It hardly seems possible that we are already in the month of May — and that, for the most part, it’s been a pretty normal school year. In the past week, we have celebrated several bookend events: the 7th grade Forest Park field trip, the tie blessing for our juniors, and today is the last day of classes for our seniors. What an exciting whirlwind of events.

Amidst this busy-ness, the Rule of St. Benedict reminds us to listen — to listen with the ear of our heart. Not to "hear," but to "listen." We are bombarded with sounds. My cell phone alone has 10 different alerts, one for email, text message, calendar reminders — not to mention that it also vibrates for each of these items. For me, it becomes numbing, and I barely pay any attention to the sounds.

However,  in a recent Chaplaincy reflection about iconography, Mrs. MacDonald reminded us that a true listener will also do so with intention and attention. To do so centers us, slows us down, and creates a stillness within us — as T.S. Eliot remarks, "the still point." And, in that stillness, what do we hear? For me, it was the pattering of rain on the rooftop and the twitter of the birds who made a nest outside my sunroom window.  

As we tick off the items on our May “to-do” list, be sure to add one more item: to listen.

In peace,

Judy Mohan
Assistant Head of School for Intellectual Formation