Love One Another

Dear St. Anthony’s Parish Family,

There are things about my mother, my sisters, and my dog, which I find annoying.

My mother, when she chews gum, makes a series of loud popping sounds every fifteen seconds or so. She can't stop doing it. It's a habit. I find that annoying.

One of my sisters, Cathy, when she was younger, used to quietly - yet loud enough so that you could hear it - mouth the words of whatever book she was reading. It always sounded like she was mouthing to herself, “pitapata badudah pitapata badudah...” and her sounds made me clench my teeth and want to scream. I found that very annoying.

My other sister, Wendy, when she was younger, used to get up every Saturday morning early to practice the drums. Her room was just underneath mine. It woke me up. I told her I didn't like it. She did it anyway. I found that very inconsiderate and annoying.

Dash wakes me up every night around 2 a.m. to go outside. He also likes to bite my face as a sign of affection. Sometimes that bothers me.

There were things about my father, who passed away in 1997, that I found very annoying as well. My father smoked about ten Churchill size cigars a day. His clothes, house, and person was permeated with the smell of Hoyo de Monterey cigars. I found that odor a bit nauseating. Now that my father is gone, I miss his stinky cigar smell. It was his trademark. It was the sign of his presence, but now he’s gone.

When my mother dies, I will miss her gum-popping. I have grown to love the sound she makes because it is her sound. One day I will long to hear that sound. I don't live near Wendy or Cathy anymore. But when I visit them, Wendy still plays the drums early in the morning, and Cathy still makes the same sounds when she reads. But now, because I love my sisters so much, what once annoyed me makes me smile. One day, Dash will be too old and tired to walk up and down the steps at night and he will be too tired to play-bite me.

When that day comes, I will be very sad.

My message to you:

Reconsider those things that your spouse, parent or child does that annoy you. Those quirky imperfections of theirs-- learn to love those quirks now. One day you will miss them. or does not Christ Our Lord love you even with your imperfections?

Indeed, He does!

Therefore, let us learn from Christ how to love one another, not merely despite our imperfections, but, dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, truly because of those imperfections.

Love one another.