You know I LOVE this day…I’ll love it even better if I ‘happen’ to look at the clock at 11:11! Can you imagine? 11:11 11/11/11! Fr. TJ said in Mass today for ‘nerds’ like him this is pretty cool. I suppose that makes me a nerd. 🙂 And proud of it! In adoration this morning I praised God for the many ways in which He continues to show His presence in my life AND thanked him for the many angels and saints that are praying for me, my family and friends at ALL TIMES.
It has already proven to be a pretty glorious and spirit filled day so far. After Mass this morning I had an anointed conversation with a sweet man that shows up in adoration every morning at 4:30am. For the past 6 years that I have been in adoration I have watched him come in, wearing the same black jacket with USS FROST DE-144 stitched on the back, and a cap with the same information that he takes off when he enters the door. I estimated he was in his 70’s/80’s…he looks very good but it has been so endearing to watch him make his way up to the altar and then he would kneel and say the rosary. Often I would feel guilt for ‘sitting’ in my chair in adoration as he knelt for at least 30 minutes that I knew about. I would stare at his back, at the stitching on his jacket and either think about the stories he must have in regards to the service he gave for our country. Other times I would wonder what it was he prayed for…what was it that called him to the blessed sacrament at 4:30am every morning? And on some occasions I would look at the FROST stitched on the jacket and think about my grandmother Jack Frost McGraw and then my thoughts would go to the way in which she was such a beacon of Christ’s light to me.
A year or so ago I once asked Fr. Borski about this man who never seemed to look anywhere but to Christ. “Just talk to him,” Fr. Borski said. “I’m sure he’d love to talk to you.” I thought about it a few times but how was I ever going to go up and interrupt his prayers? Until this morning after Mass I was leaving the church and happened to walk by him. He had been sitting in the back near the windows and it was as if the Holy Spirit took me by the hand and guided me over to him. I reached out my hand to touch his and said, “I pray for you every Friday morning in adoration when you come in at 4:30.” He patted my hand with his other and said, “You are a good person.” and smiled.
I left the church feeling a hint of victory. I spoke to him after all of these years! After a few minutes of conversing with another friend outside I saw him making his way to the parking lot and as I started that way too he came over to me. “When do you go to adoration again?” he asked. I told him I am there every Friday morning at 4am. Then he asked my name and that led into a very delightful conversation. Being that it is Veteran’s Day I asked him about the jacket and hat that he was wearing and he said, “Well, funny that you should ask.” and pulled out a business card from his wallet that advertised a website about the USS FROST DE-144 that sunk 5 German u-boats in WWII. This ship survived all these battles without one casualty. If you go on the website you can see my friend Warren J. Kerrigan (he is the webmaster) and see what a handsome man he was and still IS! 🙂 To learn more about this ship visit www.ussfrost.homestead.com/HOMEindex.html
Before we parted I couldn’t help but ask him, “What has drawn you to adoration so faithfully for all of these years?” and he answered, “Well, when we were on the ship we were always praying.” He laughed. “When you are getting shot at and in a war zone prayer was the one thing that kept us sane, that and drinking when we were docked.” (paraphrased, he did mention some place that they all drank and de-stressed but I can’t remember the name). Then he said, “But my wife passed a few years back and ever since then it is what brings me close to her.”
What a beautiful man. 🙂 He vowed to say hello to me next Friday in adoration and I vow to continue to say a prayer for him every time I see him. God Bless Warren and all of the men and women who have fought and are STILL FIGHTING for our country.
Blessings
Shannon