DailyConnections.net

FRIDAY THOUGHT 4/3/09

Stella & Tessie
 
This one may get a bit long, but please forgive me, for I feel like indulging sweet memories here, memories stirred by reading about Jesus’ dear friends Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus.  They always make me think about my grandmother Stella and her sister-in-law and best friend, Tessie.
 
Shapeless, heavyset and wrinkled when I knew them, but with eyes that devoured their children and grandchildren with love, these two quiet, fiercely devout women were the heart and soul of the family.  When I was a child, they lived in a two-story Brownstone in Brooklyn — my grandmother and grandfather Mike on the first floor, Tessie and her husband, Ralph, upstairs. 
 
Every morning Stella and Tessie would walk to church together, attend Mass and light candles for their many special intentions, and every evening in the summer months they would sit in lawn chairs on the front stoop of their home and talk and watch the traffic and chat with neighbors.  During the day they cooked the greatest pasta and other Italian foods in the world. 
 
Then after dark, I recall on the nights when I would stay over, my grandmother would sit in a large, overstuffed chair in the semi-darkness and quietly pray her rosary in a whisper.  I can only assume that, upstairs, Tessie was doing the same.  I also remember thinking that the world was right, the world was saved, that God and these wondrous women were very good friends.
 
They had a sad, but strong quietness about them, but I don’t think they ever counted their losses or pondered whether or not they were happy.  As was the custom in Old World Italian homes, they said little, deferring to the men.  Still, they ruled in a quiet way, and I do know that on the rare occasions when they spoke up, the men listened, as did everyone else.
 
I am convinced that their endless prayers are the reason many of us are not dead and in hell or in prison today, that we were granted one more undeserved chance, or some other special attention and forgiveness we were too stubborn and arrogant to request for ourselves.
 
As I’ve written about before, I can imagine Stella and Tessie and the Virgin Mary sitting together … talking, nodding, smiling with more wisdom than they let on, and occasionally looking over to Jesus with a listen-to-your-mother nod and a teasing smile that says, “You should do this … if only for us,” and then to each other, “Of course, He will.  He’s a good boy.” 
 
My point:  Just joyful memories and a wondrous comfort that, in a world of struggle and challenges, Stella and Tessie are just two of many who I am sure are praying for us, supporting us, and watching over us.  — jri
 
“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had
already been in the tomb for four days.
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to
comfort them in the loss of their brother.  When
Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went
out to meet him, but Mary stayed home.
 
“‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been
here, my brother would not have died.  But I know
that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’”
        –    John 11:17-22
 
Thank you for indulging me in my ramblings.  I ask God’s peace and blessings for you … and the relentless prayers of Stella and Tessie.  God bless.   
John R. Ingrisano
204 Lakeview Drive
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
www.DailyConnections.net