All Saints Sunday

Honoring the Saints

“But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God, my God.”

                                                   Ruth 1:16

This scripture from the Old Testament book of Ruth is often used in wedding ceremonies, but it was Ruth's pledge to her mother-in-law, not her husband. She honored her dead husband by caring for his mother all the days of her life.

Today is All Saints Sunday and we will remember those 'saints' who came before us and helped to mold us into who we are. I will remember my parents and grandparents, my sisters and my aunts and uncles. I will also honor Mrs. Kidd, my senior homeroom teacher, who expressed confidence in me as a child with a brain, when I didn't think I had much in that department.

I will remember Margarite, the African American woman who tended to me as a child, and who was instrumental in keeping me alive through many an asthma attack. Sister Patricia, a nun with the Sisters of Mercy, who cared for me at St. Joseph's Hospital for the majority of the first two years of my life. I simply wouldn't be here without them.

Sometimes we remember only the folks we loved, but even the ones who treated us with cruelty and harshness have been an influence. Mr. Eggers, for instance; an eighth-grade history teacher who ruled his classroom like a feudal overlord. He terrified every student with absurd and humiliating punishments such as being made to stand on one foot at the back of the room for the hour of class because you failed to pick up a piece of paper in the hallway. He made me want to be a teacher who showed respect and compassion to her students.

And there was Susie Taylor, a world history teacher at the University I attended, who came to class dressed as historical figures, and taught with such flair and exuberance (and naughty gossip) that I found history interesting for the first time. I also remember Dr. Young, who gave me a D on my first term paper that freshman year—he taught me the importance of accurate documentation (believe me!)

So many Saints to celebrate today. Give thanks for yours—the good, the bad, and the ugly!

                                                In the spirit,

                                                Jane