Fragility

As we return to our small school, and the sanctuary that it is, we do so with an innate understanding of the fragility of life.

The festivities that so often unite us, having so tragically taken so much from so many in Switzerland this past week serve to remind us of the necessity of now.

My time spent living in Switzlerand taught me a great deal about community, about how small countries carry grief so heavily – everyone feels the despair, everyone feels the disbelief.

As parents, we can but only ponder the depth of that despair and deepen our reflection on that which should matter most in our lives, and pivot towards that with greater purpose and an awareness of the importance of being grateful for all we have been given.

We cannot, nor should we, take for granted the hardest of days – for they will inevitably have taught us a little more about ourselves, about what we can carry – about the strength of our shoulders and the stoicism of our spines.

We are blessed to have the young people we do in our lives, to act as harbingers of hope, beacons of light, and beautiful reminders of the possibilities before us.

Looking to them today, listening to their stories of holidays spent in distant lands, or with extended family, reminds us of the importance of connection and of now.

As we step into this new year, as a school centred on celebrating every student, we do so knowing that the fragility of life means that every single day matters.

How we begin each day, matters.

How we treat each other, matters.

How we talk to each other, matters.

How we use our time, matters.

How we end each day, matters.

While we should try not carry the darkness of the past days into the light of the new year, we should remember the feeling, and let it act as a reminder of the choices we have.

If what they say about grief is true, that it is love with nowhere to go, then we can but only ensure we hold those we love closely each and every day, and remember always the fragility of the lives we live