She had a lot going on.

The idea of spending a Saturday hauling tables and running a ring toss booth felt like one more thing piled onto a month that was already feeling heavy.

She signed up anyway.

By noon, something in her felt a little more settled. She was too busy counting tickets and handing out stuffed animals and laughing with kids she’d never met. She kind of forgot about her daily friction for the afternoon. And it was kind of nice.

This is close to what Jesus was talking about in this week’s gospel where He tells His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled. He promises something better than the absence of trouble: a place for them, a path forward, and that the work they do in His name will matter more than they can imagine. “You will do greater works than these,” He says.

Every year, this parish pulls off something that takes months of planning, dozens of volunteers, and more behind-the-scenes effort than most people ever see. The public sees the rides showing up, the big setup, the games with a smiling aproned staffer handing out stuffed animal prizes and a massive cleanup that happens after most of us leave.

That’s our community deciding, year after year, that showing up for each other is worth it.

Something miraculous happens when ordinary people do ordinary things together for something bigger than themselves. I’ve seen it first hand.

This week: If you helped make the fair happen, in any way, take a moment to recognize what you did. You are part of something special. If you didn’t get involved this year, consider it an open invitation–there’s always next year and there’s always something between now and then.

God Bless

FF