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Mary's Popularity

When I reflect back on Mary's life, this Talmudic quote comes to mind: "[R' Chanina ben Dosa] used to say: Anyone who is liked by his fellow men is liked by God." In modern terms, you might say, "If you encounter a person whom everybody adores -- then that is a person whom God also adores." On this website I found the following interpretation of the above quote "Many of us have had the experience of being in the same room as someone who impresses us favorably merely by his or her presence. (This is often the case with a righteous person.) We feel that we are in the presence of an exceptional personality." The above description fits Mary  "to a tee." Everywhere that Mary went, she was popular. Men and women alike went completely bonkers over her. While Mary was incarcerated, other prisoners gravitated towards her. Mary was truly an exceptional personality. Indeed, she was a superstar. I shared a post office box with Mary. You should see all the letters that I received (before Mary died) from former fellow inmates in prison. They all wanted to keep in touch with Mary so that they could get together with Mary once they are released from custody, These letters effuse love and admiration for Mary, and good wishes upon Mary's October 12, 2007, release from custody. A typical example is this Love Poem to Mary. And, above all, the person who knew Mary best in the world; the person who was fully and painfully aware of Mary's foibles (including Mary's drug problems) -- still adored her despite these weaknesses. This was Mary's beloved daughter Tracie -- who was tragically taken from Mary in 1995. This is why the loss of Mary is tragic to so many people.