As we near the graduation season, every year we hear messages about going on a journey.  I recall the speeches that my predecessor, Mrs. Heather Gossart, used to give at the annual Baccalaureate Mass about what to pack when going on the journey beyond high school.  I also reflect on the many classical novels that our students read during their time at McNamara about journeys.  Whether Don Quixote, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Canterbury Tales, The Longest Journey, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance or 2001: A Space Odyssey, each of these "journey" novels often focus on transformation, redemption and psychological victories of perseverance and overcoming doubt and insecurity.  With graduation now just a few weeks away my ears have been particularly attuned to lessons learned from the journey.  For our graduates, the journey they've been on to this point steps into overdrive as they venture into the vast world of the unknown and away from the comforts of their homes and their loving school community.  Every year I find myself surrounded by the mixed emotions that our young people face...excitement and optimism combined with fear and a sense of insecurity.  They will soon find out that the greatest distance they will travel in the years ahead will be the distance between their ears and in their hearts. 

One such journey message I heard this week came from an extraordinarily honest and humble speaker at our 11th annual Mother Son Brunch.  Mr. Joseph Garcia, a retired Lt. Col. in the Air Force, three time CFO, teacher and author of the book The Leaders Pyramid:  A Balanced and Consistent Approach to Leadership, spoke about the journey and the "travelers" you'll pick up along the way.  Two such travelers that he talked about are pride and humility.  With obvious tension existing between the two, Mr. Garcia urged our young men to avoid "being full of yourselves."  He used the analogy of a blowfish that expands from a small fish to a larger, fully blown fish that looks like it has no more room in it.  Being "puffed up," Mr. Garcia warned, leaves no room for other people and leaves no room for God.  Wow!!  How about that for a vivid imagery!  Rather, Mr. Garcia encouraged our students to embrace the traveler known as humility.  To remain humble, put others first, and to serve a greater cause than our own should be a mantra for us to live by.  Highlighting his talk with personal and transparent examples, Mr. Garcia's message was a clear one...no matter what kind of success you have in life, don't be too full of yourself!  That's a great message for all of us to live by!!

I also had the good pleasure this week to learn "Ten Lessons for the Journey" from the Bishop McNamara Combined Choir.  In a wonderfully inspirational way, one by one students stepped to the podium between songs to share these lessons with the audience:

1. You must know where you've been to get where you're going
2. Define your goal
3. Equip yourself
4. Let go of the past
5. Get connected, stay connected
6. Seek wisdom
7. Talk to God
8. Practice perseverance
9. See yourself in the future
10. Remember to say thank you

In the spoken word and through beautiful song, our students stood confidently at the podium and shared their hopes, dreams, fears and insecurities with the crowd and what they have learned from the teachers and parents.  I couldn't have been more proud of our students.  I felt in my heart and thought in my mind, they're ready to leave our doors and go out to make a difference!  They know and we know that it won't be easy and some will even stray on their journey, but we as their parents and teachers can feel good to know that their foundation is strong and that they are ready.

Leonardo da Vinci once stated that, "Wisdom is the daughter of experience."   I feel like I grow wiser every day as a result of the experiences I have with people like Joe Garcia and the students in our Combined Choir.  I also often ponder the fact that I have the greatest job in the world because I get to experience God's grace every day through the living witness of the people He brings into my life.  While I know that I am still on a journey and will be until I meet my maker in Heaven, I am grateful to have the travel mates in my life that help to make me a better person along the way.