250508 Good People

I’ve met some very good and very bad folks in my lifetime.

This post will only cover the good people and I’ll list them chronologically from most recent to long ago.

Three days ago I met Sister Mary Pascale in Walmart. She was alone, which is unusual, nuns always travel in pairs or groups. Sister Mary is from Nigeria and is now affiliated with Saint John’s church here in my town. She’s a short, full bodied woman who is overflowing with life and kindness. We only spoke for a few moments, but she made me think about going back to church again. As I think about her, I wonder if I met a living saint in real life.

I met Father Peter Walsh in 1974, a fine Irish priest. Mom used to say Irish priests are always the best you will ever meet and Father Walsh was the best of them all! I stopped by his home on the church grounds to say hello to him one afternoon. Before I left he asked me how long it has been since my last confession? I replied, I had no idea. So sitting across from his kitchen table I confessed all of my many sins. It’s difficult to go into a darkened confessional in a church, but eye to eye in a kitchen was enlightening to say the least. Father Walsh had a small poster on the wall that said, “I feel more like I do than when I came in here.” I had to ask about that one. Father Walsh said he was back on a visit to Ireland and he went into a pub there to visit old friends. He saw an old friend, named Michael and asked Michael how he was and Michael replied, “I feel more like I do than when I came in here.” I have lost count of how many times I’ve repeated that phrase since 1974. God bless Father Walsh wherever he may be. I think he has probably passed away by now. I looked up the registry of priests and did not see his name listed.

The next group of good people I’ve met are my coworkers at Littion in Springfield, from 1988 until 2006. They are as fine as any people I’ve ever worked with. I still correspond with several of them.

The next person on my list is my friend Kevin DeBord. We met at Burroughs Corporation in San Diego, California. Kevin and I had some fun times at Burroughs,we made work more like fun. Kevin is always helpful to everyone he meets. He is a computer wizard and he’s now retired and helping everyone in his neighborhood in Idaho. Kevin and the beautiful Kathleen and I have been friends since 1979.

The next group is the Stoeppler family, all fine people I’ve known since 1963, when I met Joyce. Joyce’s mother was a Stoeppler and that’s how I met the Stoeppler family. I am still in contact with Jim and Maureen, the best folks you would ever meet.

Last of all, my own family since 1945. Many are gone now. The years have taken them away from me. Mom and dad are both gone years ago. I’m only in contact with my sister Mar. The rest of my siblings have shunned me for reasons unknown. Now I want to mention my grandpa. We were fishing buddies for years. Grandpa was as fine a man as I ever had the pleasure of knowing. He taught me more about living a good life than anyone I’ve ever known. I loved him dearly and miss him every day. In my early years I sat on the floor beside him every night and learned everything I needed to know about being a good man. Grandpa knelt down beside his bed every night and prayed before going to sleep. I believe he was a living saint.

There may be others who are good enough to have been recognised in this post and any I missed writing about I’ll blame it on my old age and say the old brain isn’t as flexible as it once was. There was a time when I could see or read something once and never forget it. Those years are long gone. Now I can get up to do something and forget what I was going to do before I get into the next room.