Night of Celebration

We all lose friends.. we lose them in death, to distance and over time. But even though they may be lost, hope is not. The key is to keep them in your heart, and when the time is right, you can pick up the friendship right where you left off. Even the lost find their way home when you leave the light on." ~ Amy Marie Walz

Spiritual progress is the ennobling of the soul, within and without" Hazrat Inayat Khan

Over the past several weeks, I have been grappling with the feeling and thought that my life is continuing to take me in a different direction than most of the friends I have had for the past several years. Whether it has to do with time and energy constraints with work, children, family, or just other interests, this feeling is bittersweet. I was left with the thought of how to keep these people in my heart.

Last night, I attended a Night of Celebration at one of my son's schools. It was amazing. It was a wonderful acknowledgement to everyone there, a public ceremony and testament to the growth and development of the students, parents and faculty of the school. It was truly moving to be a part of that moment of sincere and deep holding of space for the growth that had occurred and for future growth.

Here's what they did: the teachers made a booklet for each student - and wrote something about that student that highlighted their growth, the beautiful aspects of their being, and what they had contributed to the group as a whole. One teacher called the student up and read this statement out loud to the group. Also, their friends had written notes of appreciation in the book, for the student to read later. What a wonderful gift it was for me to witness this...and even participate as a parent.

I was reminded of part of the prayer, Salat, ..."Thy Light is in all forms, Thy Love in all beings: in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child, in a helpful friend, in an inspiring teacher."...
It was truly inspiring for me to see these teachers hold each child in their hearts, acknowledging their best qualities publicly. Most of these children would be moving on to new schools or new teachers. The gift these teachers, administrations and peers gave to each child, ennobling them, was immeasurable.

Watching the children, I could see how uncomfortable it made some of them. They were not used to accepting praise or being acknowledged publicly. It was a special moment.