[dog breath]

My father an atheist and armchair rationalist philosopher who ignored the strange things that occurred throughout his life that were not rational or explainable. It required more blind faith for him to not believe then most can muster in a lifetime of going to church. I will never forget his eyes when he died they were full of total wonder as if he was staring at angels, for he had tried to find faith the last few days of his life. Someday I may see what it was that he beheld. One thing I did learn from listening to him was that to ridicule faith is a form of contempt and arrogance. A contempt born not so much out of a contempt for God but for humanity in general. It is our sense of awe and wonder at the universe our reaching out to that which goes past words, that which is not confined to formulas or math that makes us human. We humans are not the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, we are but born of the breath of the divine upon the dust.

[CatherineofAragon]

Very nice post. I pray your father is in the arms of God as we speak here.

My husband’s grandfather died the summer before last. He loved and served the Lord for most of his life. The things that went on in his hospital room, during the last days of his life, took away the breath from all of us. He told us at one point, “I can’t describe to you what I’m seeing. The Lord is showing me things I don’t have the words for.” I believe God did that partly for all of us, so that we would know what a joyous homecoming he was going to.