Sandy Hook Elementary School

         

          As I walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School for a chess tournament on April 8th, I saw a Ben’s Bell’s “Be Kind” mosaic.  It took my breath away!  I was moved to think about our “Be Kind” poster, which always affirms us as we walk back into our Classroom Community, to choose Kindness and Love in all that we do.  I was further reminded of this lesson on Good Friday.  I was driving back to New Canaan, and my mysterious, mystical GPS guided me through downtown Darien, of all places.  I was stopped at a red light, when I turned to my left and noticed a Good Friday procession making its way past.  The leader, toiling under the weight of a very heavy, wooden cross, was flanked by about 50 people from all walks of life.  I wondered what other burdens or crosses these modern-day disciples were bearing within the context of their everyday lives. 

          Thursday mornings in Newtown as I work the front door at St. Rose's, students and teachers walk in from outside carrying all sorts of burdens.  Sometimes, they are weighed down with books, bags and knapsacks.  Sometimes, the burdens aren’t so tangible.  I try to give each person a loving smile, crack a lame joke or offer to shoulder a load.  As people of Faith, we are called to be Light and Love to all of those we come in contact with on a daily basis;  some days it’s easier than others!   Someone once said, “Be kind-  Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”  I thought deeply about all of this when I walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School on April 8^th.

New Canaan, Connecticut

There's No Place Like Home

     As we have moved around this great nation over our years as a family, we have been blessed to call a number of very different places "Home."  Let's be honest, these places were all beautiful in their own ways, and each locale has had its own set of blessings and challenges as we have answered our call.  

     This blog, like so many of my passions, has been neglected during the moving process because every moment of every day I get lost.  I get lost as I travel from our stunning new home of New Canaan, CT and drive 47 1/2 minutes to teach in the most resilient and faith-filled community of Newtown.  I get lost in despair when I long for my friends and family in Nebraska and across the Midwest.  I get lost as I sit in the back of a Bible Study group of 25, and this list goes on and on, but every now and then, the sun breaks through the clouds, and I see a glimpse of purpose.

    

  The other day, I had Luke and Leia outside.  Our new neighbors spotted me, let out a squeal and began climbing over the stone wall that divides our property in order to greet me.  "It is so nice to finally meet you," my new neighbor gushed.  "We are so happy to see life and light in the parsonage each night.  There was only darkness for so long.  Thank you."  Although I am sure that they were confused why this made me cry, I guess that's what we're all called to do in the places where God calls us to serve, right?  We are called to be Light and Love to others.  Miep Gies said it best in the film Freedom Writers, "...But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room."  Welcome home.