Friday Update, Dec. 13th
Finding Joy During the Holidays…
The past ten years have been difficult to navigate after losing my grandfather and my husband’s grandmother within days of each other and in more recent years, a grandmother just after the holidays. These people were pivotal in raising me and laid the foundation for the person I would become, and the person I aspire to be one day. But in the past decade, Christmas has been less of a “magical time” for me, and more of a grieving season. As a family though, we joked that of course grandpa would pass away a few days before Christmas because he would have wanted to celebrate Christmas in Heaven with Christ.
Any time I find a penny on the ground, I save it and take it to their grave to leave on their headstone. I’m sure you’ve heard of the poem ‘Pennies from Heaven'; if you haven’t read the poem, look it up! But one day, someone smacked me with the comment “Why do you go to their grave? They aren’t there!” I wasn’t ready to hear that and was taken aback. Of course I knew they weren’t there, but there was a sense of peace knowing I could go there to talk to them; this was part of my grief. I do know, though, that my grandfather would tell me to not despair but to rejoice in the knowledge that his body had been restored and he was in the presence of the Lord.
This reminded me of a grieving Mary, going to visit Jesus at the tomb, only to discover that he wasn’t there. She was no longer filled with despair, but filled with joy at the realization that Christ had in fact risen. When we think of the word “joy,” in this scenario, we correlate it with an overwhelming feeling of happiness, but John the Baptist correlates “joy” to humility.
“To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:27-31
HE must become greater; I must become less. I must become less…. I must become less…..
Christmas has never been about the perfect gifts, the beautiful tree, the picture-perfect memories, or even the sadness of missing loved ones. Christmas has ALWAYS been about CHRIST. I must learn to become less than everything else in this world and find joy in the true meaning of Christmas: this amazing, perfect, free gift that was given to us all. Coming to this realization has helped me let go of the idea that joy comes from the physical and material world, that I need to let go of the grief and the loss and find a humble joy. I pray that you are also filled with a humble joy not only during the holidays, but in each and every day.
Christy Dombrowski
5th Grade Teacher
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Christmas Offering, now through December 17: Since the founding of VCA, we have had the tradition of taking a free-will offering during the month of December to fund Christmas bonuses for our faculty and staff. If you would like to give to this fund, please make your donation by check/cash in the school office, text “Christmas” to 219-533-0229 or go to 2024 Christmas Offering. In order to help us plan, please have your donation submitted by Tuesday, December 17. Thank you for blessing our faculty & staff this Christmas!
Christmas Spirit Week - December 16-20
Monday - “Brrr, It’s Cold Outside” - wear your ugly Christmas sweater
Tuesday - “Red & Green Explosion” - wear as much red and green as you can
Wednesday - “Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” - wear white and blue
Thursday - “Christmas Family Photo” - dress in flannel or plaid
Friday - “Prepare for a Silent Night” - wear you favorite Christmas PJ’s
“Twas the Night Before Jesus’ Birth” Christmas Music Program - Grades 3-5, Tuesday, DECEMBER 17 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the North Campus gym. Doors open at 6:15
SC Lost and Found - Please have your child check the lost and found. Any items that are left in the lost and found after Friday, Dec. 20 will be donated.
Half Day, December 20 - dismissal begins at 12:05 pm at the NC, 12:10 pm at the SC
Christmas Break - December 23 - January 3; school resumes on January 6
No School, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King Day
Father/Daughter Dance - Friday Jan. 24 doors open at 5:30pm, more details to come
Mother/Son Night - Thursday, February 13, more details to come
