Tax Day And Birthday

Today is a very special day for me. It has nothing to do with that day that is most feared by those who pursue the art of procrastination. It is because this is the birthday of my brother Jay, born six weeks prematurely in a Washington, D.C., hospital.

One might say that his early arrival was a portent of his drive in life, leaving the safety and security of the womb for the challenges of an exposed life. Jay struggled in an incubator for weeks before he could come home to meet his big brother. As brothers, we were blessed with many gifts from our parents: the love of music from our mother, from our father the ability to repair anything that didn't work, and a questionable blessing, another brother, Gil.

Jay went to college with the intention of being a chemist, then changed to psychology and finally to religion. All the time, he was hearing a call, but the direction was not what he wanted to hear. I was more fortunate, because my calling as a teacher was clear and already manifest in a junior high school science class.

Jay spent a summer in New Orleans in an inner-city work project, and somewhere along the way, he answered the call to serve God in the ministry. The next challenge was to convince his fiancée Harriett to share that journey with him. I watched them marry and move to Boston, then return three years later as an ordained rookie in the Virginia Conference.

Each assignment that Jay was given was one that I knew only Jay could complete, and I watched with pride and amazement as he moved from church to church. There is a spirit in my brother that knows no limit, a commitment for service that cannot be quenched and a compassion for people that comes from the heart of God. His arrival at The Church of the Good Shepherd was quiet, but each time I came to visit, it was clear that Jay was ministering to the community in a way that brought people together to worship and serve God in a new and meaningful way. Jay continues to answer the call that Jesus issued to His disciples, to bring the good news of the resurrection to all people. We must follow Jay's example.

Perhaps my greatest blessing was to be a member of the congregation for his final two years of service to Good Shepherd. An even greater blessing was to have him return to conduct my marriage to the woman of my dreams.

By the way, Happy Birthday, Jay. You are loved.
Your brother, Myron.
— Myron Hanke

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist