Greetings from Sister Kathleen

Dear Parents & Guardians, As I write this letter the weather outside is misty, dark, cloudy and so reminiscent of my years in a little town called Gresham, Oregon. What they referred to as Oregon mist was really rain. We never planned anything which depended on the weather being pleasant. We just went ahead with our plans and tried to forget the elements. So if you ever visit that part of the west coast, bring an umbrella and your own sunshine! On another level, this brings to mind that all the outside forces that try to take away our light can only do so if we let them. It goes along with making lemonade from the lemons that come into our lives and seeing a glass half filled or half empty . . . in a word attitude. Sometimes when a student is having a hard time finding happiness and a good sense of self-esteem I ask him/her to look into the mirror each day and say to themselves: "You can make or break my day today!" Going out of oneself to find the light will end up most of the time in disappointment and darkness. We have all the light we need right inside of ourselves. It is ours for the realization and for the asking! And when we do that, we affirm, together, the words of Jesus who promised not to leave us abandoned or bereft. Wow, look at what the parish families were able to pull off in St. Joseph School in Petersburg, Virginia: $1 million in three weeks. With that kind of momentum, our current parish debt could be wiped out in a week. So April showers will continue to bring May flowers as Mother Nature fulfills the purpose for which she was intended. We can take a good lesson from her and irregardless of what may be outside of us tend to the present moment, live it to the fullest and let the light shine inside out! Sister Kathleen

St. John the Evangelist School ¦ 10201 Woodland Drive ¦ Silver Spring ¦ MD ¦ 20902