“…and God looked at Creation, the Universe and all that is in it, the earth and all that is on it, smiled and said,  ‘It is good.’

     As I write the newsletter, I am so aware of the themes of death and new life so present in these “just beginning to be spring” days. Our Jewish brothers and sisters have celebrated Passover – a time of recalling deliverance from the death of bondage in slavery to the new life of freedom in a new land as a new people. Our Christian sisters and brothers are continuing to celebrate Easter – also a time of recalling deliverance from death and of the bondage in sin to new life in freedom as a new people of renewed faith.

     During this month we will help the students at Hope Hall recognize and reverence the connections between all of Life – all of creation – and smile as God smiled, knowing, “It is Good.” We cannot hope to model non-violence in our relationships with each other if we ignore or act with violence towards any part of this life we all share. We will help the students to see that the choices we make about the quality of our relationship to the environment – the earth, the air, the water, the plants and animals – all matter very much. We cannot hope to have our children make good choices for life in matters that are big and difficult if we don’t help them to see the importance of the choices they make in matters that are small or easy.

     I came across a Japanese proverb that says “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

     All of us are teachers – how great we are depends on our heart, our attitude, and our words. Everyone who meets us, everyone who works with us, everyone who lives with us, learns from us. They learn something about themselves, but they also learn a great deal about us. What is it that we want to teach them? What impression do we want them to have, what lesson do we want them to learn from us after being with us for a period of time?

     Please join with all of us at Hope Hall this month as we re-examine our choices and relationship to the earth and all of life.  Here are some suggestions to help you take some steps.

1. Spend some time as a family cleaning your yard – not as a task, but as a celebration that you can all take some pride and joy in doing. Our students (yes, all of them!) love to be helpful if they feel their efforts are needed (not just busy work or punishments) and valued (appreciated even if they’re not perfect).

2.  Take the time to show your children how to use a broom and sweep a sidewalk. Just because they’ve seen you do it doesn’t mean they know how. I’ve found that out by asking the children to help at school. With coordination problems, the art of sweeping a floor or sidewalk takes some coaching.

3. Take a walk with your children at Highland Park or Durand Eastman. Both have beautiful flowering trees right now, and both are free.

4. If your older children help with the laundry, encourage them to do full loads and not just waste the water or electricity for a few items.

5.  Teach your children to not run the water while they are brushing their teeth, but to use the water while rinsing. These are small steps, but taken together they make a huge impact on our planet.

6.  We have to help our children understand that everything in God’s creation has a purpose – yes, even earthworms, ants, and mosquitoes. Nothing created is a mistake. If we can help our children – and each other – believe that, perhaps it will be easier to respect all life, including that of people who are different from us.

     If you don’t have children of your own, borrow some – a neighbor, a relative, or come to Hope Hall! You can be outside with our students during snack (10:35 – 11:00) or recess (12:30 –1:00) or other times with prior arrangements. You can help a child plant or weed in one of our gardens or propose your own project with one of our Science teachers.

     All of us can think about what we’re doing to the earth, and what we’re teaching others, by the choices we make and the actions we do. All of us can choose to be non-violent and for life, even in the smallest of matters.

—Sr. Diana