First of all, thanks to everyone for reading. I only expected a few readers, but it's nice to hear feedback from people I know and don't know.
Also, with things finally calming down (slightly), we will start getting visitors from out of town. I am looking forward to seeing all of you.
Religion has played an interesting role in my life. Obviously, right now, it is stronger than ever. Let's start from the beginning. I grew up in Suburban Philadelphia and was raised Catholic. Weekly mass was the same silly ritual every week. You celebrated your first communion and confirmation and had a huge party. My parents put me in a pricey private Catholic school, and it was an absolute nightmare that I am still to unsuccessfully repress. Advice for parents: No matter how well your child is doing academically, never, ever skip them a grade. Supposedly schools don't do this anymore. Since I ended up in public school, we had to attend some godawful boring class called CCD every week. Everyone just did it because we are Catholics, and it's what Catholics do. Some people enjoy this, and that's all well and good. I got absolutely nothing from it, other than the fact that organized religion does nothing but pit people against each other and is a waste of time.
It was hard to find a pastor for our wedding because we weren't members of a church. Thanks to Terri Housel and their family pastor, we were married at Trinity Lutheran in Lansdale.
Jaci grew up in rural Pennsylvania, which is where we are now. It's safe to say there isn't quite as much to do up here. Going to church is an important part of life for many rural communities. She frequently brought up going to church, and taking the kids. I was very hesitant, but she made a good point when she insisted the kids have at least a starting point.
Our first church was a large church near Lancaster. We stopped attending. The pastor e-mailed to see what was going on. I responded my father had died and I needed some time to reflect. I received no response from the pastor, even though they continued to autodraft our donation every week. Bye.
Church number two. A smaller church, also in the Lancaster area. The pastor was a nice guy but kind of a ham. The church holds a picnic which we signed up for on a paper. We showed up and, despite sunny weather, there was no one there. Apparently, the picnic was cancelled and no one bothered to tell us. Strike two.
We then move to Centre County. At first, Jaci looked into churches that had a good kids' program. This brought us to Grace United Methodist in Centre Hall. I guess it is safe to say I was finally home. The congregation was younger on average than other churches we have been to, and many people came up to us and introduced themselves to us right away. Pastor Mark seemed really nice and down to earth. The only thing I don't like is the contemporary service because there is too much singing. But, if you go to the post on helpers, you will see how important the church and Pastor Mark have been on this journey.
Following this illness, I have discovered the healing power of faith and prayer. In addition to God, I have communicated with my father, who said he was proud of me, and my grandparents, who said they will protect me, because I need to be with my own grandchildren and watch them grow.
We have been to church once since the surgery. It was honestly one of the most emotional days of my life. I was so happy to see everyone, and the feeling seemed mutual. Also, God did communicate with me that day, and said I needed to live and pay it forward. That is the reason I am typing this right now.
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