Amor Saca Amor

Dear Members of The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara Community,

In the garden at lunch one girl studies another girl’s palm to see how many children she will have. “Four,” the soothsayer finally declares. The student with her hand out, furrows her brows and squints her eyes. “Really?” She peers with singular focus into her own palm. “Yes, four,” the soothsayer repeats. “See that line? -- That’s the kids’ line. And yours is really long.” “Wow,” the girl says, genuinely impressed by this prognostication. Then they run off to go find lizards.

The unwitting beauty of children can inspire us adults to soften. A father tells us that now that he has daughters and a son, he tries to be kind not just to his children but in general, to as many people as possible: at the market, in line at the post office, walking past a stranger in a parking lot, picking up screws at the hardware store. Everywhere he goes, his little mission is an everyday kindness, hoping this kindness will prove contagious and eventually ripple back to his children.

“All real living,” says Israeli philosopher Martin Buber, “is meeting.” At a time when so many people are moving so fast (while often looking down into their phones), how can we parents/caretakers be open and ready for each encounter, each meeting, no matter how seemingly small? Can we—literally—keep our heads up for each other? Can we move slowly enough for each other? Can we find the courage to step toward one another, be it the child showing us a drawing after dinner or the homeless man begging for change at the gas station?

“Amor saca amor,” said Saint Theresa of Avila. Love begets love. Or to put it all another way, when something happens, it happens to everything. For the sake of the children, may we all strive to beget beautiful, loving happenings.

***

We trust that by now the following sentence -- included in recent newsletters -- is numbing boilerplate: "As you know, our Annual Fund Campaign goal this year is $80,000 with 100% participation from every parent -- as well as staff and board member -- at our school."

We write today to un-numb and de-boilerplate. Here goes:

Like all independent schools, as well as many public schools, WSSB depends on fundraising to help pay "operating costs" (the cost of resources used by an organization just to maintain its existence). And our crucial yearly fundraiser is the fundraiser presently underway: our Annual Campaign.

So, like countless other schools, we humbly invite you to give financially, if you haven’t already. Remember: our goal is 100% participation. And please know that no gift is too small! By visiting this link (which is on our website), you can help ensure the flourishing of your child’s community. Thank you for your consideration.

https://waldorfsantabarbara.org/annual-giving-fund

In gratitude,

The WSSB Admin Team

PS And thank you to those who have already donated!

The Thought of the Day

“If two neighbors know that they may seriously disagree, but that either of them, given even a small change of circumstances, may desperately need the other, should they not keep between them a sort of pre-paid forgiveness? They ought to keep it ready to hand, like a fire extinguisher.
— Wendell Berry