Thirsty!

As I was in music rehearsal this morning before the 11:00 Mass, I observed a very sweet moment between a father and child.

The 9:00 Mass was ongoing, and as often happens, a parent came out of the sanctuary with their restless child. I stood outside the parish library down the hall, with tambourine in hand, waiting as the singers inside the library practiced their notes. A water cooler is located by the library door.

A young father, with a toddling 18 month old son, approached the water cooler. He plucked a cone-shaped cup from the holder, and filled it with water, “Glug glug glug.” The father stooped down, offering the drink to his child. The little boy leaned way over, hands at his side, placed his mouth on the cup’s rim and drank deeply with gusto. He squealed with delight, as the father returned to refill the little cone cup. Again, the toddler’s hips hinged to bend toward the cup, and he finished the drink again! This time, he danced back and forth with anticipation for more. The Father again filled the cup, and the scene was repeated, with equal enthusiasm. Then they headed back to Mass.

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Dear Lord, how much are you like that Father, giving us to drink from your abundance! We thirst and dance with joy, being filled, yet wanting more. You know how to meet us where we are, giving us just as much as we can take at different stages of our lives.

Heavenly Father, may we lean toward you with abandon, realizing that it is you who sustains us and slakes our thirst. Let us drink deeply from your cup, and hold your hand to guide us. I am filled with joy!