Do you have someone in your life that you would describe as an Everyday Saint? Someone who emulates that words of Jesus Christ. Someone who demonstrates by actions the lessons of Christ. Someone who tries even in the face of opposition and difficulty to follow the Lord, maybe not always succeeding, but always trying.

I do. I first met Theresa T. about 30 years ago when I was the board president of a local non-profit specializing in services for pregnant teens. The agency was founded over 125+ years ago by the Vermont Women’s Temperance Society. While the specific nature of the agency has changed over the years, the central purpose of assisting women in need has remained.

Theresa stepped in as Executive Director of Lund, rescuing us from a drastic personnel issue. At that time, she had just retired from her career as a Social Worker at the local hospital. I had heard about Theresa from various sources as she had a solid reputation for her sanity in the face of crisis and turmoil. After all, she was a single mother with 18+ children! No kidding!

And she wasn’t done, she has added more children to her family. At the tender age of 90, Theresa has adopted 27 children, four of whom still live with her. She will be forever young.

Each of her children has a unique story. Her home is like the United Nations, kids from all over the world, in all shapes, sizes and physical conditions. The oldest is now 56; the youngest 18. She was for me the best model of unconditional human love.

Each child is loved and loved and loved. One little boy had a congenital birth defect coming into the world without fingers on his hand. His birth mother would place him on a street corner to beg for coins. This fact broke my heart. He was a great little athlete, excelling at basketball and soccer. Theresa introduced Taylor to my husband, who lost a leg in a sporting accident when he was 26. Rich and Taylor spent many hours together enjoying sports and acting silly.

Taylor’s life did not always go the way he envisioned it. However, our time spent with him enriched our lives. We each learned special lessons about life and gained a true appreciation for all that we have been given.

Theresa demonstrated daily that love is to be given freely and generously to everyone. She always greets me with a hug and a smile. I could turn to her for advice on delicate matters. She had a way of assisting us to solve problems in a way that resulted in satisfaction on all sides.

She is my Everyday Saint. It is not easy for us to love unconditionally, however our God can and does! He sets the example and asks us to accept the challenge.

Terri

You may enjoy reading a brief article about Theresa. You can find it here:

Theresa Tomasi: mother of 27 adopted children