This past Friday, March 2, I was at the Ignatius Law Luncheon, an event that I always enjoy. Frank Raispis and I represented the old-timers among Ignatius personnel. According to John Tracy, he's getting pretty close to joining our ranks. (Welcome, John! Ahh, the golden years. You’ll love it. Bring a lot of Advil with you.)
I was able to chat with so many folks, mostly former students...too many to name, but always up-lifting to hear about their lives. There were several who were running for “judgeships”. (I hope that’s the right word.) I highly recommend that any Ignatians who are in the law profession come to the Law Luncheon, at least to check it out, and see what the association has to offer.
Going to these events with Raispis is always fun/interesting. There were actually people lined up to say, "Hi!" to him. I'm proud to call him my friend. At the same time, it gives me the sense of what it must be like to be invisible. To use an old line, if Frank were standing on the balcony next to the Pope, I'm pretty sure a lot of people would be saying, "Who's that guy standing next to Frank?"
During Father Caruso's short talk, he encouraged the group to come to "Gloriam 2012", this year's fund-raiser. Happily, yesterday the notice came out announcing that the event is sold out.
That brings me to my second point. (or is it my 3rd?) In my last blog, I pointed out two reunions that centered around the years that these alumni were students. However, besides the Law Association, there are at least two other groups of Ignatians who are connected professionally. There is also the Business Society which has their luncheon in November (tentatively November 2nd this year) and the women’s society which is a professional networking group.
These subsets of alumni give everyone an opportunity to stay involved with, and even take advantage of, the school community. If anyone is interested in getting more information about any of the groups, or what other groups might be available, contact Sean MacCready, the Alumni Director at Ignatius.
Finally, my wife prompted me to write the following item...much against my better judgment:
I trust that you all know that the Pythagorean Theorem says, "In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides."
In the pre-Columbian days of North America, the native Americans had their own version of that famous theorem. Based on the legend from one of the tribes, three Indian women were about to give birth. It was believed that if a baby was born on the pelt of an animal, the child would grow to possess the good qualities of that animal.
When the first woman's time had come, her husband went out into the wilds and slew a mountain lion, and, on that skin, a baby boy was born. When the second wife's time had come, her husband slew a mountain tiger, and his wife had a son.
When the third woman's time came, her husband slew a mountain hippopotamus and brought back its skin. On that skin, twin sons were born.
The Indians came to understand that “The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides (Get it? The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides.) That’s all for now folks; I’ll be here all week. Oh, ya! I apologize in advance to all Native Americans for the last item, and for all of the times that I told that story in class. ”.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Reflection #32 (Only 1044 to go!): Reunions
I don't recall the exact year, but it was around 40 years ago. During the half-time of an Ignatius varsity basketball game, I was walking through what-was-then the commons, and I saw an alumus from a few years earlier standing by himself with a lost look on his face. I said, "You look like you've lost your best friend. What's up?" He said matter of factly, "This isn't my school any more."
I tried to reassure him that sure it was, but even I thought that sounded pretty lame. As I continued on my route, I felt a little bad and thought about the incident. It's not uncommon for deans, principals or presidents during commencement speeches to assure the graduates that they will always be an important part of the school community and the school will always be their "home". I've been to enough graduations to know whereof I speak.
As I thought about this fellow, it occurred to me that "his school" consisted, to a large extent, of his classmates. It was the four years of shared experiences, good and bad, that constituted his school more than the bricks-and-mortar.
That brings me to the real point of this "reminiscence". Three Fridays in a row over the last month, there were gatherings of alumni. Two were "mini-reunions"* with alumni from a couple of different eras, and the third was the induction of four new members into the Athletic Hall-of-Fame. (*By mini-reunions, I mean gatherings of alumni that are not generated by the school, but by one or more of the members of a class or classes.)
The earlier reunion, on Jan. 27, was organized by members the class of '67, but was not restricted to that class. In fact, there was a member of the class of '61 as well as a couple of men from '68. There may have been others, but those are the classes that I am aware of. The other reunion, prompted by Mark Kosiek ('73), centered on the early to mid-70's, although John Reilly ('63) was there in addition to Cas Baczinskas ('68). In fact, Cas came to both reunions. These reunions consisted of a lot of reminiscing and catching up, along with pizza and pop or beer, after which the fellas went over to the basketball game.
