December 16, 2015
When students sit down to take their English exam on Thursday morning, I will, I hope, be fast asleep, seven miles up in the air above the Pacific Ocean, about six hours out from Auckland and halfway between the US and New Zealand. It will be the first time that I have gone home to see my Mom and Dad in back-to-back years since I came here 29 years ago.
What has changed? Well, it's not something our students think a whole lot about but – surprise, surprise – we grow old. What I took for granted about Mom and Dad for all those years – good health and the ability to manage for themselves – now is a lot less certain. Dad's sight is going. And Mom? Her once reliable memory is fading fast. So there you have it. If I wait till next year...will Dad see me? Will Mom know me? That's why I want to be with them.
What about you this Christmas? Beyond the giving and getting, may we take time to reflect on the beautiful example of Mary and Joseph and their son Jesus, God made man, the Holy Family. My wish for all the members of the Good Counsel community is the simple satisfaction of "being" with family. I especially encourage our students to make the effort to be present to Mom and Dad. Set the phone aside, put the iPad down for a bit and talk and listen. It might be just about the best present you can give.
Finally, some folks 'round here have been lamenting the mild weather and the fact that we will not have a white Christmas. Not me. I am going to enjoy Christmas at the bottom of the world where the weather is opposite ours and the days are long and warm. Here's an excerpt from the poem "Christmas in the Sun," by Margaret Mahy. Imagine Christmas in summer.
Our Christmas Day is blue and gold
And warm our Christmas Night.
Blue for the colour of Mary's cloak
Soft in the candle-light,
Gold for the glow of the Christmas Star
That shone serene and Bright!
Warm for the love of the little babe
Safe in the oxen stall ...
God Bless you all. Wishing you a happy and a holy Christmas.