Proud Papa

Last night I attended a special dinner with my oldest son Tommy (shown here 15 years, or a blink of an eye, ago). It was the sort of dinner I never imagined I would attend. First of all, it was hosted by the Archdiocese, and while I am raising my kids Catholic (and was raised Catholic myself), I'm not exactly known as the most devout member of the flock. Secondly, it was held to honor youth leadership and dedication, and my kids are good kids, but those two words are not the first that come to mind.

Yet, when it was time to honor someone for "outstanding service, dedication, and faithfulness to the Church in the area of Community Service and Social Justice," the name the Bishop of the Vicariate called out was: Tommy Kaempfer. Tommy was recognized because he has been volunteering every week at the soup kitchen near us for the past four years. He doesn't do it to be recognized, or to pad his "extra curricular" resume. He does it because he enjoys helping. And that's why they chose him.

I've never been prouder of the boy.