The reunion: a reflection for Father’s Day
I grew up as the only child for nine years before my sister and brother came along. My father Tyrone Hooker was a man who kept busy. He was always on the go either cutting hair, running an errand for my grandfather or looking after his brothers. He was third of the five boys and they all looked up to him. I was amazed by how he was able to do so much and still make time for me. I look at myself today and see how I have inherited some of my father’s traits of keeping busy and taking care of family, friends and myself. At a certain point in my teenage years my father became distant, and I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Was this his way of saying you’re on your own now?
God as father
I knew I wasn’t alone because of the continuous love from mom, family, friends and above all God! With Divine Providence you’re never alone. The Spirit leads you to new beginnings and new insights into what life is all about when you see goodness and love envelope you. In Proverbs 4:11-12: “I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered, and when you run, you will not stumble.” God was and still is here for me whenever I call in time of sorrow or celebration, which brings me back to the reunion.
Reunited
I reunited with my father during the planning of a family reunion. Looking over our family tree and meeting distant relatives brought us closer than ever before. It was a bond we promised not to lose anymore because of the love a father has for his son: a role model, protector and provider.
We are created in the likeness and image of God who is like a Father. When I process up to receive communion at church, I’m embracing the divine spirit over me as I receive the Body of Christ. I personally know that I can reunite with Divine Providence through prayer and forgiveness when I have gotten off track or when my life seems to be boggled with a whole lot of obstacles and barriers. God wants me and you to come back to God. God’s love is unconditional and it’s good to know that I am God’s own.
My father passed away in 2015 and I’ll never forget our time reminiscing over good times, looking over photos of the family and spending some quality time during the reunion. That reunion brought us back together with love and forgiveness just as our Heavenly Father brings us close.
Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and to all people who serve as father figures by being positive role models and by carrying on the spiritual likeness of a caring God.
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Thanks for a beautiful reflection!
Thank you, Marvin. I suspect many of us have had ambivalent relationships with our fathers. Becoming more mature enables us to appreciate and understand what was happening. Having a relationship with mother-father God and experiencing continuing unconditional love is such a gift.
Thank you for sharing this meaningful reflection!
Thank you, Marvin. I, too, am 9 years older than my siblings, so I understand being an only child with brothers! I go back to a quote from Mark Twain: “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” That certainly describes my experience with my own father, and I’m starting to think my children are seeing the first part of that now!