Final Chapel Remarks

First and foremost, I am so incredibly thankful that we are healthy, as a Community, especially as we reach this late point in the Year. While we have had our share of Covid cases, and our challenges along the way this year, we are staying safe, and well, overall. I never take good health for granted and feel so very blessed in this respect. 
I am also so grateful for all of YOU---our students, and our Faculty and Staff.

In these last 14 months, we have navigated this crisis admirably, and with a clear commitment to our Mission. 

We have come together---albeit virtually much of the time---as a Community, in new and powerful ways…

We are staying “true” to that Mission: one of promoting academic excellence and leading lives of Virtue, Humanity and Spirit...Thank you.

We have also “pivoted”, “flexed” our ways of thinking and teaching, and, seemingly “mastered” the Hybrid way of life. While we have certainly adapted our educational model to the pandemic, we did not abandon our “Core”; our commitment, that is, to care for one another; to serve others; to be part of something greater than ourselves; and yes, as you have heard me say, going all the way back to August, to LEAD WITH LOVE. 

Yes--the Palmer Trinity “Spirit” is alive and well, and has only strengthened, in my humble opinion, during this most unique Year. 

How do I know this? That the Palmer Trinity “Spirit” is in such good form?

Well, it’s quite simple.

I am witness to incredible moments happening each and every day...And those moments are led by ALL of YOU---our amazing students and dedicated Faculty and Staff!

I draw great inspiration from the good work being done by each of you...Work that is certainly not limited to the classroom. I have been a witness this year to so many wonderful things, accomplished by each of you!

Beautiful artwork…
Inspiring music…
Stellar athletic performances…
Powerful conversations and moments to raise your voices or cast a Vote…
Fantastic Scientific discoveries and Unique Engineering feats…
Countless Service projects and Long Hours devoted to serving others…
Academic Celebrations…
Fitness Challenges…
Educational Webinars and International Zooms happening early in the morning, or late in the evening…
Poetry Readings…
Student Athlete Signings…
Virtual Pep Rallies…
Creative Set Building, Design, and Inspiring Performances on Stage…
Quiet Reflections on Campus, and moments of solitude, soaking in the beautiful natural landscape that surrounds us…
Moments gathered around a table, sharing a meal--and a laugh or two---or three...
A Sacred Consecration of our own Trinity Chapel---a moment our Community has waited for nearly 40 years…
A real, “live” Baccalaureate and Graduation...and the list goes on! 

No quarantine or “pause” in our daily schedule kept any of these amazing things from happening, by the way….

And while I am sure many of us felt frustrated at times, or that maybe we “lost” something this Year, I will argue that we have gained much more than we lost...In fact, I believe that our Spirit has grown only stronger... 

We have found new and innovative ways to be Extra Creative, to be Diligent Problem Solvers, and to Be Positive, Servant Leaders.
 
I sincerely hope you will join with me in my optimism, as I firmly believe that through this challenge, we are discovering inner strengths, and capabilities we may never have known otherwise.

As we gather today and celebrate the GOOD of this Year, I would also like to say a very special thanks today to our Faculty, who led so capably this year, “pivoting” and adapting along the way. I continue to be so very grateful for all of our Teachers, and I know you, our Students, are being mentored by the “very best” in the “business”, so to speak!

I would also like to say “Thank You”, to all of our various Administrative Team Members who have spent these last 14 months working tirelessly, monitoring this pandemic, and keeping our Communication going. These folks have had to “juggle” all the various scenarios and daily changes brought by Covid, and we will continue to work this Summer as we prepare for just how School will “look”’ this coming Fall. 

Special thanks also goes to Sage Dining, our Security Team, and Maintenance Team, who have worked hard each day keeping us all fed so well, our campus safe, and clean, and constantly “at the ready” for any Covid updates. All of these folks have put in extra long hours on the weekends, as well, and, as you know our campus is a busy one! Thank you.

And, so, as we head into Summer, one in which for most of us, I hope, will begin to feel a bit more “normal”, I do hope you’ll take a  moment to stop, look around you, and notice the good and the abundant blessings that surround you.

In fact, I’ll encourage you to Pause. Rest. Maybe heed the following words from Orin Crain’s Poem, aptly titled, “Slow Me Down”...

Slow me down, Lord! 
                                                     
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amidst the confusions of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves with the soothing music of the singing streams
That live in my memory.

Help me to know the magical power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations of slowing down to look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend or to make a new one.

Remind me each day that the race is not always won by the swift;
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars
Of our greater destiny.

All the very best for a healthy, happy, and relaxing Summer.

Please continue to stay healthy and I look forward to seeing you back here, in person, in August!
Back
No comments have been posted
Main Entrance: 8001 SW 184th Street, Miami, FL 33157
Mailing Address: 7900 SW 176th Street, Miami, FL 33157
Main:     305.251.2230
Admission:     305.969.4208