- Feb 5, 2002
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Learn how a retired widower manifests his gift of service in innumerable ways, for his good and the good of others, thanks to charisms.
Rick MicKinney and his granddaughter, Theresa, named after his departed wife (photo: Courtesy of Rick McKinney)
The day his wife died, Rick McKinney was scheduled to receive a lifetime-achievement award from a local library association, and he was preparing to retire from his career as a law librarian at the Federal Reserve Board. Although Theresa, his wife of 41 years, was hospitalized, McKinney was not expecting her to die.
What do you do when you lose your beloved spouse and your career?
Talk to McKinney, a faith-filled Catholic, and he’ll initially tell you about the consolations he received from God after his wife’s death. Driving to the viewing, he was blessed to see the only vehicle in Maryland with a license plate that said “Theresa.”
“I felt like God was saying, ‘I have Theresa in my hands, and I’ve got you too.’ I knew God was there,” he recalled. “It helped a lot in terms of adjusting to a life without my wife.”
McKinney is also blessed to have two grown daughters, and he initially spent time helping them cope. But during that first year, he learned that a workshop entitled “Called & Gifted” was being held by a Catholic group in his parish of St. John Neumann in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The workshop helps people discern their charisms, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church (799) defines as “graces [aka gifts, favors] of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world.” The workshop also included something called the “Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory.” McKinney wanted to know more, so he signed up.
Continued below.
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The day his wife died, Rick McKinney was scheduled to receive a lifetime-achievement award from a local library association, and he was preparing to retire from his career as a law librarian at the Federal Reserve Board. Although Theresa, his wife of 41 years, was hospitalized, McKinney was not expecting her to die.
What do you do when you lose your beloved spouse and your career?
Talk to McKinney, a faith-filled Catholic, and he’ll initially tell you about the consolations he received from God after his wife’s death. Driving to the viewing, he was blessed to see the only vehicle in Maryland with a license plate that said “Theresa.”
“I felt like God was saying, ‘I have Theresa in my hands, and I’ve got you too.’ I knew God was there,” he recalled. “It helped a lot in terms of adjusting to a life without my wife.”
McKinney is also blessed to have two grown daughters, and he initially spent time helping them cope. But during that first year, he learned that a workshop entitled “Called & Gifted” was being held by a Catholic group in his parish of St. John Neumann in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The workshop helps people discern their charisms, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church (799) defines as “graces [aka gifts, favors] of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world.” The workshop also included something called the “Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory.” McKinney wanted to know more, so he signed up.
Continued below.
Find Your Purpose After the Loss of a Loved One and Other Life Transitions
Learn how a retired widower manifests his gift of service in innumerable ways, for his good and the good of others, thanks to charisms.
