“Lou”

I was speaking to a wonderful holy priest the other day who has been my spiritual director for many years.  We are pretty close in age and he reminded me that we are in a time of “letting go”….. letting go of our health, of our own abilities and skills, of our friends and family who are passing on, …. a time of embracing the Pascal Mystery. While I agreed with him, my soul groaned with this reality… I don’t like letting go of the things that mean the most to me. I really don’t. 

Well today this reality showed its face again. My good friend and brother Lou Cirrotti has gone home to God. Lou has finished the race and he finished strong. I loved Lou. Lou was a good man, of great integrity…. a servant of the Lord, a man of principle. Lou helped me and he helped many people. He was a pillar of the People of Hope, standing with us over almost 50 years of great times and tough times. Lou loved his dear wife Carol and his family. He was so proud of each of them. After Lou spoke of his kids, I could say, “wow, I’m proud of them too.”

So many of us have beautiful  stories about Lou. I remember when Lou’s parents were in their last years and how well he cared for them. He would share about the courage and love of his father. He cared for every aspect of their life. If Lou was caring for you, you really got cared for. 

God blessed me with one last conversation with Lou at the Hospice Center in Scotch Plains. We covered the waterfront…. from his stories of “Kris Kristofferson & The Highway Men”, to our life together in the People of Hope, our love and respect for one another …. so many years of serving the Lord together. I shared a prayer request which he embraced. After over an hour together he said he needed to rest, so we prayed together asking the Lord to take care of him. As I left, I knew my next conversation with Lou would be one day in heaven; we’ll have a lot more to talk about then. 

So, who am I going to call now when I need wisdom about some financial issue, when I want to discuss the latest challenges of a troubled world, when I need encouragement? Well, I’m still going to call Lou and ask him to pray. 

Thanks Lou for helping us all these years, for being our friend, for being a faithful brother in the Lord. Thanks for being a good husband and father and grandfather. Thanks for living with Jesus as Lord of your life. 

Lou Cirrotti …. faithful servant of the Lord.