The Last Word

Our son Josh was here this past weekend. We hadn't seen him since May. It was sheer joy to look upon his face, to see the love in his heart and to listen to his stories and dreams. I have missed him terribly. I know I've been very fortunate to live in the same town as our son the past six years, but now Mark and I are off on one journey and Josh another. It's right - it's how it should be. He is not "mine" - he is a gift!

Josh and I spent Monday looking through used book stores and walking the streets of St. Paul. In one store I bought a book of stories told by Mother Teresa. I love reading about her, and how she chose to live and love. I hope to love the same way one day. As I was reading the following story I thought of Josh who is seeking to live a life of LOVE and how as a parent I need/want to give him away every day:

The Last Word
In Japan, as elsewhere in the world, Mother Teresa spoke about the vocation of hundreds of young women who left their homes and joined her Order. This thought may have been uppermost in Mr Hideki Izumi's mind when he asked her a question about her family.

Mr Izumi began by telling Mother that he had two daughters, one aged eight years and the other thirteen, and that he would be very unhappy if one of them entered religious life.

Mother said, "A vocation is not the work of human hands. A vocation is between God and your daughters ...' and added, 'If you have two, you must pray that God will call one of your daughters to belong to Him. That is the greatest gift of God to a family ... if God calls your son or daughter to come to His service you are blessed.'

Knowing what was passing through the gentleman's mind, Mother smiled at him and said, 'God always hears my prayers.'

Mr Izumi exclaimed, 'Oh! That would be the destruction of my family!'

Mother continued smiling and gently teased him: 'You will be able to come to Calcutta then, to meet her!'

Mr. Izumi was not amused and kept repeating that it would be the cause of great disunity in his family. He said, 'I find it hard to imagine a family that would be happy to have their daughter enter religious life,' and popped his question: 'I would like to know what kind of a family your own family was.'

Mother replied, 'I had a very happy family. And it was very difficult for my mother to give me, but she did. This is the sacrifice. Say, if your daughter gets married and goes away, you will have to give your daughter all the same. So, instead of giving her to somebody, you give her to God. This is the difference. We have in our Congregation thirty-five nationalities. We are over two thousand Sisters.'

With a twinkle in her loving blue eyes she had the last word, 'So, two thousand and one!"

Mark and I are blessed!