Words From The Warden

Waiting & Veterans Day
Today is Veterans Day. The observance began as Armistice Day in 1919, honoring those who served in World War I—the “war to end all wars.” In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed it to honor all veterans. Veterans Day is often confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who died while serving in the armed forces. Honoring the men and women who have served, or who currently serve, in our military has always been close to my heart. My dad and his generation fought against fascism. Those who followed confronted communism. Today, we have the best-educated, best-trained, and best-equipped military in the world. I am privileged to know several veterans and those currently serving. As I reflect on their service today, I also find myself thinking about David Bowers’s sermon and his thoughts on waiting.

We aren’t very good at waiting. I know that I am extremely impatient. Id like to share three stories of “waiting”. 

Bob Jones grew up in Coshocton, Ohio, where his dad owned a restaurant. A standout athlete and a good student, Bob, stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed a strapping 195 pounds. Known to many as “Jonesy,” he commanded respect on the football field and the basketball court. Jonesy enlisted in the Army during the Korean conflict and served in Korea at the height of the fighting. After seeing considerable combat, he was captured and spent just under two years in a North Korean prisoner-of-war camp. When the war ended, he returned home weighing only 119 pounds.

Bob was around 60 when I met him. He was an excellent OHSAA football and track & field official, and we often talked about his POW experience and what had kept him going. I wondered how he could remain so positive and cheerful after all he had endured. He would laugh and say, “We only have one life, so we’ve got to do the best we can.” He described captivity as a succession of waits: waiting for food, for Red Cross packages, for medical help for injured servicemen, and finally for release when the war ended. Through it all, he and his fellow POWs did everything they could to live as fully as possible.

Today, Jonesy lives in an assisted living facility in Coshocton, waiting, as he says, “for the end.” But he continues to live fully. His daily walks and the help he gives to younger track officials each week keep him going.

Henry Matthew Zaborniak, now a Senior Master Sergeant, has served in the Ohio Air National Guard for 18 years. During that time, he has completed several short tours of duty and four six-month deployments to Afghanistan, Jordan, Israel, and Kuwait. His service in Kuwait and Afghanistan placed him in harm’s way.

When Matt was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, I learned what it meant to wait for a loved one’s departure. We continued our daily routines, but the knowledge that he would soon be serving in a war-torn country was always there, lingering in the background. Matt was single, so it was his parents who waited for his calls, letters, and emails. He enjoyed receiving news from home because it reminded him that we were carrying on with everyday life. Waiting for Matt’s return was almost unbearable. His homecoming was delayed several times, stretching the wait even longer. Finally, at 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve in 2011, he walked into John Glenn Airport. After what had felt like an interminable wait, the joy of seeing him again was incredible.

In April 2026 he returned after his tour in Kuwait ended. This time he was met by his wife, friends, family, including nieces and nephews and parents. The joy of seeing him again was incredible.

Our neighbors, Matt and Kristi, are awaiting the birth of their second child. Their oldest son is four years old. Matt is a lieutenant colonel and a tanker pilot in the Ohio Air National Guard, serving in the same unit as our son Matthew. Last spring, Matt learned that he would be deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury. He and his family have learned to wait until plans are finalized and he actually leaves. Several false alarms preceded his eventual departure, making the wait difficult.

With Kristi due to give birth in mid-November, the uncertainty was even harder. Would Matt be able to complete his tour and return home in time for their second child’s birth? Through the wait for Matt’s departure and throughout his time away, Kristi kept going. She took their son to day care three days a week and attended his flag football games. They continued living each day; nothing was put on hold. As Father Bowers said, we must continue living while we wait. Matt is now home, and they expect to welcome the newest member of their family next week.

Our parish family knows something about waiting, too. We have waited for a priest, for the funds to install windows, and for growth—well, for just about everything. Through it all, we have remained steadfast in our love for one another and in our commitment to following Jesus in this world. Father Bowers asked, “How do we live while we wait?” His answer speaks to all of us: “With joyful expectation.”

Peace,
Henry Zaborniak, Senior Warden