Frank Raispis and I were at the reunions as "links", if you will, to the days when these men were students at Saint Ignatius College Prep or High School (depending on the years). I'd like to think that we've helped to fulfill the promise made at graduations. He and I really do care about Ignatians, past, present and future and we enjoy our visits. We have tried to stay as involved in the school as our age and energy...not what it once was...permit.
An important last point is that NO ONE got hit up for contributions. There were just some former classmates with shared experiences renewing there friendships, catching up on each others lives and recreating "their school" for a couple of hours. Oh, ya! A whole lot of laughing.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Reflection #31 (Only 1045 to go!): The Omen
For more than 40 years, one of my best friends on the Ignatius faculty has been Jim Connelly. I can almost hear some of you, who knew both of us, say, "You have got to be kidding!" What can I tell you? No accounting for taste...on either of our parts. Where I tended to have a laissez faire (French for "fairly laz...er...ah...laid back") approach to teaching and coaching, Jim is a "by the book" kind of guy. "Be in your seat when the bell rings; don't tell me you have A.D.D. You're either an Ignatius student or you're not." I think a good "model" of what he is like is seen in the movie "Stand and Deliver". If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look. Pat O'Mara, also one of the "giants" at Ignatius, always had the deepest respect for Jim. No matter how tough Jim seemed to be, the students knew what was expected and he always gave the students, even the weaker ones, a way to succeed.
Jim tends to be a private person, and I was reluctant to write a "reminiscence" about him because I didn't want to disclose anything too personal. "You can't un-ring a bell". Mary Jo and I are close friends with Jim and Sue, and last week we met for dinner. Sue told us that their daughter Mary ('87) reads my "reminiscences" and enjoys them. (Hey, Mary! How are things goin'?) Anyway, I take that as an omen, so I throw caution to the wind and write about her dad.
The basis for our friendship, I think, has been our trust in one another. With Jim, you know exactly what you'll get. He does not "broadcast" his private life, but you don't have to know him for very long before you become aware of how he sees the world. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't always see things in the same way. He and I don't argue about our respective view points, but we are open with each when the occasion arises.
Jim's bio isn't all that unique for a teacher. Jesuit high school in New York City, Notre Dame degree in civil engineering, taught at De La Salle "Institute", before coming to Saint Ignatius in 1967, where he taught math and social studies and coached track and cross country until he retired a couple of years ago.
Jim and Sue have been married well over 50 years. (Apologies, Sue, for putting the word "well" in there.)
Things become more interesting when I tell you that they have 15 children, biological and adopted, and have been foster-parents for a slew of other children. Describing Jim Connelly without mentioning his family would be like trying to understand him by looking at his shadow on a wall.
To add some texture to his image, he is a staunch Catholic, patriot and family man...a good man. The real proof of the influence that Jim and Sue have had on their children is that 3 of the 15 are officers in the armed forces, one is married to an FBI agent and one is going into the priesthood. Through their efforts in providing a loving, caring home for so many children, both Jim and Sue have been awarded the Dei Gloriam Award from St. Ignatius and the Family Exemplar Award from Notre Dame University.
Each time that I've written a blog about a person, I've tried to find one or more adjectives that help to describe that person. A word, possibly the first word, that comes to mind when I think of Jim is "courage". I have never known him to back down from saying or doing something that he felt was right no matter what the possible consequences. He would never let an injustice or a wrong go unaddressed.
Over the years, Jim has stirred passion in students, both positive and negative. I've known students who would "run through brick walls" for him and those for whom his style was, perhaps, more rigid than they would have liked. My kids loved Mr. Connelly; often their friends were...shall we say "anxious".
For my part, thanks, Jim, for being my friend.
Jim tends to be a private person, and I was reluctant to write a "reminiscence" about him because I didn't want to disclose anything too personal. "You can't un-ring a bell". Mary Jo and I are close friends with Jim and Sue, and last week we met for dinner. Sue told us that their daughter Mary ('87) reads my "reminiscences" and enjoys them. (Hey, Mary! How are things goin'?) Anyway, I take that as an omen, so I throw caution to the wind and write about her dad.
The basis for our friendship, I think, has been our trust in one another. With Jim, you know exactly what you'll get. He does not "broadcast" his private life, but you don't have to know him for very long before you become aware of how he sees the world. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't always see things in the same way. He and I don't argue about our respective view points, but we are open with each when the occasion arises.
Jim's bio isn't all that unique for a teacher. Jesuit high school in New York City, Notre Dame degree in civil engineering, taught at De La Salle "Institute", before coming to Saint Ignatius in 1967, where he taught math and social studies and coached track and cross country until he retired a couple of years ago.
Jim and Sue have been married well over 50 years. (Apologies, Sue, for putting the word "well" in there.)
Things become more interesting when I tell you that they have 15 children, biological and adopted, and have been foster-parents for a slew of other children. Describing Jim Connelly without mentioning his family would be like trying to understand him by looking at his shadow on a wall.
To add some texture to his image, he is a staunch Catholic, patriot and family man...a good man. The real proof of the influence that Jim and Sue have had on their children is that 3 of the 15 are officers in the armed forces, one is married to an FBI agent and one is going into the priesthood. Through their efforts in providing a loving, caring home for so many children, both Jim and Sue have been awarded the Dei Gloriam Award from St. Ignatius and the Family Exemplar Award from Notre Dame University.
Each time that I've written a blog about a person, I've tried to find one or more adjectives that help to describe that person. A word, possibly the first word, that comes to mind when I think of Jim is "courage". I have never known him to back down from saying or doing something that he felt was right no matter what the possible consequences. He would never let an injustice or a wrong go unaddressed.
Over the years, Jim has stirred passion in students, both positive and negative. I've known students who would "run through brick walls" for him and those for whom his style was, perhaps, more rigid than they would have liked. My kids loved Mr. Connelly; often their friends were...shall we say "anxious".
For my part, thanks, Jim, for being my friend.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Reflection #30 (Only 1046 to go!): A Lesson in Astronomy
On Friday, February 3, four men will be inducted into the Saint Ignatius Athletic Hall-of-Fame...Mark Kosiek ('73), Ed Hogan ('66), John Supplitt ('75) and Gerry Brockhouse, the athletic director in the early to mid-’90‘s. The induction will formally occur prior to the boys' basketball game that night.
Mark has been working on organizing a gathering of alumni from the '60's and '70's for the following Friday night. I have been in contact with him regarding that, so I emailed him a congratulations on his nomination. He thanked me and added that two of the men who were most influential in his life at Ignatius were his varsity coach, Bob Gabric, and Fr. Mark Link, S.J. Good choices! Those two men are two of my choices also.
Mark’s statement caused me to consider how we are influenced by other people and events in our life. Since I am something of a astronomy buff, it struck me that our lives aren't all that dissimilar from the lives of heavenly bodies...at least relating to the paths that they take and how they are affected by other bodies.
When I was a young man, in my 20's, men like Frank Raispis, Pat O'Mara and Fr. Link were my idols. For the record, there were many others. Metaphorically, these men created the gravitational pull that guided my path much as the Sun "pulls"* the Earth. (*"pulls" is not the correct word, but is useful for our purpose here.) I can’t think of any one event in which they caused me to change course; it was their constant and total presence. That’s one kind of influence. To wit, my plan was to be like Frank, living my life as a bachelor, dedicated to the education of the young men at Ignatius.
Another type of influence is the sudden or short-term influence that causes a change in trajectory, much as occurs when a large asteroid hits a planet. Such an event for Ignatius was the Bob Hope concert, "Hope For Saint Ignatius", in 1976. That not only affected the financial status of the school, but changed how the school was perceived by the community. Suddenly, we were a viable entity again. At least that's my take on it.
These occurrences can be positive or negative. I’ve probably learned more about living by things that I shouldn’t have done...or things that others shouldn’t have done...than by trying to copy someone else’s good actions. There are too many “negative” instances for one small essay.
Back in the summer of 1971, I was talking with a group of friends about a camping trip that I was planning with some of my sophomore basketball players; it’s more enjoyable with company. Among the friends was a lady with 3 young children who had been widowed a couple of years earlier. She off-handedly asked if I needed a “den-mother”...half in jest, all in earnest. She thought that this might be a safe way for her and her children to break the monotony of just sitting at home all summer. Being the good soul that I am, I said, “Sure.”
That’s how my life changed immediately and dramatically ... like a meteor hitting me on my path. It completely altered my "trajectory". (For the sake of full disclosure, the boys who were on the trip will verify that the entire trip was extremely innocent) But the path had changed! Good-bye, Raispis-life model!
