Ordinary is not part of God's vocabulary

By Mary Regina Morrell
©Catholic Online 2005

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12)

Recently, while cleaning out a crumbled cardboard box from the bottom of my closet, I found what appeared to be small plastic intestines, as if some budding child-doctor had attempted surgery on her favorite Barbie doll.

That's when I recalled an incident from years ago when my sons were rambunctious boys.

One morning, I discovered my youngest's favorite birthday gift when I passed by the bathroom sink and found what appeared to be miniature intestines and a pint-size brain floating in the water.

I chuckled, shook my head and turned on the shower.

Later, my son asked, "Hey, mom, did you go into the bathroom this morning? Did you notice anything different?"

"You mean those gooey blobs in the sink? Didn't I tell you not to play with the turkey innards?!"

He rolled his big browns just to show how corny he thought I was and slapped a piece of cardboard on the table in front of me -- a delightful picture of a spinal cord with all the organs of the body attached, minus the person, of course.

"They're "Growing Organs." Aren't they cool?" he sighed.

A gift from a thoughtful relative, the directions began, "Just put your new organs in water . . . "

You can guess the rest.

My son would have undoubtedly been equally impressed with one of my favorite gifts that year.

It had come a month before Christmas and was nothing more than a simple letter, sent by one of my readers -- now affectionately considered a soul mate.

The letter revealed that "Ann" had been moved by a particular column in which I shared stories of growing up an only child with wonderful aunts and uncles, in particular my Aunt Jeanette who had five children and shared her home and her love with me.

Ann also had an "Aunt Jennie", widowed at 36 with five children of her own. Ann recalled that her aunt also "shared her children with me, giving me brothers and sisters I never had. We spent many, many visits sitting around her kitchen table eating donuts, drinking coffee and sharing lively conversations."

Ann went on to explain, that as with most of us, time slipped by almost imperceptibly once she got married and had her own family to raise and times with her aunt were few and far between.

"Earlier this year," Ann revealed, "I began to get 'little messages' from our good Lord regarding my Aunt Jennie, your article being one of them. So one morning in the spring I bought some donuts and surprised her with a visit. We sat for hours remembering all the special times we had shared over the years. I called her a few times after that and had one more quick visit on her front porch in the summer. Soon after, Aunt Jennie passed away suddenly. We were all devastated, not because she had to die but because she was such a special lady who never, ever let anyone get her down and never said a bad word about anyone."

Ann ended her letter by writing, "I will always know a special peace from that visit and will always be grateful to you for sending me there!"

As I sat there with tears in my eyes I thanked God for Ann and for all the Aunt Jennies who touch our lives, and especially for the privilege of being able to write this column.

I am fortunate to be able to share my thoughts and my love with many, but we are all able to share those things with a few, no matter where we are, or what work we do.

It is so easy to allow the siren's call of busy-ness to rob us of love shared, to cloud our sense of interconnectedness with all our sisters and brothers or deny God's purpose for what we often (mistakenly) consider as ordinary lives.

We are meant to love -- and there's nothing ordinary about that.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Educationp, 732 562.1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

ordinary, God, vocabulary

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