Dear Parents,
This week I found that time, as in having enough time or too much time, seemed to escape me. I started working on a multitude of things and found that the time just sped by. Other times, I thought the time on a given task seemed to drag and that the clock had almost stopped, mid activity. With one extra "day off" I spent the entire week trying to remind myself which day of the week it was. I mention this because I talk to the middle school students a lot about budgeting and allocating an appropriate amount of time to complete those things that we are responsible for, and those that we enjoy most. That there has to be a balance. Too often as parents and students, we seem to tip the scale on either side, in any given week! We all experience deadlines for different tasks and our ability to choose how/when we put in the "work" to complete them can sometimes be entirely up to ourselves. This may or may not fare well for us when/if we lose sight of the time we have.
Yesterday, Fr. Bob spoke about the difference between the existence and essence of each of our lives. He explained that our existence is essentially who God created us to be versus the essence which is what we choose for ourselves. He explained to us that if we truly want to have a fulfilling relationship with God, we must consider and ask Him, what it is that he is calling us to do. Whether it be utilizing the gift of knowledge, music, athleticism, or empathy, each of us is by design a unique individual of Christ's creation. He used a common quote from St. Catherine of Siena that says "Be who God meant for you to be and you will set the world on fire." I take this as a reminder that each of us can choose to answer God's calling and if/when we find ourselves at a crossroads or believe that time has escaped us, we can always, take a breath, regroup, and move forward (even if only in baby steps some days), that if it is God's way, it will all work out for the greater good.
Have a restful weekend. Stay warm.
Yours In Christ,
Rita M. Klenk