Sunday, August 18, 2013

More Mixed Signals

To my son Tommy,

At Mass today you turned and asked me to go potty.  I inquired if you could hold it.  You said yes and then turned to your Great Aunt Lulu and asked her.  I realized that for at least two years I have been teaching you to "stop, go right away" and yet here I was asking you to do something different because it was inconvenient.  I do hate getting up during Mass and disturbing people.  I do always wonder what the proper steps are for a quick potty break.  Do I do a full genuflect at the tabernacle or do I just do a quick nod in and out to be less of a disturbance?  Either way, me asking you to hold it was definitely about what is easy rather than sticking to my beliefs and teachings and what is right.  The right thing was to take you to the potty and that is what I did after my initial balk.

Funny enough, the homily today was kind of in line with our experience today.  You must stand behind what you believe no matter how easy it is to put it off.  You have to be true to yourself and to your faith and do not bend to make others happy.  I am not saying you should abandon being thoughtful or considerate or polite, but, to extremely simplify the lesson and compare it to today, if you have to go..you have to go.  I will try to send you less mixed signals.  Just like when you start singing "Glory to God" at the top of your lungs in the supermarket aisle,  I will not hush you because it might seem embarrassing.  I will just unapologetically and proudly point and say, "He gets this stuff from his father".

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo

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