Alvie

My brother traveled 30 minutes to my parents’ home yesterday. He was doing his trustee business, stopped by our house, and on a “whim” operated the sprinkler system. You might know where this is going, but follow me anyway.

Everything went well until the end of the trial zones. Fountain of water. Major repair. My brother is in his business attire, as he was doing bank and Village duties on the house. He has no tools. He has no supplies. He calls the CO-OP. They have no parts. They ask if he knows “Alvie.” My brother turns to the neighbor who has come over to assist – and by the way – has always come over to assist. “Do you know Alvie?”

Well, everyone knows Alvie, and basically my brother called Alvie, who was over one hundred miles away and couldn’t assist, but did have the parts. He directed my brother to his land, his shed, his parts, and his tools. Just told him to go and use them all. This was a faster solution than my brother going to his home and returning, so my sibling did just that.

When all was repaired and finished, my brother returned the tools and approached Alvie’s wife to offer her cash for the parts. She refused. He insisted. She said no. She and her husband loved our mother and were happy to assist. “And besides, your sister always helped out with the choir.”

Well, yes, I did help with the choir when I was there. I’ve played the piano and organ and just “showed up” when I visited Mom on a weekend. My daughter and son would also play for Christmas Masses when we were there. Just a thing we did. I loved providing musical assistance at my baptismal parish. The piano I played was the one my grandfather donated. I just thought the whole “circle of life” thing was holy.

Anyway, it was a heart-warming story my brother relayed to my sister and I yesterday. It made me miss that kind of family you experience in a small town. But what I wonder is, “Who is Alvie?”