The Healing Journey

September 20, 2026

The following reflection was written by Deb Marusa as a tribute to her late uncle, Pat Healy.

I’ll be right there

By Deb Marusa

I was around 12 when I called my Uncle Pat and asked him if I could talk to him. I was a worrywart and tortured myself with all kinds of fears that would make most adults laugh or dismiss an adolescent’s worries as trivial.

But not Uncle Pat.

He said, “I’ll be right there, Deb.” And he was. More than once. He listened to me and my petty problems in the most loving and nonjudgmental way. Through his actions, he showed me that what I said mattered. More importantly, I mattered.

What a priceless gift to give a 12-year-old…to anyone, really.

Uncle Pat left an indelible mark on my heart and on my life. He shaped the person I would become — as a teacher, a mother and, I hope, as a human being.

He taught me by example that kindness, caring and compassion are among the most powerful forces in the world. I never wanted to forget that lesson, especially when I became a teacher. I also never wanted to forget that it didn’t matter whether a student’s problem seemed big or small, silly or significant. If it was important to one of my students, then it was important to me.

I always made time for a student who asked, “Can I talk to you?” I took that question — and that child — seriously because of Uncle Pat. I may not have been the best reading or writing teacher in the world, but I knew I was going to show up every day, care deeply about my students and be the best listener I could be. That’s what Uncle Pat did for me, and it meant everything.

Then, when I became a mother, I tried to give that same unconditional love to my daughter. It’s much harder not to react or jump in with advice when it’s your own child, but I still try.

I doubt Uncle Pat ever knew the full impact his unconditional love had on my life. I tried to tell him when I was older, but he would simply smile and remind me of how much he loved me.

Humility. Another lesson I learned from him.

As a 12-year-old, I couldn’t explain why I felt so special whenever I was with him. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now.

It was the light of Christ shining through Uncle Pat that made me — and everyone fortunate enough to cross his path — feel loved, seen and valued.

I will always be grateful to have been one of the many blessed to receive that light and love.

(Deb Marusa is a contributor to Healing Journey.)

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