Good Morning. My name is Jessica Smihal and I knew this day was coming because I happen to live across the street from the lovely Sue Buckley. I was literally laying awake in bed one night panicked and wondering what my resurrection story would be if I were called on one day, and the very next morning I received a message from Sue asking me to do this! (You will see there are no such things as coincidences) So here I am, and I will do my best to not let her down. A quick introduction of myself, I grew up in Grosse Pointe Park, four doors down from where we live now. I am married to the love of my life Steve, and we have two children Anthony, and Lindsey. We started coming to St. Clare when we moved to the Park a few years ago. We had been going to church together for years, and our very first visit here blew us away. Fr. Andrew, Fr. Tom and Deacon Rich have become a wonderful addition to our family - and I laugh every night when my husband tucks the kids in and I hear them pray for those three and close with a Deacon Rich “AMEN”
 
As I thought about my resurrection story, I realized that I really don’t have one. I have not had some miraculous moment with God, there is no Hail Mary in my life that changed everything, and honestly I feel very blessed about that. I haven’t seen that bright white light, or needed to beg God for mercy or healing. Since I don’t have an actual story, I decided to share my journey as a Catholic and what I have learned, because I probably took a different path than many of you seated here. I became Catholic for a man that I was going to marry. I was 25 years old, he was a cradle Catholic and I longed for a place in some sort of organized religion. I did my RCIA in Rochester, Michigan - in the same parish that Fr. Tom is moving to. I took the journey very seriously. My teacher told us two things that really stuck with me. I will share these facts with all of you. First, there are no coincidences. And second, each Sunday we come to church not as a punishment or commitment, but for a celebration. A time to be with like-minded people who share our faith and devotion. It should be a joyous time, and I thank St. Clare for giving us that type of environment. So the good news was that I became a Catholic, and the bad news was that the guy was completely the wrong person for me to marry. And when my RCIA teacher talked about there being no coincidences, I should have run when our unity candle never lit at our wedding.  
 
Fast forward a year and a half and I finally realized no matter how hard I tried this marriage would never work, and yet I had this deep feeling in me that becoming a Catholic was what I truly wanted. So as a Catholic rookie going through a divorce I called a priest here in Grosse Pointe and asked to talk to him. I was terrified. Here I was, newly Catholic and already having failed at a pretty major part of the whole deal. But, again there are no coincidences and I ended up talking to a priest who told me not to worry, I was making the right choice getting divorced. I explained my life and he assured me this wasn’t a marriage and that he would help me get my marriage annulled. Getting a divorce was one of the hardest things I went through, and I walked out of that office with a sense of calm that my soul desperately needed.
 
Fast forward another six months and I get a message on Facebook from Steve Smihal. Steve and I went to middle school, high school, and college together. I hadn’t seen him in ages and was shocked to hear from him. He asked me out on a date, and on that night I knew that he was someone special. Right away, Steve told me how he went to church every Sunday and asked me to join him. I was thrilled. A cute, normal guy that actually had a deep faith. From that moment on we went to church every Sunday together. We built a whole relationship centered on that fact that we are indeed part of something much bigger. We ended up getting married on a beach in Jamaica and being blessed back here in Michigan. 
 
Shortly after that we found out we were pregnant. We sat on the couch and read every email that told us the details of our unborn child. We couldn’t believe the baby was the size of a walnut and had a group of cells that started a rhythm and became a heartbeat. When our son Anthony was born we were thrilled. Then a year later we became pregnant again. This time we were pros and didn’t need to immerse ourselves in baby literature. Plus, we were too busy chasing Anthony around to sit on the couch and look at the fruits growing in my womb. When I went into labor we felt like we had nothing to worry about since we had successfully done this once before. However, when our daughter was born, she came out purple. Steve and I looked at each other and were speechless. The cord was wrapped around her neck twice and she had two knots in it. They had never seen a baby with two knots in the cord, and the first thing the doctor said to us was that it was a miracle she was born that day. Again, there are no coincidences. 
 
I feel so blessed to have two healthy, amazing children; and a husband that truly makes my heart want to burst with happiness. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. All of a sudden I noticed that my relationship with God changed. My prayers went from starting with “Please” to beginning with “Thank you”. Each moment, each day, each morning we get to start again is something to appreciate. And as I sat here to write my story, I thought about the other thing that I learned in RCIA: that each Sunday is a celebration. And I’ve decided to take it further, and really the best part of my faith is that each day is a celebration. The little things, the big things, and all the moments God gives us. And then I realized that Fr. Andrew has been right this whole time, “Believe, and you will see” Believe in God and His grace, love, joy, sacrifice and you will see it - everywhere. And this makes my heart happy. And I realize that the way we can repay Him, is to share this feeling and express our faith. So my husband and I work so hard to show our kids how much we love God and how good He is. And just this past week I was talking with my children about Fr. Tom leaving our parish. And I told Lindsey and Anthony that I’ll be so sad he’s not here. And Anthony, my five year old, said “Mom, I’m sad, too. But I have God in my heart and God’s never leaving so it’s okay” And him saying that, and feeling that way, makes me realize what a gift this faith is, and what a special place our parish has become in our home. 
 
So, in closing, my resurrection story is all about being able to see God everywhere. All those times that I know are not coincidences, but in fact my faith being touched by the Holy Spirit. Like Fr. Andrew said, “Believe and then see” So even though I haven’t seen my “big” miracle, I realized that Albert Einstein summed it up perfectly. He said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”