Old School Treasures in Missouri

If you look up the definition of "old school" in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you will find "characteristic or evocative of an earlier or original style."

In many ways that describes me, but it also describes a few treasures I've stumbled upon from Missouri's past.

A few weeks ago I found this gem tucked away on a side street in Old Towne St. Peters. Actually, my sister Kathleen showed me where it was. The plaque between the two windows tells the story.

St. Peters Public School, built in 1869.

St. Peters District 31 Public School was built in

1869 and closed in 1951 after it became

part of Fort Zumwalt consolidation.

The old Hope School can be found in the Village of Hope. It's two miles down the road from our "farm" in Osage County. The building is no longer used as a school, but local residents host social events there.

I snapped this photo of a quaint silver and red telephone booth a few years ago while giving a creative writing workshop at the Missouri State Teachers Association retreat in Bunker Hill. Don't see many of these any more.

The final photo is of Irving School, an architectural gem in North St. Louis, which opened in 1871 and was expanded in 1891 and 1894. I attended Irving for a few years in the 1950s. The building is no longer used as a school, but it still holds its old-world charm, and most likely its brick-oven heat in the summer.

My third-grade teacher at Irving made a lasting impression on me. An essay I wrote about her, "Miss Tobin's Special Gifts," will appear in KC Voices (Vol XIV) from Whispering Prairie Press in October.

How about you? Did you attend a one-room school house or an architecturally impressive school? Have you stumbled across any old school treasures?

Dr. Richard P. Johnson's Workshop for Writers "Enliven Your Writing with an Understanding of Clinical and Spiritual Psychology"

On Saturday, Feb 28, I was among the more than two-dozen writers who attended Dr. Richard P. Johnson's workshop sponsored by Catholic Writers of St. Louis and hosted by All Saints Catholic Writers in St. Peters.

The topic of Dr. Johnson's workshop was how writers can enliven their writing through an understanding of clinical and spiritual psychology. 

Dr. Johnson is the former Director of Behavior Science at a large teaching medical center in St. Louis. 

You can also find further information and explanation in his book, Discover Your Spiritual Strengths.

Here are some notes I jotted down.

Writers and psychologists are kindred spirits -- both are observers of people. 

For writers, using accurate words to describe behaviors is vitally important.

Personality: The core of individuals; what makes them unique. 

Dr. Johnson's six Christ-centered functions of personality are:

1. Believing. What you think life should be like. “Beliefs are the mother of your actions and behaviors.” 

2. Perceiving. Where you place your focus. We take in data - physical, mental, emotional, and also spiritual. (body, mind, and spirit).

Transcendence - visible and invisible. How are you perceiving that which is invisible?

3.  Thinking- the meaning you make from your evaluations or assessments, We have an estimated 60K thoughts each day; we are constantly thinking. Thoughts create feelings.

4. Feeling. Feelings have a great purpose. They are the automatic emotions that flow from our thoughts. How your personality creates your emotional life. 

5.  Deciding. The choices we make in our lives are based on our feelings. Make choices as to what we are going to do: strategies, goals, objectives, FREE WILL.

6. Acting. Behavior, what we actually do. Actions move things, hearts, minds, and souls. Actions cause change; we change as a result of action.Some action is outward; most is inward.

He also discussed Spiritual Gifts and Attitudes: 

What are spiritual gifts? They are the essence of the person. 

What is attitude? Patients with healthy attitudes responded rather than reacted. 

Responding is something thoughtful. 

He passed out a list which displayed the above six functions of personality with corresponding Spiritual Strengths (virtues), Disturbing Compulsions (fears) and Instructive Shadows (absence of virtues).

Virtues are expressed as spiritual strengths received through the grace of God. For each spiritual strength or virtue (light) there is an instructive shadow (darkness) expressed in the absence of that virtue.  We use our compulsions (fears) to try to get out of the shadow.

For example: The spiritual strength of  HOPE, the absence of hope is some measure of Despair (from disillusionment to hopelessness). The corresponding compulsion is Presumption (taking things for granted). 

  

Spiritually healing patient expressed themselves through their: VIRTUES

What is a virtue? Manifestation of Christ in them. 

“Virtus in media stat” In the middle stands virtue.

Virtue motivates our behaviors, from the Christ-centered perspective.  

Shadow (the absence of virtue) is the fear that comes from darkness. Something is missing.

Compulsion: When our whole being is fearful.

 As authors, we try to describe the human condition. He suggested we use the model for fleshing out  our characters to go beyond the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions to the spiritual. For fully fleshed out characters, consider using the character's virtues.

After Dr. Johnson's presentation, Cathy Gilmore from Catholic Writers of St. Louis led participants in a brief exercise to apply what we learned. I was amazed at the creativity expressed during the readings offered by several writers. 

I left the workshop with a happy heart and a desire to learn more about spiritual strengths to use in my writing--and in my life!

From St. Peters Basilica to St. Peters, Missouri: We Have a New Pope

Yesterday afternoon I was talking on the phone with my friend Lou when a news alert pinged my e-mail inbox shortly after 1 p.m. I read the headline that white smoke had risen from the chimney at the Vatican -- the College of Cardinals had elected a new pope.

Lou and I cut our conversation short, and I turned on television.

As a Catholic, I have to admit that I was excited to watch the live shots of the crowds standing in the rain, waving flags and thumbing rosary beads, awaiting the appearance of our new pope.

I flashed back to my one and only trip to Italy, when I visited the St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel with my friend Ligaya in March 2004. It was an amazing trip to a beautiful country.

Yesterday, from the comfort of my living room--in St. Peters, Missouri--I waited for our yet-to-be named Pope to appear on the balcony at the Vatican. 

As the wall clock clicked off minutes and the grandfather clock chimed twice, I wondered how long it would take before the identity of our new pope was revealed. I hoped it would be before I left at 2:25 to pick up my grandson from school.

Even the announcers on news stations sounded excited as the Swiss Guard assembled, a band began to play, and everyone watched for movement behind the balcony curtain. I switched from station to station to see which camera had the best angle and which commentary was most interesting. I settled on two channels, the primary being EWTN, the "Catholic" channel.

Minutes before I had to leave the house, a cardinal, dressed in scarlet, stepped from behind the white curtain and announced, "Habemus Papam Franciscum." Memories of Latin class kicked in, but still I wondered, did he just say, "We have Pope Francis"?

Yes. That's right. Our new pope selected the name of Francis, which brought to mind St. Francis of Assisi, the gentle saint, and patron saint of animals.

As I stood at the door, keys in hand, I took time to listen to Pope Francis' blessing. In the car, listening to the radio, I heard him recite the Our Father and Hail Mary in Italian, although it sounded like Latin to me.

On the parking lot of All Saints, while I waited for my grandson to come out of school, the church bells began to chime, celebrating the selection of a new pope.

When my grandson got in the car, I told him about our new pope, and he told me he already knew because his class watched it on TV in their classroom.

I read this morning that Pope Francis has already sent his first Tweet. I pray for our Church and for Pope Francis -- the first pope from the "new world"-- while I wonder what changes lie ahead.