Recently I celebrated the funeral of Annette Stein from St. Mathias in Hampton. Annette was 88 years old, and of late suffered from dementia. Days before her death, I anointed Annette at a Red Wing care center with family gathered around her bed. I knew Annette for years, along with her husband, Nick, who died in 2022 and with whom she shared 66 years of marriage, and their children. After the anointing, we shared many stories of Annette from over the years.
Among the stories told were of Annette as a wife and mother who was always willing to help with anything needed on their farm. Annette was also a model of hospitality, as seen in her hosting card parties for friends and neighbors, as well as the family’s annual Fourth of July party, which brought together many people from the area. On those occasions and many more, people heard Annette’s frequently spoken words, “Come on in!” as she welcomed people into her home and life.
Annette was also a seamstress. She could sew anything. Gathered around Annette’s bed, we wondered aloud how many buttons she sewed or hems she fixed over the years. But for Annette those were easy jobs. She also made dresses, including first Communion and bridesmaid dresses, and made more than a few alterations on wedding dresses.
Something I did not know: Annette made memory bears for people — and not just a few, but an estimated 1,000 or more! People brought Annette the clothing of a loved one who had died so she could use the fabric to make a teddy bear as a keepsake. It was Annette’s way of offering comfort and consolation to someone in their loss and grief.
Annette was an amazing person, very much grounded in the Eucharist. Annette, Nick and their family attended the Sunday morning Mass in Hampton and always occupied the same pew. Annette knew the Eucharist was the strength and nourishment she needed in her journey of life. She knew the Eucharist as the summit and source of what sent her forth to be for others what she received in holy Communion.
As we begin this new year, I think about the kindness that Annette shared with family, friends and complete strangers. She recognized something in people that is good for us all to recall. Annette recognized that we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and because of this truth everyone deserves respect, whether it be the child in the womb, the hungry and homeless of our communities, or the sick and aged among us. Annette recognized the image of God in people and treated them with a fundamental respect demonstrated in the kindness of her welcome, her helping hand to someone in need, and her sewing something of God’s love into the lives of the people around her.
It’s not uncommon that we hear talk of New Year’s resolutions at this time of year. Some favorites include losing weight or exercising more. These are good and aspirational things. However, in a world filled with divisions that we are reminded of daily, maybe we can learn from Annette and people like her. Maybe God is calling us in this new year to be renewed in our kindness to others. Kindness is doing simple things with great love. What would the world become if we all resolved to do one act of kindness each day of the new year? Kindness is contagious. Kindness can challenge the people around us to also be instruments of God’s love and peace in ways that transform our world for the better.
For this we also look to Mary, whose feast day — the solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God — we celebrated Jan. 1. Just as Mary acted in faith and trusted God’s plan for her, we are called to do the same. Just as God had a plan for Mary, and Annette, God has a plan for us. In this new year, may we learn from these women of faith about participating in God’s plan and bringing something of God’s love to birth in our world — through acts of kindness.
