Parent Letter Dec 23, 2009

Dear Families of St. Joseph School,

 

Tomorrow night we will begin the celebration of one of the most important events, not only of our faith history but also the world’s history—the birth of a child in a poor stable in a remote village in the eastern part of our world.  At this time of year each of us enters a rather frenzied state to prepare for the celebration of this birth.  Hopefully, we do not lose sight of the reason for  the hustle and bustle of this season. 

 

Why do we prepare the food, decorate the trees, hang the lights, sing the songs of the season, and spend hours and days shopping and wrapping our gifts?  Some would say we should forget all of this and simply celebrate the holiday!  However, isn’t that all part of celebrating the birth of our Savior?  We’ve come to know that a true celebration requires some decoration, festive foods, music, light and gift giving. 

 

We need to stop for a moment to catch our breath and renew our understanding of this wonderful season.  When we recall the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem all those years ago, we remember the light of the star and song of the angels, as they announced the Good News of Jesus birth to the shepherds on the hillside.  We remember the anticipation of the shepherds as they went in joy to find this child, and we remember the wise men as they carefully laid their well-chosen gifts before Jesus.

 

Yesterday, we heard the Christmas Story as told by our second graders.  As they told the story in word and song, it was evident in the prayerful voices of the children, that Christmas had arrived at St. Joseph School. 

 

We read in scripture the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price.  The merchant goes in search of this “pearl” and when he finds it, he sells all that he has to purchase it.  We hold dear our strings of pearls, and we seek  “pearls of wisdom” that encourage us, instruct, and allow us to stand in awe of all we have been, and all we are to be.  Reminded of the pearl of great price we find in our children, I offer you these pearls as my gift to you.

 

I offer you the pearl of family.  As in all families there are good times and challenging ones, and amid all these we stand together, called to be the presence of Christ for one another.  May the presence of this school family be a beacon that lights your way in this world, where so many attempt to extinguish Christ’s light.

 

I offer you the pearls of compassion and caring.  It is the care with which we watch over each other and the children of our school that allows us to be the family we are, not just for the moment, but also for always.  The clarity of this shone through at Lessons and Carols, as I watched so many of our alumni sing our finale with us, but above all as I saw a child standing among the seated

adults, and singing Gift of God, Emmanuel along with us.

 

I offer you the pearls joy and laughter, for without humor our lives would truly be dismal, for laughter heals our sorrows and allows our spirits to rejoice.  These gifts allow us to see ourselves through the light of God’s awesome power and unconditional love for all his children.

 

I offer you the pearl of creativity, as we are called to co-create with God, the kingdom, which is in the midst of us, yet not fully realized, a kingdom in which the innocence of childhood is reverenced.

 

Christmas is a season and a spirit that extends to us the gift of each of these “pearls of great price”.  May you treasure these pearls, as true gifts of God’s love. I thank you for sharing your treasured pearls of great price, your children, with our school family

 

May we celebrate with joy, with peace, and most importantly with love.  May we remember His humble birth in a stable, and in remembering may we offer these gifts of our hearts to one another.

 

May your Christmas celebration bring peace to your homes, special joy to your families, and God’s love to each of you.  Merry Christmas!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Marianne Cote, Principal