Memory

By Sr. Mallorie Gerwitz

Novice, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth 

For the last six months I have been concerned for the welfare of a child who comes into our Sister of Charity sponsored ministry, Welcome Central.  Welcome Central defines itself as, “helping you find, the help you need.”  Our ministry connects people with food, utility assistance, housing, medical referrals, clothing, essentially a clearinghouse for individuals to receive what they are most in need of.

My heartstrings have been pulled quite tightly in trying to serve the needs of the mother, while also trying to protect the child who has been living on the streets with mom.  The little boy and I build houses with Lincoln logs, or play with making towers out of Jenga pieces, or we will go on walks, while mom works on paperwork or just takes a needed break.  The boy calls me Memory, (as it is hard to say L’s at the age of 4), which makes me think, how coincidental, that is!   A memory is something that each of us has tucked away in our brains, hearts, and our inner most being.  The fact is my presence to him is a blip on the radar of his life.  It’s sad, but real.  I will be a ‘Memory’ very soon.  It leaves me with the feeling of the way God gave his only son, Jesus to us.  Jesus was, what some may call, a blip on the radar, only living until, the generally accepted age of thirty-three; but I look at the ‘Memory’ he left us.  The love he showered upon us.  The presence that Jesus gave to the people of his time and the presence that continues today.   

As we draw closer to Christmas and the festivities of holiday parties, shopping, and decorating, these activities tend to distract us from the present moment.  I think: In what ways are we present to the living God? And in what ways are we present, to the coming of God’s greatest gift of love?  

As we take this time to remember, reflect, and look upon the ‘Memory’ of the coming of God’s greatest gift, may we go forth with our light, which shines in the darkness, in this waiting period, for all to see.  The realization I am coming to is to not spend too much time living in the future, but to live now, in the present.  Our lives are blips on the radar, of the lifespan of the Universe.  In what ways are we living ‘Memories’ for those we meet everyday?  How will the legacy of our lives, reflect the Memory of Jesus, God’s greatest gift?