Before I forget...       

· All happenings, great and small, are parables whereby God Speaks. The art of life is to get the message.   
         - Malcolm Muggeridge
· Where does the fat go when you lose it?  --Lewis Grizzard

     Graduations... the end of the school year... summer in Minnesota... lakes & rivers... boating... fishing... water-skiing... picnics... mosquitoes... gardening...barbeques... vacation... golf... swimming... a time to relax... a time to play... a time to waste a little time.
     God, I hope and pray that the people of St. John's will waste a little time this summer!  Especially the parents of young children.  I recently read the following story (author unknown) and I want to share it with all of you, especially with parents, but I found it important in my own relationships.  It's a true story.
While at a park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.  "That's my son over there," she said pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down a slide.
"He's a fine looking boy," the man said.  "That's my son on the swing in the blue sweater."  Then looking at his watch, he called to his son.  "What do you say we go, Todd?" 
Todd pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad.  Please?  Just five more minutes."  The man nodded and Todd continued to swing to his heart's content.
Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his son.  "Time to go now."  Again Todd pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad.  Just five more minutes."  The man smiled and said, "O.K."   
"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.
The man smiled and then said, "My older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while riding his bike near here.  I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd.  He thinks he has five more minutes to swing.  The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch him play."
Five more minutes!  How many of us wish that we could have five more minutes with our loved ones who have passed on.  I think of all the parents who have buried a child and what they wouldn't do for five more minutes.  Five minutes isn't very long... let the kid play five more minutes.  If you are visiting an aged parent or friend, add five more minutes.  If you are spending time with a good friend, give them five more minutes. 

When you wake up your son or daughter and they say, "Five more minutes," are you going to get angry, or just enjoy watching them sleep?
This summer, take five; take another five, with your loved ones.  Slow down.  If it helps, you can even arrive five minutes late for Mass-- but only if you have young children!
     Remember--the whole earth is full of God's glory.
     
Fr. Bill