Oh my gosh, I'm going to do something I swear I would never do. I'm taking a breath, I'm taking a breath. I'm going to do a podcast about gratitude and, oh no, am I going to say it? I'm going to say it.
Religion. And I'm going to use the old opening music because why not? Well hello and welcome to the Daily Grateful Eye of Michael Croose. I am here to enlighten you.
I'm here to talk about religion. Something that I don't generally do. I never did it on the radio and I have not done it on the podcast but today we're going to talk about religion and respect, okay, and respecting other people's religious beliefs because I feel it's important. It fosters a culture of understanding and unity.
It's strengthening. It's very, very good. I kind of got into a little tiff on social media with somebody who I've known for years, never met him in person by the way but we've talked, you know, we've talked on the phone, we've talked online, great guy, a pillar in his community, a absolute pillar in his profession. He has done more to help people in this, you know, in this profession than anyone I know.
He is fabulous. He's very smart too. Really, really. And by the way, he's got a son who had a podcast, a video podcast with another guy and I miss it.
It was really, really good. But anyway, he's, he, I have a saying that was taught to me by a parish priest. I'm not going to say what it is but I've always thought it was funny. My late mother who is extremely religious, extremely, I mean, you, you just know, you just never find anyone more religious than my late mom used to use it a lot and we thought it to be funny.
Well, my friend did not like it. It offended him greatly and he let me know under no uncertain terms and I totally respect that. And when he let me know that, when he let me know that I stopped using that term anywhere on social media where he would be, okay, I would, I just stopped. But you know what?
I am grateful for diverse religious perspectives. I am very grateful that this guy is as religious as he is because it has helped him immensely. I know it has enriched his life. I know that it has made his family better.
I know that it is, you know, yeah, got nothing but great things. It religious diversity and respecting other people's faith, no matter what they are, no matter what they, those are, if that is your religious faith, one of the things I learned in, in Catholic school was, okay, yeah, the Catholics, you know, sister Borgian would say, well, we're the Catholics and we're right. But what she would say, you always, always, always respect other people's religious beliefs and know and honor their religious beliefs, honor their integrity for having those religious beliefs because it is, it is so important to them and it makes them who they are when I was young, which was a very long time ago, I went to Catholic school, I was raised Catholic, but I went to school with seven day Adventist, I went to school with evangelicals, I went to school in those days, they referred to themselves as like a long time ago, as holy rollers and I, and our bus driver, our bus driver at the little school, the little true room school I went to, was a pastor in a church that believed in snake handling and I'm not even going to get into that, but he believed in that and I will tell you that he was just a wonderful man. I, you know, my dad was, you know, he's not going to do that in front of you, no, no, not at all.
You know, in my dad, who was as Catholic as they came, respected that guy, you know, as a matter of fact, they had to talk about it one day and you're expecting him for it. Those are your religious beliefs, you believe that I've got a friend who is in a technical club with me, a computer club, you know, if you want to call it that she is a believer in the flat earth, I kind of okay, but you know what, she's genuinely a wonderful person. She takes care of her 96 year old dad who's just like the coolest guy in the world and is dedicating this part of her life into taking care of him until his life is his past and I have to respect her for those beliefs, even though they're not my beliefs. So I'm grateful for different beliefs and I encourage mutual respect from all of you for people who have different religious beliefs than you or me because we're all here together.
We're all here to help each other. My friend helps. I'm just going to say literally hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of people in the profession that he is in and that I have been part of and just an incredible guy. There's nothing bad I can say about this guy.
Nothing. I hope he doesn't stay mad at me forever and I hope he thinks I hope he knows that I totally respect his religious beliefs and if I did anything to offend them, I am right now on this podcast apologizing. You'll have a super day. We'll see you tomorrow.