There are times, especially when I get overwhelmed, that I can think no one really cares. I do not often hear thanks. I just hear complaints, whines, moans, demands, et cetera. As I said, especially when I am overwhelmed.
Which is why what happened to me today was super huge.
I went to the office and found a thank you card from one of my parishioners who recently graduated high school and is getting ready to go off to college. He wrote a long note to me thanking me for “being there” for him throughout his formative faith years: First Confession, First Communion, Confirmation, Graduation.
He told me that, as a youngster, he always looked forward to my high fives as I walked down the aisle after Mass. As he got older, he said that he looks forward to hearing my homilies because they always help him to understand how the scriptures apply to today.
I have to tell you, I stood there with a dropped jaw and with tears in my eyes. It was so nice to know that I actually made a difference in someone’s life. That note has kept me on Cloud Nine all day. It even helped me survive a diocesan meeting this afternoon! 🙂