This long holiday weekend always puts me in mind of the 1996 commercial for an office supply store that was advertising its back-to-school wares. You may remember it too. It featured two kids plodding glumly behind their father who was skipping joyously up the store aisle with a shopping cart as Andy Williams’ infectious song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (yes, a Christmas song!) plays in the background.
The father’s glee at his kids’ going back to school is palpable, as is their reluctance. But as amusing as I have always found that commercial, I was always the kind of kid who would have been joyously pushing the cart up the aisle myself, humming “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I would have been cheerfully searching for a protractor, and picking out the notebooks with the best color schemes, and yes, I admit it, grabbing the “Happy Days” lunchbox!
No matter whether you were more like the kids in the commercial or like me, many of us in our later years have found a sense of anticipation, of new beginnings, and of fresh starts as summer turns into fall. You may not be rushing out to buy a protractor or a lunchbox, but you might capitalize on these feelings by beginning a new prayer practice, reconnecting with friends, starting a creative project, or getting out and enjoying the beauty of nature at this gorgeous time of year.
And another way we can enjoy these feelings of wonderful possibility is to help another to feel them as well — for example, by donating to the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen backpack and school supply drive (https://donate.holyapostlesnyc.org/give/568261#!/donation/checkout). You can help a child in our community start the new school year feeling excited and prepared.
And we can all trust that God is always with us, especially in the midst of all of our new beginnings and possibilities and hope!
https://donate.holyapostlesnyc.org/give/568261#!/donation/checkout
