Remembering Joann

Remembering Joann Resch

April 14, 1939 – February 26, 2018

Most of the events of everyday life…important ones even

Tend to fade over time

And what becomes apparent in retrospect

Is one’s gradual move or growth or change

But there are some happenings that don’t fade

Rather than fade…these recollections grow in importance with each remembrance…with each telling

I have been a life long Catholic

Up to my 30’s I was perfectly content with my pew-sitter status

And then one Sunday afternoon

With Rob and our three children under the age of 5

We came here and took our seats in the back pew

Where it had become customary for one of the three to nap through Mass

There…minding my own business…

This woman I didn’t know from Adam…not Adam…from EVE

(she also taught me about inclusive language;)

Tapped me on the shoulder

And asked me to follow her

I did.  It was church. And she seemed somehow in-the-know.

She led me up to the sacristy

Gave me a little bowl with fragrant oil

And told me…TOLD ME…she didn’t ask me

Told me what to say to each parishioner who came up the aisle to be blessed with oil

I protested…slightly

And then she gave her reasoning

My translation:

Now don’t try to wiggle out of this

I SAW that twinkle in your eye

You are perfect for this

And I was.  I was because I needed to see those faces.

Mirrors of my own

Full of gratitude

Gratitude for the opportunity to be touched and blessed

I needed to learn the truth

that we all need to be about the work of blessing

Joann knew

She knew that the best way to chip away at all the world’s ‘cursing’

Is to teach us to bless

To teach us that blessing is our calling

That blessing is our Christian vocation

I honestly don’t know who I would be

without having been lassoed by Joann Resch that Sunday afternoon in 1992

Less cursing

More blessing

She was most definitely on to something

Oh Yeah…almost forgot…

Joann has a message for us:

You have reached 423-8859

All the two and four footeds

Are OUT and ABOUT

Leave your name and number

And a good time to call you back

And we’ll get back in touch with you

Just as soon as we can

Have a blessed day

Bye Bye