My Assyrian Dad’s Trip

I swerved in next to the curb at the Sky Harbor airport to pick-up my 85 year old dad. He had just returned from a trip to Oregon after spending several weeks with my brother’s family.

Once in the car I tried to get him to talk about his adventure…

“So what was the best part of the whole trip for you, dad?”

I figured he might mention his trip to Mount Hood or maybe his visit to the Church for the homeless in downtown Portland, but his answer surprised me.

“It was the blessing that they wanted me to give them!”

His quick reply made me curious for more detail.

“What do you mean by ‘The blessing they wanted you to give them?'”

“My oldest grandson in Oregon came and asked me for a blessing–just like Jacob gave to his sons. So I put my hands on him and prayed for a blessing over him. Then your brother said ‘Dad, I want a blessing too.’ So I put my hands on him and prayed for him too. But then the rest of the family wanted the same thing. So I did it for all of them one-at-a-time, and afterward, THEY surrounded your mother and me. Then they put their hands on us and blessed us! It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!”

So my dad, who was born in the mountains of northern Iraq, traveled around the world, served during the Korean conflict, and experienced more than most ever get to enjoy in their lifetimes, found an even greater experience at the age of 85!

Strangely enough, it wasn’t something that anyone would classify as an exciting thrill. But it was a deeply touching transfer of power and goodness into the lives of the people he loves most. It was something that none of them are likely to forget at any time in the foreseeable future.

To hear this grand, old man share the Word of God and part of his own spiritual journey on Youtube click on the following link: