This past week August 3, 2023, was a blessing for several reasons, which I will explain.

Two years ago, I witnessed a gentleman (Horace G. Jackson), a parishioner in our church who reached the centennial mark of 100 years old.  During that event, I could see the love of family and friends surrounded by all his children and their children.

I have been able to know all his adult children better for the last two years, with each rotating every two to three months looking after their father.

This year’s celebration was different, with only two of his children in the home and me during my visit.  Nevertheless, it was one of the best moments in my life seeing how sharp and focused his mind was at the age of 102.

Sometimes, it’s a mystery why certain people come into our lives for a specific season; however, we must take advantage of them when they arrive.  From my first visit, I have tapped into the wisdom of a great human being each month as I continue to bring him Holy Communion as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC).

God allows me to minister to him as an EMHC and he to me. For that, I’m incredibly humbled by the opportunity to serve.

I have learned about his life’s challenges and what it means to raise a family during tough times and be resilient.

I have learned about true manhood with similar stories as we both joined the military in our teens, traveled on Greyhound buses, and lived in wooden barracks.

I have re-learned how three hot meals and a place to sleep (“three hot’s and a cot.”) was vital to growing up.

It was humbling to hear him say that our conversations connected each other with some of the same experiences.  Although there is a big difference in our age, my father, who joined the military in 1945, spoke of those same experiences and benefits before passing away in 2020. It was through growing up in a military family and joining the military at a young age that we connected on different levels.

I’d also like to think that maybe I have never forgotten where I came from and what it meant to be poor, so I remain humble in life.

I often speak about the book Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks by Mark Buchanan.  It’s about connecting and understanding the six degrees of separation.

I was connected through our military service and living in some of the same places (Newport News, VA).  Knowing I’m a product of the 7-5-7 (Newsome Park and Jefferson Avenue), is why I can never forget where I came from and learning as we swap stories.

Ironically, the name Horace has a significant meaning for me.  It’s the same first name of my first Platoon Sergeant who taught me how to drive a stick shift in Germany in 1975. I often think of those days when the military required us to work half a day on Saturdays before being released at noon for the weekend.

We both know about Mess Halls, now called Dining facilities, and the food served within them receiving one of those three hot meals.

As we continued to connect these past two years as military men and both of us serving in combat, we told our versions of war stories of our past.

We spoke about every subject one can imagine, and each time, I was graciously thanked for helping him reach into the archives of his mind.

You and I have heard the analogy that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Although his physical body doesn’t work the same way, his mind stays fit as he regularly exercises it each morning.  I know this because he prays the rosary each morning as a regular practice which is part of his daily routine.

I am also in faith worship each morning with my callings and daily routines.

I can tell that over the two years, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know and understand him better.  He can discern and control his emotions by letting go of any negative energy.

Therefore, on this day, I now can say that I have spent time in the company of two living people that are 102 years old.  In our lifetime, we sometimes take things for granted, and I’m humbled by the age and wisdom of my grandmother and this soldier for blessing me.

I now understand the words behind the meaning “As you get older, you will start to understand more and more that in life, it’s not about what you look like or what you own; it’s all about the person you’ve become.”

Harold S. Kushner says “We do ourselves and others a disservice when we make old age something to be feared.  Life is not a resource to be used up, so that the older we get, the less life we have left.  Life is the accumulation of wisdom, love, and experiences of people encountered and obstacles overcome.  The longer we live, the more life we possess.”

Today, I’m honored to write and reflect while he’s still living about the age and wisdom of one great American that is being passed on to me.  Horace G. Jackson is a soldier and a friend.