A cup of sugar – and then some

My neighbor Kathy has everything. That makes my life much easier.

When I run out of vanilla extract while baking muffins, I can just knock on her door.

My son forgets his thermos in his locker at school? Of course, Kathy has a spare.

I need a few folding tables and pop-up tents for a party? I just need to let her know what time I’ll be by to pick them up.

Kathy is such an incredible friend and resource – and not just for me. I know other neighbors and friends turn to her for paint rollers, polyurethane, emergency childcare and more.

She’s a problem solver. Even though she is a single mother of four who runs her own business, she still finds time to make a lasagna for the family down the street that’s welcoming a new baby. I’ve never met anyone who was so good at recognizing a need and offering a solution.

Not everyone sees opportunities to help so clearly. But perhaps Lent offers a time for us to consider how we can be more attuned to others’ needs. The readings at this time of year really call us to action.

As we continue on our Lenten journey and walk through Holy Week, we are presented with the question of how to live lives of sacrificial love. When we listen to the story of Jesus’ Passion, we encounter the people who are trying to help Jesus – the Blessed Virgin Mary greeting him on his walk to Calvary, St. Veronica wiping his face, St. John standing at the foot of the cross and promising to care for Mary, Joseph of Arimathea offering his tomb for Jesus’ body.

There is such beauty in seeing the people who step forward in helpful ways to support and accompany Jesus with love. Those first Christians loved him so much, even when there might have been risk involved. They are the ones we look to as models and inspiration. They remind us to look at the people who are hurting or struggling in front of us and consider what part we might play in easing their pain. There is always something we can do.

“What does love look like?” St. Augustine said. “It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

And sometimes love looks like a neighbor who happens to be walking down the soup aisle at the store when she sees your son’s favorite spicy chicken noodle soup. So, she texts to ask how many cans you’d like.

That sort of personal thoughtfulness always makes me smile. One of these days, maybe Kathy will even run out of something herself, and I can reciprocate. But I have a feeling I’ll be knocking on her door again before that ever happens.

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