Your Name?

My husband's job is a rather public one, well, at least it is public to the over 1,500 families that attend our parish. With four solidly attended masses every weekend, daily mass, weddings, funerals, retreats, sacraments, a vibrant youth community, committees, and ministries growing every year, my husband comes in contact with a few people. He manages music for all liturgies, an average 30 member choir (which swells to 40 members during Christmas and Easter, go figure), children's choir, nearly 20 cantors, and a folk ensemble every week. He's amazing.

But aside from his nearly superhero-like schedule, the strangest thing keeps happening to the both of us. Let me give you a taste......One day, in city far far from here, my family and I were taking an annual Christmas shopping trip to a book and toy store. We stopped at a coffee shop to settle down for some homemade meatloaf sandwiches from "Spaeth Catering" when some nice older folks loudly proclaimed that they had spied the, "piano player, from church." They came right up to our family and told us all about their day and how much they enjoy church and the music. It was nice, but they never introduced themselves. And before we knew, they we gone.

In the book store, I had some lovely lady pop up behind me and tell me how much my little one has grown. She remembered when she was an infant and enjoys watching her at mass. ("And you are?") And the next thing I know, she was called over to help a customer. Apparently, she was working at the book store. My husband gets incidents like this all the time at mass. People come up to him and talk to him, good or bad, they more often then not, never give a name. And the next thing you know they are off and running someplace else.

We understand that because my husband, and therefore our family, is apart of so many special moments, and as regular as the sun coming up on the weekends, he is a constant for parishioners. They feel like they know him. Sometimes, if we are lucky, we able to ask for a name before people hop along. From now on, I make a conscious effort to introduce myself to people, even if they have done some ground work and already know who I am, I introduce myself. It's polite. And it doesn't take much effort to be just a little kinder. You never know.