Alive!

“My son was dead, but now he is alive.”  You might know the words from the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, but they were spoken more recently.   This storey began on May 6th when 82 year old Frank J. Kerrigan received the call that every parent dreads, even at 82.  The call was from the County Riverside County Sheriff’s Department requesting that he contact the Orange County Coroner.

It was the coroner’s office that told Mr. Kerrigan that his 57 year old homeless son had been found dead in an alley, and they assured Kerrigan that he didn’t have to id his son, that he had already been identified with fingerprints.

6 days later Frank Jr. was laid to rest next to his mother.  The family had spent $20,000.00 on what was described as a “Beautiful ceremony”. 

And then on May 23 Frank Sr. received a call telling him his son was alive, a mistake had been made in the identification.

Carole Meikle, Frank Jr.’s sister, summed it up when she said “We lived through our worst fear, he was dead on the sidewalk. We buried him. Those feelings don’t go away.”

Every one of us will die, that’s life.  But Jesus offers us a promise of eternal life, with no mistakes.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.