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From: Mary Zimmerman
Winona
I surely hesitate to write this article. I am tempted to think, who really cares? Ha.
I’m nothing special but I am somebody. Everyone holds that title. I heard God doesn’t make nobodies, but that’s kinda how I felt.
A little Heartsong? Thanks.
My brother, Melvin, died from pneumonia at the age of 8. He was my only sibling close to my age - 6. I had no sisters so I felt pretty lost and so I became acquainted with depression and an inferiority complex at quite a young age. In recent years God has helped me be set free of these stigmas in my life - through family, friends and sharing my Heartsongs. So in deep humility I accept the fact I am a child of God, made in His image and likeness. That’s the pattern He uses for all mankind. We are all no less or no more valuable than anyone else, lest we should boast. God had a reason in mind when He created each of us. It’s up to us to try to figure out just what. I loved to help my Mom bake as a very young girl, so I’m not really too surprised that God chose me to be Winona’s pie lady. Well maybe my big hands had something to do with it too.
I think liking babies so much as a young girl surely influenced my vocation to marriage. I had 12 pregnancies within about 16 years.
When Father Frisch was the pastor of St. Paul’s Catholic Church years ago, as some of you may remember, he was well known for putting in stories and pictures in the weekly church bulletins. He had a real passion for that. Once he asked people if there was something special they wanted to accomplish, what would it be. Well I so loudly answered the call to say I wanted to be a famous writer. But when Father overreacted by wanting to send a couple of ladies to my house to paint me all up for the new bulletin picture I dropped that idea like a hot potato - but not my passion for some how or way to be a great writer. And what does that mean for me? If I can help just one person along the road of life in even just some small way, it would mean my space here in the world was not in vain. I would hope God would feel a bit of pride that He bothered to create a Mary Zimmerman. Even if we don’t seem to accomplish anything very visible or tangible, if we have felt and shown love, we’ve earned our keep in life as well. God is love. Our love shows that our desire is to imitate Him. There is a good little prayer book by that name.
Just a few more words about myself.
A list of inventory leads me to ask, where do I go from here? Well, once a mother, always a mother, right? I have 6 living children and 22 grandchildren. Half of those are greats - well, they’re really all great, you get me, right? I want to bring as much happiness into their lives as I can. How? Let them know how much I love and care for their physical welfare but spiritual as well, in a loving manner, exposing my desire for them to have a good life in this world and especially life eternal with God in heaven, have kinda like a family reunion. I think the angels will be our hosts.
In the meantime I vow to do what I can to be a loving mother, grandmother, friend and child of God. Only with God’s grace can any of this happen.
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