Scolding a Parishioner

It's Wednesday. That means Lenten Breakfast at Oh-Dark-Thirty here in the Ruby Valley. Today it was at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Laurin (pronounced La-RAY).

I had told one of my elderly parishioners, B, who lives close by that I would pick her up about 6 a.m. She thought that was a grand idea.

Last night, while I was off being priesty boy up in VC for our Lenten Soup & Scripture program, she called the house to say that maybe 6:15 would be a better time for me to pick her up.

FOUR TIMES!

Mrs. Ref was getting a little annoyed with that; but she confirmed -- four times -- that I would indeed pick her up at 6:15.

At 5:50 this morning, just as I was getting out of the shower, the phone rang. I am NOT dashing down the stairs at 5:50 in a towel to tell B that I haven't forgotten. So I hoped she'd just leave a message.

Wrong.

She called back.

And back.

And back and back and back and back.

And then she called again just as I was putting on my shoes. I answered that one.

When I picked her up I firmly explained that she didn't need to be calling before 6 a.m., waking up the whole family, when this has already been discussed and planned.

Her answer?

"Well . . . they can just go back to sleep, I'm sure."

Um . . . "Maybe so, but it is extremely rude for you to be calling multiple times that early in the morning and I expect that it won't happen again."

The sad, and most important, part of all this is that she had no recollection of the phone conversations with Mrs. Ref from yesterday.

Oy