LETTER: Acquaintances, guardian angels, saints need more

In our hectic and seemingly impersonal society, it is important to take a moment to pause and treat everybody we see with a greater measure of kindness and respect.

Sometimes, we see an acquaintance — and then a great number of years passes before we see them again.

Kind acts need to be bestowed “today” and not merely postponed to an indefinite “someday, I will.”

We also need a deeper spirit of gratitude for the blessings that have come our way and the dangers which we averted.

At times, if I see debris in the roadway, I will pull over and try to remove that hazard so it doesn’t lead to somebody else’s misfortune or fatal accident.

Whether it’s the action of a kind stranger or a guardian angel, the good results still equal the same thing.

I was pleased to read in the news about the late Rev. Emil Kapaun being considered for possible Sainthood. He was a Catholic priest and a native of Pilsen in Marion County.

He was highly decorated in the Korean War just before he died.

He exercised extreme valor by bringing food to the hungry and prayer and comfort to those in need.

He was well-liked by Catholics and Protestants equally and worked tirelessly — even enduring great suffering.

Many men lived because of his heroic acts.

Let us be thankful for the acquaintances, guardian angels and the Saints whose exemplary conduct inspires us all to make the world around us a better place.

— Sincerely,

James A. Marples,

Esbon