Question of the Week - The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Pulling into a parking spot at the fabric store, I opened my car door and was putting on my mask when an elderly woman rolled down her window, pointed to my car, and said, "I wish I had never gotten rid of mine. It was the best car I ever had." Now, you might think I drive some luxury vehicle, but the truth is that I drive a small 2014 hatchback with nearly 100,000 miles on it to date. We are not talking about anything fancy or new.
Delightfully, her simple comment opened the door for continued conversation. I asked her what good bargains she would found at the fabric store, and she explained that she had needed to purchase interfacing for masks she was making. These masks were going to workers at a local hospital where her brother works. Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she also shared that she had bought some Pittsburgh Steelers material to make three special masks for her brother. Now, you need to know that I live in the Cincinnati area, and the Steelers and Bengals are HUGE rivals. She and I had a good laugh over what she was doing, and she confessed that she was also making three Bengals masks to give to him after he first received those Steelers masks.
The conversation then turned to phones. Her children had insisted on buying her one of the newer models to both see and hear her grandchildren. She shared that she did not yet have the hang of how to make it all work, but she especially liked being able to see her grandbabies.
Before we knew it, about a half-hour had passed. She then said to me, "I hope you do not mind talking with me. I have been home alone and not going out, but I needed this interfacing. It was just good to talk with a real person today."
When we think about those who need our compassion and kindness right now, we might not think of those parked next to us in the parking lot. However, my parking lot experience is a good reminder that there are many opportunities to extend compassion and kindness as we go about every day's business. The invitation is to keep our eyes and ears open for the chances to listen, converse, encourage, and bless all who are a part of our family, the family of God.
Mary Sellars Malloy has over forty years' experience as a Catholic educator and lay minister. She is a frequent workshop presenter on prayer, liturgy, spirituality, the Sacraments, and the RCIA. Also, Mary leads retreats and parish missions throughout the country. Her goal is to encourage Catholics of all ages to appreciate and to live their Catholic faith.