Today, Monday, the day after the high school’s fabulous Leisurely Lunch (part of a weekend of minimal sleep for me due to the hours of preparation and the ever increasing guest list!), I found myself smiling a lot. I felt energised and refreshed and ready to tackle whatever challenge lay ahead. I even found myself letting cars in, in the traffic, not pushing through the orange light and waving at the contractors busy with the excavations at the Capri lights!
The students will reflect that I am sometimes not the warmest or most affectionate of teachers….even my husband will say this! However, this is not a reflection of the amount of love I feel. How do I show that love? Through my food, of course.
Sunday’s Leisurely Lunch was my vision, yes, But it was only possible through a huge amount of community support. From the teachers rallying to make the day a success, to the parents, students and friends clamouring to get tickets, to the behind-the-scenes support of marketing, cleaning, setting up and taking down. When I walked out on Sunday and saw the tables set out, covered with brightly coloured cloths, students willingly offering help and guests starting to assemble, my heart sang.
Yes, I had put in hours of work, yes the costs of this lunch – both financial and physical – were great, but the amount of good feelings it has generated are immeasurable. Why did I put myself through it? Because I wanted to give back. Because I wanted to show this community, using my strengths, how much I love them. Not for one moment did I think of anything in return – BUT – the most humbling thing was that I saw and felt that love mirrored back to me. From the thank you’s received, to the students coming to offer help and not once asking for free food, to those who stayed late helping to pack up – and to, most excitingly,since the lunch, our community more than doubling the amount in the high school crowdfunding campaign. Why did everyone step up in this way? I find myself asking. Because giving feels GOOD. Because at Imhoff Waldorf High School, at our best times and from our highest states, we operate from a space of LOVE. The love on Sunday was palpable. And people gave whatever they could, because it is the right thing to do. This is what we aim to teach our students and it is the best gift we can give them – a love that is transformative and makes the world a better place..
Remember our crowdfunding campaign; click on to www.thundafund.com/project/imhoffwaldorf; send it to all your contacts – because it is the right thing to do. Let’s keep the love alive.
Thank you to all for the amount you have fed me.
By Janis Merand