Yes, it’s true I disappeared from my school when I was in first grade. I remember the day very well. This event took place  46 years ago. It’s not often that I get to St. Agnes grammar school in Arlington. But when I drive by I look at where it all began back when I was a young child. It is amazing how our brain and memories call roll back time with such clarity.

I remember my biggest problem in school back when I was very young was that I was a compassionate and out going kid who had to learn to listen, follow instruction and quiet my mouth.

I was like this guy, not quite as bad but I see a lot of me there. Lol

Dennis the menace lol.  Remember my wife still calls me a brat 🙂 life is good.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=PqlT2ro2GT0

By the way I did not have a Mr. Wilson in my life his name was Mr. Hosford  a wonderful man. He had a nice  wife and no children. They were off the boat from Ireland with the thick Irish brogue.

I miss this generation of people a whole lot. They were simple living. They could be seen walking arms locked the mile or so down to church and as Mrs Hosford began to become frail Mr. Hosford would come outside with his wife their arms locked and slowly walk our neighborhood with her little hat on. He did not see her as old and frail ,Mary was still the bride that he married many years ago. Love is a beautiful thing. Like Corinthians 1 says, love bares all things.

Mr. Hosford  had gorgeous flowers and said for Chri– sake an awful lot. My brothers and I were always fetching balls,friesbies, boomerang, bodies whatever from over his fence. He would say my panzies, my tulips my rose bushes. He liked us but it was hard living in a neighborhood that has 1million kids. My parents did what they could as did we but things still flew from one yard into the next.

I honesty loved my Catholic education and will never change my feelings on that. We’re the nuns or the system perfect ? No. They were human too. But they were committed to their students and service to God.

The commitment of our parents and society was different then too. The kids at school with us were at church with their families on Sundays too. There were no donut social gatherings either. Sunday’s we’re family church day, my dad got the newspaper on our way home and we spent the whole day together and had Sunday family dinner. That’s what most families did.

Fast forward 22 years ago and my kids were now beginning their education in the Catholic school system the teachers were good the nuns were nearly non existent. The parents early on had their children at the 9 am family mass and they had the donut social hour after. It was nice.

The years went by and the families just stopped going sports were the priority of the weekend schedule. It’s funny it’s not my place to judge what any one does. I kind of live my life and Don’t wrap myself up too much in anyone’s business. Life and decisions are a series of personal choices.

I am always amazed when people just speak to me and say I don’t go to church anymore. No one does. They are unsolicited comments made while just sitting amongst a group of my peers. My response is this, I do and my church is pretty packed. Since my diagnosis I think people are looking at me thinking why is he not freaking out?  God, that’s why.

I am still trying to figure out my mind and emotions on so much.

I think that these beautiful people are on a journey just as I am they are just as loved and hold the same level of value to God. Those who wandered from their churches just because life’s drum beat beckoned them off to worldly things  or getting up on Sunday morning was tough because they like to sleep in.

I again say, I am not judging I am simply relaying my truthful observation based on conversations and what I am witnessing with some very wonderful people.

Life will chew you up and spit you up if you let it. I for one will not allow that. My friends and future friends that are coming and talking to me because when they see me they are seeing  a living mystery. A lot of these people  all know what my diagnosis was.They all saw me 3 years ago May at a fundraiser that was held to benefit my family. They came and sat at my table  1 by 1 and we shared and they supported my family. My feeling is this. God has a plan that I am witnessing because that was God’s special plan for me in this life.

Okay, back on point. From a young age I was compelled to reach out. In kindergarten I attended the public school. It was 1/2 block from my home. There was only  one kindergarten class there at the time. Well due to all of the children hitting the school system from large Catholic families. Lol they split the class into 2 and hired another teacher. Well I was moved to the overflow class with a lot of kids that were new to the neighborhood that I did not know. I remember a young oriental girl just crying and crying. I remembered the teacher trying to soothe her and actually was going to call her mother. When she got up I remember going to her and saying it was okay, and gave her some of my snack. She calmed down  and she was fine after that at school she now had a friend as did I 🙂

Well Saint Agnes was next and I was a social kid who had to realize how to balance outreach and discipline. My little ministry at. Age 6-7 was getting me into trouble with the nuns. God bless them.

Well, the nuns had a huge amount of kids in their care and they ran a tight ship. All classes lined up in the school yard before schools first bell. We were to line up side by side in twos quietly. The nuns would come out at the bell and walk us in. It was a beautiful thing to see. This ritual was played out 3 times daily at opening bell, at mid morning recess and lastly at lunch time.

Well Danny just could not contain himself and was always yapping. Yapping to people in line to create dialogue. The nuns would give a warning and I still thought that I could get away with it.

Me in high school, just kidding 🙂

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=G7bGv7LPL4Y

This day was a spring day back in my 1st grade year, so I had been in school for at least 5 months by this time and I still had not assimilated into the school rule plan.

Well, this Spring day I decided to yap once again while in line after the lunch time recess.The  ( teacher) nun SR.Mary Nagle  said master R , WHAT did you do wrong ?  I remember her face so clearly I said nothing. I felt my face turning red and steam coming out of my collar. I was so hot. She took me by the sleeve and pulled me up to the head of the line and sat me on the fire escape step and said you just sit here. I will be right back and you can tell me what you did wrong.

Well, the kids grade by grade marched by and I heard little snickers from the older kids like oh, your in big trouble. I felt such fear. So, I split I took off and walked home. I had never walked home before. My teacher apparently came right back out and I was long gone. The school went into search mode and my mother was called. My teacher was hysterical crying saying what if something happened to me. My mother was getting ready to jump in the car to go searching herself. As she opened the rear door of the house and looked down the street  she saw a little figure coming along the sidewalk and sure enough it was me. She watched me from the window and grabbed the phone as she recounted the story to me. She told the school I was fine and we would see them tomorrow for the meeting.

I walked in the door and my mom greeted me and was so upset. I just remember her crying hugging me then she gave me a crack on the butt. It was well deserved and it was not abusive. It was a rare thing in my home but I needed to learn.

The next day I went for the family meeting about the incident and it was with my parents, my teacher and the principal. The teacher was so loving and the principal was very stern. ( good cop, bad cop ) I guess. They in concert with my mom and dad discussed the whole event with me explaining the wrong in it. I will never forget that my teacher Sr.Mary Angle said to me that she should not have left me unattended even for a moment. I learned my lesson finally. The principal did assign a punishment as well that  I was expected to do it and I did. I swept the coat press closet out. It wasn’t a big thing but for a 1st grader it was but Sr. helped me. 🙂

Things to remember about 46 years ago was this. We did not have locked doors on our homes. We did not lock our cars. Children could ride bikes without disappearing. We could go down to the park and play for hours without our parents being concerned.

It was a very different day.

Well from that day forward I was getting a little more with the program and the school year was ending. It was decided that my behavior that year was not because of being naughty but was based in my maturity so it was suggested that it might be best for me to stay back and start new the next fall 1st grade class. The thing that I remember was that my mom and dad discussed this life event with me. It was my choice because the school did not say it was mandatory. I chose to stay behind. A lot of my neighborhood friends were coming in the Fall so I knew it would be okay. It was the best choice and I went on to a successful 8 years there with the class and appropriate age group.

My mom loved this song, it was her ringtone for many years 🙂

Plus, this song could be used for me too. Lol    Not. !!! 🙂

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA

God Bless You

Danny