The noun, rumination, means a deep considered thought about something.

Last Saturday the Funeral Mass was held for one of my closest friends, John, who had been in deteriorating health for the last three years. John died in December and was cremated. It took several weeks for the family to work out the arrangements for a time when everyone could come and attend the Mass. 

After the Mass, John’s remains were buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois. Then those present went to a funeral luncheon at a restaurant located a short distance from the cemetery.

I was asked to give a eulogy at the restaurant. It was difficult to keep my emotions in check, but I was able to share lighthearted stories about John’s life as well as more sobering recollections of the health issues that slowly caused his health to fade and eventually die. 

We were friends since high school, went to seminary together and then college together when we decided to leave the seminary at the same time (both believing God was calling us to a different direction in or lives). I told funny stories and serious stories meant to give a rounded picture of John’s life. I was grateful that God helped me get through it only pausing once to fight back my tears.

I concluded with the God inspired thought that John, like most of us, never did what the world would call “great things”. His legacy is that he did small things with great elegance, touching other lives with this action or that kind word or that expression of concern when someone was facing a challenging situation. John was planting small mustard seeds in the lives of others that helped others to flourish over time (as a mustard seed does as it grows to become the biggest of plants). 

The lesson for us to learn in all of this is to help others in the smallest of opportunities as you never know what impact such small offerings of kindness can have on others.

Let’s all be good planters of mustard seeds. Doing so we will have had a life well lived. We would be following Jesus’ teaching to love each other and will have made the world a better place through our efforts.

By Deacon Tom Gryzbek