Through Another's Eyes
Fr. Kevin’s mom was here. Did you see her? Did you get to meet her?
Audrey Tumback spent a whole weekend in our fair city touring about and getting to know us Lethbridgians. She attended Masses and even came to our parish picnic. If you got the chance to talk to Audrey you found out that she is both humble and gentle. If you saw her at Mass you may have smiled as her son teased her and she shook her head and blushed at this public display of his devotion for her. As you glanced over at her during Mass you may have wondered as I did what it must feel like to watch your son celebrate this most Blessed Sacrament and you may have marveled that this unassuming woman gave birth to and raised not just one, but two holy men who give their lives to lead us, the motley crew, to God. How must that feel?
Now lift your head and look around you. Try to see what Audrey saw.
We are blessed to live where we can jump into our vehicle and in a very short time witness vistas that many in the world will never see. We have prairies and mountains and coulees – all in our own backyard. We have a vibrant parish community and our parish picnic on Sunday gave us the opportunity to welcome people who have joined us from all over the world. If you looked you could see brothers and sisters from the Philippines, Syria, Somalia, and Mexico just to name a few. If you looked you could appreciate the effort and the difficulty of joining a new community where you are unfamiliar with the customs and don’t speak the language but just want desperately to fit in and to belong. If you looked you could see the gratitude for the abundant feast that we provide. Our hospitality was on display and we had the opportunity to shine and show our generosity to all.
As I write these words I have tears in my eyes. I am so grateful to belong to a wonderful, vibrant parish community. I am so grateful for all that God has blessed us with and for the chance to use His gifts to welcome others into our community and the chance to see us through their eyes.
By Karen Zielke
Audrey Tumback spent a whole weekend in our fair city touring about and getting to know us Lethbridgians. She attended Masses and even came to our parish picnic. If you got the chance to talk to Audrey you found out that she is both humble and gentle. If you saw her at Mass you may have smiled as her son teased her and she shook her head and blushed at this public display of his devotion for her. As you glanced over at her during Mass you may have wondered as I did what it must feel like to watch your son celebrate this most Blessed Sacrament and you may have marveled that this unassuming woman gave birth to and raised not just one, but two holy men who give their lives to lead us, the motley crew, to God. How must that feel?
Now lift your head and look around you. Try to see what Audrey saw.
We are blessed to live where we can jump into our vehicle and in a very short time witness vistas that many in the world will never see. We have prairies and mountains and coulees – all in our own backyard. We have a vibrant parish community and our parish picnic on Sunday gave us the opportunity to welcome people who have joined us from all over the world. If you looked you could see brothers and sisters from the Philippines, Syria, Somalia, and Mexico just to name a few. If you looked you could appreciate the effort and the difficulty of joining a new community where you are unfamiliar with the customs and don’t speak the language but just want desperately to fit in and to belong. If you looked you could see the gratitude for the abundant feast that we provide. Our hospitality was on display and we had the opportunity to shine and show our generosity to all.
As I write these words I have tears in my eyes. I am so grateful to belong to a wonderful, vibrant parish community. I am so grateful for all that God has blessed us with and for the chance to use His gifts to welcome others into our community and the chance to see us through their eyes.
By Karen Zielke
