Why we should definitely have a parish picnic with a bouncy obstacle course again....

At last year’s auction, everyone got the chance to hear a moving reflection from school parent Tricia Leishman about how tuition assistance has changed her life. Tricia told us all how much better off she and her smart and adorable daughter are because they are part of our school community through tuition assistance.

But that’s just part of the story. See, I would say that while tuition assistance is certainly a gift to the recipient, it may be a greater gift to the rest of us whose lives are enriched by those the Holy Spirit blows our way.  And I will make this case by telling you how much better my life is with Tricia and her daughter in it.

I met Tricia volunteering at the parish picnic in 2010. She was memorable because she had somehow drawn the worst volunteer job ever as “bad cop” on an inflatable obstacle course full of second grade boys. She was actually crazy good at keeping those boys in line. As a “bad cop” myself, I asked if she needed help. “No,” she said, “My shift is almost up and someone is going to relieve me.” That someone NEVER CAME. But she just kept kicking those 2^nd grade behinds – for hours – all in the name of safety, while her poor daughter huddled on the shady side of the obstacle course, hoping no one would associate her with the crazy lady who just kicked my daughter off.

Fast forward to Bingo night. “Oh look, it’s that bad cop again!” There she was, monitoring prizes. Again, no relief shift. Again, no complaining.  She just kept working.

As our kids became good friends, I had more and more opportunity to spend time with those Leishman ladies, and have learned that despite trying to cultivate a rep as a saucy gal, Tricia pretty much never says a bad word about anyone. She is unfailingly charitable to others and really, really good with kids. She volunteers to help when she can’t, she donates money when she shouldn’t, she helps me when she has no business doing it. She talks about her faith more than any other friend I have, and lives it every single day. There is a lot of Jesus talk coming from that one.

And her funny, wry, wise daughter is one of a very short list of reasons my son manages to get himself to school every day, despite the fact that you have to do both sitting AND writing there.

So when I raise my paddle up to support tuition assistance at the auction, I am totally doing it to help other families like theirs have access to an outstanding Catholic education. And to help anyone who might lose their job or their house or their spouse stay with us as long as they would like. But I have to admit, my life would be much more drab and much less hilarious without my friend Tricia, and I am thankful that the gift of tuition assistance brought her to us. 

-- Colleen O'Mahony