Guest column by Sr. Jeanette Rerucha
Principal, Villa Marie Home and School for Exceptional Children
Being assigned to Villa Marie School has been one of the most rewarding apostolates of my religious life. I am so grateful that God has allowed me to serve these beautiful children, who are so precious in His eyes. I have learned so much more from the students I work with than they have learned from me. Following are five important lessons they have taught me.
God and the spiritual life
They have taught me more about God and about spiritual things than any Theology classes I have taken or books I have read. These children, in all their simplicity, sincerely know that they are loved by God, and they love Him. They truly believe that nothing is impossible with God. He will take care of everything, big and small, from their sick puppy to their sick grandpa.
Both Catholic and non-Catholic students attend daily Mass at Villa Marie and have the opportunity to offer spontaneous Prayers of the Faithful. Their petitions are so sincere and from the heart, from childlike hearts full of trust in their Heavenly Father. God hears their prayers, because, as Jesus joyfully proclaimed to His Father, “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do.” (Luke 10:21)
Joy
They have taught me about joy. These students find joy in simple things, such as getting to feed the cats or pet our emotional support dog. One of my favorite examples of finding joy in the simplest of things occurred one Christmas, as a student opened the gift for his classroom, which was lead for their mechanical pencils. He jumped up excitedly and exclaimed, “We are the luckiest kids!”
As I write this, the students are riding scooters in my classroom for an indoor P.E. class, and loving every minute of it. Their giggles and squeals of laughter are simply manifestations of the sincere, abiding joy in their hearts. Of course, like any kids, they have their moments of struggle, frustration, anger, and anxiety—behaviors often associated with their handicapping conditions. But because of our caring, patient teachers and staff, and with the help of our on-site counselor, they learn effective coping strategies to help them manage these emotions. With this accomplishment comes joy.
Our Villa Marie “family” is no different from any other family—we too have our share of “sibling” rivalries, personality conflicts, disagreements, and miscommunication. But our students learn how to work through these issues, and experience the joy of forgiveness and reconciliation with each other.
God is in control
I have learned that God is in control, not us. We have our own hopes, dreams, and plans for our lives, but God also has a plan, and His plan is always better. I’m sure the parents of any special needs person, when they were informed of their child’s handicapping condition, felt that the hopes and dreams that they had for their child were dashed. However, hopefully they come to realize that, in God’s perfect plan, this child is the greatest gift that He could give to them.
I too have my own plans for every day of the work I hope to accomplish and deadlines that need to be met. But then a child gets sick, or has a meltdown, or comes to me with a question or problem when I am in the middle of something. That’s when I realize (often in hindsight) that God’s plan for me in the moment is to serve Him in this child, and that is far more important than crossing one more thing off of my to-do list.
Regardless of the challenges experienced by our students, they always rise to the occasion. This is most evident to me during our annual Christmas play. Regardless of how badly things go during our practices, the students prove to me every year that God truly is in control, and they always amaze me by using their God-given talents to rise to the occasion and exceed my expectations by their performance in the play.
Baby steps
I have learned that baby steps are okay, and worth celebrating. The progress that our students make during their time at Villa Marie is amazing, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It is often a very slow, imperceptible process, like that of waiting for a seed to sprout and grow into a beautiful flower.
Our students often progress by “baby steps,” or sometimes even “baby shuffles,” but each small step is a milestone for them. We acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments, big and small, such as finishing a math book that they might have been working in for two years, earning stickers on a behavior chart, or achieving their highest score in Special Olympics bowling.
Every person is a gift from God
These children have taught me that every person that enters our life is a gift from God for us because they reveal an aspect of God that we would otherwise never come to know. Because of the simplicity of our students, God’s love is able to shine through them so beautifully. We tend to make everything so complicated; these children are not bogged down with all of that. They just are who God made them to be.
These are just a few lessons that the Villa Marie students have taught me, but the list is endless. I hope to continue to learn from them and I thank God for each of them.
Villa Marie Home & School for Exceptional Children serves the needs of children throughout Nebraska, ages 6-18, who need special education services. With no assigned parish support, the school seeks funding from the community to serve and educate its student body. Donations may be made online at www.villamarieschool.com or by sending a check to Villa Marie School, 7205 N 112th, Waverly, NE 68462. Stay up to date on the students’ activities at Facebook @villamariewaverly.
An invitation
The 2023 Shine Like His Stars annual dance and auction fundraiser is Jan. 27 at Lancaster Event Center. Tickets/Tables are available for sale by texting vmdance23 to 243725. You will also be able to bid on the auction or make donations through this as well. This event raises critical operational funding for our school. I invite you to join us and be a part of the fun.
