Dance of a Parochial School Mom

There are many blessings in sending your children to Parochial schools.  And on to Jesuit based, NON - co-ed high schools.  (I'm well aware of the arguments against the latter...but in my experience with my four children...there's not an argument in the world that will stand up to me).  I, and my children, have been blessed with their received schooling.  At this point, I will state that the blessings have only 50% to do with the actual academics of the schooling.  I consider the other 50% of everything ELSE received/given in private education the BIG plus!!!  All the things that you cannot receive/give in the public sector of educating facilities.

Tonight, I got to write a letter.  Anyone who knows me, certainly knows that that in itself is not a big deal ... I write lots of letters! :)  My youngest, a high-school junior, is going on retreat.  3 days long.  A retreat led by his school's seniors.  All male.  These young men, all know and speak freely the word "compassion".  These young men, all know and speak freely the word "love".  These young men, all know and speak freely the word "God".  These young men, all know and speak freely the word "faith".  These young men are required to "give to others" ... they are taught the beauty in that.  These young men live daily among diversity ... and are taught the word "equal".  There is ZERO tolerance in their school for inequality, dis-respect, drug/alcohol use, weapons.  Discipline is fast, harsh and right on target to the "crime".  Moral classes are mandatory.  Eight semesters of some form of theology mandatory.  Every young man is called by name by every teacher.  Every young man is set up to succeed, even through any failure. 

But what is better than all of that ... this school never lets these young men forget that there is a family standing behind him.  This school never lets these young men forget/ignore sacrifices/contributions their family makes.  

Every retreat experience holds a special, often emotional, time where these young men are given letters that their family (AND teachers) has written to them.  (This school ENSURES that EVERY young man receives letters!)  The one thing that many of these young men cannot do ... is to describe the moments of reading these letters and the moments afterwards.  I'm guessing, there are no words to justly describe the emotionality.  

As the mother, these are my best moments...my most favorite moments of writing.  To write a love letter to one of my children.  (And the dance intensifies when I find a letter I have written to them folded up in their personal stash somewhere days/weeks/years later!!!!)  I think tonight of the letters I have written to them.  4 children x 5 years of retreats minus 1 year of my junior being just the junior and not a senior yet ... equals 19 letters!!  And each was emotional as the last.

I have a secret ... there will be letters to read long after I am gone!!!  I have bottles, filled with letters/messages!   Bottles, where one or all shared the contents of the bottle with me.  :)  I have a fire-proof safe filled with letters ... one a year to each child ... dated, sealed, stamped and mailed to the address we lived at the time.  :)  

I can hear them now ... "OMG, these are just like the letters she wrote to us when we went on those retreats!!!" ... and I can see them rolling their eyes ... and I can also see the sweetest four smiles ever!!!  They will always be able to dance with me.