As a high school
principal, I get to watch some of the most heartwarming and wonderful things take
place among my staff and students. It is
both humbling and inspiring, and quite honestly, I don’t have much to do with
it. Nothing, really. It comes from the creative souls and generous
giving hearts of those around me.
For example . .
.
The Master Chief
in our JNROTC program has quietly, for the past four or five years, organized
the Cookie Project. Cookies of all sorts
are donated. We’re talking huge
quantities of all kinds of cookies, the amount and quantity that might induce a
diabetic coma should you enter their door.
Six cookies are collected and placed into a container, and then all the
containers are taken to area Rest Homes and Retirement Communities. The beauty?
No one knows this is actually going on except the JNROTC Officers, the
cadets, and their parents. When asked
why the newspaper wasn’t contacted or even our own school newspaper not
notified, Master Chief stated that, “Sometimes, you do things because it is
good to do good!” People who might not
receive anything this holiday season will get something, and more importantly,
they will be remembered when perhaps they might not have been.
For example . .
.
Our School Social
Worker placed a small tree in the staff workroom. The tree was decorated with paper ornaments,
but not just any ornaments. Each
ornament listed an item from a needy family’s wish list, and the wish list came
from five or six needy families, all anonymous- unknown by name to our faculty. Our faculty and staff would then pick an
ornament and purchase the item for the family.
The wonderful thing that took place was that the ornaments lasted
perhaps a day and a half, and some folks were disappointed that they couldn’t
get an ornament for the family.
Bicycles. Books. Dolls.
You name it, our staff bought it.
The family that is our staff will bring joy to families who might
otherwise go without.
For example . .
.
One of our
teachers organizes the yearly food drive that is sponsored by the American
Legion. In the past, this drive fed holiday dinners for approximately 300
families from our county. These are
families who would not be able to afford or provide a meal that most of us take
for granted. 300 families!
And then . . .
This year, this
Christmas season is a very real struggle for my family, for me. We’ve decorated the house. Kim will make cookies. Presents will be wrapped and placed under the
tree. We’ll celebrate our Christmas as a
family and then make the trek to Wisconsin to celebrate with our extended
family. Yet, the shadow and specter of
my son’s death, which occurred just five months ago, shrouds what is typically
a very special, happy time of year for us.
However, there have been wonderful, supportive staff members, even
students, who check in on me to make sure I’m doing alright. They acknowledge that it is tough going, but they
offer support and I know they are there if needed, wanted. And I’m so thankful to them, for them. They are so appreciated. And they do this for other folks like me, who
have suffered a loss and are suffering quietly.
This staff is family to me. While
there are disagreements and squabbles- like most families- we care about one
another and it shows in so many ways.
So there is
balance.
On one hand, joy
and giving and acts of kindness without the expectation of recognition. On the other hand, sadness- not just for my
family and me- but for countless, nameless others who will go without, others
who walk in pain and wear it like a cloak, others whose heart aches from
suffering that goes, perhaps, unnoticed.
Joy, Midst
Grief.
So I do ask you
to do one thing:
As you celebrate
your season, your holiday, your Christmas, absolutely and totally love those
around you, those who are precious to you, and let them know, show them, that
you love them, care for them. I’ve
learned that life is too short. The
unexpected, and sometimes the unwanted, happens. Don’t let a day, an hour, a minute go by
without telling and showing those who are important to you that they are important to you. You can’t take their love for granted. They can’t, and shouldn’t, take your love for
granted. Spend your time, and your love,
wisely. Something to think about . . .
God Bless Each
of You, and May Each of You Have Peace and Joy this Christmas Season!
From My Family:
Kim, Hannah, Emily and Me. And from
Maria, and yes, Wil, too!
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
Thank you for
purchasing and reading Taking Lives,
the prequel to my trilogy, and for purchasing and reading Stolen Lives, the first book of the trilogy. If they made you uncomfortable and perhaps
kept you up at night, I guess I did my job.
But more than that, I hope I gave you a glimpse of the hope and the
courage that can be found in our humanness.
I hope you caught a glimpse of the friendship, the caring and
compassion, and the love that exists in our humanness. If you did, then I know I did my job.
You can find Taking Lives by Joseph Lewis on
Amazon.com and at this link:
You can find Stolen Lives by Joseph Lewis on
Amazon.com and at this link:
Thanks,
jl
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Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe