Witnesses

A middle-aged couple of Jehovah's Witnesses came to the door this morning. I told them I was not interested and thanked them for coming by.

The woman smiled and said, "Absolutely!" in a perky voice and they left.

Back in the early nineties, I was with Fr. Jude at a meeting on the border in Texas. We had gone shopping and I ran across signs -- in English and in Spanish -- similar to the one below. As I recall, however, they were less friendly.

I have relatives who are Jehovah's Witnesses, and as a result, I try to be polite to those who come to the door. I  remember that somewhere someone I love may be knocking on a door like mine, and I would want them to be treated with respect at least. On the other hand, I see no reason to waste their time or mine. So I smile, let them know I do not want to talk to them and send them on their way. So far it has worked well.

I realize that some people -- missionaries, salespeople, fundraisers -- can be intrusive and need to be dealt with more firmly. I like the humor in this sign.