As the summer months wind down, I find myself giving thanks for the opportunities to gather and the memories made.
I especially smile as I think about the success of the Vermillion Orange Bombers little league team. This past school year, the Catholic school where I serve as parochial administrator had a first-grade class of 19 students, including 16 boys. During the school year, the boys became great friends, with most of them choosing to play little league baseball together on the same team. This summer, I attended more than a few games. It’s been fun to watch the Vermillion Orange Bombers develop over the summer months in their baseball skills and the teamwork that led them to win their league championship in July. It was a fun summer of building relationships, supporting the kids while also getting to better know their parents and extended families in a relaxed setting of conversation during games.
Just as the first graders of the Vermillion Orange Bombers now turn their sights to the adventures of second grade, summer memories are transitioning to the possibilities of a new school year and all who work together to share their gifts for the good of our kids. These are busy days as school bus dispatchers finalize routes and school bus drivers learn them for the first day of school. Similarly, school maintenance personnel are finishing their summer cleaning and making sure the correct number of chairs are in each classroom. School lunch people are preparing menus and ordering food for the weeks ahead. Teachers and administrators are preparing themselves and their classrooms to come to life on the first day of school. While a team of people are preparing schools, we can’t forget how parents are busy preparing their children for the school year, whether that means buying school supplies or getting kids back to a school routine after summer times of staying up late and sleeping later the next morning.
Summer is turning to fall. We see it with a new school year upon us, and we are reminded of the changing seasons as our days slowly become shorter. A change of seasons can cause us to look back at our memories, but we can’t lose sight of the opportunity to create new memories in the season ahead, and especially for those who are preparing to return to school. With the beginning of a new school year, hope springs eternal with opportunities for students to learn and grow to their fullest potential as leaders of tomorrow. In our Catholic school, this is done in a unique faith-filled environment grounded in the teachings of Jesus, where students not only learn at Mass and in their religion classes, but through opportunities to put faith into action in relationships with the many people around them and in service to their neighbors.
All of us have our favorite teachers. I think of Mrs. Virginia Carey from second grade who prepared us for our first reconciliation and first Communion and the kindness she shared, or Sister Leora, a School Sister of Notre Dame who taught us to spell and use cursive handwriting, which she was adamant be legible. I think of Mr. Jake Moore, a middle school social studies teacher, and the impact he had with his welcoming personality and positive attitude. These are some of the teachers who shared their gifts in my life, and I’m sure you can name your own. Teachers make a difference in the lives of their students — as do so many other people who interact with them. Many people in our lives leave a mark and help form the memories we treasure.
In this time of changing seasons, we might ask ourselves how we shape others by sharing the gift of God’s love in our lives. We have the potential to make a positive difference in the lives of others. God asks each of us to open ourselves in faith and trust to the power of the Holy Spirit, which sends us out as instruments of God’s love and peace to one another and our world. With a new school year upon us, as summer turns to fall, may we be renewed by sharing the light of God’s love in ways that create memories to last a lifetime.
