I work for the local Catholic schools and my office is located in the high school building, my Alma Mater. One afternoon, after several hours on the computer, I decided to take a walk around the school. It was surreal to be in my high school, wandering the halls.
I walked to the art room where I spent most of free time when I was in high school. I was an artist back in the day. I loved to draw and paint. I spent every free moment in that room, usually painting. The art teacher, Mr. Cockman, let me spend all the time I wanted in there. (In fact, when I entered college, I entered as an Art Studio major. I ended up with a degree in Economics, but that is a story for another time.) I strolled down the hall past the rooms where I took Economics with Coach Ferrare and History with Coach Bahen. I peeked in the biology lab where Mrs. Mihalyo had us dissect fetal pigs. I had biology lab right before lunch, so the days that ham and cheese sandwiches were on the menu were the days I didn’t eat. And it took a long time before I could eat the chef salad again (which was a favorite) because of the julienne ham on top. The home economics room where Mrs. Gasser taught us how to sew and cook is now a science lab. And the tower where I had religion class with Fr. McGuire is now used for ministry (which is really cool). Fr. Orsini’s classroom has been converted into offices for the junior high administration. And my office is adjacent to the Principal’s office. While a lot of things have changed, it still feels like the high school that I attended back in the late 1980’s.
I absolutely hated high school. While it wasn’t horrible, it was not a fantastically fun time for me. I was neither part of the cool crowd, nor was I considered an outcast. I really just kind of did my own thing (something I still do to this day). I really didn’t care what anyone thought and was kind of a non-conformist. That really has been the way I have lived my entire life. And as I look back, it really wasn’t so bad. I made some really good friends, and because the school is so small, everybody knew and still knows everybody else. It is its own little community. And the graduates identify as Crusaders even decades after they have graduated. We reminisce about CCHS traditions and experiences and hold those memories in high regard.
They say you can’t go home, but, yes, you actually can. It may not be the same as you remember it, but you can go back. And you can remember what you choose to remember the way you want to remember it. It reminds me of a quote from the television show, This Is Us, that says – “there is no such thing as a long time ago, there’s only the memories that mean something and the memories that don’t.” Hopefully you can smile when you think back because those memories mean something.
They say that God heals the heart before the miracle occurs. There is profound truth in that, which I now realize as I think about my journey over these past few years. I don’t think I need to explain that if you have read any of my other reflections posted on Facebook. I can definitely say that has occurred in this circumstance. What is God healing in your heart and what miracle will come of it? Please pray for me as I continue to pray for you.
Tattoos, Motorcycles, Beer, Bourbon and Faith 