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Soul Mates
Barney's Story
Barney, with a head of black curls that couldn't hold a part and a grin that seemed never to leave his face, had but one dream. It had all started as a boy when his Jesuit-uncle, Father Joe, would visit and tell stories about the Jesuit missionary work with the Sioux. However, Barney didn't feel called to be a Jesuit; actually, whenever his priest-uncles and nun-aunties remarked, “Barney, you should be a Jesuit,” he'd want to turn tail and run. After all, they never missed an opportunity to say the very same thing to his cousins and siblings.
Still, he did feel that inner call to spread the Gospel, but never as a scholarly Jesuit. Oh, he certainly was smart enough! Hadn't he had the highest average in his class throughout grade school and high school? Well, yes, he'd flunked first grade but that was only because he'd hadn't learned to speak English well enough before entering school. Mama and Papa had spoken only German at home. Indeed, he'd been smart enough to have become a Jesuit.
It was his maternal uncle, Brother Longinus that Barney respected. Brother was the only one of his many religious uncles and aunties who didn't nag him about becoming a priest. Whenever Brother came home for a visit, he was just himself, a good uncle, full of fun and wonderful stories.
No wonder Barney decided in high school that he would reject the Jesuit invitation and instead enter Brother's missionary order. And so, Barney left the small Catholic hometown that had nurtured his faith to study for foreign missions in the big city of Chicago.
Valerie's Story
Slender dark-haired Valerie grew up just three miles away from Barney's home place, yet they barely knew each other. Since they didn't attend the same school and claimed different hometowns there wasn't much chance for them to meet.
Yet, Valerie knew Barney, at least, from a distance. She'd once watched him entertain at her church's picnic with a boxing display against his own brother. Afterwards she'd noticed the two handsome black-haired brothers, arms around each other, walk away laughing. She'd wondered how they could be laughing and showing such affection after pummeling each other in the ring. What had they been laughing about? Someday she would know!
Valerie, too, came from a good Catholic family. She had an uncle who was a priest and an aunt, a nun. Many of those who knew her thought she, too, would enter the convent.
Instead, after graduating from high school she became a hired girl, going from home to home helping new mothers with household chores and child-rearing. Being the eldest daughter in a family with nine offspring had prepared her well to keep house and tend children. Her siblings looked on her as their second mother. Since her mother needed to keep the vegetable garden in that depression era, Valerie had the responsibility of watching the younger ones.
The years kept passing. Valerie's next job was keeping house for her priest-uncle. He lived in a nearby town with his unmarried sister who'd kept house for him many years. She, being quite a bit order than her brother, was starting to need assistance with the household work. Valerie worked for the two of them during the week and on weekends she'd catch the train for a quick home visit.
It seemed that Valerie's future would be as a priest's housekeeper.
More of Barney's Story
Barney held fast to his dream. He studied hard continuing his success as a student. He was popular with his classmates and professors. Easy to please, himself, he entertained them with anecdotes of home. They, in turn, told of their own adventures which Barney appreciated and later would pass on to his children.
Barney and his close chums had several escapees at college. For instance, one day they found the streets around the college covered with ice from a passing winter storm. The day was cold, the sun was out, it was the weekend, and so the young men strapped on their ice skates and skated over the streets several miles to the stores. Unfortunately, as they were browsing inside, the ice melted. The fellows had to struggle back gamely on their skates over the now dry streets.
As the years passed and ordination day neared, Barney's seriousness intensified. The spark and laughter left his heart. The letter from home about his younger sister's failing health struck him with quite a blow. She, only 15, was dying of cancer. It was later revealed that she had, not knowing what was wrong, secretly opened that letter the night before its mailing to discover her own diagnosis.
When Barney returned home for her funeral, he found Mama nearly insane with grief. She refused to sleep believing that if she did more tragedies would hit the family. Barney sat up with her for hours talking about pleasant things, relieving her mind of worries, until she fell asleep.
Returning to the seminary and leaving behind his mind-sick mama was difficult, but Barney was determined to complete his studies and enter the priesthood. It was his novitiate year. He, now, wore the priced symbol of his vocation, the Roman collar.
But the pull of home was still upon him and, as Christmas approached, he was determined to write every single member of his extended family. He wrote late into the night, not stopping to sleep. In the morning they found him collapsed and insensible. Was it the tightness of the Roman collar, the obsession to write those Christmas greetings, the grief, or the stress of completing his studies that caused this collapse? Barney would never really know. The professors, with urging of a doctor, decided to send him home, black balled.
