NOTE: For a greater reading experience, turn on image display in your email settings.

M o n d a y M o r n i n g M o t i v a t i o n W i t h M i k e #51

Two weeks ago, Sunday the 22nd, my uncle, Father Mike, took his last breath.

It was after a 6 year battle with prostate cancer.

One of his last requests was for his two favorite nephews, my older cousin Mike and I, his namesakes, to do his eulogy.

His service was beautiful and you can find that here, but I wanted to take some time today to mention some of his greatest life lessons, some that made the eulogy and some that didn’t.

To give you some quick context, he was the proud Patriarch of our enormous, very Irish family of 90 people. Yes, 90 people. The nieces and nephews alone are 32 and the grand nieces/nephews along with the great grand nieces/nephews is just over 50, and counting!

He was the oldest son of 13 and left home to become a priest at only 16 years old. He spent 30 of his 50 plus years of priesthood as a prison chaplain, truly feeling called to pour into the forgotten.

Uncle Mike truly was one of a kind.

The good Lord blessed him just the right temperament, blended with more than enough energy and enthusiasm, mixed in with the perfect amount of humor, wisdom, and emotional intelligence to have an immediate and lasting impact on literally any and every human being he ever came in contact with, no matter how soft or hard nosed he needed to be. 

LIFE LESSONS FROM UNCLE MIKE:

1. Rarely are you ever too busy.

   We make time for what is important to us. We prioritize what matters most to us. Uncle Mike’s life was dedicated to selfless act after selfless act. He was so generous with his time, wisdom, support, and energy— especially to his nieces and nephews— showing, not telling, but showing (by his actions) us all just how important we all were to him. People often, myself included, get so worked up in the hustle and bustle of life that we forget to make time for our loved ones. Uncle Mike’s life was living proof that you’re never too busy, you can always make time. One of the many ways he did this, year in and year out, was on Christmas day he’d say mass in NYC then drive 4+ hours to Syracuse with his car busting at the seams full of gifts for everyone in our enormous family. I think the main lesson here is to never lose sight of how important family is and you show them how important they are by showing up. Show up, fully and completely, regardless of your own “personal convenience”.

2. Everyone is redeemable.

   As mentioned earlier, Uncle Mike spent over 3 decades in prisons and/or half way houses as the lead chaplain for some of the world’s worst criminals. One of the prisons he was assigned to in NYC housed the terrorists from the first world trade center bombing attempt and infamous mob boss John Gotti to name a few. Uncle Mike jumped in on more than one prison fight to try and separate them, forever earning the respect from guards and prisoners alike. It didn’t matter how forgotten these hardened criminals had become by society, Uncle Mike made it his life’s purpose to mentor, minister and guide them down a better path; to show them how they, too, still mattered and how they still had value to offer the world. One time while walking in NYC a garbage truck came to a screeching hault, and out jumped a man yelling at my Uncle Mike, “Father Mike, Father Mike! I just got out (of prison) and I’m doing well and I owe it all to you! Thank you Father Mike!” Let your mistakes become life lessons, not life sentences. And love more, judge less. Here’s an article about him titled, Oblate In Prison Ministry Shares Hope.

3. Nothing is more important than family and faith.

   So lean into both, heavily, because without either of those you'll never reach, let alone surpass your God given potential and remain as only a shell of yourself. However, a strong family bond where memories, adventures, and love take priority, combined with an even stronger connection to God you can truly become the greatest version of you that God had planned for your all along. Understanding that both faith and family take work and doing that work to place them above all can and will provide you with all you’ll ever need.

As I sit here and reflect on the profound impact Uncle Mike had on so many, I can't help but feel overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with a sense of pride and honor especially.

I feel so blessed and honored, truly honored to have known him and to have had him as an Uncle. His love and sacrifice knew no bounds.

And the pride I carry as his namesake. I have no words, y'all. When I truly think of what that means. How he lived and how I know he'd want me to. Carrying on his name is a responsibility I do not take lightly and will do my very best to be my very best for my loved ones, my community, and for the “forgotten”, just as he dedicated his life to doing.

Love you Uncle Mike, until we meet again…

Thanks for reading, y’all, really appreciate you.

And please never forget:

If you have more, build a bigger table, NOT a taller fence. Another life lesson from my Uncle Mike.

Much love, mi gente!

- Mike O’Hara

PS

My Uncle Mike loved reading these and told me often, so again, thank you for reading.

Please let me know what you thought of today’s newsletter: