53 Hail Marys

How Mom got Dad ‘straight into heaven’ and ignited my decade-long search for a connection I didn’t understand

“Big Ed” circa the early 1950s

The first thing I did after touching down in St. Louis was call my sister, who had agreed to give me a ride. She was running late, which annoyed me. I mean, my flight was on time and the whole point of this trip was to see my dad before his condition…