Encouragement through Faith and Personal Prosperity can mean many things, depending on who you are and what kind of person you are. I can break them into entirely different aspects. Encouragement through Faith is kind of where it all started. Being brought up in a Catholic home with Catholic values and education encouraged me to remain a Catholic or a Christian forever. I was encouraged by being taken to church every Sunday without fail from my time of birth; they call this being a “cradle catholic”, and I am for sure one of those. When the two people who were my biggest “encouragers” passed away, this is when I fell away. Not both at once, but when they were gone, it all fell apart, and so did I.
First, Fr. Parrish passed away on a Saturday evening in 1988. I was 15 then, so I understood well, but I didn’t know how much it would or could change our lives and who I was. He was my parents’ boss, our priest for all my 15 years (that I know of), and a bonus family member. I knew him better than my grandparents and loved him that much. When I was still tiny, I would sit on the rocking chair next to my mom’s desk at work, and my father would come in and sit on me like I was so little he didn’t see me. I loved this and will always carry that in my heart. He fed us snacks after school each day because the Catholic Elementary School we went to was across the street from the church and rectory where he lived. He was so cool, cutting us up watermelon, cantaloupe, or other things he always seemed to have available that we saw as extravagant treats. I would sit on the counters or even on top of the fridge so I could just be up high while I ate, which is ironic that now, as an adult, I am scared of heights. He was a true-blue “Good” person; he was encouraged by his goodness and actions, and others should strive to emulate him.
Then, of course, there is my mother, who passed away in 1990, not long after I graduated from High School. She was the one who always made sure we got to Masses, made sure we went to Catholic schools, and made sure that we had the correct values in life overall. Anytime someone would say that they hated something, no matter what it was, she would say ‘Haaaaaate?’ in a funny voice. This also instilled more goodness and encouraged us to be kind to others. Knowing that to hate is wrong, no matter what. My father was catholic too, but I don’t remember ever attending mass with him, if at all. We were not the family to say grace before meals, but we knew the words to the prayer, and I still know them. When I am about to eat with one of my church groups, I pray over our food, and other times, I think about them occasionally, but at my age, it is hard to create new habits, no matter how good they are. I do think about the prayers and thanking God in my head sometimes, but how awful is it that people judge, and we do not like the feeling of being judged, especially when it is your own family.
These two people were profoundly important in my upbringing, and without them being so essential and nurturing of my faith, I don’t think I would be who I am today. They were the encouragement I needed to believe that we were created by God and loved by Him. As far as personal prosperity goes, you can think of it as money, but in this case, it is not. It is about my wealth in the afterlife if I act accordingly. I don’t know how worthy I am, but being kind feels good. When you are kind, you are following in the Lord’s direction, and it is, all the while, making us prosperous personally. I have better friends now and surround myself with better people. I love who I have become and do not like who I was before. I will never forget who I was, which is alright because I desire never to be that person again these days. Those terrible memories encourage me to change, grow, love, and get to know God. I am prosperous in my spirit and feel that with each day that passes, I talk to God, and each day I “do unto others” brings me closer to the overall goal. And for me, being with God in heaven when my time comes, is what I want.