Not only did my life’s plan take an immediate hit, but the gravitational pull of being a husband, father and grandfather has changed the way I view things, and do things...all to the better, I hasten to add. Not only did I inherit 3 great kids, followed by one of my own a year later, but as a result, I have the eight best, most beautiful and intelligent grandchildren in the world I wouldn’t lie about a thing like that!
Mark has been working on organizing a gathering of alumni from the '60's and '70's for the following Friday night. I have been in contact with him regarding that, so I emailed him a congratulations on his nomination. He thanked me and added that two of the men who were most influential in his life at Ignatius were his varsity coach, Bob Gabric, and Fr. Mark Link, S.J. Good choices! Those two men are two of my choices also.
Mark’s statement caused me to consider how we are influenced by other people and events in our life. Since I am something of a astronomy buff, it struck me that our lives aren't all that dissimilar from the lives of heavenly bodies...at least relating to the paths that they take and how they are affected by other bodies.
When I was a young man, in my 20's, men like Frank Raispis, Pat O'Mara and Fr. Link were my idols. For the record, there were many others. Metaphorically, these men created the gravitational pull that guided my path much as the Sun "pulls"* the Earth. (*"pulls" is not the correct word, but is useful for our purpose here.) I can’t think of any one event in which they caused me to change course; it was their constant and total presence. That’s one kind of influence. To wit, my plan was to be like Frank, living my life as a bachelor, dedicated to the education of the young men at Ignatius.
Another type of influence is the sudden or short-term influence that causes a change in trajectory, much as occurs when a large asteroid hits a planet. Such an event for Ignatius was the Bob Hope concert, "Hope For Saint Ignatius", in 1976. That not only affected the financial status of the school, but changed how the school was perceived by the community. Suddenly, we were a viable entity again. At least that's my take on it.
These occurrences can be positive or negative. I’ve probably learned more about living by things that I shouldn’t have done...or things that others shouldn’t have done...than by trying to copy someone else’s good actions. There are too many “negative” instances for one small essay.
Back in the summer of 1971, I was talking with a group of friends about a camping trip that I was planning with some of my sophomore basketball players; it’s more enjoyable with company. Among the friends was a lady with 3 young children who had been widowed a couple of years earlier. She off-handedly asked if I needed a “den-mother”...half in jest, all in earnest. She thought that this might be a safe way for her and her children to break the monotony of just sitting at home all summer. Being the good soul that I am, I said, “Sure.”
That’s how my life changed immediately and dramatically ... like a meteor hitting me on my path. It completely altered my "trajectory". (For the sake of full disclosure, the boys who were on the trip will verify that the entire trip was extremely innocent) But the path had changed! Good-bye, Raispis-life model!
Not only did my life’s plan take an immediate hit, but the gravitational pull of being a husband, father and grandfather has changed the way I view things, and do things...all to the better, I hasten to add. Not only did I inherit 3 great kids, followed by one of my own a year later, but as a result, I have the eight best, most beautiful and intelligent grandchildren in the world I wouldn’t lie about a thing like that!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Reflection #29 (Only 1047 to go!): The Common Enemy
Reflection #29 (Only 1047 to go!): The Common Enemy On Christmas morning, the homily at mass wasn't very inspiring... rather perfunctory. That’s not particularly uncommon, since there are a lot of components that go into giving a good speech. I’m not sure that I could do better. To my credit, I do try to hang in there; it’s not always easy...especially when the design on the wall behind the alter is a parabola. I find myself trying to derive the equation of that parabola based on my estimate of its dimensions. Oops! My mind wandered from my original topic.
The point of the homily was that materialism is the enemy of our spirituality. For the sake of “full disclosure”, I agree that it is too easy to confuse, what we want with what we need. Even in these modern times, many who view themselves as defenders of the faith (not necessarily Catholics) will “buy indulgences” by contributing to their church, while accruing massive wealth, ignoring, and sometimes at the expense, of those who have little.
Father’s homily took me back to “youthful” times, when we were warned about the enemies of the church, usually other religions. I can recall Sister Agnes, a truly lovely lady, telling us that it was sinful to go to the YMCA because it promoted a different religion. Imagine my confusion when I came to Ignatius and Fr. Maurice Meyers would take students swimming at the “Y”. (Oh, those Jesuits do march to their own drummer.) The same motivational device was, and is, used in politics and coaching. Identify, or in some cases create, an common enemy and demonize them...the more the better.
