Remembering a Friend

Image result for pic of Joan PutthoffAlthough Joan Putthoff was 93, her death last week came as a shock. I had not talked to her for months, but I knew she was in long term care at the Little Sisters of the Poor.  She had been a Benedictine sister for a number of years and was a teacher, counselor, civic leader and prison volunteer. Many remember her as a free spirit and a wonderful friend.

I have many memories of her. One was the tradition of helping put up her Christmas tree and decorate her house for the holidays. Joan would invite a couple friends to a delicious dinner and then we trimmed the tree and sat around enjoying a glass of wine and lively conversation. It was never just chit chat --we discussed situations in the Church and the world, people we admired or didn't, and national and local politics.

Once I took a class on transactional analysis from her and learned about "I'm okay; you're okay." I don't remember much else, but she instilled the importance of a good self image and regarding everyone with respect, no matter their beliefs. I also went to her for counseling a few times when I was going through some rough periods.

Sister Lillian and I often invited her over for dinner or a party (Lillian loved parties and people). She sometimes spoke of  transcending this life to a spiritual plane rather than dying. Joan always had exciting and creative ideas about the spiritual as well as ordinary life. She was interested in so many things that when she spoke, people listened. Yet she also wanted to hear what others thought too.

I can just see her conversing with all the people she admired on earth:Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Daniel Berrigan, Princess Diana, Pope John XXIII, Mother Teresa, Sister Lillian Harrington, and so many others.

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