Head of School's Message: January 31
Family life is not easy. Perfect families do not exist, but we must not be discouraged.
All of us experience day-to-day realities of family life filled with joys, disappointments, triumphs and defeats. Every so often we encounter examples of breathtaking goodness, brilliant manifestations of unconditional love that inspire us.
On Tuesday morning, two lines of lower school classes were criss-crossing the courtyard. A kindergarten class was making its way to the science lab, and a third grade class was heading to the art room. A third grade girl spotted her kindergarten brother. She stepped out of line, hugged him, planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered something in his ear. He smiled, hugged her back and they carried on walking to class. Maya Angelou said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” That moment between a brother and sister took my breath away.
Andrew Solomon describes the triumph of love in his book Far from the Tree (900 pages that he summarizes in a 24-minute Ted Talk, Love No Matter What) Solomon writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, autism and severe disabilities. The characteristics are potentially isolating. He documents the power that parents’ unconditional love has on the lives of their children.
Most sincerely,
John Finch, Head of School
