One of Baseball’s Stars

“…everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted”
From Luke 18:14

The World Series will begin next week. I share disappointment with fellow Cub Fans because our beloved North-siders won’t be playing. At the same time, I can’t think of the Cubs, without recalling a close encounter of the amazing kind with my my mom’s favorite player…

It was almost two decades ago when my sisters and I took our mom to Santo’s, a local restaurant owned by the Cubs’ famed third baseman. While we were there, Ron Santo made one of his frequent appearances to mingle with his patrons. When Mom saw him, she flew out of her chair to greet him. Mr. Santo graciously shook her hand. Unfortunately for him, Mom didn’t let go. She pulled the poor man to our table, saying, “You have to meet my five daughters!”

Mr. Santo never stopped smiling as Mom dragged him across the room. When he arrived at our table, we tried to apologize for our mom’s enthusiasm, but he would have none of it. Ron Santo looked around at each of us and said, “Well, you sure have beautiful daughters, just like their mother!” He chatted with us for several minutes, gave Mom a hug and then went on his way. When we left the restaurant, Mr. Santo made a point of saying good-bye to his seemingly greatest fan.

Though this beloved Cubby is remembered for so much more, I’ll never forget the kindness he showed to Mom that day. Since his arrival in the hereafter, I’m quite certain that my mom has renewed their acquaintance and that she’s told him the same.

Loving God, thank you for good people everywhere who do what they can for others regardless of how busy they are.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

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To You, Mom and Dad!

God blessed them, saying:
“Be fruitful and multiply…”
From Genesis 1:28

Though I addressed this occasion last Sunday, today is the day. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! While they celebrate together in a better place, I’m feeling particularly close to them today. My own family continues to grow as our extended family reaches farther into the horizon. Though sometimes we perplex one another with our differences, we also support one another as no one else can because of our common roots and, more importantly, our common love.

On this special day, I consider the wonderful gifts which my parents passed on to me. I celebrate their lifelong effort to love one another and to love my brother, my sisters and me as best they could. How fortunate my parents were to have found each other! How fortunate we children are who have been raised by the likes of these two! Though my dad passed away only seventeen years into their marriage, he left our mom and us with the fruits of their love. Perhaps my sister Cecele put it best when she observed, “Daddy must have really loved me because I’ve missed that love ever since we lost him.” I can add that we miss my mom’s love as much.

It seems to me that the best way to celebrate my parents’ anniversary is to take the scripture passage above to heart. May we all be fruitful and multiply their love in everything we say and do. Yes, Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Loving God, thank you for our ability to love. In all of its forms, love is the greatest gift we offer one another.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

My Childhood Friend Thérèse

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice,
here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right
and doing it all for love.”
From Thérèse of Lisieux

It is October 1, the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. She’s been a favorite of mine since childhood. Our parish sisters and priests were thorough religion teachers. In fifth grade, Sister decided to add some reality to her lessons by introducing us to the saints. She didn’t select those who seemed to be on the right track from birth. Rather, she focused upon people like Thérèse who began their lives imperfectly and then went on to turn things around.

I was drawn to Thérèse because she was one of several children born to French parents. So am I. Thérèse worried about her older sisters and their interactions with boys. She wanted her sisters to remain chaste and pure. Though I had a minimal understanding of what this meant, I wanted the same for my older sister. Thérèse also hoped to join the convent from very early on. So did I. Thérèse was quite spoiled as the youngest child whose mother died when she was only four years of age. Her family doted over her so much so that she became quite spoiled. Though I didn’t have the luxury of being spoiled, I did have very specific ideas regarding this life and I fully expected things to go as I intended.

One Christmas Eve when she was only fourteen, Thérèse overheard her family talking about how difficult she was. That moment, her eyes were opened to her selfishness. She immediately decided to live for others with love rather than expecting those around her to live solely for her. I was thoroughly amazed that a girl only a few years older than I could change her life in an instant. Thérèse inspired me never to stop believing that we can all do the same when we choose to.

Dear God, thank you for Thérèse and the many other wonderful souls who show us how to live as best we can in spite of our very human circumstances and our very human selves.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

They’re Always Watching!

Beloved:Let no one have contempt for your youth,
but set an example for those who believe,
in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.
1 Timothy 4:12

The other day at the grocery store, a young man “slipped” and said a word that wasn’t suitable for the ears of some nearby children. Before he could apologize, the older woman with him responded, “You know, kids are always watching and it’s up to us to show them what’s right.” The woman added another line or two about how she and his dad were very careful of their language when he was within earshot. The young man took his mother’s comments well. The pair smiled at one another and then continued their shopping. As for the kids, I’m grateful to say that they didn’t react to any of this as they were distracted by the shelves of breakfast cereal before them. Neither they nor their mom seemed to have heard a word.

That wise parent’s comment echoed sentiments repeated frequently throughout my teaching career and my second career as a grandparent. Grandchildren repeat just about everything they hear. They also mimic our actions and our attitudes far more accurately than we might think possible.

What does all of this mean for us allegedly mature adults? Apparently, we need to be on our best behavior as often as possible. None of us knows when an impressionable child of any age may be watching. It’s up to us to provide them with the best lessons we’re capable of offering as often as we can.

Easy, huh?

Loving God, help us to offer only glimpses of your goodness to the young souls you place in our care.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

Love Them All…

We are one body, individually members of one another.
Romans 12:5

As a child, I found the word “hate” to be terribly powerful. I refrained from using it for years. To “hate” anyone seemed to eliminate the possibility that I would ever learn to love him or her. In spite of the occasional teasing and physical trauma I suffered, I truly tried not to hate anyone.

My childhood resolve eventually faded and this became more difficult. Fortunately, college gave me more than the tools I needed to teach. It was there that my appreciation for children young and old grew exponentially. Later, when I had my own classroom, I couldn’t keep my students from occupying special places in my heart. It was more often a colleague or a student’s parent who tested my ability to love than it was any of the children in my classroom. I reminded myself often that these adults were also somebody’s children. I challenged myself to find reasons they these people might be loved by their parents and to focus on those attributes.

As I consider my frustration and sadness over so much of today’s news, I try to remember that those who turn our little worlds upside down and those who are playing havoc with the world at large are somebody’s children as well. We are all God’s children and it is up to us to find ways to get along. Though our efforts may seem small in the grand scheme of things, they will make a difference just the same.

Merciful God, help us to see one another with your eyes and to love one another with your heart. Help us to bring peace and justice back into this world, one encounter at a time.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

All of Our Beloved Children

This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:12

The news, both local and national, continues to include incidents of children lost to violence. I grew up in a very tough and often dangerous neighborhood where insecurity and fear sometimes overwhelmed me and everyone else nearby. Still, I never endured the day-in and day-out sights and sounds of gunfire and other atrocities which some of our children have grown to consider to be a way of life.

Regardless of our busy schedules, our fatigue and our own worries, we adults are responsible for the children in our lives. Whether they live next door, in our own homes, across town or on the other side of the world, children matter. Whether they present themselves as whiny toddlers or sarcastic teens, they need our support and our love.

Obviously, our own children come first as we are the only parents they have. Still, nieces and nephews, neighbors and acquaintances who haven’t yet reached adulthood also need an occasional smile or word of encouragement from us. Efforts to assist needy children and orphans nearby and faraway need our attention as well. As small as our efforts may seem, they may just counteract the sadness or feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness which might otherwise lead these young souls astray. It’s all about feeling loved and appreciated, you know?

Patient God, you gift us with the capacity to love one another. Give us the generosity and the courage to share this gift with the children whom you have placed in our care.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved