Rousing Rambling

  2 years ago Mariano J R Pimentel N o v e m b e r   7 ,   2 0 1 8    ·  Shared with Your friends When we were younger, the greatest gift that our parents gave to us was the gift of presence. Some of my favorite childhood memories include waterfront picnics with the Garcia families and Sundays at my grandmother’s house with the Pimentel Brum families. Simplicity. Just being with one another was enough to bring us all joy. Simply reflecting on those days still brings me joy today. Later in life, the same is true for what we can give to our aging parents. Monday nights are my “date nights with Papa.” Honestly, sometimes, after a long day at work, the 30-minute drive feels like a chore. Sitting with my dad and really listening to his stories (not just the hearing that I did for years) has given me so much insight into the times and events that shaped the person that my father is today. Learning about his childhood, leaving his country, starting a new l...

July 6, 2015 Rosa Parks Circle, Grand Rapids, Michigan 38 th Convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Public Concert with the Cortez family   While sitting in Rosa Parks Circle, in Grand Rapids, MI, attending an outdoor concert by Jaime Cortez and family, I watched a homeless man take his place at my side with a tin container of spaghetti and another container of some other food.   Clearly, one or two of the hundreds of people in attendance at the outdoor event had given this man food to eat.   As he sat there eating the spaghetti with his hands, he seemed to be content.   He was clearly tapping his foot to the beautiful Catholic songs of the Cortez family, their Spanish rhythms and percussive beats evoking joy. Every once in a while, he’d break out into a little seated dance.   He seemed to be enjoying the spaghetti, as he pulled each handful to his mouth to eat.   I have to admit, shamefully, that I was a little grossed out wa...

This weekend I drove over 8 hours north to Quebec City to say goodbye to a dear cousin of mine. To get there, we drove through the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. The scenery was magnificent, and it was as if we were looking at a beautiful palette of perfect colors, heights, and textures. We saw farms and ski resorts, high peaks and low valleys; and in the midst of the grandeur of the mountains, I reminded myself just how small I am in this world.  Reminding myself that it's not me that is the center of the universe, but that I live for the Center of the universe is a meditative practice that I should engage in more frequently. One of my favorite Christian songs is "Redeemer" as sung by Nicole Mullen. Immediately sensing my small self among mighty mountains, I recalled the Redeemer lyrics, "Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? and Who told the ocean you can only come this far? and Who showed the moon where to hide '...