Emmett Mullen has checked in ..... I like what he has to say!
The stage and the pubic speaking forum (and opportunity) are yours Emmett...take'er away!.....The lights are on you!....
Every now and then I thumb through the pages of time and when I come to the section of the book entitled St. Mary's High, I always stop and smile. Such wonderful years! What a great way to grow up with a cast of delightful characters of all kinds. Good, bad, and indifferent; it was all good. I can even smile now when recalling being kicked in the ass by a classmate. Yes, it is all good.
For me the second best thing about St. Mary's High was the fact that we were rarely called upon to read aloud in class. I was a terrible reader. In elementary school we were asked to read aloud everyday. This was such an embarrassing and humiliating experience for me. But at St. Mary's, we seldom were required to read orally and so as a result, I began imagining myself as a somewhat smart and capable person. One teacher in particular, Mr. Ken Newberger, had a special quality of listening and validating his students thoughts. This proved to be especially encouraging to me.
But, the best thing about St. Mary's High obviously were the people. Students, teachers, Brothers, you name it. They seemed to form a circle around me of smiling and approving faces. What a wonderful way to experience high school. Yes, we had quite a boys club for ourselves. But, unfortunately, as is always the case, The Grim Reaper came knocking at our clubhouse door and took many of us, maybe even the best of us away. We all have our favorites from that list of departed classmates. John Rosa and Jim McKenna are mine.
So what do we do now without such delightful classmates and friends?...Well, we go on...of course. We, as experienced adults, know the drill all too well. But I would like to mention one thought in regards to all of this.
In my opinion, as we age, it is important to cultivate the notion of God's restraint (God could mean anything that works for you. Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or a oneness with nature, whatever is your choice), and by God's restraint I mean the seemingly impossible task of enjoying the moment but knowing that it will end; to embrace a loved one and also realize their mortality: to love and let go in one motion.
My mother use to tell me, "Emmett, if you're going to make it through this life, you're going to have to believe in more than just what you can see." So, allow me this opportunity to wish everyone, especially my old classmates, "the gift of "that something" which will help to navigate themselves through the remainder of their lives with a sense of joy and peace no matter what. Thank you all and thanks for the memories.
Emmett Mullen
The stage and the pubic speaking forum (and opportunity) are yours Emmett...take'er away!.....The lights are on you!....
Every now and then I thumb through the pages of time and when I come to the section of the book entitled St. Mary's High, I always stop and smile. Such wonderful years! What a great way to grow up with a cast of delightful characters of all kinds. Good, bad, and indifferent; it was all good. I can even smile now when recalling being kicked in the ass by a classmate. Yes, it is all good.
For me the second best thing about St. Mary's High was the fact that we were rarely called upon to read aloud in class. I was a terrible reader. In elementary school we were asked to read aloud everyday. This was such an embarrassing and humiliating experience for me. But at St. Mary's, we seldom were required to read orally and so as a result, I began imagining myself as a somewhat smart and capable person. One teacher in particular, Mr. Ken Newberger, had a special quality of listening and validating his students thoughts. This proved to be especially encouraging to me.
But, the best thing about St. Mary's High obviously were the people. Students, teachers, Brothers, you name it. They seemed to form a circle around me of smiling and approving faces. What a wonderful way to experience high school. Yes, we had quite a boys club for ourselves. But, unfortunately, as is always the case, The Grim Reaper came knocking at our clubhouse door and took many of us, maybe even the best of us away. We all have our favorites from that list of departed classmates. John Rosa and Jim McKenna are mine.
So what do we do now without such delightful classmates and friends?...Well, we go on...of course. We, as experienced adults, know the drill all too well. But I would like to mention one thought in regards to all of this.
In my opinion, as we age, it is important to cultivate the notion of God's restraint (God could mean anything that works for you. Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or a oneness with nature, whatever is your choice), and by God's restraint I mean the seemingly impossible task of enjoying the moment but knowing that it will end; to embrace a loved one and also realize their mortality: to love and let go in one motion.
My mother use to tell me, "Emmett, if you're going to make it through this life, you're going to have to believe in more than just what you can see." So, allow me this opportunity to wish everyone, especially my old classmates, "the gift of "that something" which will help to navigate themselves through the remainder of their lives with a sense of joy and peace no matter what. Thank you all and thanks for the memories.
Emmett Mullen
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