Dottie slowly grew older and more frail. She surely knew death was approaching. She took advantage of her slow march toward eternal life by going through pictures in a way that would help her only child, Carol, remember a life well lived.

Some fourteen months after Dottie's death Carol mustered up the courage to go through those pictures her mother had graciously set aside. With a picture of her father, who had passed away decades earlier, Carol found a note from Brother Larry. Although Carol can no longer remember Brother Larry's last name she remembers how Brother Larry and her dad would go fishing together and enjoy those things that come with a day of sitting in a boat waiting for a bite. The note was a congratulatory one that was given to her parents on the occasion of Carol's birth. It came with a dollar bill for the newborn's college education.

One of the things Carol does remember about Brother Larry is that he was a Marianist. She also remembered that his kindness was evident in much more than that dollar bill.

Our "Yes!" to spread the gospel message is not limited to words. As Marianists we bring Christ's presence to the world more often and more effectively by a life of grace. A kind demeanor, a pleasant note, a small gift and a hearty laugh are those things that bear witness to our Marianist heritage so that sixty years from now someone will say, "I don't remember the last name, but I remember she was a Marianist and I remember the goodness that she passed on to me."

peace and love,

aj