March 2013 Volume Twenty-Two Number 7
Dear Parents and Guardians,
They’ve been rather a nuisance, haven’t they, the series of little clipper storms that have bedeviled our area with snow every three or four days since the second semester began? A little bit of hype, ultimately overblown, leads to a half inch or an inch of fresh snow on cars and grassy surfaces. With temperatures right around freezing, a little ice forms underneath the snow, so it’s a little sweeping, a little scraping, some more defrosting, and an extra ten minutes in the morning before we can go anywhere. A real nuisance. Then there was the morning of Valentine’s Day, recall? Another of those
The ultimate perspective we try to teach a La Salle man, of course, is the one
storms fell on a windless night so that dawn saw every bush and bare tree
he begins each day and each class with: that God is present here, recognized
appear coated in white, glistening as the sun rose on a still morning. It didn’t
or unrecognized, in the people and events of our lives, guiding our journey
last for long, but while it did, it was magical, the thought on many lips and
with His providential care. Sometimes you can feel that presence easily
hearts at La Salle, “If Brother James Rieck were here, the pictures he would
and profoundly. In other instances, God’s presence has to be viewed like a
have taken!”
Pointillist painting: you have to step way back to see what the real picture is.
It all depends on how you frame things, doesn’t it? A repetitive nuisance or a momentary wonderland: it all depends on perspective. Perspective is one of the best lessons we can teach a young man in his high school years. A sports cut, for example, can be construed as the decision of an incompetent or prejudicial coaching staff, men who clearly don’t get what our travel team or private skill coach has been saying for years. Or it can be presented as
Regardless, God is here, a reality the Season of Lent and the Easter mysteries ask us to attend to in a particular way. As Spring begins and Easter draws near, let us be grateful for the presence of God in our families and in the La Salle family. Let us ask God that we may never lose perspective on the precious value of this gift. Fraternally,
an invitation to spread your wings, try new things, learn coping skills and resilience. A teacher who “just doesn’t like me” can become a common foe or a human textbook from which you can learn an important lesson. A lot of people you meet in life, you may not click with. Some of them may even be your bosses. You don’t have to like them or build a personal relationship with them against all odds. You just have to work with them, meet expectations successfully, and eventually move on to a more congenial situation. Some nights in life, you’re going to have four hours of homework and three tests the next day. Don’t whine; deal with it. Sit down and get busy. Sometimes, you’ll get a free evening. Relish it, but don’t waste it. Do something that gives you life. You can lament the fact that Brother James isn’t here to take the picture, or you can get a camera, practice, take some photos, and fill a gap.
Brother James L. Butler, FSC President