Warm Fuzzy: A Friends School Reunion and Retirement Celebration

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

--Simple Gifts by Elder Joseph--

Mary and Me!

We may have been in a new building on Saturday afternoon--a bigger school that's filled with more children these days and a beautiful library--but the heart of the school is still the same as it was when I attended as an 8 year old in 1983. 

I'm talking about our local Friends school, a place that I had the blessing of being a student for second and third grade.

Over the weekend, Mom and I attended the retirement celebration of this beautiful woman--Mary--who has been the heart and soul of the school since it was founded 35 years ago.

Early Students of the School:  Lauren, Me, Matt (Mary's son), Alyssum, Regina

It felt like coming home. It felt like being surrounded by what we used to call 'warm fuzzies.' 

Mary (Being a VERY Good Sport) In A Chair Gifted to Her by Current Students

We celebrated Mary--the woman who has nurtured, mothered, comforted, led--with speeches and comments from those of us attending. We celebrated her humor, her keen observational skills, her glorious writing and, most importantly, how impactful she has been by being her gentle, kind, peaceful, primary calmer-downer, compassionate, joyful, tender, and empathetic soul.

As long as our Friends School has existed, Mary has been its heart and soul.

Regina and Me

While at the celebration for Mary, I ran into several people with whom I attended school over 30 years ago. We hugged. We chatted. We found each other on Facebook afterwards. And we vowed to keep in touch.

I love reunions with old friends!

Click on the Pic for a Larger View. Principles to LIVE by.

Yes, I may have 'only' attended the Friends School for two years, but they were two of the most formative years of my life. We learned about community, service, kindness, being ourselves, resolving conflicts, and expressing ourselves through writing. 

So many beginnings happened for me in the small basement that was the school back in the early '80s. 

One of the most powerful beginnings was that of learning to write, to write well, and to use writing as a tool for healing and expressing myself. 

It was also the beginning of learning about conflict resolution. I wrote one of my college essays on learning to resolve conflict with a friend who had been taking my peanut butter sandwiches from my lunchbox. I learned to understand and have compassion for her, and she was able to share with me why she wanted my sandwiches so badly. It was a classic story of her simply trying to fit in. We remained friends, and we reconnected at this reunion. I have never forgotten that powerful lesson in compassion, kindness and conflict resolution.

I love the board in the photo above because it truly captures everything that a Quaker school embodies.

View From The School

As my health has been improving, I've been thinking about the value I have always placed on volunteerism--fostered through my mom and also through the school. As I begin to think of ways to volunteer, I find that I come back to being around two things--children and dogs. 

I want to continue to focus my major efforts on giving back to Dr. ANS through blogging about Dysautonomia and fundraising, but I may also look to squeeze in some time with the children at Friends School if I find that I can manage it. I'd like to give a piece of myself back to this school that has given me so much.

With The Official Calmer-Downer. :)

The celebration of Mary on Saturday afternoon was a reminder--a reminder of just how impactful one life can be; a reminder of how impactful we can be through the so often undervalued acts of kindness, compassion, gentleness of spirit, love, humor and our words; a reminder of how impactful those two years of my life were on who I am today.

Thank you, Mary. And thank you, Friends School, for the being a gift that keeps on giving. Thank you for an afternoon of feeling full to the brim with joy, connection and love.

Blessings,

Emily