Laura Boismenue
By Laura Boismenue
Director of Counseling & Associate Director of College Counseling
December 13, 2018
This Advent season has me thinking about a familiar word, hope. While this word borders on overuse this time of year – greeting cards, family portraits, and hearth-scapes that fill my world and Instagram feed – I’m still struck by how powerful hope is in our day-to-day lives. While we make our way through so much dark on these short days of winter, we light candles in the Christian tradition of Advent to remind us of what is anticipated – newness and light.
It’s this disposition of anticipation, of hopeful expectation, that I find so enlivening about our work of educating young women. Each day we are moving forward, creating anew.
The busy nature of each school day is evidence that it is hard work learning and growing and it is not always full of holiday cheer, as we know. And, yet, our days are full of hope. Showing up every day to deepen one’s understanding, expand our perspective and strengthen bonds with one another is decidedly hopeful. We anticipate that today’s investment is creating something new, something more for tomorrow.
It’s this disposition of hope that I see in our girls. Sometimes it’s characterized by joy and heartfelt enthusiasm. I see the girls delight in one another’s friendship, often erupting in animated conversation at passing time. Their passion is evident as they present in Ms. Knight’s class, sharing interesting insights from their research with one another. Other times it’s just the faithful act of putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward when the going is rough, arduous, or stressful. This I see up close in my work as a counselor when a girl works hard to muster up courage for a difficult conversation. Or feels the sadness of a broken relationship. I help girls untangle themselves from the idea that they have to be perfect to have a happy future. Together we begin to hope for a different path forward, one where being yourself is not only enough but everything.
In this holiday season, that’s my desire for our school community – to recognize evidence of hope in one another, to find that it’s all around us and to discover it in our every day. May it shine light on dark days and lead the way.
- Forest Ridge Blog