Jack & Laudato Si

Laudato Si Reflection, Week 4

I remember learning to walk as a child. But it was my father-in-law, Jack, who showed me how to walk as an adult.  

As his new daughter-in-law, Jack invited me on his regular after supper stroll through the small woods near their family home in Rochester, New York. Jack loved their home near the trees, and not too far from that big “ditch,” the Erie Canal.

Jack’s love for the woods and hiking through them was evident. I was so happy to get to know my new father-in-law better, and make the trees’ acquaintance. Our first walk together was in late autumn, almost boot and mitten weather. The trees had generously dropped their colorful leaves onto the damp, mossy ground. We talked about all kinds of things: family, friends, work, faith. Those woods allowed for our sharing and kept our conversations confidential. I learned that walking in nature was Jack’s place for praying.

After years of visiting all kinds of churches, Jack became a convert to Catholicism. He was one of the most fervent and appreciative Catholics I knew. He carried a Rosary in his pocket and prayed it frequently on his walks. He loved to sing, was in the choir, and would serenade those around him in many languages. You never had to ask him twice! Jack was in love with all things natural and often blurred the lines between nature and the sacred.

Jack took care of things, maintaining the house, car and yard, always with an eye to function. The house was painted to prevent rot, he would say. The autumn leaves were piled in a grand maze for the children to play duck duck go. The biggest sunflower I ever saw grew over their septic tank.

Jack taught me to relax and enjoy the outdoors. He played catch with the grandchildren. He taught them how to swim and be safe with fire. He stressed the importance of good shoes. He played the violin and wrote his own kind of poetry, always including the migrations of birds and beauty of snowstorms in family letters which he faithfully wrote.

Being a keen observer of nature, Jack had a grasp of global warming and ecological issues long before they became more broadly known. In retrospect I know Jack was Brahmin. He was wise. He had a keen eye for egotism and self-righteousness, and could cut to the chase. He knew a lie when he heard it.

Jack’s outdoor meditation, spiritual practices and prayer became integrated over the years. I think that he would have been an enthusiastic member of our Laudato Si Group at St. Ignatius!

Mary Klipp, member of Laudato Si’ Circle at St. Ignatius Parish

Photo: Erie Canal aqueduct, Palmyra, New York. Wikimedia / Russ Nelson (cc)