At Loyola U., circa 1957, we were trained in “defending the Faith”, with the reward of going straight to Heaven. Not a bad deal! Unfortunately, we were mostly schooled in how to deal with religions that we didn’t really come in contact with. I can tell you that if I had ever encountered a Zoroastrian proselytizing in my neighborhood, he would have taken a real beating..., verbally of course. We never got to religions like Lutheranism and Mormons; it was only a one semester course.
Politics is too risky to mention, but it’s not hard to spot...especially coming from the party you don’t agree with.
Sports, on the other hand is a hot-bed of this device. During my “innocent” days (1969-72), I had the misfortune to be appointed Athletic Director...a job that I was not trained for, and probably not smart enough for, but that’s another story. I definitely was not smart enough to turn down the job when it was offered. In my defense, when the Fr. John Reilly "offered" you a job, you generally said, “Yes, Father.”
Back to the point. An iconic coach of that time told his athletes that I was one of the many enemies in their life. I wasn’t alone; the previous athletic director was brought to tears by such accusations. I may be exaggerating for dramatic effect but I’m reasonably sure that I was accused of everything from being the cause most serious illnesses to the rise of Communism, all the while being the major obstacle in their journey to being successful. Again, in the interest of full disclosure, I wasn’t responsible for any of those. I really didn’t like being that target, but I guess it came with the job.
See. Father, I do listen to the homilies, but I’m not sure I always get the exact same message that you were trying to impart. Happy New Year!
The point of the homily was that materialism is the enemy of our spirituality. For the sake of “full disclosure”, I agree that it is too easy to confuse, what we want with what we need. Even in these modern times, many who view themselves as defenders of the faith (not necessarily Catholics) will “buy indulgences” by contributing to their church, while accruing massive wealth, ignoring, and sometimes at the expense, of those who have little.
Father’s homily took me back to “youthful” times, when we were warned about the enemies of the church, usually other religions. I can recall Sister Agnes, a truly lovely lady, telling us that it was sinful to go to the YMCA because it promoted a different religion. Imagine my confusion when I came to Ignatius and Fr. Maurice Meyers would take students swimming at the “Y”. (Oh, those Jesuits do march to their own drummer.) The same motivational device was, and is, used in politics and coaching. Identify, or in some cases create, an common enemy and demonize them...the more the better.
At Loyola U., circa 1957, we were trained in “defending the Faith”, with the reward of going straight to Heaven. Not a bad deal! Unfortunately, we were mostly schooled in how to deal with religions that we didn’t really come in contact with. I can tell you that if I had ever encountered a Zoroastrian proselytizing in my neighborhood, he would have taken a real beating..., verbally of course. We never got to religions like Lutheranism and Mormons; it was only a one semester course.
Politics is too risky to mention, but it’s not hard to spot...especially coming from the party you don’t agree with.
Sports, on the other hand is a hot-bed of this device. During my “innocent” days (1969-72), I had the misfortune to be appointed Athletic Director...a job that I was not trained for, and probably not smart enough for, but that’s another story. I definitely was not smart enough to turn down the job when it was offered. In my defense, when the Fr. John Reilly "offered" you a job, you generally said, “Yes, Father.”
Back to the point. An iconic coach of that time told his athletes that I was one of the many enemies in their life. I wasn’t alone; the previous athletic director was brought to tears by such accusations. I may be exaggerating for dramatic effect but I’m reasonably sure that I was accused of everything from being the cause most serious illnesses to the rise of Communism, all the while being the major obstacle in their journey to being successful. Again, in the interest of full disclosure, I wasn’t responsible for any of those. I really didn’t like being that target, but I guess it came with the job.
See. Father, I do listen to the homilies, but I’m not sure I always get the exact same message that you were trying to impart. Happy New Year!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Reflection #28 (Only 1048 to go!): On Giving Thanks
Give thanks for what you have. If I were a different person, I might stop right there and close the blog, but being me, I proceed.
On Thanksgiving, I gave each of my kids a wooden sign that said, "Be thankful". As I reflected on the complexity of that simple statement, I realized that our ability to do so is deeply interwoven with all that we are...our family, our friends and what standard we use to measure our blessings.
Being thankful is really a choice that we can make or not make. A few years ago, I read a quote whose author, regrettably, I can’t recall. It read, “True wealth is not determined by how much we have, but by how little we need.” We’ve all heard of the artist who, having been born without arms, learned to paint by holding the brush with his/her toes. When I was a youngster, a popular dancer on TV variety shows (the precursor to “American Idol” and “Dancing With The Stars”) was a man named “Peg-leg Bates”, for obvious reasons. I suspect that most of us would find such infirmities limiting; I know that I would.
