Put a Name to It

Have you ever heard of the phrase "Treasured Sorrow?"

Perhaps you aren't able to put your finger on it right away, but I bet if you thought about those two words, some ideas may start popping into your head. You've probably had multiple experiences of this throughout your life, but you might not have been able to give it a proper name. It's part of living, and it comes with the territory.

Here's what it is...

"...It is a life situation where we experience pain, challenges, hurt, and grief. At the same time, we come out of the experience in way that we treasure the experience we have been through because of what we have learned and who we have become."

Read more about "Treasured Sorrow" here.

Most recently, I experienced this in my latest teaching transition from Phoenix to Chicago. I cannot begin to even explain how much it hurt for me to move on from such an incredible, faith-filled community of teachers, families, friends, and religious that made up our parish. I was even looking at first day of school pictures of some of my previous students last night (yes, they started school already out there), and those pictures tugged at my heart because I realized just how much I miss those kiddos. 

And I wondered, "Did I make the right choice in leaving?" and "What would have happened if I stayed?"

Now, I probably don't even need to tell you how dangerous the "What if?" game can be, and I feel like such a hypocrite playing it when I constantly told my students the past 3 years that such a game would not be played in our classroom. 

That’s because wondering "what if" does no one any good. If we spend our time wondering “What if?” we lose the time we could be asking “What now?” and we lose the ability to be fully present to those around us.

So, yes, it is incredibly challenging to make this change, and a lot of tears have been shed in the process. (That’s the sorrow part.) But it’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. (That’s the treasure part.) Being in ACE (and especially in ACE in Phoenix) provided me with many (often unexpected) opportunities for growth and change. And, while those experiences don’t define who I am, they sure helped shape me into the person I am today. And those times in Phoenix, even though they are hard to leave behind, are among the ones I will most treasure for the rest of my life.