Jackie Markowski, 12-13, De La Salle Blessed Sacrament Elementary School, Memphis, TN
One evening at community prayer, I decided to take a different approach and try something new. At our Lasallian Volunteers Orientation, one of the LVs used the story “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss for prayer. He used the story to explain that there are times in your life when you feel like everything is going great and other times when things don’t feel as great, but in the end everything will work out. I decided to use the same story in a different way. We went around the circle and read the story and reflected on the idea of success; how success is not always measured in material items but can also be had in faith or helping others. We talked about how success comes from within and if we constantly look for success in other places we could be searching forever.
After prayer, many of the Brothers shared that they had never read a Dr. Seuss book before. A few mentioned that they had never even heard of Dr. Seuss, which was a HUGE shock to me because I grew up with Dr. Seuss. Most of the Brothers, having been used to more traditional prayers, mentioned they were refreshed when LVs introduced new ways to pray. Some Brothers remarked that they had never thought to use a Dr. Seuss book for prayer. We talked about how the simplest things can make the best prayers.
This interaction with the Brothers made me realize that not only do they help give us perspective, insight, and guidance, we also give to them the same gifts. The relationship between LVs and Brothers is unique and powerful. LVs not only look to Brothers as mentors in faith but also in life. There have been many times when the Brothers have helped me through situations where I was stuck and I didn’t know what to do.
I had thought it was mutual and my suspicions were confirmed when I sat down with my community directory and he told me that we were having a big impact on the Brothers. He told me that the Brothers had been talking during their weekly community meeting about how they love having LVs around because we keep them youthful and also give them a new outlook on life. Sitting back I reflected on how much they helped me, I realized that the relationship shared with the Brothers was just that; a shared relationship.
Jackie Markowski, 12-13, De La Salle Blessed Sacrament Elementary School, Memphis, TN