This morning I got to listen to Fr. Barron's homily from last week on Pentecost Sunday. He spoke of the nature and Power of the Holy Spirit.

I had to go on an item pickup today with my wife and kids. It was impulsive and ill-conceived. It was a long drive to another part of town to pick up an item of marginal worth that had to be moved down a very steep spiral staircase. I was resentful at first but I did my best to go along with it and have fun. I told her that I felt like Ricky Ricardo and we got a laugh out of it. We got to drive through a panoramic area of the hill country to an exclusive neighborhood with beautiful homes. The kids were amazed and loved it and we got to meet some nice people. We had a fun experience and it was great to get the kids out of our house.

After the pickup we went to a park at the lake for a picnic lunch. Again, I thought it was impulsive and ill-conceived. It was a long walk to the picnic area and keeping the kids from falling into the lake was like herding cats. But, the whole route was shady and it was an adventure for the kids. I got to see a cove where I fish in an unusually clear water and now I know what the underwater structure looks like. We got to explore a dock and boathouse that have been renovated and opened to visitors. It was an experience that the kids will treasure and so will I.

When we got back I had to drive back across town to pick up my son at the magic camp that I have reservations about. I feel that my wife's decision to enroll him in this was impulsive and ill-conceived. Earlier today my wife spoke about how much my son loves the camp and how much excitement and joy it gives him. When I picked him up I saw his enthusiasm. This was priceless. I am grateful that he gets to have this experience.

When we got back I was exhausted and fell on the bed for a nap. But, I had to get up immediately and go to a swimming trip with the kids that my wife had committed to. I felt that it was impulsive and ill conceived. She tried to reassure me by saying that it would be "relaxing". This made me even more resentful than I already was. When we got there my autistic son surprised us all in his enthusiasm to try and swim. Last year he would only stay in the foot deep water and scream at the mere notion of immersing any more. Today he made enormous strides and tried lots of things like putting his face in the water, dunking with me, kicking practice, and even pretend swimming while I held him up. My youngest daughter also amazed us at how she is such a natural to try and swim. It was a great experience for which I am grateful. The swim was actually very relaxing. I am grateful that I got to share this experience with them.

Tonight I got to go to a meeting, we read about God as a power to restore us to sanity. I talked to my friends about what a great day this was. Tonight in thinking about my resentments today I see that they are always impulsive and ill conceived. I also see that the Power of God helps me to overcome them.

Thanks be to God for this experience.