One Nation Under God Country and Faith through A Grandfather's Eyes

Faith ----
―Anyone who has discovered C hrist must lead others to Him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to
be passed on.‖
Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day (August 21, 2005).
It is the role and duty of each of us to respond to His call.
Trust ---- Sometimes you cannot believe what you see --- you have to believe what you feel. And if you are
ever going to have other people trust you, you must learn to trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will
be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into
flames of achievement.
Country ----
―America is a leap of the imagination. From its beginning, people had only a persistent idea of what a good
country should be. The idea involved freedom, equality, justice, and the pursuit of happiness; nowadays most of
us probably could not describe it a lot more clearly than that. The truth is, it always has been a bit of a guess. No
one has ever known for sure whether a country based on such an idea is really possible, but again and again, we
have leaped toward the idea and hoped.‖ Ian Frazier
―One Nation Under God‖
Country and Faith through A Grandfather‘s Eyes
A PERSONAL PRAYER
Lord, you know I am growing older. Keep me from becoming talkative and possessed with the idea that I
must express myself on every subject.
Release me from the craving to straighten out ever yone‘s affairs.
Keep me from the recital of endless detail.
Give me strength to get to the point.
Seal my lips when I am inclined to tell of my aches and pains.
They are increasing with the passing of years,
and the love to speak of them grows sweeter as time goes by.
Make me thoughtful, but not nosey. Helpful, but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom and experiences,
it does seem a pity not to use it at all.
But you know, Lord, that I want a few friends in the end. Amen
A PRAYER FOR FATHERLY GUIDANCE
Lord God, author of all wisdom, Teach me how to do my work as a Father according to your will. Enlighten
my mind that I may understand what to tell my children when it is necessary to give them direction or advice.
Give me good judgment to understand true spiritual values and to guide my family in your ways.
The world makes little of your wisdom and is not instructed in your ways, and close contact with the world
makes it easy to become dulled to things of solid spiritual worth. Be my guide at all times, that I may be a true
father and husband, sensitive always to the divine wisdom that only you can impart. God, by the light of the
Holy Spirit you instruct the hearts of your faithful. Grant that I may be truly wise and ever enjoy his
consolation,
through Christ our Lord. Amen
INTRODUCTION
Fathers and Grandfathers have different ‗roles‘ in life, yet very common responsibilities --- from unique
perspectives --- perspectives developed thru and based upon their depth and breadth of experience! Recently I
had that understanding brought clearly into focus for me, when I realized that the primary ‗roles‘ in my life, had
not changed: to ‗teach‘, to ‗serve‘, to be a ‗role model‘, and to ‗pray‘ for my family and friends; to follow God‘s
commands to Love Him and Each Other!
What I knew, learned, experienced and ‗passed on‘ throughout the years before the turn of the century, has
markedly changed --- exploded -- as we enter the 21st Century. What was consistent or supposedly stable --- is
now ‗different‘ --- ‗changed‘ --- even being ‗destroyed‘.
Further, that change is ongoing (where and when consistency would be very beneficial) and is happening
faster and faster --- in most cases not for the better! It is also occurring as though there is nothing that can be
done and we are told ‗not to worry‘! It is ‗the new normal‘; or ‗not to worry‘ because those ‗in charge‘ have it
under control ---‗trust me‘…. ‗trust us‘.
During two visits this summer: one by a family member on vacation [my youngest son – Michael and his
family – Tara, his wife, and their 2 children – McKinley and Michael] --- the other, a friend from Warszawa
(Warsaw), Poland (Caius Grocholski --- ‗Cai‘), during a month long trip - ‗to the colonies‘. I met Cai and his
wife, Elżbieta (Elizabeth) some years ago, during visits to Catholic schools in Warszawa. [We met during a
series of presentations given by Barrie Schwortz (a great friend) and myself --- talks on the Shroud of Turin and
its effect on one‘s faith. Barrie was a member of the ‗scientific team‘ that examined the Shroud in 1978,
authorized by Pope John Paul II.]
Cai had taken a few days of his time to visit my wife and me at our home in Savannah and to plan a trip for
his 17 year old son, Stanislaw (Stach), to visit and travel here in the United States for a few weeks during the
summer of 2014.
If you think my name is long, Stach‘s real name is Tadeusz Kazimierz Aleksander Grocholski --- should be
followed by ―King of all the lands east of Warsawa to Belarus, north to the Baltic and south to the Tatra
Mountains. I am really excited about spending time with Stach next summer!!
The discussions with Mike and Cai included (1) reflections on governments and their mismanagement, both
here in the US and in Poland and (2) faith and political beliefs and their influence on the governing of the two
countries.....