In my prayers of praise this morning, I reflected on God’s incredible goodness to me as my Father. His love is rock solid, covering the multitude of sin I am prone to commit. His faithfulness to ancient promises that continue to transform me even today is breathtaking. I am so grateful for the faith God gave me to see who He is through Christ and His commitment to stay the course with me as I follow in Jesus’ footsteps as best I can. The purest and best of fathers. I thanked God for my own father, Joseph Amicangelo, the one who had the most significant impact on who I am today. His face came into view as I imagined him in heaven with God. I see his captivating smile, his enthusiastic and welcoming presence that lit up a room. I could hear him laughing and singing among the choir of…
For freedom or greed: A Veterans Day reflection
In honor of Veterans Day, I set out to write an article about my father’s brief stint in the army. He was 20 in 1943 when the call came to serve his country during World War II. Just three years before, he left Pacentro, Italy, to join his father and other family members in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Like his fellow immigrants, he came with the hope of a better, more prosperous lifestyle than he might have had in his hometown. Fortunately for my dad, he never saw a battleground. He did his basic training at Camp Custer in Michigan and Camp Robinson in Arkansas. Due to stomach ulcers that kept him in the infirmary more than on duty, he was granted a medical discharge six months later. But not every soldier was that lucky. While doing some research about Veterans Day, I found a list of the 11 wars or…