Sr. Dismas, Simplicity and Christmas

When our son was doing community service work for his 8^th grade Confirmation project, he volunteered at a local nursing home.  He ended up volunteering there all through high school, assisting a sweet sister named Sr. Dismas Brennan, a Sister of St. Joseph.  Everyone who knew Sr. Dismas loved her.  She died without us even knowing she was sick, and she still carries a special place in my heart today for a lot of reasons.

The name Dismas is attributed to the Good Thief, the penitent one that hung on a cross next to Jesus (Luke 23: 39-43.)  Dismas recognized his need for forgiveness and asked Jesus to remember him, which Jesus did, assuring him of his place in paradise.  The exchange between them reveals the love and mercy of God for sinners.  I expect taking his name was significant for Sister. 

Anyway, she was remarkable to me, not only because of her kindness to our son and us, but because of her gratitude and her simplicity, which penetrated every aspect of her life and was truly an inspiration.

I can still see her smiling with a twinkle in her eye as she teased our son.  They had this sweet exchange where he would try to get her to carry the heavy buckets of birdseed, even though he was stronger and towered over her.  She wouldn’t let him get away with it, of course, and he never expected to.  Every Saturday they would feed the birds together and she would direct him to do activities with the residents.  He seems to have a tender place in his heart still today for the elderly.

What a great smile she had and an infectious personality.  Because of her inspiration, my husband started volunteering at the nursing home for awhile, playing his banjo for the residents, as our son took up the job of wheeling them in and out for their music time.

I remember teaching a class that she attended many years ago, and following the class, a few days later, I received a thank you note in the mail.  Let’s just say, it is extremely rare that anyone would send a thank you following a *catechist class.  But that was Sister.  She always sent thank yous.

To this day, whenever I send a thank you, I think of her.  In fact, we raised our kids to send thank yous whenever they received a gift from someone for their birthday or Christmas, even if it was from grandma.  This is a practice they continue even today.  I guess gratitude can become habitual.

Besides the thank yous, though, I remember Sister’s simplicity.  Whenever I get anxious about whether I am giving enough when sending a card, or concerned about finding the right gift, I think of her.  To her, a gift did not have to be expensive or fancy.  No worries about whether it was enough. When you give out of simplicity, it truly is the thought that counts.  I remember hearing after she died that she always took a cake into the parish office on Mondays for the staff members.  That was a gift to them, I am sure.

To those who knew her, Sister seemed like a quiet, gentle spirit, but, born the daughter of a New York police officer, she told me one time that when she gets riled up, “you can hear me all the way down the nursing home hallway.”  I never did though.

Sr. Dismas died in 2006 at the age of 73, leaving a parish family and religious community who loved her deeply. On our son’s bedroom wall is a tiny, very old cross that she gave him as a gift.  I believe he held a special place in her heart, but then again, I wonder if most people think that.

My point is, gratitude and simplicity should rule the day.  If you give from your heart and share out of what you have, that is enough.  Don’t worry that your gift may not equal that of another’s.  If you do not have much materially, don’t worry.  Often a simple card or a smile will do.

I learned a lot from Sr. Dismas, but mostly it was to let go of the hang-ups our culture instills in us that bigger is better and that to give a little is insufficient. 

Although she practiced simplicity, her generosity was tremendous.

I know it is super early, but I also know that some of you are already shopping for Christmas.  As you do, it might be good to keep Sr. Dismas in mind and allow her to guide you in your gift-giving.  I think it will help you have much less stress this year if you do.

God bless,

Janet Cassidy

Janetcassidy.com 

*religious teacher training class