It is often said that actions speak louder than words, and recently a phone call from the daughter of a high school friend brought that truth home to bear.

From the time this  young woman was born, our families spent lots of time camping together. Presently living in North Carolina, she is now grown and married with a daughter of her own. She had phoned to tell me she had converted to Catholicism, explaining that while growing up she had watched me practice my faith and she had wanted to be a part of it. Although during our outings together our family had often taken time out to attend Mass … religion, faith, and beliefs was never a topic of our conversations. Therefore, I had no idea this child had been watching me, and I was completely blown away by the unexpected revelation.

The timing of this call couldn’t have been better. It had come while I was in a bit of a faith struggle. Many things had happened in my life and within Catholicism itself since the last time I had seen her.  When she called, I was in the midst of questioning a faith that I had practiced my entire life. It was her call, among other things, that strengthened my resolve.

It’s funny the way things happen. While this young woman had called to express her gratitude … in reality it was I who was grateful. I owed her much more than she could possibly know.