When Lucille and I were married I moved into her apartment. It was quite the experience bringing two people and all of their stuff together in one small apartment. Especially two who have been living independently for many years! :D
Once we were settled in, I grew kinda attached to her dad's rocking recliner that he gave to her a number of years before. It is comfortable, well worn in, and it rocks! I love to sit and rock while reading, praying the rosary, or when I am just sitting and relaxing.
Another reason I have grown attached to it is because of the relationship that has developed between her dad and me. He is a hard working man who has farmed all of his life. I have a lot of respect for his faith, wisdom, his gentle strength, and especially his spirit of peace.
Our conversations have spanned everything from farming (his work), technology (my work), life, faith and Jesus Christ, family, and so much more. It is in these conversations, and in the way he lived his life, that I began to develop this deep respect for him.
I actually look forward to heading out onto the prairies to visit with Lucille's family so that I can spend some time with him.
So, sitting here now, in the living room of our little home in this his former chair, it is a reminder of a man who has become a role model for me. The chair is, in a real sense, a concrete sign of many of the aspects of fatherhood and manhood that I aspire to.
Pax vobis,
J.E.
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