Martha (10/10/2024)

Our anticipation and preparations bore fruit yesterday when my husband’s sister, Martha, arrived for her visit. We had planned for her visit in September, but a rash of COVID in Iowa caught up with her driver, and the trip was cancelled. But yesterday, she arrived as planned and we got our tight hugs, and our world was brightened by the beam of her joy. And, yes, there were squeals of delight.

Over the next few days, we will make the rounds as we tackle her “list” of things she wants to do while she is here with us. We will have our family feast of spaghetti which she loves and for which she made and brought a large number of meatballs to make it even more special. Most of the family will come by at one time or another to catch up with Aunt Martha and fill her in on the curves and turns in our lives. We will travel to different family homes so she can enjoy some hospitality at various spots with a cup of tea or a tour of home redos. But mostly, we will enjoy her company, treasure our time with her, relish her laughter that could melt an iceberg, and experience her unique brand of love that always involves big hugs and lots of personal sharing.

She will be going back home on Sunday, right after she and I attend mass together. She brought her hat so we look like we belong together (because she knows I always wear a hat to church). I am looking forward to going to church together with Martha. Her love for that special experience with me has always opened me and my mind, heart, and spirit to the experience as well.

Martha is the poster child of a disciple. I’ve never told her this, but I’ve always thought it. Her love and her joy surround every moment with her. One cannot spend time with her without experiencing both. It may be why I hang on a bit longer in our hugs; I’m hoping it rubs off.

I thank the LORD for the gift of Martha. I thank the LORD for her visit and the joy it brings to us all. And I thank the LORD for her example of love lived out loud. I’ve mentioned before the poem by Edgar Guest, Sermons We See. Well, time with her is like the lines of that poem:

“I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.

I’d rather you would walk with me than merely show the way.”

As we continue on our journeys of faith, hope and love, let us always bear in mind that one of the best ways to bear the Good News in through our lives. May the Spirit guide us so that others can’t possibly miss how Christ’s love for us has filled us with joy and love overflowing.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.