April 3, 2024 “If you had to describe him to someone who didn’t know him, how would you describe his personality?” Whether in secular or Catholic media, I’ve always asked that question when I interview an individual to write a story about their friend, family member or colleague who died. I was chatting with a friend about that question. “It’s weird to think about how someone might describe my personality,” I said. After a brief pause, my friend said, “you’re somehow simultaneously the kind of person every family wanted their kids to be friends with and the kind of person every family warned their kids to stay away from.” I laughed when my friend described me that way. It was both funny and accurate. It got me thinking about how I would describe myself. Until recently, I probably would’ve answered something like, “flawed, but fun, and kind of weird.” I’ve always thought I was a bit weird. I didn’t think it was possible that other people had similar perspectives, struggles, habits… You, the readers of this paper, changed that. I’ve been told what is likely hundreds of times some version of “your stories are so relatable.” If hundreds of people are relating to my life experiences shared in this space, either I’m not as weird as I thought or there’s a lot of us out there who are “flawed, but fun, and kind of weird.” Hearing that my stories are “relatable” has made me feel closer to the Body of Christ, the people of His Church. It makes me feel like I’m not alone in my struggles or in my moments of profound awe. It’s given me the opportunity to hear some of your stories. It’s been a gift from God, and it’s been beautiful beyond description. |
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