Mission Moment

Dear Covenant Families,

On the luckiest of summer weekends when I was in middle school, my best friend would invite me to her bay house in Galveston, just outside of Houston. Not quite on the beach, we would spend the day setting crab traps with raw chicken pieces and then checking them every hour in hopes of a hearty catch for dinner. We spent the in-between time dangling our legs over the sides of the decking, watching the boats motor in and out of their slips, imagining what the fishermen’s dinners might look like in contrast. At night, long after sunset, we would lay on the pier with bottles of ice-cold IBC Rootbeer and watch the stars for hours, mesmerized every time one shot across the sky. We imagined ourselves in stories about being lost at sea or discovering new galaxies or what life on other planets might look like. The days were long and not especially exciting, but they are seared in my memory as favorites. The awkward unknowns of junior high receded for a few days, and I was present in the moments, noticing the simple details of nature that didn’t need enhancement, special filters, or MSG.

I was reminded of these particular memories this week after reading about the Geminid meteor shower, which will occur this Friday night, December 13. With clear skies, up to 120 meteors per hour can be seen from most vantage points around the globe. I’ll be with my dad in Scottsdale and expect clear views under the expansive Arizona skies, but I hope you’ll get a good showing here in Dallas, too.

The reason I bring this up is not for nostalgia’s sake. Instead, I hope to remind you of something we’ve focused on this semester at Covenant. In addition to spelling words and math formulas, we’ve talked with your students in class and you at our Project Standfast events about the power of unstructured play and why cultivating the imagination is more than just a good idea; it’s essential for a flourishing human being. 

We’ve encouraged our students across campus to respond to what they see, hear, or imagine using three prompts: I notice…, I wonder…, It reminds me of…  By slowing down, removing distractions, and attending to what is before them, our students are learning or re-learning how to cultivate this habit. They’ve practiced by: 

• Reading Hamlet aloud, examining the work line by line
• Launching paper airplanes across the green space in front of the Carson Leslie Center, watching them arc and soar, and then measuring their flight to the inch
• Observing patiently as baby chicks hatched and acclimated to their new world
• ...and in countless other ways over the past few months.

I assure you that wonder has been sparked, and this new practice is beginning to integrate into their daily lives. 

I realize December is not the month to slow down. Perhaps those days are left for summer. For one, we have finals next week, so our students are acutely aware of the need to study and prepare. On top of that, there are seemingly hundreds of things to do and see that are magnificent in celebration of the coming of Christ. The world feels like it’s on pins and needles in anticipation. But, if we can take what we’ve learned and begin to see the world and our circumstances through these new practices, these seeds of habits will take root in your children and maybe you, too! Tend them and water them by getting outside and noticing the changes happening in your neighborhood. Ask the I notice…, I wonder…, It reminds me of… questions over dinner, over lunch, on slow walks without any actual purpose or destination. If that feels impossible this month, practice while sitting in traffic running errands. Tonight at Christmas Chapel, what do you notice, what do you wonder, what does this night remind you of?  Last year’s Christmas Chapel? A childhood experience? The first time you heard your oldest sing Friendly Beasts with donkey ears on his head? 

Speaking of, the sons of Korah, who were Old Testament Levites responsible for the worship music in the Temple of God, wrote in Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s the first scripture I memorized and one that reminds me again and again that it is in the stillness - which is so hard for me - that I may notice and KNOW God in His infinite power, majesty, gentleness, and endless creativity. 

We’ll continue our practice of cultivating the imagination with a friend of Covenant, John Muir Laws, at Project Standfast on January 15th and 16th.  Mark your calendars!

Until then, friends, let’s continue to water the seeds that have been planted in the fertile ground of our students’ hearts and our own, drip by drip.  And join me in watching the meteor shower Friday night. Pro Tip: Having an ice-cold IBC Rootbeer in your hand will make its viewing all the more extraordinary.

Non Nobis!

Melissa Hill
Logic School Head