What Sustains You?
What Sustains You?
It would have been seemingly impossible to have escaped the political campaigning that has finally ended after five weeks. The theatrical displays, curated speeches and continued push for a particular policy or position ended last Saturday evening. Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, I wonder if anyone actually sat back and thanked Solon, Cleisthenes and Aristotle, several of the founding fathers of democracy, or simply tuned out, turned off the television and got back to what they were doing? The thread for this week focuses on the Lutheran Education Australia value of appreciation. Certainly, it is times like these that the value of the democratic process is reinforced, but is it truly appreciated? The simple task of casting a vote, for many around the globe, is not that simple. Incredibly, it was only 62 years ago that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his ‘Give us the Ballot’ speech calling for African Americans to be given voting rights. Whilst this is an alarming fact to say the least, it is not unusual to feel somewhat blasé about what is core to our election process. Likewise, there can be a tendency to also ignore the small, beautiful things around us.
The late poet, Mary Oliver, in her piece, The Summer Day in many respects campaigns for us to stop and smell the roses; “how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields”. There is an inescapable pull through Oliver’s words, to be drawn in to the wonder and awe of God’s creation, including even the grasshopper’s interactions with its surrounds. Jesus’ teachings reinforce the need to be appreciative of even the smallest of things and in many respects, it can be the smallest of things that sustain us. The incidental smiles from a friend, colleague, teacher or family member or the sharing a meal together. It may be knowing that in helping another for whatever reason, there is a fulfilment of Jesus’ wish that we show empathy to our fellow human being or it could simply be the breathing in of the cool morning air. I encourage all members of the Pacific community to identify what sustains them in their lives and share this with at least five other people.
We wish the cast and crew of Oklahoma the best of luck for their performances this week. Students and staff have been working tirelessly to prepare and we thank Mrs Janine Delaney and her team for what will be a fantastic production showcasing our many talented students. A reminder too that this Sunday 26th May is the annual Red Shield Door Knock Appeal and we thank the many students and families who will be collecting donations for The Salvation Army.
Mr Ben Ryan, Director of Students