Thankfulness

On this Thanksgiving Day, some of the things for which I am most thankful (and surely this is an incomplete list):

• Naomi, my wife (pictured below)
• Ed and Becky, my ever-supportive parents
• Paul, my brother, Velia and Dorothy, my grandmothers, and my entire family
• Gerald, my boss at Calvary (and Todd, his boss and our senior pastor), and Tony, my boss at Wheaton (and Michael, his boss and our dean)
• Ana, Cassidy, Cheryl, Cindy, Collin, Danielle, Ellie, and Madison, whom I have the privilege of having as direct reports at Calvary and Wheaton
• My colleagues at Calvary and Wheaton, too many to name for fear of missing someone
• The privilege of serving on the staffs of these two organizations, and for all the invaluable kingdom-building work in which I can take part
• The provision of new facilities for the Conservatory of Music
• Friends from my college days with whom I can still talk by phone every so often, and the encouragement those calls are
• First-time visits to four states in the last year (Hawaii in January, South Carolina and Oregon in May, Vermont in July)
• The privilege of serving on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Overture Council Executive Committee with Erika, April, Danielle, Elliott, Haley, John, Jonathon, Kristin, Belinda, Claudine, and Jessica and our ongoing growth and success
• The generosity of many people, some of whom are at most second-degree connections, taking time to provide professional development advice
• Timely and helpful words of wisdom and counsel from Derrick and Gayle and Kirk
• The many thoughtful, reasonable voices, even with whom I disagree, speaking with charity and humility and using their platforms to inspire hope and determination in the midst of so much divisive, negative rhetoric
• The relentless, limitless, abundant, and undeserved grace of God

I'm thankful for Naomi, my bride of 15 months and counting, this Thanksgiving

In Memoriam

Ever since the calendar turned to October, I have been thinking a lot about my paternal grandfather, Joseph/Jose' Rubio, from whom my parents gave me my middle name. He passed away ten years ago today. I was just a few weeks into my freshman year at Wheaton College, and I am still moved by the kindness of my new roommate Sam, my new friends (including Naomi, now my wife), and professors who had all just met me, and also by the support from afar from my high school friends (my youth group cohort had a group message on Facebook going for a while during our freshman year at various colleges).

A few random things to share in his memory...

1. This piece I wrote about him four years ago this Christmas.

2. Naomi asked me at dinner the other night what I remembered about him. There is a lot I remember, but one of the first memories that came to mind was from one day when I was perhaps 11 or 12 and accompanying him on some errands. On the way home, he noticed a man selling watermelons off the back of his pickup truck. Knowing that my grandma and I loved watermelon (as does he, and my dad, and, well, everyone I am related to), he pulled over and bought two. Why I remember that so vividly is beyond me.

3. I also remember his funeral, which will have been ten years ago this Wednesday. It was at the Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago. A bagpiper friend of his had approached my dad after hearing of his passing and offered to play for the recessional, to which my dad responded, "He would be honored." And so as my dad and I along with some of my dad's cousins carried the casket from the church following the funeral mass, this gentlemen stood at the curb and played "Amazing Grace." Here is a video of a solo bagpiper doing just that, not the same bagpiper as my grandfather's friend, but the same solo bagpipe voice.

I miss you, Grandpa.

Grandpa Rubio

Earlier this week, my family gathered at Grandma Rubio's house to celebrate Christmas. During the course of our evening, Grandma exhibited something she had found in the midst of retrieving Christmas decorations earlier in the month (and the house cleaning that invariably accompanies it). It was a leather notepad folder that had belonged to her husband, my grandfather, who passed away some five years ago.

It contained assorted papers, some handwritten and others typewritten. They contained musings on news of the day, sketches of short stories, and reflections on Scripture. In the picture below, on the left is his reflections on the wealth of King Solomon, and on the right his reflections on passages in Acts and 1 John.

Grandpa Rubio was an exceptionally hard working and smart man. He immigrated to the United States with his younger siblings from Mexico, as head of the family after their parents died. He was a devoted husband and father. He was a small business owner, owning a tavern in Chicago for many years. After his "retirement," he worked part-time as a car salesman, volunteered at a food pantry, and took a few classes at the local community college -- he loved reading and studying (this love is one of the many things I remember the priest mentioning in his eulogy at the funeral). Many of Grandma's neighbors still remember Grandpa walking their dogs through the neighborhood and stopping to talk over fences. He loved a good story, a good laugh, and a good homemade meal, but always first for him were his faith and his family.

I am honored to have his first name, José, as my middle name (Joseph). I remember him often, and am grateful for the legacy of faithful prayer and Scripture reading, love for one's family, service to one's community, and a strong, honest work ethic that he passed down the generations.

More Bloggers in My Family

As it happens, I am not the only blogger in my family! This summer, my brother and my cousin have both started blogs.

My brother, Paul, just graduated from Valparaiso University in May. His blog, The Post-College Paul Rubio, details some of his pursuits in this stage of his life.

My cousin, Megan, is moving to San Diego in a week to begin graduate school. Her blog, My Journey In Becoming a Therapist, details the transition (I made an appearance!) and I assume will detail her studies as well.

Another Graduation in My Family

Yesterday, my family and I spent much of the day in Valparaiso, Indiana, to celebrate my younger brother, Paul’s, graduation from Valparaiso University. He is receiving a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, with a major in meteorology and minors in math and Spanish, and is also being made a Christ College Associate (Christ College is the Honors College of Valparaiso University).

Conferring of Degrees, Athletic-Recreation Center arena, Valparaiso University

We attended two events yesterday. First was a lunch reception hosted by the meteorology department. It was a quiet affair compared to some of the other receptions, as there were only a dozen seniors in that department. After some free time for pictures, we joined the crowds walking toward the arena in the Athletic-Recreation Center for the Conferring of Degrees.

The commencement address was delivered by Dr. John A. Nunes, the president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief. His brief message challenged the graduates to see “people as people” regardless of any distinguishing characteristics or status, in contrast to many of the generations before them.

The ceremony was lengthy, as there were some 700 degree candidates to recognize (both graduate and undergraduate degrees were awarded during the exercises). However, the setting was such that one could get up to stretch one’s legs if desired during the conferring of degrees themselves. I really liked that they had the University’s Chamber Concert Band provide the live music.

It was an exciting day of celebrating the Valparaiso University Class of 2013, and my favorite member of it.

From left: me, Paul, Mom, and Dad