Rewards, Yes, Not Always Rapid

Southwest Airlines has a program called "Rapid Rewards", as do many other businesses, such as Staples, CVS, etc...whereby every penny one spends, somehow comes back in the form of a reward.  With Southwest, it can be as much as a "free" round trip flight. Certainly worth the investment.  But life has its own rewards program, not always instantaneous, but so much better.
Such was my experience during the "blackout" last week when I could not get access to Wi-Fi where I was staying in West Virginia.  I spoke about "New Marists in Mission" at Bishop Donahue High School, where I had been principal, and where I still visit at least once a year to keep them connected to our Marist World.  It was rewarding for me to participate at Mass with the student body, and then to speak with them in their gym. Several of the students had just made the Encounter in Esopus, NY, and we had a reunion which tightened the bond we had mede in Esopus.
I was able to see many friends, but the climax was the 90th birthday party for the patriarch of a large family of 12 children and huge numbers of grandchildren and great grandchildren.  We also celebrated the "matriarch's" 85th birthday. The party began with Mass, so appropriate for this faith-filled family, lots of time to bounce around and talk with as many of the family as possible and share an A+ meal together.  One of the grandsons, a professional photographer in New York bounced around taking everyone's picture, to make sure the beauty of this moment would be preserved.  He was recently part of the team that took the "zero gravity" cover photo for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.  I was honored when he asked me IF he could take my photo, "a portrait" he called it, and balked a bit asking, "Who am I after taking that now famous (or infamous) photo that is being seen globaly?"  He assured me that it was his honor.  So, there I posed for it, thankfully without having to wear a bikini!
In this family celebration and every event of the vacation week, I saw the rewards of lives of faith, fidelity and love.  We don't have to wait for heaven, we get previews like this from time to time to remind us that what might seem like ordinary life, is really earning points for the big, final reward.
Bro. Rene