Below is the weekly note to St. Pius X families sent 4/30/16. For those that do not have children at St. Pius X, each year, our 8th graders go on a school trip to Washington DC. The story below is just one of the many great things that happened during the trip.
We are
back. The 8th grade students
and staff have returned from out yearly trip to our Nation’s Capital,
Washington DC. I believe a fun time was had by all, and I especially had a
great time.
This is
my seventh Washington DC trip with students.
I have seen it all, done it all, and probably have enough information to
pass a certified tour guide test.(yes, tour guides have to pass a test) Getting on the bus to head out, early Tuesday
morning, I wondered if there was anything new and exciting I was going to see,
and looking at the itinerary, it did not appear that was going to happen. But then, the good Lord did not let me down.
I have
seen every monument in DC. These
wonderful structures celebrate the lives of many great people in American
History. Millions of people grace the
National Mall to see these fabulous structures and pay tribute the lives of
these most influential people.
There are
also monuments that celebrate those that have given their lives so we can live
in a Democracy. The World War II
memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial, celebrate the
events that took place in United States History, that have shaped our Nation
today.
It was
not until I was in the Korean War Memorial, that I witnessed something
different. Let me set the scene…
I am with
a group of 8th grade boys and our tour guide. It is getting late and we are tired. The tour guide is explaining the history of
the memorial and the reason it is the way it is. As we were about to exit, one of our boys
noticed an elderly gentleman and his daughter walking in the memorial with a
hat that said Korean War Veteran. Right
then and there, a student reached out his hand and thanked the veteran for his
service. This handshake was unsolicited
by any of the adults. Next thing you
know, all the boys are shaking hands and thanking this Veteran for his
service.
After we
all had a picture with him, we started towards our next monument. I decided to go back to the daughter that
accompanied this Veteran to ask some questions.
As I was approaching this Veteran, he was embracing his daughter and
crying. I waited for this moment to end,
for you could tell that the veteran was emotional. After asking his name(Charlie) and where he
is from(Arizona), his daughter, with tears in her eyes, stated that this was
the first time her father had ever been thanked for his service. It was truly a special moment that no
monument could ever explain.
I share
this experience, not because I want to get into a debate on the ideals of
wars. I share this experience because
our boys did exactly what God would want them to do. They took a moment to say thank you to
someone, for something, that up until the past few years, they knew nothing
about. Our boys took it upon themselves
to make someone smile.
Imagine a
world today that focused on making someone smile, instead of tearing them
down. Imagine a world today, where we do
unto others for the sake of their well-being, instead of our own interest. I have to imagine if a world like this
existed, then there would be no need for war.
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