Also intertwined with the level of gratitude we feel in our life is how we determine whether our life has been “ successful”. This, I’m sure, is more likely to be done by old-timers like me.
In my case, I'm inclined to be introspective, and retirement, along with my chosen activity...wood-scrolling, has given me the time to reflect. One result has been to formulate an overly simplified view of success. Actually, I have concluded that "success" itself is a hypothetical construct*. (*Look it up)
When I was a young man, “success” was defined by whether my group of 16-year-old athletes could put a ball in the basket more often than some other fellows group could. (Frankly, in retrospect that seems rather silly.)
One of Frank Raispis’ favorite sayings is, “You pays your dime, and you takes your chances.” That’s Frank’s version of, “It (Life) is what it is”.
A year or so ago, I saw an alum who had retired from an executive position in a corporation to work for the Chicago Food Depository. He saw that as being more important than simply accruing more wealth.
More recently, Bob Gabric said that he isn't concerned about being acknowledged for his efforts as a coach and teacher because he wasn't doing it for the appreciation he might receive. He did it because that's what he chose to do with his life.
All three of those men have lead very successful their lives. They do not measure their success by their wealth or the perceived success of others. They’re not in competition with anyone else; only themselves.
Granted, being a better teacher, businessman or coach may have given them a measuring stick to determine their progress, but that was just a tool, not a goal.
By the way, THANK YOU!
On Thanksgiving, I gave each of my kids a wooden sign that said, "Be thankful". As I reflected on the complexity of that simple statement, I realized that our ability to do so is deeply interwoven with all that we are...our family, our friends and what standard we use to measure our blessings.
Being thankful is really a choice that we can make or not make. A few years ago, I read a quote whose author, regrettably, I can’t recall. It read, “True wealth is not determined by how much we have, but by how little we need.” We’ve all heard of the artist who, having been born without arms, learned to paint by holding the brush with his/her toes. When I was a youngster, a popular dancer on TV variety shows (the precursor to “American Idol” and “Dancing With The Stars”) was a man named “Peg-leg Bates”, for obvious reasons. I suspect that most of us would find such infirmities limiting; I know that I would.
Also intertwined with the level of gratitude we feel in our life is how we determine whether our life has been “ successful”. This, I’m sure, is more likely to be done by old-timers like me.
In my case, I'm inclined to be introspective, and retirement, along with my chosen activity...wood-scrolling, has given me the time to reflect. One result has been to formulate an overly simplified view of success. Actually, I have concluded that "success" itself is a hypothetical construct*. (*Look it up)
When I was a young man, “success” was defined by whether my group of 16-year-old athletes could put a ball in the basket more often than some other fellows group could. (Frankly, in retrospect that seems rather silly.)
One of Frank Raispis’ favorite sayings is, “You pays your dime, and you takes your chances.” That’s Frank’s version of, “It (Life) is what it is”.
A year or so ago, I saw an alum who had retired from an executive position in a corporation to work for the Chicago Food Depository. He saw that as being more important than simply accruing more wealth.
More recently, Bob Gabric said that he isn't concerned about being acknowledged for his efforts as a coach and teacher because he wasn't doing it for the appreciation he might receive. He did it because that's what he chose to do with his life.
All three of those men have lead very successful their lives. They do not measure their success by their wealth or the perceived success of others. They’re not in competition with anyone else; only themselves.
Granted, being a better teacher, businessman or coach may have given them a measuring stick to determine their progress, but that was just a tool, not a goal.
By the way, THANK YOU!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Reflection #27 (Only 1049 to go!): Short Story Made Long
Preface: This is the story of why Saint Ignatius' mascot is the wolf.
Parts 1 and 2 have absolutely nothing to do with mascots or wolves.
Part 1: My "bucket list"...sort of.
While I have always loved teaching, there were things that I wished that I’d have time for...but didn't; e.g., playing the trombone, practicing tap dancing, reading all the "classics", and so on. I've often mused about the possibility that there may be people who might have been the world's best at some activity, if they had been exposed to it. Perhaps the world's greatest baseball player might have been born in the outback of Australia, but never had the chance to play...whatever.
