What diehard Mary fan could possibly resist buying this T-shirt?
Cleary, this Mary fan could not.
I am already sensing that it may open the door to some interesting conversations. I happened to be wearing it the other day as I dropped old clothes and housewares off at Goodwill. As I filled out the donation receipt, puzzling over how much an old eight-track is worth, one of the Goodwill guys — who up until then had been a silent figure in the background — suddenly asked, “Who’s Mary?”
I looked up from my form. My head had been lost in numbers and figures, so it took me a moment to register what he was asking.  It then took me another moment to figure out what to say. I mean, how do I answer that question? “You know Jesus? She’s his mom,” or “She’s one of the most beloved women in the world, and with good reason,” or “She’s the one I turn to whenever I need a holy woman up there to talk to”? An interesting puzzle.
Before I could open my mouth to respond, though, he suddenly got a light of recognition in his eye. “Oh, the Virgin Mary,” he said, smiling.
“Yes, exactly,” I said. I left it at that and turned in my receipt.  I could have said oh, so much more.
Maybe next time I will.
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