The Ressurection Account  (Mark: 16. 1-19)

And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices that they might come and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the enterance of tomb?”

And looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled awasy, although it was extremely large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.

And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”

“But go tell his disciples and Peter, He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now after He had risen on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalne, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. And when they heard that He was alive, and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

And after that He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking on their way to the country. And they went away and reported it to the others and they did not believe them either.

And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves while they were reclining at table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them,

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  He who has believed and has  been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpants, and if they drink and deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.”  

And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

Greatest Generation Stoicism: My Dad would have been 93 years old today. He passed way too early, at age 65, in 1990. Dad was a WWII veteran of the Pacific where he served on a landing craft as a gunners mate. He was an 18 year old kid just out of high school but was somehow, like all those kids in WWII, instantly turned into a man by virtue of the life and death nature of war. After the war these young men returned home and helped turn our country into a land of prosperity, growth, freedom, and opportunity. They were not a griping, complaining, or excuse making lot. Determined, stoic, work ethic drove them forward.

Dad never spoke to me about any of his war time service other than to suggest I not go into the Navy when I told I was going to join the military. I remember him saying ship life was pretty hard. I took his advice and went into the Army, thanks for that one Dad! Mom shared that on one of his missions he was assigned to a landing craft and was shuttling ammunition from a supply ship to the island. He told her that when it was time for lunch if your team was on the ship you ate aboard the ship and if on the island you at on the island. Dad was on the island eating sea rations with his buddies when they watched the ship blow up and sink. He spent the rest of the day, and the next, searching for survivors and recovering the bodies of the dead shipmates. Like so many of these WWII vets Dad must have had PTSD. In that time the VA had no knowledge of what it was or how to help veterans. The vets themselves developed many fraternal organizations where they had support and camaraderie.

Toledo Police Officer: Dad went on to a career in law enforcement serving as a Toledo Police Officer for over 20 years. He loved to garden, build model airplanes, take his dog with him in the car, and of course watch, and in that time, listen on the portable radio to sports. To say he was a Detroit Tiger fan would be a huge understatement. He loved the Tigers, and baseball in general.  We all got the bug. To this day I know my brother and sister and I are loyal Tigers fans as was our mom.  Dad left us with so much more than love of sports. We all knew he loved us and his model of toughness was a trait of the men of his time….warriors all.

Happy Birthday Dad: The Tigers should win the World Series this year and I know you are rooting from the upper deck, looking down. We love and miss you much. Thanks for being tough and for that “pomorski sense of humor” that we all somehow ended up with, for better or worse.