Living Life Large

My husband, Deacon Joe Siewers, serves as the Campus Minister for Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville. He loves this ministry God has called him to for many reasons, including the students, of course – and all he learns from them.  

But he has also been blessed by getting to know the adults who make up the faculty and staff. I remember when he came home from his first Spiritual Committee meeting and told me about this wonderful teacher, Dylan Barnes, who came to the meeting with such joy and enthusiasm for being a part of the students’ lives, and wanting to do whatever he could to make sure they had every opportunity to grow in every way.  

It made me smile just to hear my husband talk about him! And then I got the opportunity to meet Dylan at the freshman retreat, something I knew I would always remember. Have you ever met a person and, in five seconds, you wish you had known them for a much longer time because of the way they made you feel when they were sharing life with them?  

That was Dylan.  In a short amount of time, I knew multiple things about him; how we knew some of the same people; and what he felt called to be in the lives of the students.  He freely admitted the mistakes he had made in his past, how he hurt others and became separated from God.  But he also let you know how he had changed and now used those mistakes to help the young people God had put in his life.  

I saw him again at the Christmas staff party and enjoyed the spirit he brought to so many.  I looked forward to the next time I would be in his presence, not knowing that when we said goodbye, it would be the last time I saw him in person.

My heart, like so many others’, was broken when we learned that God had taken Dylan – much too soon for so many. The tributes, the loving words and the support given in those sad days after his death were much deserved for a man who had touched so many lives.  My husband will forever hear Dylan’s booming voice in the chapel on the mornings he attended Mass saying to the students present, “I love all of you,” at the Sign of Peace!  I will remember a man who blessed my life with the joy all of us should have for our God.

We sometimes get so caught up in our own world that we forget to stop and appreciate what God has done for us.  No matter how much we sin and disappoint our God, he always gives us another chance. We can find joy in using our “dark” days to help others.  

It is not easy to forgive others – and even more difficult to forgive ourselves.  We all carry wounds from the past.  We may think we have to carry those wounds around forever; or we can be like Dylan Barnes and forgive ourselves, so we can move on to a better way of life.  

God will set us free. Take some time during this season of Lent to sit quietly and speak with God.  He teaches us in our heart by working in our minds. He will help us to love and forgive if we just give him that chance. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  Thank you, Dylan, for teaching us to “live large in the moment.” We were blessed to know you.