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From the Darkness

GUEST COLUMN

By William H. Soisson III | January 2004
William H. Soisson III studied philosophy and theology at the University of Notre Dame. Later, as a missionary, he edited and critiqued numerous treatises by European theologians in residence at Kachebere Seminary in Mozambique. Recently retired from the practice of law, he has written on subjects as diverse as African culture, natural theology, and the Irish personality, and is currently working on a volume of wit to be titled The Curmudgeon's Dictionary. It is based on his experiences with human frailty, especially his own.

They knew each other even though they had never formally met. Certainly each of them knew of the respect that people showed for the other.

He said, “Well, at last I get to meet you face to face. It’s a pleasure, even though I can’t see you very well. We spent a lot of time near each other, even though we had different jobs.”

“Oh, our jobs weren’t very different,” she said. “It’s just that we each had a specialty. I used to hear people talking to you. From what they said, I know what you are like, and what you did for them. With so many visitors, I knew you must be someone special.”

He tried to smile. “You, too, had a lot of visitors in the old days. I noticed that they were usually asking for favors, just as they did with me. Did that bother you sometimes?”

She too tried to smile. “Oh, not much. It actually made me feel good, being able to help them get things that they really needed. And a lot of them came back to say thanks.”

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