

It started several months ago. Mikos wanted to host a small reunion with a few of his high school buddies, but he also wanted to include their families. This get-together was based around their friend Aaron’s schedule. Aaron is the manager of the New York Yankees. With Aaron’s busy schedule, Mikos knew he was taking a chance, but he went ahead and sent out the Evites.

The Friends

Having only one friend from high school that I still keep in contact with, I marvel that Mikos has maintained so many of his friends. Jay was the only local. He, along with his family, live in Orange; Mark  lives in Fort Collins, CO, and Carter lives in Northern California. These three all confirmed that they would attend the gathering.

The Dinner

With Mike making the best chile rellenos and my famous refried beans, it was a no-brainer that Mikos asked us to cook dinner for his guests. It was a small, intimate group: Mikos, Jenny, Jay and his wife Michelle, Carter, Mark, and Mike and me. While the men were reminiscing about their boyhood stories, the subject about the nude beach came up.

The Nude Beach

They were 15 years old when we took a trip up to Santa Barbara. We still have a little cottage a stone’s throw away from Ledbetter Beach. But these boys wanted to be dropped off at Henry’s Beach. I had to load them up in my car to drive them there. I knew that there was a nudist beach, but it was a few miles’ walk and I never expected these guys to venture off that far.

It was well into the afternoon, no cellphones, just a communication to meet me at the front entrance to Henry’s Beach at 3 o’clock. Sonja and I waited and waited; then, as if they had been on a long jog, slowly they started to appear. Mark was the last one to surface, and I was a little suspicious. I will never forget the image of his face, it was flushed red. When the boys got in the car I asked, “You didn’t go to the nude beach, did you?” “Oh, heck no!” they laughed when they answered. I knew something was up, but I let it go. Only after this dinner did I finally get the details.

Of course they walked deep into the private beaches of Hope Ranch because they wanted to experience the nude beach, but they were wearing swimming trunks. To Mikos’ recollection, “We saw an old man playing Hacky Sack and I wanted to turn back, but Mark wanted to continue.” Mark was right and their dreams were about to come true. As they lay in the sand, two beautiful, young college girls came down the steps that led to the beach. The boys held their excitement because the girls were fully dressed. I’m sure these boys waited with bated breath as they watched the girls disrobe.  As if it were a free show, the beautiful young girls stripped to their bare bottoms, their birthday suits!

The Disrobing

As the story continued my eyes were wide with amazement.  Turns out we only knew part of the story. Mark had a great idea: “I think we should take off our trunks.” At first Mikos and Carter were nervously apprehensive but, as groupthink would have it, they made a consensus. “If we do this, we can’t look at each other’s privates,” Mikos added. “Oh my gosh! did you guys take off  your trunks?” I asked. They did but, for some strange reason, only rolled their trunks to their knees.

The BBQ

Aaron finally confirmed that he would make it to the BBQ. It was going to be a big group. With our family alone, we are ten: Aaron, his parents, Bob and Sue, along with his brother Matt and his family. Jay, Michelle, and their son George, Carole, Chris, Jay’s mom. Carter, Rachael, and Jane, Carter’s mom. We had the best time sharing stories about the boys.

Sue shared the sweetest story about Aaron and Sonja. Sonja was a freshman, and Aaron was a senior in high school. Aaron handed Sonja a quarter with a folded piece of paper containing his phone number. He told her that he was just a phone call away if she ever needed anything. This is who Aaron was and still is: a gentle, humble man.

The Video

I’m part of the fans that will go the extra mile to promote my Blog, mycatholicroots.com. Preparing ahead of time how I was going to wrangle Aaron into doing this, I had to hit while the iron was hot. Poor Aaron had barely walked in when I asked if he could do the video.  Of course, as gracious as can be, Aaron made a Reluctant Chef video. Plus I think he liked the bean dip too! Aaron took photos with everyone who was there. He is so sweet and patient.

Aaron had to leave early because he is the manager of the New York Yankees! We all stayed behind and enjoyed the wonderful company. But the day was just beginning.

The Game

Later that evening we had great seats to the game. Maddie, her friend Thompson, Mike and I had a wonderful time at the game. We headed up to the Diamond Club for our farewell to Mark and Carter.

I remember the mounds of nachos I made for those boys. We had a tortilla factory and manufactured our own chips, so the barrel of nachos never went dry. Our home was their safe haven and will always remain that for them.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for Aaron as he manages the toughest baseball team in the world. May You continue to give him godly wisdom in every decision he makes as a manager. Lord, protect our families. May we grow in the knowledge of Who You are in our everyday lives. Amen.