In Memory of Kathy Westendorf

Kathy was a wonderful woman.  She and her husband Bill led the RCIA program when I "went through" it.  Their marriage was a wonderful example of how things should be in terms of love and marriage.  Their ministry in the RCIA program was also an inspiration.

I attended her funeral today, and I have to say that this is really the first time I have felt so emotional at the passing of a friend or relative or while at a funeral.  What is interesting is that I am not so emotional about passing, all though that is saddening.  What stirred my soul is that Kathy was a great reflection of the True Light that we are all looking for in Jesus Christ.

I've commented before that studying scripture and bible commentaries will often times "convict your soul" when you discover a nugget of truth that shines a light on a part of our life that is sinful or otherwise needs work.  When I say "convict your soul" I mean the part of you that feels like "oh no! I've been dong that. I really need to do better."

Kathy was the type of person that made you want to be a better person because of the way she lived and how the Father's love really reflected in her words and actions.

Kathy passed as a result of a long fight with cancer. Fortunately here family were with her. She was a loving person who was everyone's best friend.  Even through her struggle with the terminal illness, she continued to love.  The circumstances of her struggle also helped those who loved her to love each other more and as well as to learn more about what love is.  A testament to what I think is wrong about the "death with dignity" movement.

Kathy, you will be missed. I pray that the Father welcomes you into his presence and Jesus is there to hold your hand until you are united with Bill.  Kathy, please pray for me so that I may be a better husband, father, and friend

Tim

Flash of Genius, Justice, and Vindication. What About the Ones We Love?

One of the movies playing on my flight back from Washington, DC was "Flash of Genius".  It was a very good movie that told the story about Dr. Robert Kearns.  Dr. Kearns invented the Intermittent Windshield Wiper that is now on over 145 million vehicles worldwide.  Ford Motor Company, like all the other automakers in the world had been trying to develop the intermittent wiper for years.  In a flash of genius Dr. Kearns, an Electrical Engineering Professor, figured out how to make it work.

In good faith, he provided to Ford a prototype.  Ford requested a prototype because they said they needed it to prove out the longevity and the safety of the device.  A couple months after giving them the prototype Ford got back to Dr. Kearns with the news that they were no longer interested.

Several months later, a redesigned Ford Mustang was unvieled with...Intermittent Wipers.  What ensued was a long drawn legal ordeal that ended up causing Dr. Kearns to have a nervous breakdown, he and his wife to separate, and for him to come very close to totally alienating his children.  All for the sake of wanting Ford to capitulate and admit that they stole his idea.

The movie was good.  And indeed, Dr. Kearns was vindicated.  Ford paid him 10 million dollars, Chrysler paid 18 million. His kids, as they grew older, helped him out with the case.  I am happy that justice was served.

What saddens me is that his marriage was ended by Dr. Kearn's singular desire to prove that he was right.  Justice is important, but at what cost? At the price of his marriage? At the risk of his relationships with his children.

What kind of message does this send to people?  That it is ok to pursue justice even at the expense of ruining the relationships that are so important?  The relationships that are the basis for our society?

I have no bone to pick with Dr. Kearns and his family.  I'm inspired by the werewithall he had to stand up to one of the largest companies on earth.  But, my heart aches for the hurt it caused for those that loved him more than anything else.

I immediately thought about how this applies to me and the important relationships in my life.  On more than one occasion I've ended up hurting people I love for the sake of proving I was right, or proving a point, or insisting on justice. 

Our relationships with our spouses and children are the most important things in our lives after our love of the Father.  Nothing that we do should hurt them or do irrepairable harm to those relationships.

I hope and pray that I can do a better job of keeping this in mind.

Blessings

Tim