I saw Sr. Regina, president of Mercy High School, over the weekend while I was on retreat. She invited me to attend the Baccalauraute Mass tonight for the class of 2010. Although I only knew a few girls (little sister's of friends of mine), I accepted the invitation...and I am so glad that I did.
I got to see a good friend of mine, old teachers, and some friends parents...parents who have graciously hosted me over the years at sleepovers, cast parties, graduation parties, etc. I also feel, in a strange way, that I was meant to be there...mainly to hear the homily. The priest (whom I happen to know) gave an excellent talk. Although I am not graduating high school, I got a lot out of what he was saying and could apply it to my life. He gave them encouragement, and said that they could be whatever they want to be, that the one thing that could possibly hold them back was themselves, their self doubt. That really hit home, because recently I have been struggling with "finding myself" and "discovering my purpose". As I said in my last post, I am really learning how to create happiness for my life...and I felt like his talk aligned perfectly with that. I was also inspired by the maturity of one of the graduates, who said "let us walk this life with faith filled eyes". What a powerful statement!
Another hilight of tonight was being able to see Mrs. MacLennan. I'm sure all of us have a "Mrs. Mac". He/She may not have that name, of course, but it is that one teacher from high school who was there for you from day one, that one teacher who played such a significant impact on your young life that you will always remember them. For me, that's Mrs. Mac. She is the campus minister at Mercy, and was my advisor (aka...home room teacher) senior year. Really, though, she was much more than that. She was my mentor, my second mother, my inspiration, my spirtiual director, my teacher, my leader. Mrs. Mac has touched my heart in a way I cannot explain. She is one of the biggest influences on my life and has played a large role in molding the person that I am today. When I was at Mercy, I went through a pretty big transition with my faith...and Mrs. Mac was the one to take my hand and lead me. She encouraged me to become involved in campus ministry, which soon became my home at Mercy. I loved being able to talk to her about faith, to learn from her about Catholicism and social justice. During my senior year, I had to switch advisor groups and was given a sheet of paper to write down my "top three choices". I wrote down "Mrs. Mac...and only Mrs. Mac." I'm glad I did, because my bond with her grew even stronger. I was often in her office, either helping plan a retreat or a mass, complaining about school or friends, or celebrating over school or friends. She would encourage me to get extra help in math, laugh at my antics (the one time I got her to say HOLLA is still one of my favorite memories of Mercy), and just listen to me. Looking back, I don't think I realized how lucky I was to have Mrs. Mac. She was always there for me, like a guardian angel. Even after graduating, I could always count on her to send me an uplifiting email or write me a letter of recommendation. I am glad that I've stayed in touch with her and hope that our relationship continues to grow. She is an incredible woman, and I am blessed to have had her play such a strong role in my life!
I got to see her tonight, although only breifly, and loved watching her interact with staff and students on one of her big nights.
I hope you all have a lovely week. Go get in touch with YOUR "Mrs. Mac".
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