Mary’s
Minute
“Don’t hesitate to live every moment out of your life in the
best way you can because living is once, chances are rare and nothing is
certain.”
~
Blaze Olaminday
As Perry Central students, staff, and community grieve the
loss of a student we are all reminded about how precarious life is. We realize that life can change in an
instant, and that every moment is a gift.
I am reminded of a family story that some of you may have
heard me tell before. As a child, my dad
often told my siblings and me, “Remember what Jesus said: Love one
another.” It was not meant in an overly
religious way, but as a reminder to be kind to each other always. One day my parents left a note on the kitchen
table with directions while they were out, and the post script was my dad’s
typical direction to us, “Remember what Jesus said.” He didn’t need to add the, “love one
another,” because we knew exactly what it meant. This time, though, he added another post
script that seemed to run together as he left a direction for us to help out
with the chores of running a hotel/boarding house. Right under the words, “Remember what Jesus
said,” he added, “Clean room 9.” We have
laughed for forty years about how Jesus’ commandment merged with the task at
hand.
The accidental merging of the phrases by my dad always helps
me in times of tragedy. They remind me
that we must always remember to love one another – to treat others with
kindness and treasure every moment with our loved ones. By adding the, “Clean room 9,” we are
reminded that as difficult as it is, life goes on. We must love one another, but we also must
take care of the tasks at hand. It is
not easy for school to go on as usual with the tragic loss of a precious
student looming, but somehow we must.
Now more than ever, we understand the value of being a caring community
and being there for each other. Thank
you for, “remembering what Jesus said,” as you try to, “clean room 9,” as
difficult as it is to be “normal” through a tough time.
Mary
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