My Favorite Date…
One of the writing assignments I asked my middle school students to draft at the beginning of the academic year involved answering the question: Excluding your birthday and all major holidays, what is your favorite day of the year?
It was an exercise in creatively thinking outside-the-box, and to my joy, quite a few students did. Many wrote of the day that they helped pack the family minivan before heading to the beach for a week’s vacation. A few shared their remembrances of a sibling or parent’s birthday, and occasionally there was a mention of the anniversary date of a grandparent’s passing. It was that particular day, although sad in many ways, which also brought back fond memories of times shared with a beloved Mom-Mom or Grandpop when the student was younger. One or two student essays even tried to win brownie-points with me by expressing their love of a particular holy day of obligation (which worked, by the way).
And then there was eighth-grader Jake, who shared in his essay that his favorite day was November 19. It was certainly an interesting choice and showed the power of a vivid Catholic imagination at work. Why this seemingly random day? Jake wrote: “It is the time when I first began to really notice my neighbors placing candle-lights in their windows to chase away the darkness and gloom of the winter, to celebrate the love of family at Thanksgiving and the gift of Jesus at Christmas. When those lights first appear, it is a day that makes me feel safe and hopeful.”
Us, too, Jake … us, too. Happy November 19th. May we all keep shining light in the darkness!