Tick Tock

Sometimes I feel like a clock. Not the outward part, but rather all of the gears inside that are operating in conjunction, well timed, and fitted so that the outward part is correct and reliable. 

As an administrator, so often silence is the only answer when empathizing with someone who doesn’t see the greater picture. They only see the face of the clock and not everything going on to make it work. I may get frustrated because they are upset with the "font of the numerals" and disregard the fact that I’ve been troubleshooting "the rust" that's been slowly developing on the inside that no one knows about…This analogy can be filled in many ways in a variety of circumstances. Perhaps you've felt like this trying to balance the needs of your classroom or family.

I often have to remind myself it is not a parent or teacher’s job to know the greater picture. As a teacher or parent, it is important to remember the same about our children. It is not always appropriate to fulfill that human desire to gain their affirmation or empathy by discussing it with them. As an administrator, it is my job alone with the guidance of my superiors to have oversight over the whole picture and carry that burden in silence … as a sanguine who fights the inward desire to seek approval, this is definitely a place for me to grow in virtue. 

So instead, I say a prayer and carefully place their needs as a new part into the delicate workings of the clock. Come Holy Spirit…

With that said, God blesses me as witness to these amazing moments of humanity that are born from within the delicate workings of the clock often coming together unexpectedly…. The family that anonymously reaches out to another with food and gifts…the parent who looks at their child whose struggling and says, “I love you more than anything else no matter what…” The teacher that fills in for another teacher on the spot no questions asked in a moment of crisis or need. Or, the seemingly random donation from a generous benefactor at just the right time. 

Here is one that will certainly put you in the right place this Christmas day:

This is a facebook post by a dad whose autistic son was able to behold up close the life size corpus on the cross when it was taken down for cleaning the day before Christmas break. His post read:

“I have a story to share with everyone about Holy Rosary. Today Aaron was given an awesome opportunity to see Jesus up close as a few parish members removed the corpus from the cross for cleaning. They knew the deep love that Aaron has for Jesus and invited him into the church for a peek, he loved it so much! Aaron's love for Jesus started in Mrs O'Brien's Kindergarten class, when he would have some meltdowns she would take him into the church to calm him down and it was instant relief for him, I'm truly grateful for all the teachers, staff and Fr. Roy for helping my family deepen our faith and grow our love for Jesus each and every day. All our students are blessed to be apart of such an awesome community.” Attached to this post was a picture of Aaron next to Jesus smiling with breathtaking joy and wonder. 

It’s Christmas today. This season..this new year…I encourage you to actively seek out these blessings and allow them to motivate you. So often they are clouded by the vices of our unique temperament, yet they are the places where we will see the face of Jesus. 

They will animate and motivate you to continue your mission and journey to sainthood if you ask the Holy Spirit to open you to them. This is God’s gift to us through the most beautiful moment of all humanity…when Mary held the infant Jesus in her arms and stared with wonder at his Holy face. 

May we see the face of Jesus with this same wonder in everyone we encounter this week. Merry Christmas!