August 6, 2023
Mrs. Winters was my family’s next-door neighbor for nearly the entire time we lived on Brunswick Avenue. She was eccentric and quirky and wasn’t afraid to march to the beat of her own drum. She named the squirrels she fed and could actually distinguish them when they came to her dining room window for peanut-butter sandwiches. Not kidding. She wore flowery muumuus and big-beaded, brightly colored necklaces, and the one thing I remember most clearly was that she wore toe rings with her funky open-toed sandals. I thought it funny that an “old lady” like Mrs. Winters (at least from my 8-year-old perspective) wore jewelry on her toes!
More than this, however, was the kind heart that Mrs. Winters so freely shared with everyone she met along her life’s journey. If she knew you liked something – pizza, a certain type of flower, or a brand of candy -- she wouldn’t hesitate to hand it to you as she went about her daily routine. My Mom once made the mistake of letting Mrs. Winters know that she liked olives, and for the next twelve years, jars of them showed up weekly at our front door. (I think we still have jars of them in the pantry!)
What I learned from her, though, is a trait I wish I was better at, and one that I am resolved to weave into my own daily life: if you see something positive or special in another person, don’t be afraid to say it to them. Don’t just keep it to yourself. Mrs. Winters would walk up to complete strangers at Acme and tell them she thought they had a beautiful smile or a lovely shade of lipstick. She would tell the UPS delivery man that he was great at his job. Even toward the miserable convenience store cashier she would find something – anything -- to try and lift their spirits. “I’m praying for you, hon,” she would tell them as she turned to leave, and she meant it.
The world needs more Mrs. Winters among us – toe-rings are optional, of course! Perhaps a goal for each of us this week: find your person to offer a kind word or compliment when you normally would just pass them by. If you see something positive and beautiful in another, share it with them. We never know what blooms from such scattered seeds of Christian kindness.
On a separate pastoral note, now that August is here, know that there are many exciting things coming our way in the weeks ahead at Immaculate Conception-St Jude. Mare Draper, our director of faith formation, will be sharing her vision for Confirmation and other Iron Hill deanery-inspired faith initiatives. The National Eucharist Revival is in full-swing, and we will be offering some future possibilities to spend time with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. And finally, continue to pray for our diocesan and Oblate seminarians as they return to formation/seminary in the next week or so. Remember, there are future priests, religious sisters, and deacons in our very pews right now: if you see something, say something!