I had the opportunity to grow up in a pretty close-knit neighborhood. Even though it was a pretty nice area, there were remnants of some goofy informal neighborhood policies. For example, the man that owned most of the lots in previous years was "open minded". He sold some of the lots to Jewish families. However, those lots were limited to a small part of the subdivision - a part that was off to the side.
Like many Catholic kids, I grew up thinking everyone was Catholic. I was a very social little kid and spent a tremendous amount of time walking around and talking with neighbors, including Lou and his family. Lou and his wife were extremely nice to me, as was their son, Tom. I think I remember someone telling me that they were Jewish, but I thought that must have been a "sub-group" of Catholics.
In second grade, one of the teachers informed me that Jewish people did not believe in Jesus and were going to hell. I was crushed. How could this be? My Jewish friends were so nice. Tom even gave me rides in his hot rod car and on his mini-bike.
Little did I know that Lou was a very prominent and wealthy businessman. Yet he and his family always took the time to talk with the young neighbor kid that never seemed to keep quiet. Lou always waved and smiled whenever I saw him drive by in his car.
Lou passed away last week after a long and fruitful life. Although my second grade teacher might disagree, I have no doubt that Lou has met his eternal reward.
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