Born the youngest of 8 children, I am often reminded of how spoiled I was as a child.  Ok, there might be some truth to that.  I have been showered with love my whole life.  My parents, God rest their souls, were faithful Catholics who put all their trust in the Lord …including the size of their family!  I am grateful that they followed the Catholic Church’s teaching so religiously; lest I would not be here, today.

My parents, four sisters and three brothers all served as excellent examples of God’s love in my life.  I am spoiled.  I thank my dear parents for making so many sacrifices in their lives so that we could all have such a big, loving family.  I thank my siblings for their love.  Today, I am blessed with 17 nieces and nephews and 5 grand- nieces and nephews (and counting).  In addition to the love of family, I am blessed with good friends (too many to count).  They have all influenced my life in so many positive ways.

The best example of God’s love in my life is undoubtedly the love I shared in marriage with my late-wife, Jessica.  I came to understand God’s love in the most profound way through our love for each other, through her life and even through her death.

My life hasn’t been all roses and candy.  I’ve seen some hardships, too.  Maybe more than some, but less than others.  If I look at each struggle in life as a way to grow closer to God, then it’s that much easier to see how much God loves me.  Like I said… I’m spoiled.