Clowning around

Back in 2006, during one of my former parish's picnic in Baker City, I volunteered to dress up as a clown, to entertain the children. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, as children were fascinated by this strange character handing balloons and cheering them on, but who didn't say a word to them. It was a unique experience for me as one of our young people, Mayce Collard painted my face, and made sure no one could recognize me. 

Unfortunately Mayce died in a tragic car accident a year later, but I will always remember her smiling face when she was painting my face, giggling all along as she fine-tuned her masterpiece. A handful of children recognized me during the picnic, but the majority of them still think that this clown came down from heaven.