News and Notes: March 16, 2010

No School, Friday, March 26, 2010—Faculty Day of Prayer

Don’t forget to order your tickets for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

Lunch Menus are going home today. They are due on Friday, March 19th, 2010 (Any late submission will result in a $10.00 late fee).

Please make sure they are sent in on time… thank you!

A Blessed St. Patrick’s Day!!!

March 16, 2010

Dear Parents,

God’s peace!

As the season of Lent continues, and as we draw nearer to the greatest feast of our church year, Easter, I find myself reflecting on the reality of “surrender.” So often we view this word as a negative. We connect it to our experience of losing…of giving up…of being unable to master something. During these days of Lent I have found myself recognizing the action of surrender as a comfort as well as a challenge.

Time seems to have sped up a bit for me since entering the second half of life. I recognize all too often that many dreams that I had will go unrealized. Perhaps that’s true of all of us (at least for those of us who have reached mid-life)! Some of these dreams or ambitions are limited by physical capabilities (or lack of!) I won’t be trying out for the summer Olympics…I won’t be in a marathon (or even a 5K)…and the thought of rehabbing a home (I am an HGTV fan) will not be in my future.

Some dreams or ambitions may be connected to less strenuous activity, but never-the-less the possibility of them happening is most likely nil: my dream of driving from coast to coast by car (or even taking a train), learning to play the piano, getting a degree in social work… the list could go on and on! All of these hopes, dreams and aspirations can cause me to grow angry and rail against God and myself for “the lack of,” or I can choose to live in the reality of today by surrendering to what life is…and live that reality to the fullest.

If I were to look at what is gained in this surrendering…of this letting go… I find that as I crossed from youth to mid-life… less truly rattles me. (Please note this statement is not an absolute!) Although I am not always content with how things work out I realize that there are so many variables that are not within my control… so I pray for wisdom and guidance and do the best with what I have here and now.

This is not a stance that renders me impotent or nonchalant in my living of life, but rather it helps me to put into perspective what change is possible and what is beyond my control. The Serenity Prayer says this so well… “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Let me share an experience I had as a principal in California. The week before school began I was preparing for a faculty meeting. I wanted to make sure everything was “perfect.” I cleaned the meeting room from top to bottom, set up tables, arranged for some great food to be served, had folders stuffed with just the right information run off on paper in just the right colors…the agenda was set… the room ready… the meeting started… All moved along and when the meeting was over everyone left…and as they left, they left me with the task of cleaning up… I was furious! I had worked so hard to get ready for the meeting… to guide the meeting…and now I had to clean up! As I was bemoaning (and loudly) this reality, I was asked a very important question by one brave soul who had the courage to be with me in this more than frustrating moment… the question was a simple one… “Who were you doing all of this for?” I wish I could say I stopped…pondered the question…philosophically expounded on new and powerful insights…and thanked the one who led me to this light. I didn’t. I grew angry… finished cleaning up… and went home. That evening, however, I remember returning to her question when I was in a different space. It suddenly became clear to me that I was doing everything for no one other than myself. My focus was on me and how successful I would look. If my focus was on the others, then I would have prepared (and perhaps even as much as I did) but the results would have been very different. If the meeting went this way…or that way… it would not have made a difference, for the focus would have been determined by the needs of our faculty…not my needs.

What must I accept in life? What realities must I surrender to because I cannot change them? What aspects of life can I change if I but have the courage? What wisdom is needed to know the difference?

Surrendering might be likened to driving with cruise control… I initially set the pace…I continue to guide the car…but I can relax a bit now and then when the road is not too filled with traffic… (I would also venture to say that the ride becomes much more enjoyable when God is sitting next to me giving me direction).

As the week continues on… let us let go of all that is no longer possible… even as we welcome new realities that present themselves because I now have more room in my life for new experiences…or because I can see things more clearly now than I could before…

May every grace be ours as we surrender what was for what is!

In prayer,

Sr. Maureen