I was shocked. When I awoke bright and early on Easter Monday morning to the news that Pope Francis had passed, it took a moment for it to sink in. Although he had been critically ill, I thought his discharge from the hospital last month was the start of a new golden era in his papacy. Furthermore, I had seen him just hours ago blessing the St. Peter Square Easter audience and cruising around on the Popemobile.

I didn’t expect this to be Pope Francis’ last time he would be seen alive, but what a way to go out.

But after the fog settled, the Holy Father’s death was no longer a conundrum. In fact, it made perfect sense.

Our photo of Pope Francis on the Reser family bulletin board.

God used Pope Francis in a most profound way. The world watched the Pope grind and suffer through Lent. They watched as he was pushed around in a wheelchair, often unable to talk. When he made it through that desert, he emerged front and center on the balcony that overlooks the faithful to deliver a triumphant Easter Sunday blessing. His release from the hospital wasn’t the beginning of a new act on earth but rather a humble and glorious worldly exit to Heaven.

Pope Francis suffered through Lent and was rewarded with one final Easter Sunday.

When I reflect on Pope Francis, this is what comes to mind: a worthy example. There is no one on this planet—no matter your faith—who could observe Francis and think anything less than this man is truly holy. He shunned worldly comforts, human praise, and perks of the papacy for servant leadership and devotion to God. He was a testament to living out the beatitudes, eagerly and willingly placing himself into each marginalized group blessed by Jesus. His example was beyond admirable and nothing short of holy.

Personally, Pope Francis will always mean a lot to my family. He was pontiff when Sid and I entered into the sacrament of holy matrimony. He was the Bishop of Rome when Sid was welcomed into the Catholic Church. He was St. Peter’s successor when both our children were baptized. He was leading the Church when he made the great decision to elevate my college priest to a bishop. So many of the sacramental graces that have helped and defined us came during his papacy. You just don’t forget that.

Bishop Jeff Fleming greets Pope Francis in Rome. When I was in college, then-Fr. Jeff was the priest of the University of Montana Newman Center.

When I look back on Francis’ 12 years as pope, I fondly remember his 2015 visit to the United States. I watched hours of the television coverage from my apartment in Myrtle Beach and remember feeling exhausted for him! His itinerary was packed as he was pushed from one engagement to the next. However, for all the smiles during that trip, nothing has stayed with me more than when he visited the Ground Zero memorial. The look of contemplation and anguish on his face as he prayed at the site stays with me to this day.

God bless the soul of Pope Francis.

The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday and soon thereafter a Conclave will convene to elect a new pontiff. During these hectic days of mourning and tradition, let’s not allow the busyness to detract us from praying for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. May he receive his heavenly reward. Don’t Blink.

You would have thought I developed a fear of flying. Why? I went nearly a year and a half without stepping foot on a plane. But my streak of staying grounded recently ended and I experienced something for the first time.

The airport itself and TSA didn’t change a bit. Same hustle and bustle, overpriced food, and stress of moving kids through the security line. But what did change was the airline we flew. For the first time (at least in my adult life), we flew Southwest.

Sloan on a Southwest Airlines flight.

I have come to realize that not all airlines are created equal. You just have to step on a Spirit Airlines flight to figure that out. But for the most part, I have flown Alaska, American, and Delta over the past 20 years. Those three airline giants have a standardized way of doing things and their policies/protocols are similar. Southwest contrasted greatly from the trio.

Beau preparing to board a Southwest flight.

The three main differences I experienced for the first time included…

– Free checked bags. I am not kidding! Although this is going away soon, we had the pleasure of flying Southwest while the perk was still in place. And you just aren’t allowed to check one free bag, you are welcome to check TWO free bags. For a family of four, that is a cost savings of $480 roundtrip (when you factor in a $30 per bag fee charged by most airlines). How refreshing this was!

– No assigned seating. This one was a little weird. In the same way that you buy a general admission ticket at a sports event, Southwest’s seating plan is entirely open. This means that whenever you board, you choose whatever seat you want—or whatever seat is available. Finding an open seat was never an issue for my family because we boarded early in the process since Beau is under 6 years old. Still, it is a little unnerving to know that your seat isn’t assigned and awkward “May I sit here?” conversations may be necessary with strangers.

– Fewer amenities. Perhaps Southwest makes up for lost revenue incurred from free checked bags in other ways. For example, the planes don’t come equipped with screens to watch movies and shows. You must use your own device to tap into their entertainment options. You also won’t receive complimentary ear buds nor will you be subjected to the over-the-top safety production videos championed by the other guys. But have no fear, free soft drinks and snacks do come with your plane ticket.

Sloan on another leg of a Southwest Airlines flight.

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Based on the above differences, I would fly Southwest again. However, this past trip we did face a lot of other issues. To me, Southwest is kind of the Aldi of airlines. Have you flown Southwest before? What is your opinion? Don’t Blink.

My “sentence” was from my 7th grade year in middle school until the middle of my freshman year of high school. This two-year period brought plenty of awkwardness, many inconveniences, and some pain but by the end of it, I was completely rehabilitated. Or at least my teeth were.

I am of course talking about braces.

Much gratitude to my parents for investing in the smiles of all three Reser kids. They shelled out the monthly payments so we could all wear braces and achieve straight smiles.

Of course at the time you never quite appreciate it. I remember pretty vividly getting my braces on and the several days of soreness that followed. I tried to keep a low profile when I wore them. Every single time I got my bands changed, I only got white. That lasted until the very last time I got them changed. I told my orthodontic hygienist that I wanted my usual but when she finished, she told me to go look in the mirror. After only getting white for two years, it was pretty wild what I saw: Christmas colors!

As you could probably guess, I followed the “rules” when it came to my braces. I didn’t eat popcorn, I very rarely drank soda, and I never entertained the preposterous idea of eating caramel.

Still, even though I took my braces seriously and did what was recommended by my orthodontist, it wasn’t always easy. As a lifelong battler of gum disease, having braces only irritated them more. Visits to the dentist were never fun when I had braces because of the special way they had to clean your teeth.

Despite all that, I persevered. Getting my braces off was one of the most liberating feelings in my life. The confidence I felt was pretty special.

Sadly, 23 years after I got my braces off, one of my bottom front teeth has shifted. So much for that perfectly straight smile. I never got a built-in retainer as my orthodontist gave me ones I could remove. I continued to wear my retainers at night through college but then ceased doing so. My teeth held straight for many years after that but in the past couple years I have experienced the shift. Oh well, it could be worse.

Even though my smile might not be perfect anymore, I am still grateful to my mom and dad for their investment. It at least paid off in the respect that my smile was attractive enough for someone to marry me. Don’t Blink.