Might I have had some latent talent that would surface if I had the time to pursue it? It turns out, NO!
Of all of the grand schemes and aspirations that I envisioned, the only one that I stayed with was scroll sawing; i.e., cutting images of things or words out of thin pieces of wood to make objet d’art . Having seen what some people are capable of, I'm pretty sure that I'm not only NOT the world's greatest scroll-sawer. I'm pretty sure that I'm not even in the top 50%, but I do love it. On some level, I think that I have the soul of an artist. (Disclaimer: Having the “soul of an artist” is not the same as having the “talent of an artist“.)
Part 2: Ornaments
When I practiced my new-found hobby to make some Christmas ornaments for members of the Development Staff a few years ago, John Chandler asked me if I would make 100 for a subset (math-speak) of the Ignatius community. So each of the last 5 years, I’ve made Christmas ornaments for the school. This year's ornament is of a wolf gazing up at the star that announced Jesus' birth. Along with the ornament, I’ve included an explanation of the significance of the "wolf" to Ignatius.
Part 3: Finally...the answer to the Ignatius Wolf question
On the crest of the Jesuits, there is the image of two wolves standing on either side of a kettle. The name "Loyola", as in Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is derived from a contraction of the Spanish words for "wolf" and "pot": "lobo y olla". The official explanation for their presence is that wolf stands for "nobility" and pot represents "generosity".
Very early in my career, I heard that there is a "story behind the story". Why those symbols? Ignatius was raised in the Basque region of north-eastern Spain, which was primarily a sheep-raising area. The story goes that when wolves would come around and threaten the sheep, the shepherds would boil the innards of dead sheep. Since the smell of boiling sheep would be stronger and more alluring than the live sheep, it drew the wolves away from the flock. Somehow, that doesn’t make the wolves seem all that noble, but who am I to judge.
There is also a version that says when the wolves went to the kettle, the shepherds would “smite” them with clubs. Personally, I doubt that version...but, hey, that’s me.
Parts 1 and 2 have absolutely nothing to do with mascots or wolves.
Part 1: My "bucket list"...sort of.
While I have always loved teaching, there were things that I wished that I’d have time for...but didn't; e.g., playing the trombone, practicing tap dancing, reading all the "classics", and so on. I've often mused about the possibility that there may be people who might have been the world's best at some activity, if they had been exposed to it. Perhaps the world's greatest baseball player might have been born in the outback of Australia, but never had the chance to play...whatever.
Might I have had some latent talent that would surface if I had the time to pursue it? It turns out, NO!
Of all of the grand schemes and aspirations that I envisioned, the only one that I stayed with was scroll sawing; i.e., cutting images of things or words out of thin pieces of wood to make objet d’art . Having seen what some people are capable of, I'm pretty sure that I'm not only NOT the world's greatest scroll-sawer. I'm pretty sure that I'm not even in the top 50%, but I do love it. On some level, I think that I have the soul of an artist. (Disclaimer: Having the “soul of an artist” is not the same as having the “talent of an artist“.)
Part 2: Ornaments
When I practiced my new-found hobby to make some Christmas ornaments for members of the Development Staff a few years ago, John Chandler asked me if I would make 100 for a subset (math-speak) of the Ignatius community. So each of the last 5 years, I’ve made Christmas ornaments for the school. This year's ornament is of a wolf gazing up at the star that announced Jesus' birth. Along with the ornament, I’ve included an explanation of the significance of the "wolf" to Ignatius.
Part 3: Finally...the answer to the Ignatius Wolf question
On the crest of the Jesuits, there is the image of two wolves standing on either side of a kettle. The name "Loyola", as in Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is derived from a contraction of the Spanish words for "wolf" and "pot": "lobo y olla". The official explanation for their presence is that wolf stands for "nobility" and pot represents "generosity".
Very early in my career, I heard that there is a "story behind the story". Why those symbols? Ignatius was raised in the Basque region of north-eastern Spain, which was primarily a sheep-raising area. The story goes that when wolves would come around and threaten the sheep, the shepherds would boil the innards of dead sheep. Since the smell of boiling sheep would be stronger and more alluring than the live sheep, it drew the wolves away from the flock. Somehow, that doesn’t make the wolves seem all that noble, but who am I to judge.
There is also a version that says when the wolves went to the kettle, the shepherds would “smite” them with clubs. Personally, I doubt that version...but, hey, that’s me.
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