WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE.
You may recall that earlier this year my father passed away and this time of pandemic allows me time to reflect, especially on how he would be dealing with it. He loved story and campfire stories were big in both my childhood and that of my children.
One story he told was that he was born left-handed, and writing with your left hand was not permitted when he was a child in post WWII country Victoria. The nuns who taught him tied his left hand behind his back and forced him to write with his right hand. He must have disliked it greatly. He became ambidextrous. This skill served him well over his life as he became a Fitter and Turner and many times I saw him use tools equally well with both hands.
When I was a boy in Year 8, I had an English teacher, educated at Oxford, who loved poetry. I was a typical Year 8 boy in the 70s who did not. As punishment for misbehaviour, he made us spend the night writing full poems two or three times: The Highwayman, He Fell Among Thieves, The Wreck of the Hesperus and I could go on. Obviously, I spent many nights writing.
One such poem was Gray’s, Elegy written in a Country Churchyard and to this day without reference I can quote stanza and verse:
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean bear
Full many a flow’r is born to blush unseen
And waste is sweetness on the desert air
Now while this poem may have reflected a dark melancholic mood as evening approaches, it is possible to see other things within it. Yes, it is dark, but it contains a beauty.
The caves at the bottom of the ocean do bear many gems and the desert does produce beautiful flowers, although they may never be seen.
We continue to live in unprecedented times and these times are hard. Remote Learning has been prolonged and I hear stories of how even the best students struggle with some concepts and worry about consolidating their learning. Some students worry about academic success and awards while others struggle to keep up with workload. It is easy to reflect on the dark moods that can prevail, but you must not let that happen. Instead of asking:
What is wrong?
What can’t I do?
Rephrase such questions
What has surprised?
What have I learnt?
What new things can I do?
How do I consolidate?
How can I challenge myself?
Like the flower in the desert that no one might see, the gem at the bottom of the ocean or like my father becoming ambidextrous as a result of not being allowed to write with his left hand, this continues to be a time of great opportunity and great learning. We cannot control much of our environment, but we can control and choose how we react.
Choose to be positive: Choose to challenge yourselves to learn.
One of my favourite quotes from Catherine McAuley: “Let us take one day only in hands at time. Resolve to do good today and be better tomorrow.“
Let us resolve to try our best today and be better tomorrow.
Remember:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Maroondah Highway Level Crossing Removal
During the week, we received news that the level crossing removal on Maroondah highway has been deemed critical under Stage 4 restrictions and as such some sites will be established and some utilities relocated. This work is due to start on Monday 24 August 2020 and will involve a worker car park in Johns Street and traffic management in place around a number of sites. This may cause some disruption and should be planned for. Information can be found here: https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/
Message from our Archbishop
Last week Archbishop Comensoli sent us all this video, which I commend to you. Please use this link to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuC0xJKoGS0&feature=youtu.be
Personal Pars
Members of our community continue to grieve with the loss of family members in these difficult times.
Maureen Theresa Fogarty, mother to Advisory Council Chair Dr Jo Drummond, Nanna to Georgia (Year 12) and Jack (Year 10). Maureen of Mooroopna passed from this earth unexpected at aged 71 years.
Let us pray for the repose of then soul of Maureen and may she join with the angels at the right of our Father in Heaven. May she, along with all the faithfully departed rest in peace.
God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal
