Happy Birthday, Mr. St. Francis

Today, October 4, is the feast day for Saint Francis, renowned for his love of animals and the natural environment.

It is also the birthday for my father-in-law, Norman Bleicher. He too was known for his love and care for animals, especially dogs. Over his lifetime, he collected many images and sculptures depicting St. Francis. If he were alive today, he would be 86 years old.

Thinking good thoughts about a good man. The inscription on his memorial marker comes from advice his father wrote to him upon graduation from school: “Be good to yourself and be good to humanity.”