11/19/21 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott
Photo Caption: Miss Munhall and second graders singing and signing “God Bless America” on Veterans’ Day
Dear Our Lady of Peace Family:
As I give thanks to the students at Our Lady of Peace during this time of Thanksgiving, some of the names below might not be easily recognizable to friends and even teachers. But parents and grandparents will easily know to whom I am referring.
When each of our students was born, they were given a name. For most, much care and thought was put into that name which, unless changed down the road, will remain their legal moniker for the rest of their lives. They will use it when applying for high school and college and buying a car and a house and applying for a job. It will be on marriage licenses and insurance documents and, hopefully not for many, many years to come, death certificates.
For some of the students below their formal first name is rarely mentioned or heard. Names are shortened. Middle names are used instead of first names in casual conversation. Nicknames are given as children develop personalities or little siblings mess up their real name and everyone just sort of joins in.
This isn’t true for everyone of course. Some people’s legal name and the name by which they are called to dinner is the same. For many, the legal name, along with the rarely used middle name is a true sign from parent to child that trouble is a foot and he had better heed its call.
As I look through each name of the students who attend school at Our Lady of Peace I smile. The beauty, for me, of being the principal of a small school is that I know each of these children and can recall some memory about each one. Ths one handing me a Tiger Tribute in my office with pride. That one gliding down the sliding board with glee. The eighth grader rolling her eyes at a dumb joke I have just told. The Kindergartner convinced that a frozen sponge in a plastic bag will truly cure that sore arm or leg or head.
During this time of Thanksgiving I linger for just a moment over each and every name. I give thanks to them for what each adds to the richness of our school. I pray that every student will know happiness and love and fulfillment. My very first students from 1979 are approaching the age of 60. I have watched many of them grow into marriage and parenthood and grandparent hood and careers and even retirement. Unless I live past 100 I will not get to see this present crop of youngsters get that far. But I pray for them now and will continue to pray for them in the future.
Jim Silcott
