Miss Mary

A few blogs ago, I quoted Sargent Shriver about "break some mirrors," that is, stop looking at yourself in the mirror and get involved in making the world a better place.  Mary Virginia Merrick did just that,  beginning as a teenager.  When she was 18, a little boy told her that he wanted a red wagon for Christmas, but his dad had lost his job.  This was 1884.  No welfare or social security back then.  So Mary told the boy to write to the Christ child who is the giver of all good gifts.  Then Mary and her friends collected a red wagon and other toys for the boy with the gift tag, "from the Christ Child."  When she was 21 she founded the Christ Child Society to assist poor children.  You might see "Miss Mary" jars with a red wagon label.  These are for spare change to benefit the Society which has 40 chapters in the USA.  But even more, Mary suffered a bad back from a childhood accident, and later a disease paralyzed her legs.  Rather than be filled with self-pity turned in upon herself, Mary "looked out the window" to see how she could make a difference in the world.  Break some mirrors.