It took five years for Barney to recover his health. The scar of the rejection would weigh on his heart for the rest of his life.
Valerie's Story Continues
Valerie was content with her life. She enjoyed visiting her cousins in the neighborhood or across the state line. When unable to visit them she'd write them long letters which they reciprocated. In this way, she came to know and love them.
With her lively handsome brothers she attended many local dances keeping her eye peeled for that special someone. Bruce, better known as Shorty, was sure to ask her for a dance or two. They even went out sometimes, but living just across the road from home, Shorty seemed more of a brother than a potential sweetheart. Plus having to look down at him on the dance floor didn't really appeal to Valerie.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, her brother, Roman, decided to enter the army. Since he could have gotten an exemption from the service for being a farmer, Valerie had a hard time understanding his decision. However, she respected him for it. Faithfully she wrote him. The joy of getting a return letter from him was shared by her whole family.
War news dominated the minds and hearts of the family. Younger brother, John, wondered what they would do if there wasn't news of the war to discuss and analyze. Valerie just wished it would end and Roman would come home.
Barney and Valerie's Story
Barney used the farmer's exemption and never entered the service. He helped Papa with the farm. He was also at the beck and call of his sister, Betty. With Mama so sick, she had left school and, with the help of a hired girl, took up the household duties.
Barney could fix anything. Also he believed in self-sacrifice. Betty took full advantage of these two qualities. If the wash machine stopped running in the middle of a load and Barney was out doing field work, she'd send for him. He had to stop whatever he was doing and get that machine running! Or if the water pail needed refilling, she knew if she just would wait long enough Barney would fill it from the pump without being told.
Mama still needed special care. Now, she worried about son, Jack, the one from the boxing duel. He was seriously courting Liparda, the hired girl helping Betty. Mama felt Liparda was too old for Jack being seven years his senior. But love is blind, the two would have their way, and wedding bells were soon ringing.
Liparda was Valerie's first cousin and asked her to be part of the wedding party. Of course, Barney was Jack's best man. However, when the bridal party's picture was about to be taken, Barney couldn't be found.
“Where is he?” wondered Valerie.
“Oh, he must be taking a nap,” was Jack's reply. Since returning from the seminary Barney was easily fatigued and loved to sneak away for a quick snooze.
“This is strange…taking a nap at a wedding,” thought Valerie and “Wasn't Barney the one who'd unwillingly left the seminary?” Liparda assured Valerie that Barney was still planning to return to his studies as soon as he was able.
Barney was finally roused and the pictures taken. Valerie thought him a handsome fellow, but figured she'd better avoid him if he still wanted to be a priest.
Were the two soul mates never to connect? It took Tony, Barney's younger brother who'd later become a priest himself, to talk some sense into Barney. Five years was long enough. He wouldn't be going back. It was time to let go of his priestly dream and follow a different path.
And so Barney began to consider marriage. He started to attend dances. Most of the girls seemed way too young. Weren't there any nearer his age? Looking across the room he recognized Valerie from Jack's wedding. She was so pretty, slender, and appealing. Could he charm her onto the dance floor?
Charm her he did, at least at first. He nearly blew it with his wry humor when he teasingly insinuated that the special dress she'd chosen for one of their first dates was made from flour sack fabric.
Luckily, her family appreciated Barney's humor and enjoyed laughing with him whenever he called to court Valerie. In fact, her family fell in love with Barney quicker than Valerie did. She, on the other hand, began to think Barney really wasn't the one for her. She needed to end it before she hurt him. He didn't need another rejection.
Her aunt Elizabeth encouraged her to reconsider. Barney was the right one for her. Pray about it. And so Valerie started a novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She decided that she wouldn't see Barney until the nine days had passed, and then she would tell him one way or other.
But before the conclusion of the novena, she attended her uncle's parish picnic. Across the way she spotted Barney walking toward her with a wide grin and adoring eyes. Her heart gave a beat and she knew she loved this man, this good man who'd wanted nothing but a way to serve his God. Her own faith would be strengthened with such a man for a partner.
Yes, they did live happily ever after, raising seven children to love God and to respect His creation. And Valerie did ask Barney about the boxing match. Why were Jack and he laughing? Oh, they were paid only $1.00 for the event, and they had to split it. Such is life!
Submitted with love by Maribeth Zimmerman, Barney and Valerie's daughter
Copyright 2004
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