THOUGHTS FROM DEB

Mother Theresa died September 5, 1997 at the age of 87 years old. She dedicated her entire adult life with emphasis on spirituality. Her faith gave her the power to work for humanity, do everything she could to feed the poor, heal the sick and shelter the homeless. A woman to honor and respect because she stood by her convictions throughout the end. The world will surely miss her dedication and her goodness.

From: fritter@lewiston.com (Jane Somerton Frith)

Conservative Catholic spokesperson aside, M. Teresa was a powerful woman in the church, and in the world. She was a living example of the values that she shared with the world and she refused to compromise those values. She stood her ground against church and governmental leaders in her adopted country and in the world. Her message of 'do something beautiful for God' by helping the poor in your life every day has been and will continue to be an example for me as it has been for the past 15 years. (The poor being not just economically, but spiritually poor.) Pax Teresa and may you rest peacefully with your Creator. 

From: medcheck@telepath.com (Kate Purcell, RN)

May she rest in peace.

From: allen@esper.com (Jodi Allen)

Thank you special Lady for not breaking a vase...but for being one... Unconditional Love was shown to the world through every moment of your life. I am happy to have lived during your time of life.

From: ginnyj@apk.net (Ginny Jakob)

Mother Theresa showed us all that saints can live in the 20th century. So many times we have good intentions that don't get followed up on. She followed up on her good intentions. Her deeds spoke loudly to us all. Because of this we all listened to her words. Whether we agreed with all her beliefs or not we could respect her because she lived hers. We can all learn much from her. She showed us that one woman could and did make a difference. As a Catholic I plan to pray to her for strength of conviction. The world is a better place because Mother Theresa lived her faith. 

From: murderus@mindspring.com (Sally Atman)

So many of us vicariously did, through both Mother Theresa and Princess Diana, what we'd like to do if we had the money/support/time/connections. Sure, we do what we can, but these people made obvious changes to entire countries. 

I trust their deaths will, once the grieving is done, spark all of us to pick up where Mother Theresa and Princess Diana left off: To stay aware of compassion, to do whatever we do with love, and to remain available to our own people, including our often-overlooked families. 

I have heart disease. Once day, in a major L.A. department store, I went into V-tach very suddenly. I was near a phone, but couldn't stand. With my vision blurred, I couldn't tell a Susan B. Anthony dollar from a quarter. All my Acute Cardiac Care information spilled from my purse. Not one single solitary soul stopped to help. No one. Not one word. The most I got was what I believe was a look of annoyance that I was in the way. I gave up on humanity that day, but looking at Princess Diana and Mother Theresa on TV yesterday, I thought " THEY would have stopped. Somebody in the world cared." 

There's a lesson, a painful one, in their deaths.

From: guha@yesic.com (Mary Guha)

Mother Theresa was and will always be a truly inspiring person. Her physical presence will be greatly missed, but she will always remain in our hearts. Bless her.

From: kmaffei@westportal.com (Karen J. Maffei)

I strongly disagree with the characterization that "Mother Theresa was a known as an advocate for conservative values. She was a holy woman who dedicated her life in service to the wretched poor. Those dying of starvation, leprosy, cholera, etc. in India. We in the U.S. have no real conception of the poverty in those developing countries. Yes, she was opposed to abortion, as a member of the Catholic clergy. Her main life focus was her work with the people she served. 

From: Lollie McLain