Return to Me.........

There is something I want to share before I talk about Abby the Dog returning home to Paul. It happened after that joyous event - on Saturday evening.

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Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. (1 Cor 6:17)

I am the living bread from heaven, says the Lord. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; the bread I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world. (Jn 6:51)
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On Friday evening, Fr. Jack Durkin called to see if he could bring Holy Communion to Paul. He did not know at the time that Paul was home from the hospital, and after talking to him for a few minutes, he offered to say Mass at our house on Saturday at 6 p.m. since we didn't feel Paul was quite ready to attend Mass at church yet. The joy I felt in my heart Friday night is more than I can put down into words. The next day was going to be a wonderful day! Our first Mass in our home would be the most beautiful gift from God. This was true for more than one reason. First, Paul would be able to receive Holy Communion with his family. Secondly, my brother Keith and his wife Kelly (who had so lovingly taken care of Abby the dog these past 8 months), along with their children and my other brother Jim, were all going to be with us. Also, Beverly and Joe (sister and brother in law) would be present for this holy occasion. Last and certainly the most importantly would be that the very Body of Christ would be present in our home at Mass. In the year 2000, Pope John Paul declared that that year would be the year of the Eucharist. He said "In the Sacrament of the Eucharist the Savior, who took flesh in Mary's womb 20 centuries ago, continues to offer himself to humanity as the source of divine life." It is our belief as Catholics and it is our greatest gift from God.

The blessings from God were visibly present during the Mass. Paul has not been able to swallow at all for the last 3 days. He did not eat or drink anything and has been having trouble with his mouth watering and then not being able to swallow. I prayed to God that he would be able to receive Holy Communion before Mass started. Paul followed the rest of us as we sat, stood and knelt. He kept looking over at me and smiled at me, just as he used to do when we would sit together at church. I was so happy to see that he understood fairly well what was going on. When it came time for him to receive Communion, he put up his finger (which means 'one minute')as a signal to Fr. Jack. I was thinking he may not be able to receive Communion because he would ot be able to swallow. He swallowed really hard, then started to choke and cough. Fr. Jack patiently waited for Paul, and after about 20 seconds of coughing, Paul was able to receive Holy Communion and he was able to fully consume the Eucharist!! More than one of us had tears in our eyes as we watched the hand of God at work. My joy could not have been more complete, as Paul had received Jesus. His soul had been fed, through the intercession of all of our prayers that have been lifted on high. Praise be to God always and forever.

This was the culmination of an already love filled day. Saturday morning, Paul was moving to the beat of Paul's drummer. Slow beat. I knew Abby the dog was on her way over to our house, so I told Paul he needed to hurry downstairs so he could be outside when his dog came home. He understood that well enough to actually make it happen. As he was putting his hat on and walking out the front door, Keith and Kelly pulled up in the van, the side door opened and Abby the dog came bounding out and down the lawn towards all of us who had gathered. I could not contain my tears as I watched Paul watch his dog. She ran to each one of us, tail wagging her whole back side! It was everything we had all hoped it would be for Paul. When he saw his Aunt Kelly, he actually smiled a genuine smile (not the pose he takes for pictures) and hugged her. He hugged his Uncle Keith, Uncle Jim, Aunt Beverly, Uncle Joe and his dog. He was very alert about the whole incident. He was able to stay awake all day, and when we asked if he wanted to take a nap, he shook his head no and stayed awake. I was worried he would not be able to hold his own until the time of Mass, but he did. Truly by the grace of God.

Sunday, he was very tired and slept on and off most of the day. He stayed downstairs for a long time in his lounge chair, but finally went to bed around 4 p.m. His dog was at the foot of the bed, so all was right in Paul's world.

The next miracle happened this morning. I prayed while standing behind Paul before giving him his breakfast. He was able to eat more than half of his meal and now all is right in my world!! I will sing a new song unto the Lord, and will rejoice and be glad. Our God is an awesome God.

Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.

Peace, love and good meals ahead!
Jon and Rebecca Fidero

p.s. The reason I chose this title is because it is also a title of a movie that Paul bought for me a couple of years ago. How appropriate a title for this past weekend, when his dog came home and Paul was able to return to Jesus in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Also, on Friday night, I put that movie in to watch with Paul to help make more connections for Paul in his home. He and I have seen this movie at least 5 times before and he knew how much I liked the movie. As we watched it, he actually laughed very gently 3 times. It was the first time I had ever heard him do that. Paul has been RETURNED TO US ALL!