It is so special when I receive kind memories of Mary. They are little blessings. I received a little blessing today in the form of an email and want to share it here on my Mary blog, where it belongs, in my treasure chest of my Mary's "Memories to Cherish". Thank you John A for taking the time to let us all know what a gift Mary's presence was to you. She made a difference to so many and she didn't even know it. Well, I believe she knows it now.
This is an email from someone who Mary had taught years ago when she was a teacher:
FORMER STUDENT OF MARY'S
To repeat the title of my email, I'm a student of Mary's who hasn't had the chance to speak with her since my freshman year of high school back in 2001/2002.
I wanted to reach out to her to let her know that I took her
lessons to heart, and that I never settled down with the wrong type of woman
because of the way she taught us. She always preached that you should find a
partner who you could realistically spend the rest of your life with, and she
was the only adult in my youth who spoke honestly with us about the difficulties
of marrying the right or wrong person.
I was unaware of her passing until I tried to find her
decades later, and because I see now that I can't thank her in person for being
a hugely positive influence on myself, I want to reach out to you and tell you
how your sister impacted a generation of young men and taught us how to respect
women while still being men.
She was an incredible woman, a huge influence on me during
my younger years, and I don't know how to begin expressing my sympathy for the
post of your sister.
I read through the entirety of your blog, and I feel like I
learned so much about a woman who I consider to be a true mentor during my
early manhood. Thank you so much.
